Flying with a Disability
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Airplane Seat Cushion Ideas for Disabled Fliers
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Airplane Seat Cushion Ideas for Disabled Fliers
Since I cannot walk I am pretty much glued to the airplane seat after transferring from my wheelchair. Even if I feel the set is OK when I first board the plane, after an hour I am very uncomfortable, and any longer than 3 hours becomes horrible.
Any suggestions for cushions to put on the seat to make it a bit more bearable? Preferably something that is compact enough that it doesn’t just add to my luggage…
Thanks!
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10 Replies
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I’d like to know this too. I may just try my wheelchair cushion on my seat next flight, but I have been tempted to try some of the newer ergonomic seat cushions (if they weren’t so cumbersome to pack I would of bought one already).
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Is your wheelchair’s seat cushion removable? Mine’s attached to the frame by Velcro. I can pull mine out if I need to.
My problem isn’t the cushion but the angle of the seat back. My wheelchair seat back is at only 30 degrees. Even if I recline the airplane seat back, it’s still not enough. So I slouch down so my hip can be at 30 degrees.
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My cushion is a Jay J2. If I remove the whole thing, it is like a booster seat and my feet don’t touch the ground. There is a gel pad inside, but even when I tried this it didn’t seem to help. I think because the J2 is molded and the gel pads stay in the bum area, but when put on the flat seat, it just spreads out and loses its usefulness I guess.
https://www.sunrisemedical.com/seating-positioning/jay/wheelchair-cushions/j2-series-cushions
I tried bringing a small folding footstool as well, but it just made the stuff my poor carer was lugging around even more bulky…
Yeah, I wish the backrests could recline more more…
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I would also like to know the answer to this question. As I plan to travel by airplane as well. I use this cheap type of ergonomic seat cushion for my wheelchair and I’ve never been seated anywhere else. For me, it’s enough but I can see the problem if it’s being installed in another place, my feet would hang a little bit but I thought maybe I could use this foldable chair as my footrest (?).
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The fold-able chair idea is good for the leg hanging issue. I like how the colored chairs you posted fold, do you have a link for it?
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I live in Indonesia so I found the chair in the local marketplace but I tried to search for it on the Aliexpress and here’s the link
aliexpress.us
Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com
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I was able to find it on amazon because of your link (for pretty much the same price+shipping), ordered it for my upcoming flight. Thank you for the suggestion!
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Just saw this article and it suggested a ROHO low profile cushion… but they seem pretty expensive…
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I had a ROHO years ago (air filled), wasn’t too bad at first. However, shifting around in my seat eventually caused small breaks and a slow leak(s) I couldn’t patch. I was able to get a replacement, but same thing happened. If you don’t shift on it a lot then they are okay, but personally I can’t recommend.
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Good to know! He mentions it deflates as the plane ascends, so that might also shorten its lifespan…
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