ESA Form - Powerchair User

Hi, I use a powerchair full time and was wondering how that affected which boxes I should be ticking as the mobility related ones go on about using a manual chair or other aids, which I couldn't. Needless to say though, on good days, the fact I'm using a powerchair means I could travel some distance. Am never out alone though as I have a Personal Assistant with me anyway.

Cat wrote: Hi, I use a powerchair full time and Hiwas wondering how that affected which boxes I should be ticking as the mobility related ones go on about using a manual chair or other aids, which I couldn't. Needless to say though, on good days, the fact I'm using a powerchair means I could travel some distance. Am never out alone though as I have a Personal Assistant with me anyway.

Hi C,

Any distance that you can travel in an electric wheelchair/scooter or power chair is not counted under the ESA Mobilising/ Moving Around descriptors, so you should discount this in any answers that you may give.

"1. Mobilising unaided by another person with or without a walking stick, manual wheelchair or other aid if such aid can reasonably be used."

Only counts walking with or without an aid such as a walking stick, etc, or by using a manually propelled wheelchair under your own steam, with no one assisting or pushing.

bro58

Thanks, the wording of all this is doing my brain foggy head in (and I used to think DLA forms were bad!). So I'm answering it in the sense that I cannot walk any distance at all, is that correct?

Cat wrote: Thanks, the wording of all this is doing my brain foggy head in (and I used to think DLA forms were bad!). So I'm answering it in the sense that I cannot walk any distance at all, is that correct?

Hi C,

If the only way that you can move around is by the use of an electric wheelchair/scooter or power chair, then yes, you should treat it as if you cannot move around at all.

bro58

Thank you, need every little bit of clarification just to make sure. Even my PA has been totally confused by the form and was mis-reading the statements saying things didn't apply (as no difficulty) as the opposite. It's so confusing the wording, even with trying to follow the guide from here to help fill in in.

Cat wrote: Thank you, need every little bit of clarification just to make sure. Even my PA has been totally confused by the form and was mis-reading the statements saying things didn't apply (as no difficulty) as the opposite. It's so confusing the wording, even with trying to follow the guide from here to help fill in in.

Quite understandable C,

The wording can be deliberately confusing.

When assessing whether you could use any type of wheelchair, Activity 2 of The SG Descriptors should also be taken into account:

"2. Transferring from one seated position to another.

Cannot move between one seated position and another seated position located next to one another without receiving physical assistance from another person."

As if you cannot transfer from a seated position into a wheelchair, without the aid of another person, then you could not use said wheelchair.

bro58