Will a Wheelchair Help with my Epileptic Seizures?

Hi there! I was diagnosed as epileptic earlier this year, and I’m having to consider a wheelchair currently. My seizures make me collapse and affect my walking significantly after I’ve had one, but I feel like some sort of fake because I can walk. I was wondering if you had any thoughts or advice. Thanks.

I don’t think the chair is going to help with your situation. Wheelchairs fundamentally change how your body interacts with the world. If you’re coming out of a seizure, the last thing you need is to be in a situation where you have to focus on your body and how to safely move through a space.

In order for the wheelchair to be an effective tool, you would need to have it with you at all times. This means that you’re either walking around with a wheelchair you don’t necessarily need (at the moment) or you are stuck in a chair full-time “just in case”. Either way, you’re going to encounter inaccessible spaces that you would otherwise be able to navigate had you been walking. Wheelchairs make terrible “emergency-only” mobility aids.

Instead, I would recommend connecting with other people who have been diagnosed with epilepsy and see what kind of coping and safety mechanisms they use day-to-day. I think you’ll find that the techniques they use offer a lot more safety and flexibility than a wheelchair.