REAL Child Chairs Designed for Your Child’s Daily Life
Most adaptive chairs for children arrive in standard sizes and ask your child to fit one of them. The REAL Child works the other way around. Every armrest, side support, seat cushion, control, and footrest is chosen for the child who will actually sit in it, because no two children who need adaptive seating need the same adaptive chair.
Discover a Mobility Chair Tailored to Your Child’s Specific Needs
REAL Child Chairs Are Personalized for Children with Limited Mobility
Configuration is not a menu of upgrades on this chair. It is how the chair is built. Two REAL Child chairs sitting side by side can have different controls, armrests, wheels, supports, and footrests, because they were configured as two different seating solutions for two different children.
Remote Controls or Switches, Placed for Limited Dexterity
Powered seat height and tilt are only useful if your child can operate them, so the controls on this adaptive chair are chosen to match what their hands can do.
Children can use a remote control or switches that can be installed in either armrest and positioned at different points along it. A child with limited dexterity, reduced grip, or limited fine motor skills does not have to reach for a control placed where an average hand would expect it. Different switch types are available, so the movement your child makes reliably, within their own range of motion, is the movement that works the chair.
Backrest Depth, Side Supports, and Flat or Curved Seat Cushions
The seat and backrest are where fit is won or lost. Backrest depth adjusts, seat cushions come flat or curved depending on body shape, and the support package is assembled around the child rather than bolted on afterwards.
Options configured here include:
- Curved back supports for children who cannot sit upright comfortably
- Side supports and lumbar support for trunk support and stability
- Flat or curved seat cushions matched to body shape and seat depth
- A headrest and harness where head control or security need them
- Longer armrests for more arm support, or shorter armrests for easier desk access
Armrest angle also adjusts horizontally, and the armrests carry real weight rather than resting an elbow. You can browse configuration accessories to see the supports, seat cushions, and add-ons available for this positioning chair.
Wheels, Safety Brake, and Stability on Carpet or Hard Floors
A chair that moves has to stop convincingly, and the safety brake on a REAL chair does more than resist a roll. It lifts the wheels off the ground, so the chair sits down solid on its base instead of relying on friction. Either a lever brake or an electric brake can be fitted, and the brake is what keeps fall risk down when a child leans forward to reach something.
Wheels are matched to the floors your child moves on. Standard four-inch and five-inch wheels give stability on hard floors, while six-inch wheels or double wheels perform better on carpet. All of them offer three hundred and sixty degree movement, so a child can turn in place in a bedroom or between desks.
Configure an Adaptive Chair for Your Child
Tell us about your child, and we will show you exactly how the chair would be configured. No obligation, and a specialist who has done this for hundreds of families.
Safer Transfers and Easier Access for Disabled Children
Chairs for disabled children should make getting in and out easier, not only make sitting more comfortable once you are there. That is the practical difference between supportive seating and a comfortable chair.
Armrests That Move Below the Seat Cushion for Transfers
The armrests move below the seat cushion, which removes the barrier a child would otherwise be lifted over. A sliding or assisted lateral transfer becomes possible where a vertical lift was the only option before.
Three things work together during a transfer:
The armrests drop below the seat cushion so nothing has to be cleared
The safety brake lifts the wheels and holds the chair still
Seat height is set to match the bed, wheelchair, or classroom chair alongside it
Moving across at the same level is easier and safer than lifting up and over, and it takes far less out of whoever is helping.
Footrest Options, Including a Step for Smaller Children
Foldable footrests make moving a child easier, and a wheelchair style footrest is available that can be moved or removed quickly when it is in the way. The chair also supports foot-propelled movement, helping your child move more independently while staying physically active.
There is also a footrest that attaches to the seat and works as a step, so a child can climb into the adaptive chair rather than be lifted into it. For shorter children, that step can be the difference between needing help and not, which is the same thinking behind our mobility chairs for little people.
Adaptive Seating for Children at Home, in the Classroom, and in Therapy
The same chair usually ends up doing more than the job it was bought for. Families order adaptive seating for children with one room in mind, then find the chair has quietly taken over three.
Classroom Use: Reaching the Desk and Staying With the Group
In a classroom, height is participation. A child sitting too low is looking up at the underside of a desk while everyone else is working on top of it.
Powered seat height brings your child up to the desk or the art table, and the safety brake keeps the chair steady while they work. Engagement improves when a child is at the same level as classmates, and so does independence.
Therapy Settings, Mealtimes, and Play at Home
A chair that adjusts while the child stays in it keeps a therapy session moving. Therapists working in occupational and physical therapy can change seat height, tilt, and support positions without starting the setup over.
At home, those same adjustments carry mealtimes and play. Forward tilt brings a child closer to the table and improves reach, while the safety brake keeps the chair stable as they lean. Feeding, homework, and floor level play all happen at different heights, and one chair can meet each of them without a second seating system.
A Chair That Adjusts as Your Child Grows
Growth is why families outgrow equipment faster than they expect. A chair configured for a six-year-old should not be dead weight at nine. Because the REAL Child adjusts for seat depth, seat height, backrest depth, and support positions, this pediatric chair keeps up with a growing child instead of being replaced by the next size.
Request Pricing for a Child Mobility Chair
Every configuration is quoted individually, so the price reflects your child's chair and nothing else. See what the supports, controls, and footrest options cost before you commit to anything.
Questions Parents Ask About Chairs for Disabled Children
Can children use mobility chairs?
Yes. A mobility chair built for a child is configured to a child's measurements, with seat depth, seat height, supports and footrests sized accordingly, and controls placed where a child can reach them.
How do you choose a comfy chair for a disabled child who cannot sit upright?
A comfy chair for a disabled child comes from support rather than padding. Curved back supports, side supports, and a curved seat cushion hold the body where it naturally rests, and tilt lets the child change position for comfort.
Can a letter of medical necessity help fund adaptive seating for a child?
Often, yes. Funding decisions vary by insurer, state program, and school district, but documentation from a clinician explaining why a specific configuration is needed is usually central to the process. We can help with a letter of medical necessity as part of your order.
Why Families Choose EMP Living for a Chair for a Handicapped Child
Choosing a chair for a handicapped child is a decision families live with for years. EMP Living started with one family and one child who could not get on or off a chair without help. It is why every chair for a handicapped child we sell is configured rather than boxed.
Steel Construction, Configurable Parts, and Support After the Sale
REAL chairs are built on durable steel frames, and they are designed to be reconfigured rather than replaced. Supports, cushions, armrests, and footrests can be swapped as a child changes.
That engineering comes from Mercado Medic, our Swedish manufacturer, who have built adaptive seating for children and adults for decades. We handle configuration, fitting and support here, so the people who help you choose the chair are the people you call afterwards.
You can talk with an adaptive seating specialist before you commit to anything.
Talk With an Adaptive Seating Specialist About Your Child
Bring your questions, your measurements, or just your situation. A free consultation and a straight answer about whether this adaptive chair is right for your child.