REAL Child Chair
Powered Activity Chair for Children
Every child deserves the chance to play and learn. Our REAL Child activity chair is designed to support children with physical limitations so they can actively participate in a wide range of activities at home and school.
How can an EMP Living special needs chair help children in everyday life?
The REAL Child: Our chairs for children living with disabilities foster an inclusive environment that focuses on child empowerment. They help children with mobility limitations actively participate in a range of activities at home and school. Instead of being confined to one desk at school or having to repeatedly ask for help, children can operate their chairs by themselves and move them around anywhere they wish.
We have more than 50 years of experience developing and manufacturing adaptive chairs and special needs activity chairs. Our adaptive chairs are customized with options and accessories to meet your needs.
Chair for special needs is child-powered with a safety brake
The REAL Child chair is powered with easy-to-use controls and a safety brake. Functions such as the height and tilt are also powered and can even be controlled using a wired remote. This allows kids to adjust the chair to the desired height by themselves so they can sit anywhere they wish. The safety brake ensures kids can get on and off the chair safely.
For eating, playing, and learning
The REAL Child adaptive chair provides support to help kids enjoy and participate in daily activities such as eating, playing and learning. The REAL Child is adjustable, providing both passive and active support to ensure children can maintain proper posture while offering freedom of movement for their arms. The powered tilt-in-space allows the chair to be tilted forward or backward to attain optimal posture for activities such as eating or therapy. The powered height adjustment allows the child to position the chair at the right height to improve posture and reduce fatigue.
Independence for children with disabilities
With the help of the REAL Child Chair, kids are freed from feeling helpless and dependent on others when participating in everyday activities. At school, they can use the chair in class, at lunch, or while playing with their friends. While in class, using the chair encourages classroom and community participation. At home, they can smoothly maneuver around the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. They can also use their chair to play, study or relax. The simple but sophisticated design allows this piece of specialized equipment to fit right in wherever it is needed.
Why is EMP Living Your Best Choice for Your Special Needs Chair?
We understand firsthand the challenges of choosing a special needs chair. Our daughter is medically complex with physical disabilities. She is a little person with limited balance and range of motion. She has fused elbows that constrain her upper extremity function. She needed a chair that would allow her to accomplish more and enhance her independence.
We began looking for a piece of adaptive equipment or a chair that would accommodate her needs. We spent weeks searching for countless hours before we finally discovered the perfect chair for our daughter: the REAL Child chair manufactured by Mercado Medic.
This adaptive chair, which dabbles as a special needs activity chair, has been life-altering for our daughter. She has been empowered to perform a long list of activities by herself, which has dramatically improved her quality of life. This led us to approach the Swedish company Mercado Medic to secure the North American distributorship.
Our Guarantee
We guarantee that our chairs will empower you to do more, plus provide you with additional mobility to perform tasks and activities independently and safely in your everyday life, home, school, work, and everywhere in between. Try our chair for 30 days, and if it doesn’t help you do more, return it for a full refund. The REAL Child changed our daughter’s life and we are confident you’ll love it too. If you aren’t satisfied, we offer a money-back guarantee.
Check out the reviews from our existing customers to see how satisfied they are with their purchase.

How to Pick the Perfect Special Needs Chair for Handicapped Children
Special needs seating for everyday use
Ensuring that our kids and loved ones have access to the right type of seating really matters when it comes to their daily lives. Providing ample assistance, freedom, and comfort is important for most day-to-day tasks, including eating, doing schoolwork, and therapy applications. At EMP Living, we have the best seating arrangements and items available, from tables for playing on the floor to chairs suitable for sitting at a desk.

Picking the Special Needs Chair that Suits You or Your Child
We have various options for our special needs chairs, so you can determine which one is best for you or your child. A sit-to-stand (or stand-to-sit) chair is ideal for children who need to move around during focused tasks, like crafting and eating. A third option is a high-low chair, which adjusts to reach tabletop height for meals, and lowers down to floor level for playtime.
With special needs seating options, including floor seats, tables, lounge chairs, portable chairs, and recliner chairs, we offer a variety of equipment you can combine to address the particular needs of yourself or your child. Contact us to learn more. Our knowledge and friendly staff will guide you through choosing the right equipment for your needs.
What is Adaptive Seating?
Active seating or adaptive seating encourages flexibility and mobility by allowing individuals living with disabilities to move about more freely and to be more – or even completely – independent. For example, adaptive seating devices provide children with positioning support, allowing them to interact more easily with various environments on a daily basis.
Adaptive car seats, seatbelt guards, and boosters provide safety and support for kids with special health issues. Regardless of whether we’re able-bodied or disabled, our bodies aren’t designed to spend long periods of time in a restricted or constrained posture.
When positioned properly, rollers and wedges provide essential support for eating, traveling and exercising. Adjustable tables, a tray, and easels allow for many different seating arrangements and offer a stable learning environment by applying the latest technology.
Adaptive seating, whether for children or adults, offers the best outcome in terms of facilitating proper posture and positioning. It offers better backrests for children, auxiliary supports, and improved independent mobility. Observational studies report the health of children improves with better postural control.
There are many alternative seating options, such as mobility scooters and seating clinic chairs that can be used when a patient requires medical interventions. These offer functional outcomes that can’t be obtained with a regular chair, dynamic chair, or basic activity chair.
What are the benefits of specialized pediatric seating?
Specialized seating and positioning systems are a daily necessity to help children and young adults with special needs.
Specialized seating allows children who are physically challenged to sit, play, study, eat, bathe, and enjoy time with their families comfortably and securely. This empowers them to be included in many activities, both at school and at home, and to develop the independence they need as they mature.
Pediatric seating systems provide a wide range of options and support for children. Some are designed to be adjustable to suit different heights, weights, and degrees of support and positioning as required. Others are meant for a specific height, weight, and/or degree to which the head and body need to be supported.
Most modern pediatric seating systems will grow and adjust with your child for several years of use. Most manufacturers also pay close attention to making these seats appealing to children by using bright colors and patterns. EMP Living’s REAL Child chair is designed to look like a typical task chair so children can look and feel like their peers. The goal of pediatric seating is to help children become independent in their day-to-day lives, and enable them to participate in a wide range of activities regardless of their physical limitations.
There are a variety of seating systems available that offer a wide range of choices and accessories to enhance user experience. These include:
- Fixed or adjustable lateral head support
- Abduction blockers (used to position muscles correctly)
- Trunk and body supports
- Footrests
- Seat belts
- Seat and backrest cushions available in various sizes and materials
What types of special seating are available?
There are various types of seating systems available, including ones that offer full body support.
There are seating products designed to help children who struggle to sit still and focus at school. One example is seats designed to fit under school desks, which allows children to sit with their friends and participate more fully in class activities.
Tilt-in-motion options enable the user to easily switch between active and passive sitting positions.
Try our chairs for 30 days
Who uses special pediatric seating?
Any child with a physical disability can benefit greatly from using some kind of special equipment.
The range is wide and can include children who are living with many different conditions, such as:
- cerebral palsy (these children may need support for weak muscle tone, rigidity, or muscular contractions)
- scoliosis
- muscular dystrophy
- spina bifida
- any clinical condition causing weakness of the torso muscles
How do I choose the right seating system for my child?
Purchasing the right pediatric seating products for children can be a daunting task because there are so many factors to consider. These include your child’s height, weight and age, what they require when it comes to ergonomics, and the desired goal of the special needs chair.
At EMP Living, we simplified the purchasing and decision-making process for you with our REAL Child Chair. This innovative product enables children with functional disabilities to sit actively at a desk or a table. The height of the seat can be easily adjusted to various heights, and all of our chairs come with a safety brake.
The chair remains securely where you want it to be, but can be easily moved when required. We believe it is imperative that the chair is easy to adapt for the user, which is why our chair has a modular structure that can be augmented as the child grows.
There are so many options available when it comes to a special needs chair that it can be difficult and overwhelming to figure out which one to choose for your specific needs. We simplify this process by offering a wide range of options and choices. You decide how the chair functions are controlled. You choose what size and type of cushions will work best. You have a variety of accessories to select from, such as foot rests, seat belts, and support for legs and hips.
Unlike many other adaptive chairs, the special REAL Child chair can be customized in many ways by selecting the options and accessories that will work best for your child.
It can be helpful to consult your child’s occupational therapist for advice on which options will be most useful for your child’s needs. These caring professionals are knowledgeable and well-equipped to recommend an appropriate seating plan for your child that will meet their current needs, and to suggest what they are likely to need in future.
Learn more about the REAL Child chair.
What functions on the chair are powered?
The REAL Child chair is powered with easy-to-use controls and a safety brake. The height, tilt, backrest, and brake can be powered.
How high does the seat lift chair go?
Chairs come with two height options. The low chair can descend to a height of 23.6 inches, and the high chair can reach a height of 29.5 inches. The seat cushion adds another 2 to 4 inches.
How much does the chair tilt?
The typical tilt for children is 8 degrees forward and 15 degrees back, but we offer options up to 15 degrees forward and 23 degrees backward. The powered backrest can add an additional 30 degrees of backward tilt.
Are the armrests removable?
We offer two armrest options. The standard armrests act as lateral supports and are adjustable up or down and in/out. In the down position, the armrests are at seat level. We also offer an armrest that folds backward to be tucked behind the backrest.
Do the armrests move with the seat tilt?
We offer two options: armrests that move with the seat tilt, or armrests that do not move with the seat tilt.
Does the chair have a brake?
Yes, the chair has a safety brake. The brake works by lifting the back two wheels slightly off the ground. This keeps the adaptive seating devices from moving when weight is applied to the seat.
Do you offer footrests?
Yes, we offer various types of footrests. Some are removable, some fold out of the way, and others are stationary.
What other accessories are available?
We have a wide selection of accessories. Almost anything you can buy for a powered wheelchair is available for our chairs, including leg rests, armrests, headrests, neck rests, seat belts, push bars, tables, seats, backrest covers, leg supports, side supports, thigh supports, and abduction blocks, plus many more. See our accessories list for more information.
How big is the REAL Child chair?
The frame for the seating on the child’s chair is 16.9 inches wide. The seat cushion and armrests add more width, but the total width is usually less than 26 inches. This allows the chairs to fit easily through most doorways and move smoothly around most homes.
How much does the REAL Child chair weigh?
The final weight of the chair depends on the configuration and accessories. The pediatric chairs usually weigh between 40 and 80 pounds.
What is the weight limit for the seat lift chairs?
The REAL Child chair has a weight limit of 154 pounds or 75 kilograms. The REAL Adult can be used for larger children and has a weight limit of 330 pounds or 150 kilograms.
What color is the seat lift chair?
The chair frame is black.
What fabrics are available, and in what colors?
We have both cloth and artificial leather fabrics available. Our color selection can be found here. All of our cushions are upholstered in-house. If you want a fabric or color that isn’t part of our standard line, we can customize the cushions for you.
Do you have covers for the seat and backrest?
Yes, we have washable covers for both the seat and backrest available in cloth. We also have gray waterproof covers. All our covers are machine washable.
Are your seat and backrest covers washable?
Yes, you can remove the seat and dynamic backrest to wash them. Be sure to wash them delicately so you don’t damage the major components or any critical components.
Do you have a waterproof seat and backrest cover?
Yes, we have quality waterproof covers available in gray.
- Maximum user weight 75 kg/165lbs
- Seat height (Electric Height): Measured from the floor to the bottom of the seat cushion
- High 47 – 75 cm (~18.5 – 20.5 in) plus seat cushion
- Low 40 – 60 cm (~15.75 – 23.5 in) plus seat cushion
- Seat cushion width: 11.5in – 19in
- Chair width: Seat cushion width + 4 in
- Seat tilt:
- Maximum 30° combined forward and backward
- Maximum 23° either forward and backward
- Backrest: Low and High options available.
For a more detailed overview of this chair and others, make sure to visit out brochures page here.
The REAL Child has a variety of accessories to choose from. Click here for more information.