Adaptive Seating in School Settings

A classroom is typically considered a place where children are given the chance to realize their full potential. But for children living with physical disabilities, these spaces can have the opposite effect. Classrooms are filled with roadblocks that can diminish opportunity for the differently abled. Academic achievement and healthy social interactions with peer groups are vital milestones in every child’s development. Without proper equipment, access to those experiences isn’t equally available to all children. Adaptive technology is a game-changer that levels the playing field by empowering kids with disabilities.

Adaptive Seating Technology

Adaptive seating technology refers to products specifically designed to help people with physical and other impairments. It is a subcategory of assistive technology, which is defined by the United States Assistive Technology Act (1998) as any “product, device, or equipment, whether acquired commercially, modified or customized, that is used to maintain, increase, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.”

Appropriate seating is a fundamental component of a productive and functional learning environment. For children with disabilities, the ideal chair enables mobility and fosters inclusion. A product such as EMP Living’s REAL Child chair is a crucial piece of equipment that can dramatically improve the classroom experience for kids who are physically challenged. Designed and manufactured in Sweden, this technologically sophisticated chair will adapt to a variety of environments, allowing children to expertly navigate their way through school spaces with precision and confidence.

The REAL Child Activity Chair 

The REAL Child activity chair sports an easy-to-operate controls, a safety brake, and advanced functions such as powered height and tilt control that allow the user to sit comfortably and ergonomically at any height. Kids can adjust their high-tech chair themselves at the touch of a button or a grasp of the joystick, providing a sense of independence that is so often denied to people living with disabilities. The optimal seating can enhance academic performance and ensure children are maximizing the opportunities available to them. 

The REAL Child activity chair eliminates the need for adjustable tables. It improves mobility by allowing a child to seamlessly move from the classroom to the cafeteria to the music room to the science lab without needing to be lifted or carried from place to place. This freedom of movement nurtures self-esteem, inspires independence and confidence, and encourages social interactions with other children. Kids don’t have to feel left out any longer. When taken together, these significant quality-of-life improvements have the power to dramatically improve a child’s abilities and outlook, which prepares them more thoroughly to lead productive and rewarding adult lives. 

Encouraging and Inclusive Environment

Creating an inclusive learning environment for all children isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s also the law. Students have a legal right to adaptive technology. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (I.D.E.A.) requires school districts to evaluate students’ technological needs and acquire adaptive technology when appropriate. 

Children with disabilities don’t have to feel like they are being short-changed in classroom environments. With the help of equipment featuring adaptive seating technology, they won’t be at the mercy of limitations in a world that isn’t always designed with their needs in mind. They can benefit from the same opportunities that non-disabled individuals might take for granted.