Finally, a Wheelchair Cup Holder that Works


cup

Over my years of being paralyzed, there has been one elusive product I, or the companies making them, have never seemed to get right — the wheelchair cup holder. That’s right, the seemingly simple accessory used to carry our drinks while on a roll.

I have been trying to find “the one;” the perfect cup holder that works for my chair just-so for years, and no lie — I’ve been on a wild goose chase forever, until now. Thanks to the resurgence of sewing combined with the new popularity of blogging, I’ve finally found my dream cup holder, and it truly was a matter of the stars aligning.

Before today and still ongoing, dozens of companies make cup holders for wheelchair, and sad to say, most are overpriced and made with shoddy materials; not worth even a fraction of the cost. I’ve tried almost all of these, and being that I use a power wheelchair it’s been a mighty long search.

You have your clip-on cup holder made of hard plastic and metal, which is sturdy yet unmoving. And then you have your “updated” screw-on cup holder, a more secure version that’s supposed to say on your wheelchair indefinitely, but it definitely doesn’t work. Try to drive your chair in a tight space with this cup holder on, and watch it break and go flying across the vehicle. I have wasted so much money on these.

After years of just giving up entirely, I found an amazing DIY cup-holder-tutorial online a couple of months ago and just had to try it. I found someone who knows how to sew and asked if she could take the time to create this for me, and lo and behold she did.

The cup holder was originally made for strollers and walkers, but I asked her to tweak it for a power wheelchair, and she did — beautifully. She completed it and made the cup holder extra wide so it could accommodate my coffee cup, as well as added extra Velcro so it holder stays on my wheelchair all day too.

When she was done, she shipped it to my house and it made Christmas all the better. No longer do I have to struggle to carry my water and keep my balance while in my chair. When it’s on, it’s on and it stays and better yet — it’s made of canvas so it won’t break. Something as simple as the right cup holder can really change your happiness level.

I never thought in a million years something so simple could make me so happy, but it did. Unbridled freedom when it comes to watering yourself should never be underestimated. Always.

Try it yourself: Hanging Cup Tutorial http://mellysews.com/2013/11/cup-holder-tutorial.html

Do you have a favorite cup holder?


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Jesse the K
9 years ago

Thanks for this excellent tip! It makes our bottles or cans do the work of being rigid. Have you experienced fabric+can-vs-doorway yet? Any tidier than the tired old cupholder+can-vs-door?

Melvin Kelly
Melvin Kelly
8 years ago

It looks really neat! Now if the web sight is correct I will order a couple. Fell free to give her my e-mail to get a hold of me.