Below is another video of a test drive I had yesterday of a loner wheelchair using a different kind of mouth control. It is a slightly smaller joystick using what is known as a bib mount. It hangs around your neck like a bib. Although it looks a little bit awkward, it is larger than it needs to be so that it can be fully adjustable. When I get my own we are going to trim it down to make it fit me better. Also note that I’m not using this wheelchair’s headrest because it is way too high. We just stuck a pillow behind my head and I deliberately left my head tilted back so that would rest firmly against the pillow. It made it a little bit difficult to see to drive. When I get the final product I will have a well fitted headrest and my head will be more upright.
As a result of this test, we are definitely going with some sort of bib mounted joystick. The advantage is that it will move with me. Throughout the day as I slip down inside my back brace, I actually get shorter throughout the day. If we mounted it on the armrest on the backrest we would be constantly readjusting it. I really like the solution much better than anything we’ve tried. Now I’m just waiting on some paperwork.