Wheelchair, circa 1940s-1950s

Wheelchair, circa 1940s-1950s

The Kalamazoo Rotary Club created the Crippled Children's Committee in 1924. By 1948, the organization had changed its name to the Kalamazoo Society for Crippled Children. The organization provided rental equipment for children at a time when wheelchairs and other mobility aids were shared and less individualized. They also worked to educate the school system on how to better serve those children while at school and sponsored clinics with specialists to ensure the children were receiving the help that they needed. The name was later changed to Kalamazoo Society for Crippled Children and Adults and eventually was absorbed by Kalamazoo Public Schools. This wheelchair is an example of some of the assistive devices that would have been rented out to those with disabilities. The wheelchair was likely made sometime in the late 1940s to 1950s.

Object #2023.4.1

* The museum’s collection contains materials from past time periods that are preserved and made available to the public. As a result, some items reflect outdated, biased, offensive, and possibly violent views and opinions due to systemic intolerance.