Disabled people who rely on a wheelchair often encounter problems when travelling by aeroplane but one loving husband has come up with a solution.
Richard Williams has invented a special travel wheelchair for his disabled wife which doubles up as carry-on luggage.
The 60-year-old created the Traveller Chair for wife Jane, 61, who has cerebral palsy, after problems on a flight returning from Asia.
Richard, who works as a manufacturing specialist and professional engineer, revealed to Derbyshire Live how he and his wife to travel.
But after coming back from Asia into Heathrow Airport at 5.30am when no wheelchair was provided for his wife, as organised, with no one around to help, Richard was struck by inspiration to ensure that never happened again.
His "lightbulb moment" saw him come up with the Traveller Chair, and Jane, who struggles to walk long distances, said: “I was overwhelmed with emotion when he told me about his idea and even more so now that I have seen it come to life.”
“I think it’s wonderful that our love for each other and travel has led to the invention of the Traveller Chair, which will change ours and others’ lives, as it stays with you all the way.”
The couple, from Belper in Derbyshire, who have been together for over 40 years, have already used the chair on many trips, even to shopping centres, cities and airports.
Mr Williams said it was on a trip coming back from Asia into Heathrow at 5.30am when no wheelchair was provided for his wife, as organised, with no one around to help.
He said he ended up “scrabbling around” trying to find one – when he had a “light bulb moment” and realised he could fix the problem.
He said: “My wife Jane and I have been fortunate in our lives to travel abroad and explore places together, with our family and friends.
“The unreliability of airport assistance was beginning to get a bit wearing, and I wanted us to be able to feel free and independent and not have to rely on help for our journeys.
“Companies need to realise the impact their services have on travellers, the good, bad and ugly. That was my motivation for inventing something to enable us to travel truly independently.”
He said it has been “wonderful” seeing his idea come to fruition after years in the making.
He added: “From daydreams about what independent travel would look and feel like for Jane and I, to sketches on scraps of paper and in my notebooks and now to the real deal.
“It’s so exciting to have been able to invent a product that I know will benefit not only Jane and I. It will make a huge difference to anyone with reduced mobility over distances and their travelling companions.”
Traveller Chair is a company that has invented a carry-on case that turns into a wheelchair, providing travel independence for people with reduced mobility, as it is with you all the way.
