Moulded supportive seating for the disabled∗

In severe cases of physical disability intimate supportive seating may be required to provide maximum comfort, a good position for functional activities, improved respiration, relief of localized pressure, control of spasm, protection, or improved management. A service for providing such seating has been developed at Chailey Heritage. The seat is vacuum-formed from thermoplastic materials, having a soft non-absorbent foam for the liner and a hard semi-rigid outer shell. A mould is obtained by casting the patient using the vacuum consolidation technique and by recording the resulting impression using plaster-of-Paris. Nearly 200 seats have been made using the technique with a high rate of success.