Question: I live in an old house with narrow doors. What is the narrowest wheelchair I can buy that allows me to wheel myself? I can fit into a narrow seat. If I cannot find a narrow enough wheelchair, is it possible for me to take the hand wheels off the chair and wheel myself? ~Robert

Answer: The seats on most manual wheelchairs range in width from about 14- to 22- inches. If you can fit into a narrow seat that's great. Most doorways are about 24- to 30-inches wide. The best solution would be if you could wheel straight through your doorways using a smaller chair. I wouldn't recommend having to adjust or modify your wheelchair every time you have to go through a doorway. If you can't find a suitable chair that allows you to travel freely through your doorways you could have the doorways widened. If there are only one or two doorways that are giving you trouble this could be a solution, however if all of your doorways are narrow it could mean a large renovation job in your house. You could also try to find a company which can make a custom wheelchair for you. These wheelchairs are built to the specifics of your body and your requirements. This may be your best solution.