to turn into a more formal / longer post later

[sasha_feather]

(I left this as a comment on facebook)
Thinking this through, I think these "standing wheelchairs" are less about the "health" or "independence" of disabled people, and more about making disabled people conform to non-disabled standard, to make us more acceptable to non-disabled society. If a few individuals get benefit from them, OK. But they are not part of the social justice model of disability.

Instead:
Imagine altering the built and social environments so that wheelchairs are normal. No one comments on them in hostile ways. There are ramps and elevators aplenty. Everything is reachable from wheelchair height, or if not, someone is around who can help reach, or there is assistive tech for helping with that. This would be probably cheaper than providing these "standing wheelchairs" and benefit many more people, including kids, people with fatiguing illnesses, short people, etc.

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

Good point. There are some genuine health benefits to standing, which your effective argument might anticipate. (force of gravity strengthens bones, makes intestines work better.)

Also public interior design fads for "bar height" chairs & tables create barriers.

[lauredhel]

I've noticed that all the not-visibly-disabled people fill the normal sitting height tables first, too. More than a few times
I've been unable to sit anywhere in a half-empty place, because only the bar-height tables are empty.