About

The very first WheelAir was brought to life in 2015 by founder Corien Staels, as her final university project during her textiles degree. Her university tutor, who was a wheelchair user, had told Corien of the problems associated with overheating. Corien thought… why don’t I solve that?

Looking into the issue of overheating further, Corien learned that overheating in a wheelchair is not only very uncomfortable, but also potentially dangerous. She learned that people were using ice-packs and water sprays to keep cool. It seemed ridiculous to her that in this day and age, there wasn’t a technological solution.

So, she came up with the WheelAir concept. A simple idea that has already made a lot of impact. The WheelAir system is designed to remove excess heat and moisture from the backs of wheelchair users and cool their core temperature. Not only this, the team is working hard to build a stylish brand that wheelchair users can relate to. The WheelAir has been described as ‘a breath of fresh air’ in the industry. Best of all, the WheelAir is already changing lives. One user, Jay, told us when she first tried the WheelAir that it was the first time in 20 years that she had been able to sit it in the sun without overheating. A momentous moment for both Jay and us.