Arrans wheelchair & furniture fund

Hi there!

My name is Arran and I’m a disabled, non-binary, Jewish lesbian. I need to fund an electric wheelchair to ensure my independence outside of the house, and I am struggling to secure any funding. I already am a wheelchair user due to having hyper-mobile type ehlers danlos syndrome, which makes my joints very unstable and causes a lot of pain, and fibromyalgia which causes muscle pain and extreme fatigue. However, I can’t self-propel my current wheelchair, which impedes my ability to go outside by myself, always having to rely on others. An electric wheelchair would be life-changing for me.

In the meantime, I’m also trying to budget for expensive household items. I’ve had a history of homelessness and now having finally found stable council housing, I’m still lacking important household items that make my flat livable and accessible to me. Due to my being on very low-income benefits however, I’m having trouble financing these myself, also knowing that I will likely need to partially fund my powered wheelchair too.

Any amount, small or big, that you can spare will be welcome.


Longer background story:
I also have complex-PTSD and severe OCD as a result of an unstable childhood. I had to leave my childhood home somewhat spontaneously with no plan and have had a history of homelessness and inadequate housing ever since. 

I am currently studying psychology and counselling with the intent of one day becoming a therapist one day as I hope to be able to use my own experiences to help others. Because of my disabilities, I can only study part-time and am unable to work. Despite being a wheelchair user who needs assistance for essential tasks like showering, the benefits system decided that my mobility was not poor enough to receive certain financial assistance, so I am on a very low income.

Over the last ten years, I have lived in inaccessible and often unlivable conditions. This has included couch surfing for long periods of time, having abusive and discriminatory landlords, living in places where the landlords refused to fix things like the shower for months, and living in a homeless shelter with poor accessibility.

I finally have secure, accessible housing through the council and I am safe in the knowledge that I can stay in the flat I am in for as long as I need to. However, my flat came completely unfurnished and without white goods. While I had a few items already and a charity has helped me with some things, I still have a lot of costs ahead if I want to make the flat into a home that feels warm, safe and also easy for me as a disabled person to navigate.

I’m also waiting for news about whether a charity will give me a grant to pay for a powerchair, which would give me an incredible amount of increased independence. My manual chair is several years old and was provided for me when I had enough mobility to only use it occasionally. Unfortunately, as my mobility has declined the manual wheelchair has become less and less appropriate for me to use - it causes bruising if I sit for too long, it’s unstable as soon as the ground is at all uneven to the extent that I’ve been thrown from it, and it’s very difficult to use on public transport. Most importantly, I cannot use it on my own as my disability affects my whole body and I am unable to propel myself. Relying on my partner, friends, or PAs to push me severely limits what I can do independently. I am a grown adult, and I want to feel as though I have autonomy over my body and movement. Having a power chair that is properly fitted to my body would change my life.

My issue right now is that I have to try to budget these expensive household items whilst not knowing when or if the chair will be funded, which is difficult. The charities also seem to have a severe delay due to covid and I’ve not heard anything from them for months, even after email requests for any potential updates. So I may have to also fund the wheelchair myself. And due to my EDS and chronic pain, I need a more specialised wheelchair to be able to sit in it for longer periods of time, which unfortunately is on the expensive side. 

In the short term, while I wait to hear back about funding for the power chair, I am asking for help so that I can buy some of the following items:

A new chest of drawers
A dryer (there’s very little room in my flat for a drying rack, which makes it difficult for me to move around safely if I’m drying laundry)
A countertop dishwasher (I can’t do the washing up by hand, so this would mean I can keep dishes clean when I don't have a PA in to help), 
A new bed (my current one is broken and currently okay to sleep on on my own but not if a partner stays or if I gained any weight!)
Other smaller necessities that may come up as I settle into my new home.

In the long term, depending on what or if I hear from the charity, my goal amount may get a little larger so I can fully fund the wheelchair that will be appropriate for me.


Thank you!