The HandiCup is a generously sized cup holder with cut-outs to accommodate handles on drinks, such as mugs; it also features an insert plate that can be placed into the HandiCup to better fit shorter or narrower drinks. It also has a long strip of flat plastic extending from one side, parallel to the top of the cup holder, which, when placed between a wheelchair user’s seat cushion and the sling or base of their wheelchair, provides a stable and secure grip to ensure your drinks remains secured and steady as you move around in your chair.
I’ve been a powerchair user for several years and have always been on the lookout for a cup holder that would work with my chair because, unlike most manual chairs, my chair has no narrow round tubing. This meant I couldn’t use most cup holders marketed for wheelchair users. Just as I was beginning to give up, having returned to my search every few months, I discovered the HandiCup, which has such a universal design that it will work with any wheelchair with a removable seat cushion!
The HandiCup comes in a clear plastic display cover with a cardboard insert that shows a brief diagram of how to fit it to your chair (it’s that easy) and the story of Chris, who created the HandiCup after becoming a wheelchair user himself and realising there was nothing on the market that would securely hold a drink when he was out in his powerchair. The packaging is relatively easy to open as it is not stapled or taped shut; you just separate the two parts at the top, allowing the front part to fold down so you can pull the product straight out of the back half of the packaging. This also provides access to the cardboard insert if you wish to take a closer look at Chris’s story and the installation instructions on the back.
Installing the HandiCup onto your wheelchair, whether it’s a manual or powerchair, is very straightforward; if either the seat of your wheelchair is flexible or your seat cushion is soft on both sides, then you should be able to place the long ‘handle’ of the HandiCup between your seat and your seat cushion so that, when you’re sitting on your chair, it will be securely held in place. If, like me, your seat base is solid and your cushion base is also hard plastic, then I found that simply adding some Velcro to the top of the handle opposite the base of my seat cushion worked perfectly and has prevented my HandiCup from moving since the day it was installed.
I use my HandiCup every time I use my wheelchair, although sometimes it takes me a moment to remember it’s there since I was without it for so long! It has finally resolved the tea and cake and move dilemma, as now I have somewhere to safely put my tea down so I can move around and have cake! Most importantly, it enables me to carry an open can or bottle of drink around with me constantly, which is essential because many of my medications make my mouth very dry, so I’m constantly sipping all day. Another bonus is the shape of the HandiCup, which means it will take pretty much any cup you need to put in it. As you can see from my photographs, I tried a whole range of cups in the holder, and with the extra plate that can be dropped in to make the holder a few centimetres shorter, it is a fairly universal fit.
Having been searching for a cup holder for my powerchair for almost four years, the HandiCup is the first I have come across that doesn’t require a round frame to fix onto. It’s extremely versatile in steadily supporting a variety of cups, cans, and more, and it has significantly impacted my quality of life when I’m out and about in my chair. It might not sound like much, but being able to pick up a drink and take a sip whenever you need to, without having to twist and wrestle with a rucksack on the side of your chair or stop moving, get off the pavement, find a drink, take a sip, and then put it away again – is a huge step forward. It really makes a significant impact on my days when I’m out in my chair.
