Renowned Website for Wheelchair Users Inspires Lives

Exeter, PA (February 1, 2006) – WheelchairJunkie.com, the premier website for wheelchair users, expands its global impact in 2006, featuring a cutting-edge forum that currently hosts approximately 4,000 registered members, and an online publication that has 12,000 individual weekly readers, receiving over 300,000 page views per month.

“It’s an interesting mix of content and community,” says Mark E. Smith, Editor of WheelchairJunkie.com, himself a wheelchair user and mobility products professional who founded the site in 1997 to address the needs of fellow wheelchair users. “Our content is the most authoritative source online for wheelchair technology. Whether someone is looking for new products or needing repair of an existing wheelchair, we truly provide information that’s applicable and consequential to readers’ lives. Additionally, our forum is an everyday support network for those who use wheelchairs, where there are an average of 100 visitors on at any given time, offering guidance and support to each other – that’s an inspired peer group.”

“I’ve learned so much from the online community at WheelchairJunkie.com,” says Patricia Hall, a 49-year-old homemaker from Ohio, who uses a power wheelchair due to severe arthritis. “Between the articles and the members who share their own knowledge and experiences, there’s no other place with such a wealth of information. Most of all, WheelchairJunkie.com has helped me to know that somebody else understands what I'm going through.”

Beyond its content and community, WheelchairJunkie.com’s success defies the traditional business models of other websites of its size and prestige branding. “We’ve never drawn economic gain from the site,” says Smith, who has cerebral palsy and maintains an inspired position as a Project Manager at Pride Mobility Products, a leading wheelchair manufacturer, as well as roles as a magazine columnist and widely published author on disability culture. “A lot of websites have come and gone over the years while trying to make money delivering content to those with disabilities. With WheelchairJunkie.com, we’ve simply striven to make a difference with our content – and when making a difference is your bottom line, it’s an even more rewarding climb to the top.”

WheelchairJunkie.com isn’t only technology and talk – it also bridges the gap between mobility and popular culture. “Few products have ever had the type of stigma that wheelchairs represent – that is, no one ever wants to have to use a wheelchair in life,” explains Smith, 34, who’s known for colorful, tricked-out wheelchairs and an ever-charismatic personality. “We strive to help others see the positives, where wheelchairs are tools of liberation, and disability culture is cool. In fact, we recently had a poll where readers voted whether I should get ‘WheelchairJunkie’ tattooed on my arm? That’s popular culture at its best.”

For 2006, Smith sees WheelchairJunkie.com’s readership continuing its steady growth, pushing 5,000 members on the forum and 15,000 individual weekly readers by year’s end. “Not a day goes by that we don’t have new registered users, and we gain around 50 new readers per week based on search engines, crossover notoriety from my career, and word-of-mouth recommendations,” explains Smith. “The more readers that we have, the more of a difference WheelchairJunkie.com can make. In this way, numbers are the key to our success, and we’re dedicated to constant growth to enhance our readers’ mobility.”

For further information about WheelchairJunkie.com and Mark E. Smith, please visit http://www.WheelchairJunkie.com

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