Very few manufacturers make strollers for people with mild or serious disability issues: these mobility aids are usually referred to as adaptive, mobility, or special needs strollers. These adaptive aids are designed in the all-terrain style with a three-wheel configuration and knobby, rugged off-road, sixteen inch tires, and on the surface resemble a standard jogging stroller.

There are actually a limited number of companies that specialize in this type of equipment: Sammons Preston, Baby Jogger, Adaptive Star, and Kool Stop are among the better known brands. They differ from regular all-terrain jogging strollers in that they are made with special features to allow proper seating and positioning of passengers. These features include swiveling foot rests, a variety of adjustable seat and side inserts, and flexible, padded head rests. Their frames are also much more sturdy to carry significantly heavier loads: in some cases, up to 200 lbs. This benefit allows them to be used for teens, young adults, and even seniors.

Here is a checklist detailing the steps to follow when evaluating mobility strollers. (Education will start with your doctor, and the responsibility will fall on you to go through the fine print). A licenced medical practitioner followed by personal research is the best path to follow. Your choice of adaptive stroller will rely on the following factors: doctor's diagnosis, doctor's prognosis, patient weight, patient height, patient age, patient daily routine. Where proper posture is a problem, then positioning must be a part of the solution - and strollers such as the Maclaren Major push chair may be a consideration. Where the medical issue is less dire, you'll be less restricted by choice. Nevertheless, a decision should be made only after consultation with your physician, physiotherapist, or licensed, authorized caregiver.

Young patients require you to consider their needs as they grow up - and this is because the equipment should grow up along with them. At this point, quality becomes an issue, due to the fact that the stroller will have to stand up to four or five (or more) years of everyday use. Certain considerations are critical for very young children, infants, or babies: it is important they be kept safe from the elements (sun, wind, sun, and rain) and should be able to sleep lying completely flat in the stroller. There are many appropriate rain covers (that provide extensive coverage) and fully adjustable seats that you can select in the aftermarket and that will be important in this respect when considering your special needs stroller.