Why is disabled equipment so expensive?

[tolittletoolate]

I really want to start hand cycling, you can get a thing that bolts onto the front of a wheelchair which is 1 wheel, a chain and some handles and it's £2000!!
I can't believe for a minute that it costs that much to make. For a proper Quickie handbike you are looking at £5000.

Someone on a facebook page I'm on has managed to find a seat that goes on the side of their wheelchair for their daughter to sit in, it is really designed to be attached to a buggy so it's about £80 - £90 new.
An equivalent thing for a wheelchair is around £900 and very difficult to get.

it drives me insane, we have the same issue with accessible tech e.g. screenreaders. My screenreader costs £800 to buy, and a lot of the answer is down to the fact that the suppliers have a captive market.

One thing that has made that more open is devices like the iPhone which have built-in accessibility. I recently bought a stand-alone sat nav designed specifically for the blind, it cost £320 and I was assured that it is far superior to anything else because it is designed specifically for the blind. Well I tested it in conjunction with the gps apps on my phone and it turns out it's no better than any of them, so I sent it back.

Mainstream products are starting to catch up and I'm glad.

It pisses me off immensely, I would like to go cycling with my family but because I'm disabled I have to pay thousands for what is technically half a bike.

Have you looked into whether there are any grants or charities you could approach for funding? There used to be a directory in libraries where you could look for appropriate organisations to approach, perhaps the same info is available online?
And have you looked at Remap?

This doesn't really answer your question about why this stuff is so expensive, i know there are safety implications about adapting "standard" pieces of equipment to alter their use, as wheelchairs are categorized as medical devices.
But normal people are priced out of the market by those sort of prices

I found a very good page about disability grants but it all seems to be aimed at children rather than adults.
Also you need to be a member of a club or be nominated for a grant by someone else.
I am still looking into it and may find an answer yet.