In the Permaculture "system" ... work is pollution. Set it up right in the first place and you will not have to work so hard. Dwarf fruit trees can be maintained at a size that would be accessible for a person using a chair. Have a look at the link below.

Fireraven9
"The field's set. Let's croq." Alas 4/28/01

Here is a link that might be useful: Gene's Backyard Orchard

Fireraven, thanks for that link. What an apple maniac!! Delightful!! Here are a couple links I found in my travels:
http://www.davewilson.com/br40/TOC_whatisBOC.html
recommends not only summer pruning to keep them SHORT, but also planting multiple trees in one hole!

http://www.which.net/gardeningwhich/advice/training.html
has a link to what is apparently called "stepovers" in Europe. VERY short!

Here is a link that might be useful: go directly to stepovers