your favorite poem personified

And for those people who have access to mobility devices but might benefit from a second chair they can abuse without risking expensive damage…

Erik Kondo has made a website, Open Source Innovations, that details plans for DIY wheelchairs. These wheelchairs can be made from common materials like wood, plastic, and pvc. They are lightweight and can be custom fit to the user allowing from the same degree of movement you would get from a custom chair. And they are durable and easily repairable. (he has been stress testing his latest design by dropping it down stairs, dropping it out of a car, launching it across a driveway, and throwing it off a deck). Its 12lbs and I think he said its was in the $200 ish range for parts.

Also, for those saying that this wheelchair looks uncomfortable or that the dimensions wouldn’t work for them etc… this picture is of a wheelchair that is custom made for a specific user. It’s functionality comes specifically from its custom fit which allows the user to self propel comfortably and easily do maneuvers like jumping curbs, etc which regular hospital chairs (one size fits none) do not allow.

However, the website and designs (which were designed, built, and tested by a full time wheelchair user for other wheelchair users) seeks to provide DIY info that is helpful regardless of one’s needs. Meaning that you can decide if a higher or lower backrest is better for you or if you need a bigger cushion or a different foot rest or push handles or whatever. And since it’s s cheap and easily repairable it can also be updated for the user’s changing needs as their disability progresses.

It is obviously less ideal than other options and users need to know enough to protect themselves from injury from pressure sores and repetitive movement just like any chair. But for the thousands upon thousands who have no other option because they don’t have manufacturing companies available in their country or because insurance wont allow it or because their doctor doesn’t think they need it or because airlines damages their chair and wont replace it, this may be their only viable option.

Plus, if you want to know more about how design affects usability (its super cool I promise) there are also a ton of test videos which show side by side comparisons of custom chairs vs DIY chairs vs hospital chairs performing various functions to demonstrate the importance of custom fit over materials. Because if you can expend half the effort to go the same distance, that is HUGE.

This has been happening all month with little to no international media attention. Here are a few organizations you can check out for resources or to support:

ActionAid India

SEEDS India

GlobalGiving <- No longer taking donations