CHANGING THE LIVES OF THE DISABLED-PERSONS IN THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

The multi-purpose wheel-chair is a product designed by the Dishma Inc. on 11th September 2009 to further ease mobility and attainment of independence of disabled persons. It was felt by dishma executives and founders of the Regina foundation that absence of a multi-purpose wheel-chair devastatingly stressed out the care-takers and families of the disabled child by having to lift the bulky disabled-persons on and off the original manual wheel-chair.

The wikipedia defines a wheel chair as a mobility device in which the user sits. The current products are specially designed for different tasks like separate one for bathing, separate other for toilet and high mobility for the more incapacitated disabled-person. It would mean the care-giver buying a whole set at an average of $500, which not any one affords -especially considering our resource-limited friends of the southern hemisphere.

Wheel-chair are a variety and of varied prices depending on the quality. Also, available on the market are accessories depending on functionality, for example; transport chairs, bathroom safety products, transfer chairs, shower wheel-chairs etc.

But distributors of the original manual wheel chairs do not make prior inquiries about nature of physical disability, injury or infection-causing disability. They distribute wheel chairs -regardless of how incompatible they were.

This contributes to more comorbid cases -more deformations or defects than it current medical case of disability; the spine-cords and the back-bone get abnormally postured due to incompatibility of wheel-chair -with the shape, comfort needs and size of the disabled person.

And, because care involved having to lift the heavy disabled person on and off of the wheel chair at some point, care takers and most family members experience burn-out syndrome -sometimes leading to rejection and abandonment of the disabled children or persons, so that no one else helps them out to use toilet or bathroom.

As a result, it increases the risk of infection related to poor hygiene and/or improper disposal of waste “products,” and above all, they were left to sit stationary, which -with time affects locomotion in the limbs as arms and limbs rigidity ensues.

Also, so many wheel chairs are distributed out to disabled persons -especially in Africa and Asia -without assessment of the psychological needs, physical defect, weight and to the comfort and ease of the disabled person in using wheel chair products. Existing wheel chairs have unique functions that mean extra spending by families towards fullest mobility of the disabled persons under their care.

We anticipate that the creation of the multi-purpose wheel chair will not only create a big sigh of relief for families and caretakers, but it would also increase and sustain hope of disabled-persons living a more fulfilling and productive life.

They, for example, would be able to roll of the multi-purpose wheel-chair onto the normal sleeping bed, adjust the back-rest to a rest bed when fatigued and confortably sleep -as though on the normal bed.

The multi-purpose wheel-chair would not only help reduce on the time expended on having to switch to different wheel chairs for specific activities, but cost effective, as well. The multi-purpose design would ease the development of the disabled person -mentally, physical: able to do basic self-help ventures as going to bed, toilet, bathroom; being able to change clothes, economic (attend to economic endeavors as selling items, crafts making, for career development and the confidence to try and succeed in all ventures of life), and provide relief to caretakers and families from the stress of physically lifting off and one the disabled person from the wheel chair; and have the disabled person enjoy sustained hope and love from his or her family.

With the three bottom support-seat layers, he or she would be in position to use the top layer for official purposes -as to go to school, make visits, and to socialize or play, while the last layer would have a potty or toilet provision and bathing safety and support seat structured in a way that drains out water as the disabled persons bathes.

Dishma Inc. will make the product as cheap to a common person as possible -as numerous charitable and promotional activities to enable them acquire wheel-chair and access rehabilitation programmes free of charge at least twice a year.

Children are counseled before joining others to school wondering how colleagues would react. They find themselves different from the rest, by the fact that they cannot walk. Part of the orientation is to explain to fellow scholars about his or her disability. This has a strong psychological-burden relieving effect on the part of the disabled-person and care-takers or families concerned.

And, rehabilitation experts could use personalities life former US president Franklin Delano Roosevelt as inspirational figure, who in 1945 used a wheel chair, and at the same time remembered -as one of the strongest presidents in U.S. history -who contracted polio at 39 years.

Power wheel-chair has wheel-chair designed for comfort, easy mobility and even for disabled persons with active lifestyles -more so with a taste for sports. There, also, exists a specialized department for those who want specialized designs, and firms can work around one's requirement in order to bring out the best results

Luckily for children, the wheel chairs that are light, faster and easier to use meant to suit their weight and comfort can be found. A child would use his or her wheel chair smoothly, brake -especially for electronic wheel chairs.

Uganda is one of the beneficiaries. It partners with a vast network of humanitarian, faith-based and government organizations -sending wheel chairs to hundreds of thousands of disabled people providing not only the gift of mobility; but of dignity, independence and hope.

The Wheel-chair Foundation is a nonprofit organization leading an international effort to create awareness of the needs and abilities of people with physical disabilities: to promote the joy of giving, create global friendship, and to deliver a wheel-chair to every child, teen and adult in the world -who needs one, but cannot afford one. To the vulnerable community -as disabled people, the Wheel-chair Foundation delivers Hope, Mobility and Independence.

Selecting a wheel-chair depends on age, disability and abilities. Professionals like occupational therapists and physicians make some of the initial decisions of the selection process.

A lot of existing wheel-chair technologies would help fasten the development of the multi-purpose wheel-chair. Much of the old wheel-chair components not indicated here could be used as well, for example, the brakes, tubeless tires and others -which obviously must constitute the new design.

The multi-purpose wheel chair would also help the disabled person pursue physical developmental activities like washing, helping out in the job, brush his or her teeth, arts and crafts, support socialization, attend school with confidence and with far lessened burden to care-takers.

Dishma Inc. and the Regina Foundation shall conduct an on-going research to improve on the products working efficiency of the disabled-person's comfort and ease to use. Project's initial cost estimate has been put at $18,400.

A lot of existing wheel-chair technologies would help fasten the development of the multi-purpose wheel-chair. Much of the old wheel-chair components, not indicated here could be used as well, for example, the brakes and others -which obviously must constitute the new design.

The multi-purpose wheel-chair design would be presented hand-in-hand with an environment-fit design for the disabled-persons, supportive community linkages -as to and from policy makers, or have the design integrated into the usual environment systems of social interaction.

It is not yet known where raw material -as steel, aluminum and leather could be obtained, lack of the right team to take on the project to its end, and above all; considerable amount of money will be needed to oversee the implementation of the project -yet no funding institution has been identified to cater for the emerging financial challenges.

However, there are possibilities of striking partnership with existing research agencies that could be honest enough to protect the copyright reserved only for dishma inc., as well as making use of the local artisan community in Katwe, Uganda.

And, it is all hopes, through prayer that the financial challenges will be overcome. We could see friends and well-wishers rise up to that occasion and, also, some research has to be made on potential sources of cheap raw materials stated above for swift project implementation.