Dishma Inc, P.O. Box 8885, Kampala-Uganda.
WHO (2011) puts the world disability figures at 15%.
In Africa people with disability account for
an estimated 10% of the general population. They represent 20% of the
poor, 80% of working age people with disability are unemployed. School
enrollment for those living with disabilities is between 5 to 10 percent
(Exodus Guild, 2011).
Article 28 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities asks States Parties to take steps towards safeguarding and
promoting the realization of the right to an adequate standard of living and
social protection, including ensuring “access by persons with disabilities and
their families living in situations of poverty to assistance from the State
with disability-related expenses, including adequate training, counseling,
financial assistance and respite care” (UN Enable, 2008).
Despite existing political representation to
parliament in Uganda
and prominent non-government organizations, no tangibles are visible to benefit
disabled persons. The best they can afford to do for themselves is to languish
on streets –begging for a living while those –whose families cannot afford to
see that happen, simply lock them up in houses as a protection measure.
That, however, has risks of its own; like in case of a
fire outbreak, it is not only a sure way of turning disable person victim, but
also makes rescue efforts difficult as the home is left completed locked up.
It is anticipated 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 comfortably sleep -as though on the normal bed.
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.
The product can be cheaply produced using local
resources and donated to rehabilitation projects twice a year. The
multi-purpose wheel-chair, also, would help the disabled person pursue are
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.
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 relief 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.
Finally, it is a model that could go on to cover
Eastern Uganda and further to help millions of other disabled persons in Uganda and
world at large.
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.
A lot of existing wheel-chair technologies would help
fastens 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.
Such supportive systemic elements eventually enables
disabled person to attain basic education, to have decent housing, to have love
and respect, to access medical care, to get applied life skills training,
attend rehabilitation workouts, and access to new technological advancements
that improve their lives further. Such is a model other helpless physically or
mentally handicapped children can benefit from as the project grows.
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, while also some research has to be made on potential
sources of cheap raw materials stated above for swift project implementation.
Interns are urgently needed to fill the following gaps:
- Physiotherapy
- Psychotherapy
- Nutritionist
- Community mobilization
- Life-skills and elementary education
- Caregiver training and support
- And monitoring and Evaluation
