WORLDVISION eNews
August 2006

Reinventing the Wheelchair So More People Can Gain Mobility and Dignity

When 13-year-old Balaji watched other children running and playing, he felt depressed. Both his legs were affected by polio early in his life. To get around, he had to crawl or depend on his family to carry him. Balaji, a sponsored child from Pulianthope, India, felt he was a burden on his family.

Now he has the gift of mobility. Thanks to World Vision donors, he is thrilled to be sitting in his own wheelchair and is finally able to visit friends. For Balaji, and others like him, a revolutionary type of wheelchair is the start of a new journey in life.

Of the world's poor who are disabled — more than 100 million people — many must drag themselves along the ground or be carried. Their disability can trap them in a life of deep poverty and humiliation. A wheelchair can give dignity, independence and hope. Yet the typical wheelchair costs hundreds of dollars.

Dramatically Reduced Costs

World Vision is working with Free Wheelchair Mission, a California-based group that is motivated by Jesus’ special concern for the sick and disabled. Thanks to the partnership, World Vision donors can now provide a wheelchair for a child or adult at the dramatically reduced cost of $14.

Free Wheelchair Mission is donating the wheelchair and a portion of the shipping costs. World Vision will distribute the simple chair through its work overseas. The shipments start in Shanghai, China, and go directly to World Vision project sites where the chairs are then assembled and distributed. The goal is to give mobility to 16,000 people around the world.

Don Schoendorfer, a mechanical engineer, founded the mission and designed the unique lightweight wheelchair. He had been haunted by his memory of watching a Moroccan woman crawl across a dirt road 27 years ago. He decided to design the least expensive wheelchair possible–and get it to as many people as possible.

How It Can Be Done So Cheaply

The chair has relatively few parts and is based on an ordinary plastic patio chair that is durable, washable and inexpensive. Schoendorfer then took inflatable mountain bike tires that give traction over uneven terrain. He added an extra strong wheelchair hub, rugged front wheels, a steel frame, a simple footrest, brakes, side panels, a few dozen nuts and bolts and other pieces, and he created the wheelchair.

The chair is shipped in pieces so it takes up less container space — 550 wheelchairs can fit into a 40-foot container. Having chairs assembled on site also reduces labor costs. Someone with just a little training and simple tools can assemble three wheelchairs in an hour.

The chair can be used for children and adults with special needs by adding seat cushions and a harness.