International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering Vol 2 No 1 pp 60 77 Fall 2006 ISSN 1555 9033 Assessment of Wheelchair Technology in Tanzania Amos G Winter V PhD Student Department of Mechanical Engineering Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge MA 02139 awinter mit edu Abstract The purpose of this assessment was to determine the current state of wheelchair technology in Tanzania and the factors that prevent Tanzania s disabled from utilizing wheelchair technology Ninety nine interviews of wheelchair and tricycle users wheelchair and tricycle manufacturers and advocacy groups for the disabled were conducted throughout Tanzania during the summer of 2005 Technical issues identified included tricycles are more popular and much less expensive than wheelchairs most disabled people rely on do nations to buy a mobility aid production costs can be decreased by using bicycle components and outsourcing tasks bicycle components are available in rural areas and are attractive for use in wheelchairs and donated wheelchairs are often irresponsibly distributed and poorly designed for their operating environment The assessment was conducted under the supervision of the Tanzania Training Center for Orthopedic Technologists and Whirlwind Wheelchair International Index Terms developing countries disability handcycle mobility aid tricycle wheelchair INTRODUCTION People with physical disabilities in developing countries face many challenges integrating into everyday life If these people cannot obtain a wheelchair they are sometimes forced to stay trapped in their home or use crawling as their only means of transportation Disability KaRi which is helping to oversee wheelchair projects in developing countries reports that only 2 of people in Africa who need a wheelchair actually have one The Ta nzania Association of the Disabled CHAWATA estimates there are 30 000 people who need wheelchairs in Tanzania and only 2 000 who have one ii Immobility adversely affects the lives of disabled people by for example making it near impossible to attend school participate in the community or earn an income The terrain in developing countries can further impede integration into society in urban environments doorways and bathrooms are typically not handicapped accessible and in rural settings roadway quality can be hilly rough and muddy Efforts have been made in Tanzania to improve wheelchair technology fabrication and the channels through which wheelchairs are distributed The Wheelchair Technologists Training Course WTTC at the Training Center for Orthopedic Technologists TATCOT iii in Moshi developed in part by the NGO Motivation iv is a one year course for a Certificate for Wheelchair Technologists The WTTC covers manufacturing and fitting of wheelchairs designed for African countries which can be produced in small scale self sustained shops Whirlwind Wheelchair International WWI v a US based non profit NGO that develops appropriate wheelchair technology for developing countries has helped establish 21 wheelchair manufacturing shops around the world One of the wheelchair designs taught in the WTTC is based on a WWI model Although chairs are being produced in Tanzania most people only have accessibility to imports that are poorly made improperly fitted and dangerous to the user Wheelcha irs need to 60 International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering Vol 2 No 1 pp 60 77 Fall 2006 ISSN 1555 9033 be fitted with the consideration of the user s size age and nature of disability among other factors If improperly fitted the chair can cause pressure sores breaks in the skin produced by a person s weight pressing against an unyielding surface These sores can develop almost immediately upon contact If left untreated they can become infected and lead to death The purpose of this assessment is to elucidate the factors in current wheelchair design manufacturing distribution and use that are prohibiting Tanzanian wheelchair users from accessing and utilizing appropriate wheelchair technology Such factors can be in the form of technological inadequacies for the operating environment inefficient manufacturing practices lack of competitive pricing ineffective or limited cost subsidizing inefficient distribution practices etc This document summarizes the findings of the full report written on the assessment which is available for download vi The assessment was supervised by TATCOT and WWI and was meant to provide feedback to both organizations to aid in future wheelchair planning strategies in Tanzania To the knowledge of the author TATCOT and WWI such an assessment has never been conducted in Tanzania Written permission was granted from each interviewee before interviews were conducted ASSESSMENT S TRATEGY Interview Content The aim of this assessment was to inspect the current state of wheelchair technology from multiple angles by interviewing the primary parties involved with wheelchair design manufacturing and use Three types of questionnaires were developed by the author in conjunction with TATCOT and WWI to interview individual wheelchair users wheelchair advocacy groups and wheelchair manufacturers In this paper the terms wheelchair and tricycle are both used to describe types of mobility aids Common examples of these machines are shown in Figure 1 A WHEELCHAIR B TRICYCLE FIGURE 1 COMMON MOBILITY AIDS 61 International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering Vol 2 No 1 pp 60 77 Fall 2006 ISSN 1555 9033 A short content summary of each party s questionnaire is below Full versions of the questionnaires can be found in the original report vii Individual wheelchair tricycle users How was the wheelchair tricycle obtained who paid for the wheelchair tricycle who made the wheelchair tricycle at what age was the wheelchair tricycle obtained what type of mobility is the wheelchair tricycle used for short or long travel how functional is the wheelchair tricycle in the users life what types of technical problems are encountered what caused the disability at what age was the first and current wheelchair tricycle obtained Advocacy groups What services are provide to wheelchair tricycle users does the organization purchase wheelchairs tricycles are they donated to the org and if so by whom does the org have a need based subsidizing plan how many people are in the org how many wheelchairs tricycles have been distributed are there any technical problems observed with the members chairs Manufacturers What types of