In case you missed it....

Over the last few days, Andrea from Reunify Gally has been devoting considerable amounts of her time to reading this blog's archives. She's left a number of useful and/or entertaining comments which are unlikely to be read by casual visitors unless I draw big arrows to point to them. Er, or provide links. (I tend to leave the drawing side of things to Pete.)

The following comment is so important that I'm actually going to paste it into this entry so that no-one has to engage in any of that exhausting link-following nonsense:


"In reference to your link to the organization that distributes cheap wheelchairs to people in developing countries, may I humbly submit to your readers the name of another organization that also strives to deliver the means of mobility in developing countries, but by somewhat different means.

Whirlwind Wheelchair International works with people with mobility impairments in developing countries to teach them how to design, construct, and repair their own wheelchairs from locally available materials. This gives them the means to establish their own local wheelchair production and repair business, and allows for the possibility of designing wheelchairs to meet the needs of individual users. As Lady Bracknell and a goodly portion of her legions of loyal fans well know, no two people have the exact same needs even when they have been assigned similar diagnostic labels.

Local production also allows them to design chairs to fit local physical and cultural conditions. Standard western wheelchair designs, for example, often cannot withstand the rough, unpaved roads or climatic extremes that are to be found in many developing countries, particularly in rural areas. Also, in some cultures where everything including cooking and dining is done on the floor, a standard western wheelchair may actually serve to isolate the user by lifting them high off the ground, away from where most family life is conducted. So in some countries, they have designed chairs with seats close to the ground to enable the user to continue cooking and dining with their family.

Furthermore, equipping people with the skills to do their own production and repairs ensures that people who need them will not only obtain wheelchairs but will also have the means for obtaining repairs or replacements when their first wheelchair breaks down.

I am not a member or employee of this organization in any way. I am merely an admiring fan of their work.

Those interested in learning more may pursue this link"


If, though, you're one of those people for whom following links is a relaxing and enjoyable pastime, prepare to cringe inwardly at the anecdote Andrea relates in her comment on this post.

If you haven't already seen it (and I have to confess that I have not myself had sufficient spoons at my disposal in recent months to keep up with all the blogs I would like to visit regularly), don't miss the video which Andrea links to in this comment.

Lastly, Andrea provides another link which is well worth following in this comment.

The Editor