Build a Wheelchair

For a landmine victim, being able to get from one place to the next can be their greatest challenge.

A wheelchair should be designed to meet the demands of the area where it will be used. This chair allows the user to deal with the lack of curb cuts, unpaved roads and rough terrain - conditions that exist in most of the coffee growing regions of the world. Photo courtesy of Whirlwind Wheelchair International

Without the ability to get around, a person quickly loses access to the social and economic opportunities that keep them from being further victimized by financial, educational and political impoverishment. Being with family and friends. Going to work. Shopping at the market. The basic activities of day-to-day life. These are at the foundation of social well-being.

By donating funds to build a wheelchair, you can assist a landmine victim to remain part of community life.

Sound expensive? It’s not. A high quality wheelchair can be built for 225.00 USD.

The wheelchairs provided to landmine victims by the Coffeelands Landmine Victims’ Trust in Central America are made by PLUSAA, a locally run, locally staffed wheelchair workshop in Leon, Nicaragua.

Each wheelchair built is customized for the person who will use it. The design and fabrication of the chair takes into account the unique physical needs of the user, and the conditions under which the chair will be used. Unpaved roads and pathways and the lack of ramps and curb cuts mean the wheelchairs need to be built to last under tough conditions.

People have asked us why we don’t use donated wheelchairs. There are several reasons. Donated chairs most often do not fit and are not suited to the individual users needs, and are expensive to modify. They can, if improperly fitted, pose a real hazard to the very people they are intended to help. They are rarely up to the demands of the rough terrain where they will be used. Donated chairs have to be transported at a significant cost, and often need frequent repairs.

In addition to providing high quality wheelchairs, PLUSAA also provides employment opportunities for people with disabilities in an area where unemployment is high. PLUSAA staff are wheelchair users themselves, and they understand what makes a good chair. PLUSAA also provides repair and maintenance services, and educational support on how to care for and repair a wheelchair at home.

Julio Vallejo Returns to Work. With his wheelchair, Julio Vallejo can work at the mill. Photo by Stephen Petegorsky.

In places where getting back to the wheelchair clinic is difficult, these are important skills to learn. PLUSAA also purchases manufacturing materials from local companies, and thus contributes to the local economy. The advantage of locally built wheelchairs are discussed in further detail in two articles that can be found on the web:

• International Wheelchair Donors and Producers Seek Common Ground in Global Hamlet; Disability World, 9/00
• It’s Not About Wheelchairs; Krizack, 6/03