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You are here > Home > About Whirlwind > Apprach | ||||||
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ABOUT WHIRLWIND |
Whirlwind's Approach - Safety, Usability, Durability, and Local Reparability | ||||||
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> ABOUT
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The Best Wheelchairs Possible Wheelchair riders spend the greater part of every day trusting their wheelchairs for postural support and mobility. Wheelchairs, like cars, are about mobility and safety. Driving a city car off-road will most likely leave a person stuck and frustrated. For wheelchair riders in rough developing world conditions, the difference is that they cannot afford repairs and they cannot walk away from these situations. That’s why Whirlwind chairs are super-durable and capable on almost any terrain. Our worldwide network allows us to get feedback on wheelchair use throughout the developing world. Countless times, we have seen U.S. style hospital chairs breaking and becoming useless because replacement parts were not available. For riders, a breakdown means that the "quality of life" the chair gives - the ability to travel to school or work - suddenly and indefinitely becomes impossible. Today, Whirlwind designs are tested to achieve double the international wheelchair standard for durability. And, because the grit of village roads will eventually wear out any chair, Whirlwind chairs use only locally available parts like bicycle wheels and the standard bearings used in the ubiquitous Honda motorcycles. All parts are available virtually everywhere at an affordable cost and can be installed with basic tools.The functional usefulness of a wheelchair affects the opportunities a rider can access as well as public perception of the rider and of disability. A broken-down wheelchair that is not designed for the terrain it must travel inhibits the rider's ability to contribute to her family and community. This hurts her quality of life and diminishes the public's perception of the capabilities and value of people with disabilities. A functional wheelchair designed for the challenges of its environment is a tool that allows its rider to express her talents, contribute her skills and sweat, and transform public perceptions. Orlando, an electrician and wheelchair rider in the Philippines, describes his experience of his rugged, well-fitted wheelchair, "In this chair no one mistakes me for a beggar." Though the need for wheelchairs is massive, we believe that the investment in durable materials, thoughtful design for the environment where the chairs will be used, and quality manufacture combine to be the best approach to serving our riders. Why design the best wheelchairs possible? Whirlwind’s South Africa-based Product Designer, Matt McCambridge, simply responds, “Anything less is disrespectful of wheelchair riders and the extreme challenges that wheelchair riders face in developing countries." |
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