ROC WHEELS CAPABILITIES
The ROC Wheels Team will design and set up the production process for the pediatric wheelchairs that are designed specifically for the conditions of developing countries These wheelchairs or other mobility aides would be initially manufactured in the U.S., with future plans
to manufacture them in the country of distribution. We will provide the tools necessary to set-up the manufacturing operation, complete with fitting, custom seating and repair capabilities. Our goal is to train and empower the Nationals working at manufacturing facilities to eventually gain ownership of the operation, and provide economic support for them and their community. We hope to not only provide a free wheelchair, but help people gain hope and dignity where they previously may have had none.
ROC WHEELS SPECIALIZES IN THE FOLLOWING:
- Product Design & Development
- Product Testing
- Educational Development
- Manufacturing Process Design
- Personnel Training
- Distribution Support
- Facility Design Support
- Project Planning
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ADDRESSING CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY AND OTHER SPECIAL NEEDS
WE HAVE DEVELOPED A SPECIAL FOCUS ON CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IN POORER COUNTRIES. Because of the rampant spread of poverty and AIDS, children most often become the first, most innocent, and most desperate victims with some kind of physical or mental disability. In some of the most poverty stricken countries, we need not address severe physical disabilities, because children often do not live to see their first birthday.
EARLY INTERVENTION FOR THE CHILD BETWEEN INFANCY AND AGE THREE is the key to helping them develop as actively and normally as possible. This helps to prevent the effects of early neglect, which is manifested in their later years. Even in industrialized countries, healthcare professionals are becoming increasingly aware of the consequences of avoiding children's needs in this formative period. By the time a child is one year old, he or she has gone through the most formative cycles in neuromuscular movement pattern development. By age two, the child can walk and is physically capable of most everything the adult is, albeit at a very basic level. An aggressive attempt to address early intervention needs to be applied.
CEREBRAL PALSY IS THE MOST COMMON DISABILITY WORLDWIDE. Cerebral Palsy is a chronic condition affecting body movement and coordination. What makes it even harder on sufferers of CP is that they are normally very intelligent. They simply have a hard time coordinating movements between their brains and their bodies. Only about 20 percent of those with cerebral palsy are mentally retarded.
What is very encouraging for some CP kids, actively involved in rehabilitation, is that they are actually able to overcome many of the anomalies of their disability through active intervention by their therapist and implementation of the appropriate seating and mobility system. By training the child, very much like a coach does his athletes, the therapist reinforces functional movement patterns that improve the connection between their brains and their bodies.
THERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT TYPES AND LEVELS OF CEREBRAL PALSY. AS A RESULT, TO PROPERLY ADDRESS THE COMPLETE POPULATION, THERE MUST BE MANY SECONDARY SYSTEMS. Many children with CP cannot voluntarily hold themselves up in a standard wheelchair. Depending on the level of disability, the child may need a conventional wheelchair or a wheelchair with tiltinspace capacity. In some cases, a wheelchair may not be the answer. A walker, stander, or a combination base might be more appropriate, because the child may need aggressive movement therapy. The key to providing the proper chair is to design a family of chairs that provide these features, is simple to manufacture, compact, and easy to operate.
PROVIDING THE RIGHT WHEELCHAIR FOR THE INDIVIDUAL, REGARDLESS OF DISABILITY
 It is one thing to give a generic wheelchair to a person and another thing to provide them with the right chair.
We have designed and built durable and highly versatile chairs that are designed specifically for developing countries.
Instead of being generic stripped down versions of other chairs on the market, our wheelchairs are special wheelchairs that address the complex needs of the person without unnecessary expense and complexity. These chairs are designed to do a better job. They last longer than a brand new custom wheelchair that has been designed for the streets of the U.S. This is because they have been designed by people who have been on numerous Developing Country distributions, and have gained considerable experience in designing and building conventional wheelchairs and mobility systems. This experience is used to address the specific needs of the disabled living in nonindustrialized nations.
We understand that the people we are equipping with wheelchairs come in different shapes and sizes and have different needs. This does not mean that we have to design a myriad of chairs to address each specific need. We have developed chairs that can be configured to meet the needs of the person through modular and interchangeable componentry. This means that we can standardize our production line, but still provide numerous options to address different sizes and different diagnoses.
WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE CHAIR MUST FIT THE CHILD'S NEEDS, BUT ALSO MUST BE CONVENIENT AND FUNCTIONAL FOR THE PARENT. This is why we have built chairs that can fold down to a convenient size for transport and have such features as adjustable handlebars. People in poorer countries often utilize public transportation. As individuals become more mobile, we want to provide wheelchairs that fit their needs.
Not only do we want to provide a wheelchair; we want to provide the proper seating environment for the child.
We cannot merely throw a person into a wheelchair without also addressing their seating environment. Wheelchair users spend many hours in their wheel chairs each day and we must address:
- Comfort
- Proper support
- Provision of accessories that enable them to be as active and functional as they can be in their daily lives.
This seating need not be highly expensive and complicated, but it does need to be highly versatile, adjustable, convenient to deliver, and it must fit the person! With the support of highly trained therapists and engineers, we can partner together to provide what is best for each person.
PARTNERSHIP IS CRITICAL! When we distribute wheelchairs, we work together with healthcare providers incountry. We help empower them to continue to provide the proper intervention for people in need after our distribution teams leave. What is ultimately most important is not what happens once the chairs are delivered and fitted to the individual, but that these chairs provide mobility and therapeutic support for the person, parent, and caregiver for many years to come. |
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THE WORLDWIDE NEED
There are conservatively a half of a billion people in developing countries who are disabled. Of these, approximately 20,000,000 people need a wheelchair. There is a vast need for wheelchairs and other mobility aids in developing countries
What is being done?
Currently, there are a number of mobility providers in the USA providing for the needs of many people. In the United States, they collectively, distribute over 1,000 wheelchairs monthly to poor countries. The vast majority of these are refurbished, used wheelchairs that come from manufacturers, dealers, individuals or other sources. Many of these wheelchairs are given away at no charge to the person in need. Some of the wheelchairs are purchased and then donated or sold for a nominal fee. There are a few wheelchairs that are manufactured specifically for distribution in developing countries, though these are primarily standard wheelchair configurations that basically address the higher functioning adult only. As a result there is a great need for mobility bases that address a full spectrum of ages and disabilities..
There are many disabilities and conditions unique to developing countries. Since poverty is so rampant and conditions often squalid, there is a higher rate of disability per capita because of the lack of nutrition, safety measures, preventative medicine and education. Unique disabilities include (polio, leprosy, minefield victims) and other nutritional and environmental conditions. In many remote areas where living conditions are harsh and very primitive, there is a significantly lower survival rate.
ROC Wheels and Hope Haven International Ministries will partner with other organizations that provide complimentary and similar services to achieve the most significant impact in providing mobility for developing countries.
There are unique product needs for developing countries that should be addressed. Function is very often more important than style, since conditions are more extreme and demand chairs that can stand up under these conditions. Refurbished chairs are very beneficial, since there are a great number of them available every year from the United States. However, they only scratch the surface of the need and are not designed specifically to withstand the rigors of the Third World environment. Chairs for developing countries should be more durable and relatively more maintenance free than the conventional wheelchairs made for the United States market. There is a need for chairs, which are specifically adapted to this population. In many remote areas that are not accessible to paved streets and are very rugged, there is a need for transportation alternatives to the conventional wheelchair.
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