ROTARY DISTRICT 9200 - NEWS

It’s Not About Wheelchairs

By Mark Krizack

Posted on March 11, 2007

From: Whirlwind Wheelchair International Newsletter Fall 2002:

People wanting to provide wheelchairs to those in developing countries who need them are most often guided by their hearts. The problem, however, is vast and complex, and unfortunately things are not always as simple as they appear.

Providing Wheelchairs is not about wheelchairs

It is about integrating people into their society. As long as wheelchair donors focus on the wheelchair and not on the end user, people with disabilities will remain dependent and unproductive, a drain on society’s resources. When the needs of the end user are considered first, the most appropriate wheelchair (not merely the cheapest) can be provided, and with other targeted assistance the wheelchair rider can go to school, get a job and become a net contributor to society.

The usual market forces are not present in any significant way when it comes to the purchase of wheelchairs in developing countries. The end user most often cannot afford to pay for his or her wheelchair. The market for wheelchairs is driven primarily by government agencies, development organizations, and charitable and religious institutions. Historically, the end user has been a mere object of charity with unfortunate human and economic consequences. People who could be active with the right wheelchair for their situation receive an inappropriate chair that does not provide any significant improvement in their mobility, independence or integration into society. Besides the human cost, it is a waste of money.

Who is overlooked?

The key player that is most often overlooked is the wheelchair rider him/herself. Or, rather, it is the local and national self-help service and advocacy organizations for people with disabilities. These organizations are in a position to advocate on behalf of those who need wheelchairs to the government agencies and charitable and development organizations that purchase wheelchairs to ensure that each recipient of a chair receives one that is appropriate for his or her situation (physical condition, age and size, personal goals, etc.).

With organizational development assistance such as training in grant writing and management, the disability organizations can increase the local market for wheelchairs which not only benefits a greater number of end users but can also provide market stability for local wheelchair manufacturers, who are also likely to be employers of people with disabilities.

The dangers of donated Wheelchairs

It is not good social policy, and it is a waste of money, for U.S. government to provide free shipping to developing countries of donated castoff wheelchairs from the U.S. – as it does now – without there being a system or mechanism in place (both in the U.S. and in the target country) to ensure that only good quality wheelchairs will be sent and that they will be appropriate for each rider.

Many well-intentioned people donate old Hospital style wheelchairs that granny used before she died to one or another charitable organization which more likely than not only merely stuffs them into a container paid for under U. S. Humanitarian Assistance. Many, many chairs still need to be refurbished upon arrival, and will sit collecting dust and rust in some warehouse or storage yard waiting in vain for a local volunteer to clean them up and repair them. Those in good condition are not accompanied by instructions or spare parts to keep them in working order, so even if they start out being usable, they soon end up collecting dust or rusting away like the others.

Unfair Competition

If one of the goals of U.S. foreign assistance is to develop sustainable programs, that is, to help people to help themselves, then free imports of used wheelchairs from the U.S. defeats that purpose in another important way: it undermines the development of local wheelchair manufacture. If any foreign company, in any other industry sold its products below cost in another country, it would be accused of unfair competition and dumping in violation of international trade agreements. Yet we applaud the free distribution of wheelchairs that cost a lot to refurbish, ship and distribute, even if these costs are hidden because they are paid for through donations, volunteer labor and 100% subsidized shipping.

The Right Tool for the Right Job

There are many wrong, even if well-intentioned, reasons to be involved in providing wheelchairs to people with disabilities in developing countries. There is only one right reason: To provide the wheelchair user with real mobility that will improve his or her opportunities to be an active, integrated member of the local community and of society in general, by being able to leave the confines of home or hospital in order to go to school, get a job, shop for food and engage in all those other activities independently that mobile people do every day. The wrong wheelchair won’t help its rider do any of that.

The Whirlwind Marc Krizack built for his wife is still rolling, with only minor repairs after 16 years.