Self-Built
In low-income countries,
access to aids for people with disabilities
is a fundamental problem
INCLUSION and AUTONOMY
In low-income countries, access to aids for people with disabilities is a fundamental problem and strongly restricts social inclusion and autonomy, especially when the disability is severe. In many situations, the rehabilitation centers use elementary aids which are often not customizable. This means that a person with physical difficulties does not have access to all the opportunities that an aid adapted to individual needs could allow. The consequence could therefore be a reduction in social interaction and quality of life. In many countries it is extremely difficult to buy aids from abroad and, when this happens, the cost is unsustainable even for families with good economic conditions.
THE PROJECT
The Self Built Assistive Devices (S.B.A.D.) project, proposed by FSF Italia, was created to offer practical support to small community rehabilitation workshops, physiotherapists, carpenters and users in the construction of low-cost aids, providing detailed instructions for their customization, free and easily accessible via the web. The inspiration comes from “Disabled Village Children” (D. Werner, Hesperian Health Guides), a text in which, starting from practical community experiences, concrete elements are provided for the construction of basic, simple and economical but functional aids, which can be achieved with poor materials available locally.
THE GOAL
The goal is to offer more means to the activity of small rehabilitation companies in the management of users with complex postural needs, in situations where finding customizable aids is difficult. The use of internet as a distribution channel allows to quickly reach distant realities and provide them with simple, complete and detailed material: technical data sheets, models and short educational tutorials that illustrate the various stages of the construction of the different parts up to the final assembly. Furthermore, The choice of sharing via the web allows the exchange of information and the indispensable comparison to enrich and improve the project on the basis of different experiences and practical applications. The proposed aids are built with commonly used material available on site and can be made, with simple equipment, even by people without special technical skills, in order to better adapt to the users’ living environment and to contain costs.
Allows multiple adjustments: depth and width of the seat, height of the backrest, height and inclination of the armrests, height and inclination of the headrest, height, opening and inclination of the footrests, associated with the possibility of reclining the backrest up to 140 ° and tilting up to 25 °...
