Folding 3-wheeled wheelchair

The team that developed this project designed a folding system for 3-wheeled wheelchairs built in Africa. Enabling the chair to fold greatly increases how easily it can be transported on a bus or in the trunk of a taxi. The key of the team's design is a novel joint/coupling that uses stacked angle iron to exactly constrain the front wheel to the frame. This design can be retrofitted onto any existing African-made 3-wheelers.

If you would like to see the dedicated site for this project, made by Tish Scolnik, click here. Be sure to also check out the mobile phone small business chair Tish helped design.

Partner workshops: APDK, KCMC Wheelchair Workshop

Marketing strategies

The aim of this project was to improve marketing strategies of small wheelchair workshops. The team produced a logo and brochure for the KCMC wheelchair workshop, as well an info packet that informs wheelchair users about issues that may arise from a poorly fitted wheelchair. All of the materials have been translated into Swahili and printed in Tanzania.

Shirley Fung, who continued this project as a summer fellowship, produced a manual that teaches people how to make and post a website from an internet cafe for free.

Partner workshops: KCMC Wheelchair Workshop, Mobility Care

Improved trike frame

The team that developed this project designed a new tricycle frame that is stronger and lighter than currently produced frames. They analyzed available materials in Africa and generated a comparison of strength/weight, cost/weight, etc. to find the most appropriate tubing for use in mobility aids.

Elements of their design were incorporated into the APDK 2-speed tricycle. Click here for the team's material analysis spreadsheet.

Partner workshops: DAGE, APDK, Disacare

2008 DEVELOPED PROJECTS :

For direct access, the project pages can be viewed via the following links:

Folding 3-Wheeled Wheelchair

Web-Based Donation Network

Wheelchair Accessories for Women

Tricycle Attachment

Small Business Attachments for Wheelchairs

2009 DEVELOPED PROJECTS :

For direct access, the project pages can be viewed via the following links:

Power-assisted handcycle

Worldwide Mobility: Web-Based Donation Network

Small business/education tricycle attachments

Handcycle attachment for wheelchairs