Wheelchairs And Disabled People

Wheelchairs and disabled people have been a part of the world for hundreds of years. People have had a long time to adapt the world to fit them, but they haven’t. Many places, developed or not, lack greatly in wheelchair accessibility. Some places go as far as to purposely exclude those in wheelchairs. This world likes to pretend as if the disabled simply don’t exist, and the proof is ever evident. Wheelchairs, for example, are a luxury only developed countries have regular access to, even when factories can pump out phones for two hundred dollars apiece, but sell them for upwards of six hundred, always making a profit. Most current wheelchairs are only useful in the most urbanized areas, and even then still causing harm to their users, even …show more content…
There are a lot of theories for this one, but one of the most prevalent is the consumer cycle with businesses. Wheelchairs in America and the United Kingdom cost anywhere from one thousand dollars to twenty. This is done because of demand. Even though someone shouldn’t have to pay twenty thousand dollars to live a quality life, in developed countries many can, but in developed countries people can’t. People who make dollars a day can not afford a twenty thousand or one thousand dollar wheelchair. This is why the disabled community in developed countries are not getting the supplies needed. Wheelchairs cost so much because of the parts used to make them, the markup, and the labor costs. Electric wheelchairs are not made overnight. This is a massive problem since the majority of disabled people live in developing countries, but there might be a solution. MIT professor, Amos Winter, has developed the Leveraged Freedom Chair, a wheelchair that costs less than two hundred dollars to make. This chair was specifically designed with developing countries in mind. The chair is made entirely from common bicycle parts available around the world, and allows businesses to make a profit, while still providing inexpensive, but reliable chairs. Winter’s organization Whirlwind Wheelchair International goes out to these countries and trains businesses on how to create these wheelchairs. The organization also donates hundreds of chairs to disabled people who need them. The chair works so well because of the design. The LFC only has three wheels, the two main, and then one in the front to get over bumps. The wheels are large and cushioned so they adapt well to all terrains, and they have the push handles so they can go far, fast. The only issue