“Consensus Conference on wheelchair for Developing Countries”

This is a Landmark in the history of Mobility India. It is a successful beginning of the “Consensus Conference on Wheelchairs for Developing Countries” which began on 6th November 2006 at Mobility India, Bangalore.

Ms. Elizabeth Thomas, President of Mobility India welcomed all the participants.

Ms. Sobha Nambisan, IAS, Chairperson and Managing Director of Karnataka State Industries Investment Corporation Ltd (KSIIDC) inaugurated this conference. “It would be very helpful to the user to have a specific wheelchair rather than a general one.”    

Mr. Lloyd Feinberg from USAID expressed his concern that “there was a need to raise awareness about wheelchair users’ issues in developing countries”.   

Also speaking at the session was Mr. Harold Shangali of International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) a body for the professionals in the field of prosthetics and orthotics. He said, “The main objective of the conference is to discuss how best we can come up with wheelchairs that can address individual needs. Different countries have different designs; at the conference we will choose specific criteria to develop a prototype which will be appropriate for developing countries.”

“Among rehabilitation services one of the most neglected chapters is wheelchair in mobility services. This conference will provide larger visibility, so there is awareness about issues faced by disabled individuals,” Mr. Chapal Khasnabis, representative from the Disability and Rehabilitation team, World Health Organization (WHO).

Mr. Sriram Reddy, Director of Department of Welfare and Senior Citizens who graced the occasion as a guest of honor hoped that “the quality of wheelchairs would improve as a consequence of this workshop”.

According to Ms. Venus Ilagan, Chairperson of Disabled Peoples’ International is a wheelchair user. She feels that “inaccessibility and unaffordability is a common problem with developing nations. We do not have choices but to accept the assistive devices donated by developed nations for mobility. You cannot make adjustments to these devices, since it affects the durability and usability. Moreover if a part breaks down you cannot have it repaired or fixed locally.”

The main objectives of the conference were:                        More