A novel portable and cost-efficient wheelchair training roller for persons with disabilities in economically disadvantaged settings: the EasyRoller.

PURPOSE: Stationary training rollers enable wheelchair users to maintain physical health and train as athletes, which serves to treat and prevent immobility-associated chronic disease and improve cardiorespiratory fitness required for sports performance. However, conventional exercise equipment is largely inaccessible for persons with disabilities in low-resource areas, primarily due to cost. The aim of this study was to prototype, develop, and test a portable, cost-efficient stationary training device for wheelchair users in low-resource settings - The EasyRoller. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Stakeholder input from wheelchair athletes, trainers, and potential commercial manufacturers was solicited and utilized to conceptualize The EasyRoller design. The device was constructed from easily sourced, low cost components, following which it was user-tested with Para athletes. Feedback was analysed and incorporated into newer versions of the prototype.Results and conclusions: The EasyRoller creatively combines easily-sourced components to significantly cut down cost and ease both manufacture and repair for use in low-resource settings. The device is portable with a total weight of 34 pounds and total size of 42 linear inches while also affordable with a total cost of USD$199. Hereby, The EasyRoller has the potential to increase physical activity participation in populations with impairment who live in socioeconomically deprived world regions.Implications for rehabilitationExercise and physical activity are key aspects of health and quality of life for persons with disabilitiesStationary training rollers, devices that enable wheelchair users to train, are often bulky and expensive and therefore inaccessible for populations in socio-economically disadvantaged settingsThe EasyRoller is a portable and affordable training device that increases access to exercise and physical activity for these populations.

Design and development of mobility equipment for persons with disabilities in low-resource and tropical settings: bamboo wheelchairs.

PURPOSE: For persons with disabilities in low-resource and tropical settings, barriers to mobility and physical activity are steep. The aim of this study was to develop and test two low-cost, durable, sustainable, purpose-built wheelchair prototypes to support wheelchair users in low-resource and tropical settings. These bamboo wheelchairs, nicknamed African Chairs by Ghanaian daily manual wheelchair users who tested the devices, adopt two designs: an urban-targeted and a rural-targeted design. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The rural-targeted design incorporated stability as its key design property for the purpose of navigating variable terrain. The urban-targeted design adopted a sleeker, more portable profile for environments that require wheelchair transport in vehicles and the navigation of elevators and ramps. Both designs integrated bamboo-rod skeletons, bonded by hot-glue gun, jointed and wrapped with epoxy-soaked fibers, then upholstered by a local tailor, with basic standard wheel components. An iterative design process incorporated expert consultation as well as user feedback. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The final prototypes received positive testing reviews from daily manual wheelchair users in Ghana. These locally-built, safe, economical bamboo wheelchairs have the potential to improve accessibility, provide more independence and reduce immobility-related health risks for many.Implications for rehabilitationPersons with disabilities have a right to mobility, maximum independence, and the psychological, emotional, and physical health benefits of physical activity those rights confer.For persons with disabilities in low-resource settings, barriers to mobility and physical activity are steep, due to social stigmatization and the cost and adaptability of equipment.Bamboo wheelchairs have the potential to increase access to mobility and physical activity by allowing wheelchairs to be efficiently produced at cost, according to the user's needs.The aesthetics of bamboo wheelchairs can help reduce social stigma by avoiding the "medicalization" of wheelchairs and other traditional mobility devices.