Improving the Lives Of People With Disabilities by Providing an Appropriately Fitted Wheelchair

It has been proven that an appropriately fitted wheelchair improves the lives of people with disabilities, allowing them to be active in society, go to school and work. This conclusion was the result of a pilot study that was conducted in Bali by United Cerebral Palsy-Wheels For Humanity (UCP-WFH) in collaboration with MIT-CITE, the University of Pittsburgh, the Centre for Health Policy and Management at Gadjah Mada University, and the International Society of Wheelchair Professionals. The study compared appropriately fitted wheelchairs provided by Puspadi Bali with standard wheelchairs provided by the government and other nonprofits.

The results of the study show that a “one size fits all” wheelchair has very little impact on the lives of users compared to an appropriately fitted wheelchair. The study led to a discussion among local and international governments, universities and nonprofits, which was held at the Annika Linden Centre in September. The discussion focused on implementing the WHO standard approach in assistive devices to fulfil the rights of people with disabilities. That same day, UCP facilitated a follow-up workshop which sparked a multi-stakeholder discussion to identify each stakeholder’s role and the collaborative efforts that are needed to fulfil the rights of people with disabilities.