Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-pjpqr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-30T05:19:05.778Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

DESIGNING AN ALL-TERRAIN WHEELCHAIR; A CASE STUDY OF INCLUSIVE DESIGN FOR SOCIAL IMPACT IN LOW-RESOURCE SETTINGS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2021

Cara O'Sullivan
Cara O'Sullivan*
Affiliation:
University of Liverpool
*
O'Sullivan, Cara, University of Liverpool, Industrial Design, United Kingdom, cara1@liverpool.ac.uk

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Developing appropriate assistive technology to be manufactured and maintained within the local context of a low-resource setting requires alternative design principles and designerly ways to those used when designing in, or for, more resourced regions of the world. This case study offers an empirical account of the design of SafariSeat, an all-terrain wheelchair which has been designed, tested, manufactured and turned into a sustainable enterprise in East Africa. The wheelchair was developed with intentions to reduce inequality and help alleviate poverty in low-resource communities by improving users' health, wellbeing and participation in society, whilst creating and facilitating local jobs to support communities. Having developed SafariSeat with a human-centred design approach, a local mindset, and prioritisation of usability and affordability, this case study is used to reflect on the applied design principles, practices and processes whilst providing contextual insights for other designers seeking to work in a similar way. The study discusses challenges encountered whilst designing in a low-resource setting, and highlights how local collaboration and partnerships can help lead to the creation of a more sustainable solution.

Keywords

User centred designDesign engineeringInclusive MobilityOpen source designSocial responsibility
Type
Article
Information
Proceedings of the Design Society , Volume 1: ICED21 , August 2021 , pp. 1133 - 1142
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

References

Banks L, M., Kuper, H., Polack, S. (2018) Poverty and disability in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review. PLOS ONE 13(9).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Constantine, D., Hingley, C., Howitt, J. (2006). Donated wheelchairs in low-income countries - issues and alternative methods for improving wheelchair provision. IET Conference Proceedings, 2006, Pp. 37-44.Google Scholar
Costanza-Chock, S. (2020). Design Justice. Design Narratives: From TXTMob to Twitter. Available online at: https://design-justice.pubpub.org/pub/0v6035ye/release/1 [23/08/2020].CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DFID. (2018) Department for International Development's Strategy for Disability Inclusive Development 2018-2023. Available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfids-disability-inclusion-strategy-2018-to-2023 [21/07/2020].Google Scholar
Gulliver, A., Gibbon, D., Diouf, J., Dixon, J. E. (2001). Farming Systems and Poverty; Improving Farmers' Livelihoods in A Changing World. Hall, M (ed.) Pp. 1–26.Google Scholar
Holloway, C., Austin, V., Barbareschi, G., et al. (2018) Scoping research Report on Assistive Technology. On the road for universal assistive technology coverage. Prepared by the GDI Hub & partners for the UK Department for International Development.Google Scholar
Mhatre, A., Martin, D., McCambridge, M., et al. (2017) Developing product quality standards for wheelchairs used in less-resourced environments. Afr J Disabil. 2017;6:288.Google Scholar
Polak, P., Warwick, M. (2013) The Business Solution To Poverty: Designing Products and Services For Three Billion New Customers. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.Google Scholar
United Nations. (2015) Sustainable Development Goals. Available online at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals [21/07/2020].Google Scholar
Whirlwind International. (2011) Simplified Strength Testing Of Manual Wheelchairs. Available at: https://whirlwindwheelchair.org/articles/simplified-strength-testing-of-manual-wheelchairs/ [30/08/2020].Google Scholar
World Health Organization. (2018) Assistive Technology. Fact Sheet, Assistive technology https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/assistive-technology [28/07/2020].Google Scholar