Equipment

EQUIPMENT

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Disabled people need special equipment, e.g.. wheelchairs, walkers, bicycles, walking stick, prone board etc. Remember a disabled person is not a different human being. The difference between a normal citizen and a disabled citizen is that a disabled citizen needs more space to manoeurvre and make their way around society. Let disabled children participate in choosing the equipment they need. Try not to force a child to use something they don't want to. Try to encourage and make it as easier as possible for the child.

Finances play a very big part in choosing the equipment needed. Our disadvantaged communities need lots of money and help in getting disabled people equipment. There is so much scope for talented people in South Africa to learn, make and build equipment for the disabled. Why must disabled people look to other countries to purchase the equipment they need and pay so much money?

Programs should be set up that disabled people in South Africa, who are talented, be given a workshop, tools etc. and get paid to make equipment. You are keeping the disabled in a routine, stimulating them and they are earning a living. They will be happy and content and feel good about being useful.

I am a teanager but have Cerebral Palsy and cannot walk. I wake up in the morning, and need to get into a wheelchair to get around the house, I then get dressed (with help) and now have to put special shoes on ... knee high callipers or thigh high callipers... both being heavy and uncomfortable. Off I go to school and then you get told to exercise a little, but you need a walker. The kind of walker you need, will depend on the extent of your disability... some are more sturdy than others. Try purchasing one and find out that a decent walker could cost you in the region of R3 000 or more.

My day goes on, but now my bones are getting weak because I cannot walk. To avoid weak bones and muscles I have to stand in a prone board or standing frame.

If this is not enough excersie in a day, I then get told to ride my bike. I am sure that people out there cannot believe that a disabled person can ride a bike. Well think again, I can. I have a standard adult bike, with two back wheels. My feet get strapped onto my pedals and I have a seat which allows a belt to go around my waist. I can cycle but due to the reflex actions in my arms I cannot manipulate my brakes. This is when special people, like my parents come in. My MOM exercises with me. She ties a rope to the back of my bike and off we go. When I am going to fast, she pulls on the rope. I am exercising my legs and my mom is doing "WALK FOR LIFE".

An electric wheelchair is a must in high school. You have to be independant. Well to all people in the business, why are they so expensive? Buying an electric wheelchair is like buying a second hand car.. try approximately R21 000,00.

There is an estimated 645,000 Americans in wheelchairs. How many in South Africa ?.... but don't have the means to buy a wheelchair. Wheelchairs can make life easier, but remember what limbs you don't use will become lazy, so you need to exercise and try to be as mobile as possible, without a wheelchair.

Bathing, toilet, eating etc. all basic day to day needs, but you need the equipment to help with each and every body function. You use a knife and fork, I need a special fork... no knife. You use the toilet, I need a special seat, you climb into a bath, I get lifted into a bath.

All equipment for the disabled is far to expensive but a necessity. Our team is hoping that in the new millenium a lot of people out there will come up with new ideas in how to cut costs. There must be people out there who are very handy with their hands and extremely talented who can create and make equipment for the disabled.

One of the most important items in a disabled person's life is their computer. Teach disabled people how to use a computer. It will open a whole new world for them.

In England, disabled people have far more access and are able to live a more fulfilling lifestyle. This country has a very positive attitude to the disabled which is growing day by day with the enforcement of the Disability Discrimination Act.. For those who are visually impaired the traffic lights beep continously when it is time for the pedestrians to cross the street allowing them to cross without fear. Somel shopping centres have automatic doors to allow people access without having to struggle to push open heavy doors. In most large shopping centres the disabled can arrange to hire a wheelchair, walker, or other mobility aid, if they do not have their own. Millions of people commute through London everyday, of whom thousands are disabled working-people who have to be catered for. Most Londoners travel by train, or bus, or taxi or the Underground (or the Tube as it is known), and sometimes a combination of some or all of the above! Fortunately, most of the main train stations and some Tube stations are accessible by ramp & lift, and during normal hours, there is usually someone who can assist a disabled passenger. There are a limited (but growing) amount of low-floor buses with ramps and spaces for wheelchairs, and as from January 2000 almost all of Londons famous black "Hackney Cabs" are wheelchair-friendly.