[NFBC-Info] Perspectives: The Newsletter of Stanford's Assistive Technology Course - Wheelchair Fabrication in Developing Countries (by Zoom)

[David L Jaffe]

View this newsletter in your browser<http://web.stanford.edu/class/engr110/Newsletter/lecture09b-2022.html>
[Top banner]
Design, Technology , and Engineering benefitting individuals with disabilities and older adults in the local community
March 2, 2022
[2 columns of images relating to assistive technology]

Perspectives is the newsletter of the Stanford course,
Perspectives in Assistive Technology.

Wheelchair Fabrication in Developing Countries (by Zoom)

This issue announces the next class session (by Zoom).

Perspectives in Assistive Technology is a Winter Quarter Stanford course - now in its sixteenth year - that explores the design, development, and use of assistive technology that benefits people with disabilities and older adults. It consists of semi-weekly in-person discussions; lectures by notable professionals, clinicians, and assistive technology users; a tour of an accessible inclusive playground; student project presentations and demonstrations; and an Assistive Technology Faire.

Course News

[Clip art image of kids holding "Back to School" banner]

Tomorrow's class session by Zoom - Thursday's class session will be held online.

Next Class Session (by Zoom) - Tuesday, March 3rd at 4:00pm PST

[photo of Ralf]


Wheelchair Fabrication in Developing Countries
Ralf Hotchkiss
Whirlwind Wheelchair International

Abstract: Ralf Hotchkiss will track the design of the Whirlwind Wheelchair from its beginning thirty years ago to the present and on into the future. >From the first design breakthroughs of barefoot blacksmiths to the high tech testing and manufacturing methods of today, surprise breakthroughs in basic wheelchair design have come from the backyard inventors of some forty developing countries. These inventors, along with several graduates of the Stanford d.school, form the Whirlwind Network of wheelchair riders and designers. Their goal is not only to make wheelchairs available in the poorest of countries; it is to radically improve the durability and rough-ground mobility so that wheelchair riders can live and work in environments that they can only dream of visiting today. Ralf will show unfinished designs that open wide opportunities for new developments, and he will make a plea for the innovative designers of Stanford to enter into one of today's most fulfilling areas of invention and international development work.

Biosketch: Ralf Hotchkiss is an inventor and the lead designer of Whirlwind Wheelchair International<https://whirlwindwheelchair.org>, a non-profit company located in Berkeley. Its mission is "to make it possible for every person in the developing world who needs a wheelchair to obtain one that will lead to maximum personal independence and integration into society". At SFSU, he taught "Wheelchair Design and Construction", a course in which students built a complete wheelchair in a Third World appropriate shop. Ralf is a graduate of Oberlin College (Physics) and a 1989 MacArthur Foundation Fellow<https://www.macfound.org/fellows/class-of-1989/ralf-david-hotchkiss>.

Remaining Class Sessions

[Image of Zoom participants]

  *   Tuesday, March 8th - End-of-term Student Team Project Presentations<http://web.stanford.edu/class/engr110/lecture10a.html>
  *   Thursday, March 10th - Student Project Demonstrations, Course Evaluation, and Celebration<http://web.stanford.edu/class/engr110/lecture10b.html>

Please contact me with your ideas, questions, comments, and project suggestions - or just to say hello. Please continue to stay safe & healthy.

Dave Jaffe - Course Instructor

[5 rows of images of course presenters and community members]

To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please email Dave<mailto:davejaffe at stanford.edu>.