At the hallway within the Rajanagarindra Institute of Child Development (RICD) in Chiang Mai, disabled people of all ages sit on chairs, patiently waiting for their turn to receive their own wheelchair — customised and free.
Soldiers in Chiang Mai help unload donated wheelchairs.
One-year-old Peemai is in the queue, accompanied by her mother Fah Sudjing, a local farmer. Peemai, who suffers from cerebral palsy, is in need of a wheelchair, and it needs to be customised to fit her tiny body.
"If you put her down, her head would just flop forward. She can't help herself at all. She can't roll or crawl," Fah said of Peemai's condition.
After being on the waiting list for a few months, Fah travelled the 180km to the centre of Mae Rim with Peemai in tow. Upon registering and going through a medical check-up to determine what kind of wheelchair Peemai would need, the staff at RICD wheeled out a stroller and started to tinker with it to fit the child's body perfectly.
"The wheelchair we're getting is free. So when Peemai no longer needs it, I'll return it and pass it on to other people who need it," said Fah with a smile, after seeing her child finally acquire her first stroller.
For the RICD Wheelchair Project, which has been in operation for 14 years, customisation is key. Wheelchairs for the disabled, according to staff, cannot operate on a one-size-fits-all principle.
If a wheelchair doesn't fit, its metallic parts can cause pressure wounds and scratches for the user. It is also difficult for a person to use a wheelchair that is too wide for them. A wheelchair that is too big would force the person sitting on it towards the front, and place all of his or her weight onto the front wheels.
Wheelchairs at Thai Wheel Factory are made by disabled people, for disabled people.
This could cause a wheelchair to break, as well as being dangerous for the patients as it may easily tip over.
To make sure a wheelchair fits the patient perfectly, the staff has to measure the patient's body, rifle through their extensive collection of donated wheelchairs for a perfect size, then fix up and adapt it to the patient's needs as much as possible. The process may include anything from adjusting a footrest, adding extra cushions, tilting a seat or reclining a headrest to adding seat belts.
The RICD Wheelchair Project currently has around 20 volunteers working tirelessly to tailor wheelchairs to fit their long list of waiting patients, both young and old.
"Some patients have lived their whole lives without a wheelchair. They have to sit or lay on the floor all the time. When they finally get a wheelchair and are able to move around on their own, it makes them really happy. And it makes us happy, too. It's a great feeling," said David Schmeinck, a volunteer from Germany.
Currently, most of the wheelchairs the team has available have been donated and are second-hand. Some have been donated as a result of patients dying or recovering from their condition. These come from individual, private donations, as well as retirement homes and overseas manufacturing companies.
Luc, project manager of the RICD Wheelchair Project, expressed a desire that, one day, the team would be able to manufacture wheelchairs themselves so as to not to be too reliant on donated wheelchairs.
"I wish that, aside from the volunteers, we could have the wheelchairs made by disabled people as well," said Luc, who also uses a wheelchair. "This way, we could create jobs and income for them."
Luc's wish is, however, not just an idle daydream. The plan he has in mind — of disabled people producing wheelchairs for the disabled community — is already being achieved by the Thai Wheel Factory, operated by the Thai With Disability Foundation.
"We want to help people with disabilities. We give them a job and, in turn, they also help other handicapped people by making these wheelchairs. With disabled staff, they know how a wheelchair should be used, as well as how to operate it comfortably. Able-bodied people wouldn't know or understand these issues," said Vichian Husthadol, vice-chairman of the Thai With Disability Foundation.
The factory — located in Pak Kret district of Nonthaburi province — currently has around eight members of disabled staff. Some lack an arm or a leg, while others suffer from polio. By training these people in a profession and giving them a job, said Vichian, it gives them a place within society, as well as saving them from begging for money on the street.
There are also two more able-bodied staff to assist with most heavy lifting. Together, the team is capable of producing around 100 to 200 wheelchairs per month.
Different sorts of wheelchairs are produced daily at the factory. Aside from regular wheelchairs, the staff also make special wheelchairs, custom-made according to the patient's needs, as well as wheelchairs designed to suit athletic activities like basketball and tennis. Tricycles are another product the team are proud to make.
"Wheelchairs are more suitable for indoor use, small spaces and smooth terrain," said Vichian. "For the tricycle, however, you could even travel across provinces. It can be operated single-handedly, unlike wheelchairs where you need both hands."
The Thai With Disability Foundation also offers regular seminars to train disabled people to make and fix wheelchairs. As a result, many disabled people from different provinces now have a job as mechanics. It has thus become an endless cycle of sharing and giving back from one person with a disability to another.
Sayan Chan-ngam, head of manufacturing at the Thai Wheel Factory, is one example of how the foundation's work has changed the lives of many disabled people.
"Before, I had no profession. I only stayed at home before getting a chance to attend a three-month workshop on wheelchair maintenance. I found out that they were lacking staff, so I came here back in 1994 and have been here ever since," recounted Sayan. "Nowadays, I can go to places on my own. I even have a house and a car."
When Sayan first lost the use of his legs, he had to live without a wheelchair and still remembers the difficulties he faced in not being able to move around on his own. It is these memories of struggle that motivates Sayan to work even harder and empathise even more with members of the disabled community that still require help.
"I was a receiver, but I can now give back to people, too. It's disabled people giving back to one another. We do understand more what each other is going through."
Unused wheelchairs can be donated to the RICD Wheelchair Project at the Department of Mental Health, Ministry of Public Health in Chiang Mai. Call 053-908-300/49. To contact the Thai Wheel Factory for manufacturing and fixing, call the Thai With Disability Foundation at 02-582-0897/8.
A volunteer tinkers with a wheelchair to make it as comfortable as possible.
Staff put the final touches on tricycles.
Sayan Chan-ngam, head of manufacturing at the Thai Wheel Factory.
