Founded in 1989 by Ralf Hotchkiss, Whirlwind Wheelchair International is a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to improving the lives of people with disabilities in the developing world and promoting sustainable local economic development whenever possible.
For thirty years, Whirlwind has focused on producing durable, low-cost and highly functional wheelchairs, which are designed and produced in close collaboration with wheelchair riders in the communities they work in.
Whirlwind’s signature wheelchair, the “rough rider” is the perfect wheelchair for the rough and unpaved terrain of the developing world.
When Ralf first visited Nicaragua in 1980, he saw U.S. style hospital chairs breaking and becoming useless because replacement parts were not available. For riders, a breakdown means that all the benefits of mobility and community participation the chair gives suddenly and indefinitely are taken away.
Today, Whirlwind designs are tested to achieve double the international wheelchair standard for durability. And because the grit of village roads will eventually wear out any chair, Whirlwind chairs use only locally available parts like bicycle wheels and the standard bearings used in the ubiquitous Honda motorcycles. All parts are available nearly everywhere at an affordable cost and can be installed with basic tools.
The best way to understand how to develop products for a specific group of people is to live among them. Whirlwind’s five designers have lived a combined 15 years or more in the environments where the riders live. Some of these countries include: Nicaragua, Uganda, Namibia, Kenya, the Philippines, and Mexico.
This direct experience with the developing world and its unique design requirements are only part of the Whirlwind design secret. As new products are researched and constructed, developing world riders build, test, and send Whirlwind design feedback, as well as their own original ideas which are included in the next “rough rider” model.
The “rough rider” has unique design features:
- -Extra long wheelbase for stability
- -Five different seat widths and three different back heights
- -Rear wheels use bicycle tires for easy replacement or repair
- -Steel frame for strength and local reparability
- -Front caster wheels that do not sink into sand, soil or loose pavement
- -Pressure relief cushions protect riders from pressure sores (design in the public domain)
- -Each chair includes a tire repair kit, a pump and an extensive User Manual)
- -Foldable and light
The rough rider wheelchair is any wheelchair rider’s dream, not only in the developing world, but also in the developed world. Ralf can attest to that as he rides around in his “rough rider” all over San Francisco!