e-wheelchair Workshop

The workshop primarily focuses on teaching people with disabilities (PWD) and students about electric wheelchairs and how to operate them.

We aim to encourage PWD to travel more independently. Additionally, this will help students gain a better understanding and appreciation of the challenges PWD face.

Context

People With Disabilities often find themselves in situations where they require additional support and assistance from others while traveling on their own. They also encounter social stigma and discrimination due to their disabilities.

Some of the key causes are:

• Existing infrastructure design
• Solo travelers might have to get other if they need help
• Social exclusion and stigma

Key Solution

Simulation exercises

• Based on our interviews with the PWDs at SG Enable, many said that they struggled navigating with these types of roads
• Learning these courses will help them familiarize with the routes and in turn, making them feel more confident when maneuvering on their own
• This also allow the PWDs’ caregivers and family members to feel less burden as the PWDs are more independent to go out on their own without needing any assistant

Q&A booths for students

• Students can walk around SG Enable to the different booth set-ups and answer questions to get prizes and goodie bags
• The students also get to learn about the electric wheelchair features and how they are operated
• At the same time, it helps to raise their awareness and knowledge about the PWDs
• The booths also include different PWDs’ personal stories about how they got the disabilities and how they overcome the challenges
• Students can connnect emotionally with the indiviudals and see them beyond the disability
• These stories can also inspire students and motivate them to face their own challenges with a similar mindset

Performance showcase

• This showcase allows the PWDs to show off their diverse talents and skills
• This allows the focus to shift from their disabilities to their abilities, changing any stereotypes about the PWDs
• Provides a positive role model for others to show that disability is not a barrier to them

Briefing and Safety protocols

Why is our solution unique?

When we were conversing with wheelchair users, we discovered that many individuals take a long time to learn how to use and maintain their wheelchairs effectively on their own. We want to help minimize the time and struggle involved, providing them with the confidence to use this lifelong apparatus safely and efficiently. Our goal is to reduce the risk of injury and ensure that their wheelchairs remain in top-notch condition, eliminating the difficulties they might otherwise face.

This project is part of Ngee Ann Polytechnic's School of Humanities & Interdisciplinary studies Project ID (ProID) module. Completed in 2024.