Ralf Hotchkiss
Encyclopedia
Ralf Hotchkiss is an inventor and Whirlwind wheelchair
designer whose company, Whirlwind Wheelchair International, designs wheelchairs for use and manufacture in developing countries, involving wheelchair riders in all of its projects and activities. The organization's 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." Himself a paraplegic, Hotchkiss is a graduate of Oberlin College
.
Hotchkiss published the design of his appropriate technology
wheelchair along with a collection of information designed to guide the start of a small business to manufacture the design. The 1985 book, "Independence through Mobility: a Guide Through the Manufacture of the ATI-Hotchkiss Wheelchair," now available in PDF form through the Center for International Rehabilitation, is an early example of open design
or open source hardware
.
His staff biography at Whirlwind states that:
Whirlwind wheelchair
The Whirlwind wheelchair is a wheelchair designed to be made in developing countries using local resources, in a sustainable development effort.It was co-designed by Ralf Hotchkiss of Whirlwind Wheelchair International...
designer whose company, Whirlwind Wheelchair International, designs wheelchairs for use and manufacture in developing countries, involving wheelchair riders in all of its projects and activities. The organization's 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." Himself a paraplegic, Hotchkiss is a graduate of Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
.
Hotchkiss published the design of his appropriate technology
Appropriate technology
Appropriate technology is an ideological movement originally articulated as "intermediate technology" by the economist Dr...
wheelchair along with a collection of information designed to guide the start of a small business to manufacture the design. The 1985 book, "Independence through Mobility: a Guide Through the Manufacture of the ATI-Hotchkiss Wheelchair," now available in PDF form through the Center for International Rehabilitation, is an early example of open design
Open design
Open design is the development of physical products, machines and systems through use of publicly shared design information. The process is generally facilitated by the Internet and often performed without monetary compensation...
or open source hardware
Open source hardware
Open source hardware consists of physical artifacts of technology designed and offered in the same manner as free and open source software . Open source hardware is part of the open source culture movement and applies a like concept to a variety of components. The term usually means that...
.
His staff biography at Whirlwind states that:
- "Wheelchair-rider; engineer, inventor; Whirlwind co-founder; currently Whirlwind Chief Engineer and principal instructor in Whirlwind wheelchair design class; Women Pushing Forward (formerly Whirlwind Women) Advisory Board member; for 35+ years a wheelchair-designer - builder - trainer; 1989 MacArthur FoundationMacArthur FoundationThe John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Based in Chicago but supporting non-profit organizations that work in 60 countries, MacArthur has awarded more than US$4 billion since its inception in 1978...
Fellow and recipient of countless other honors and awards; has worked in 42 countries teaching people who need wheelchairs how to build and maintain them for themselves."
External links
- Tough, Low-Cost Wheelchairs Needed in Haiti. PBS NewsHour, Feb. 18, 2010.