Wheelchair Assessment Training Courses May 9-16, 2012

LDS Charities held two sessions of wheelchair assessment/fitting training courses in May, May 9-11 and May 14-16, 2012.  Specialist from the US came to do the training, giving up their personal vacation time from their jobs.  The people taking the training were from three different Partner-NGOs (non-governmental organizations).  These organizations provide services to the poor and disabled in Viet Nam.
 

 Session 1 had 16 students

 and session 2 had 23. 

During the training the students have to use a wheelchair all day and rarely a correctly fitted one for them.  Most of them had never even sat in one before and the trainers put them through the paces in the chairs.  Everyone agreed it was an eye-opening experience.

Coming down stairs.             Going up ramps.     

 Down a curb--not as easy as it may look!

After the training they will go back to their provinces and be able to properly fit wheelchairs to their patients.  If the chairs don't fit properly it can cause more harm than good.  Too often, if the wheelchair doesn't fit correctly people will stop using them altogether.  Think of a 91 year old woman sitting in a chair designed for a 6 foot tall 200 pound man!




 During Session 1 we ran out of size 14 inch wheelchairs.  The production manager of the wheelchair factory, Quoc, had an employee bring additional chairs to the site.  To get them to us quickly, they brought them on the backs of motorbikes!





The fun part is watching the recipients and their families load and transport the wheelchairs home!

Touches our hearts to see the joy and happiness in the faces of the people!