Whirlwind Wheelchair Team 2012
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As a part of our participation in the fellowship, we worked with Whirlwind Wheelchair International (WWI), a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to building wheelchairs for quality mobility in different environments and terrains. WWI defines a quality wheelchair as one that is “safe, durable, locally repairable, and highly useable for the rider.” WWI has had considerable success with their RoughRider wheelchair and is planning to enter trike market. This trike will be designed in such that it can be used as a potential microbusiness. To assist WWI in designing the prototype, we went to Vietnam and the Philippines to interview current trike users about their experiences. We specifically targeted those whom used their trikes to as a microbusiness or as a means of earning income. Ideally, their narratives would help us elucidate the effectiveness of the current trike designs, and this work will support WWI in their final trike design. We left for Asia in August 2012, working with Kien Tuong in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Tahanang Walang Hagdanan (House with No Steps) in Manila, Philippines. Final Team ReportTo read more on the overall findings of the Whirlwind Team click here. Photo Gallery |
Nate FunkhouserNate Funkhouser is a junior with a major in Political Science with minors in Latin American Studies and Art History from Gig Harbor, Washington. 
Stella TranStella Tran is a junior from San Jose, California, with a major in Accounting Information Systems and minor in Philosophy, Pre-Law emphasis. |
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