150 differently abled persons get new wheelchairs

A corporate social responsibility (CSR) project of SBI Card, executed by non-profit organisation Round Table India, has helped 150 differently abled persons get new wheelchairs. The beneficiaries were mainly from Chennai, Puducherry and Madurai.

The CSR project identified and assessed beneficiaries first before providing the wheelchairs. Beneficiaries were selected on the basis of socio-economic status, need, diagnosis, and age, among other criteria. The wheelchair provided, being a battery-powered one, would be easier and more convenient to use than the hand-powered tricycles, allowing users to travel farther and quicker, a press release said.

Sharing the current status of this project, Santhoshraj, National Secretary of Round Table India, said, “The beneficiaries find the NeoFly and NeoBolt as a complete indoor and outdoor solution. They are finding themselves being more productive, with respect to daily activities like going to the market, travelling for their job and working long hours sitting on a wheelchair, which they could not achieve with the traditional wheelchairs.”

Further, Swostik Sourav Dash, IIT-Madras alumnus, said the user measurements and medical assessments of each beneficiary was done by NeoMotion representatives, with every wheelchair customised according to the beneficiary’s measurements and medical assessment. “This is necessary since the wheelchair is like a part of the body and unless personalised according to the user, it could lead to several side effects such as back pain, and shoulder pain.”