Wheelchair Outreach Project - León, Nicaragua

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An event draws wheelchair users from around the country. »

The Central America Regional Wheelchair Project began in 2004 through the support of a generous USAID grant from the Leahy War Victim’s Fund.

The goals of the Central America Regional Wheelchair Project are; to increase mobility through the dissemination of high quality wheelchairs, to increase economic opportunities and social inclusion of wheelchair users through meaningful employment, training, and community activities, and to mobilize grassroots community organizations representing persons with disabilities to identify needs, speak in a unified voice on issues of access and representation, and implement self-advocacy initiatives.

Within the first year of the project the Polus Center opened PLUSAA (Programas Leones de Usuarios de Aparatus Auxiliarias) a wheelchair manufacturing facility, staffed by local Nicaraguans, some of whom are wheelchair-users themselves, in partnership with the La Salle Polytechnic Institute. The Polus Center hosted a wheelchair study through the Disability Leadership Center and held an awareness event that drew a thousand people from across the country to participate in running, cycling, and wheeling races and basketball games, and to learn about appropriate wheelchairs and the importance of access within the community.

Bringing wheelchairs by boat to the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua. »

By employing persons with disabilities in socially valued roles, PLUSAA helps erase existing social stigmas that persons with disabilities are unable to work or are a drain on their family. It also provides persons with disabilities with the economic opportunities necessary to support their families. PLUSAA also buys all of its raw materials from local sources.

This means that PLUSAA not only provides wheelchairs, but serves to stimulate the economy and bring socially valued employment to the León.

Not only are PLUSAA wheelchairs cost effective, but they are tailored to each individual’s needs with important follow up services like fitting and education around self care. This locally based support is important given that the needs of disabled persons extend for a life time. Recipients are connected with disability rights organizations and helped to find socially valued employment. PLUSAA stands by its recipients while they advance towards achieving social and economic equality.

Recently PLUSAA hosted two apprentices, one from Honduras and one from Guatemala. These two wheelchair users are returning to their respective countries to open distribution centers. This means affordable, custom made and custom fitted wheelchairs will be able to reach persons with disabilities in Honduras and Guatemala, as well as Nicaragua.

Contact information

PLUSAA Staff »

In Nicaragua (Spanish only):

Matilde Villalobos - mativillalobos@yahoo.com

In the U.S.:

Maggie Emery - memery@poluscenter.org

Proyecto de Sillas de Ruedas

El proyecto de sillas de ruedas comenzó en 2004 con el apoya generoso de una beca de USAID (la Agencia de los Estados Unidos para el Desarrollo Internacional) desde Leahy War Victims Fund (El Fondo Leahy para las Victimas de Guerra).

Las metas son; ampliar la movilidad a través de la diseminación de las sillas de ruedas de calidad alta, aumentar las oportunidades económicas y la inclusión social de usuarios de sillas de ruedas a través de trabajo significativo, entrenamiento, y las actividades de la comunidad, y movilizar las organizaciones de base popular de la comunidad que representan la gente con discapacidades para identificar las necesidades de la gente con discapacidades, hablar en un voz unificado sobre las temas del acceso y la representación, y implementar los iniciativos de autorrepresentación.

Dentro del primer año el centro que hace las sillas de ruedas, que tiene empleados nicaragüense y locales (no hay empleados expatriados) y algunos que usan sillas de ruedas, abrió, junto con la Salle Polytechnic Institute. Hicimos un estudio sobre los usuarios de sillas de ruedas a través del Centro de Liderazgo de Discapacidad y tuvimos un evento de conciencia que trajo más que un mil de personas desde toda Nicaragua para participar en competiciones y para aprender más sobre las sillas de ruedas y la importancia del acceso dentro de la comunidad.

En los próximos tres años el proyecto va a expandir a Guatemala y Honduras, y se enfoca en ampliar las oportunidades sociales y económicas a través de la defensa de las policías públicas, el acceso al entrenamiento vocacional y el desarrollo del trabajo. Una clase sobre Social Role Valorization va a estar en Febrero 2006, en Guatemala.