The Importance of Mobility
Having a wheelchair has opened up the whole of the city to me. Before I was limited to my house but now with my chair and taxis I can go anywhere I want. - Ousman, Senegal
Mobility is a basic human right but in Senegal and The Gambia only 10% of people have access to the Assistive Technology they need.[1] [2]
This means there are thousands of people forced to live without access to a wheelchair. They are unable to participate in daily activities or be part of their communities, often restricted to their homes and forced to crawl or rely on family members carrying them.
In Casamance in particular the legacy of landmines and conflict has resulted in a significant population of people with mobility impairment - Ziguinchor has been reported as “one of the highest concentration of amputees in the nation” with rehabilitation services “inefficient or even nonexistent”. [3] In Casamance it is also estimated 12.4% of the population have functional difficulties and that 82.7% of Senegalese people with severe disabilities are multidimensionally poor.[4] This compounds economic and social exclusion and feeds into a reinforcing mobility-poverty cycle. Research shows that many young people are unable to afford essential assistive devices, face inaccessible transport and infrastructure and are frequently excluded from schooling and employment.[5]
In underserved rural areas individuals are isolated and even more unlikely to receive support, often living with extreme poverty and no access to formal services. These challenges are exacerbated by environmental conditions with the difficult terrain and lack of infrastructure meaning that even if a standard mobility device is available it will likely be unsuitable or quickly unusable.
The impact of assistive technology is clear; in a study of wheelchair recipients in low resource settings after 12 months of wheelchair use overall health rating and mood had improved by 20% and independence by 11%.[6]
Appropriate mobility support will allow participation, dignity and independence and have a powerful long term impact on rural and underserved communities.
