Remap, tailor-made equipment for those who need it
by Anais Durand
Here at bespoken, we know that little alterations to everyday objects can make a massive difference in the lives of people with disabilities. This week, we would like to introduce you to Remap, a national charity that helps disabled people maintain their independence by building and modifying equipment in order to make it more accessible.
What is Remap?
Remap is a national charity which relies entirely on its team of over 1,000 skilled technical and health professionals volunteers – spread across 80 branches across the UK – to identify, design and engineer innovations that will improve the quality of life of people in their community who live with a disability.
Whether they are engineers, technicians or healthcare professionals, the volunteers bring their own unique skills and expertise to design a range of bespoke equipment such as motorised wheelchairs, bicycles with adapted handlebars, guitar and xylophone stands, a remote control designed for wheelchair use etc. Each creation is tailor made to suit the needs of the client.
How does it work?
First, the Remap volunteers establish a relationship with the client and arrange a consultation to pinpoint and identify their needs. Technical engineers then organise to meet with the client, usually accompanied by a health professional such as an occupational therapist or a physiotherapist, who provides clinical input which, when coupled with technical know-how, makes for the best possible result for each client. Secondly, the engineers use their inventive ability and practical skills to devise a solution to the problem presented to them and design a piece of equipment to deliver that solution, before finally manufacturing the bespoke product that will allow the individual to achieve more independence in their day-to-day activities.
They’ve come so far!
Remap celebrated its 50th anniversary on July 5th at the Wellcome Collection in London, where an assortment of guests such as Sir Bert Massie, a lifelong campaigner of disability rights, Derek Deranalagi, a paralympian who has had equipment designed for him by Remap, Trevor Bayliss OBE, as well as a number of previous and existing clients delivered speeches discussing the benefits Remap has made to the lives of people with disabilities as well as the dedication of the Remap volunteers.
What about you? Can you think of any alterations to your equipment that would improve your independence? Share your comments with us below! To obtain more information, visit the Remap website here.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Hazel Coleman on
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Remap volunteers have been very helpful to me, fashioning a bespoke handle into which I can insert a fork and spoon to enable me to feed myself. I had lost all use in the fingers of the one hand I could lift to my mouth as a result of post-polio syndrome, and have limited arm movement, so off-the-peg items didn't work for me.
Three people looked at the problem, and Graham, the person who finally came up with an excellent design, has been wonderful in the time and care he has devoted to finding a solution that not only did the job but was aesthetically pleasing too.
You can see the elegantly simple design in the photos. The fork (and spoon, not shown) are off-the-peg components (Homecraft Kings Cutlery and Handles), the rings are ear tunnels (the ones people put through their earlobes!) and Graham made the steel handle so the fork or spoon component fitted it snugly, yet could be swapped easily, and the item itself perfectly fits the position of my fingers (which I can't change voluntarily). This perfect fit was a difficult task because it is crucial to how my arm works. I have very little muscle function, so very little strength to lift my arm. I also can't sustain repeated movements without losing strength and stopping the arm functioning altogether. Unless the fit is perfect, the cutlery isn't in the optimum position, which means it needs more effort and this means that my arm quickly weakens, then stops working altogether halfway through a meal. Not ideal, especially in a social situation. Graham managed to get the cutlery to fit perfectly, and so it not only enables me to eat in the first place, it also makes eating much less of an effort.
I think Remap is a fantastic institution that deserves to be much more widely known and supported.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Richoux on
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That's really cool! It seems so simple when you look at it but the fact that no one had done it yet really says something about how great the Remap volunteers are. I couldn't quite tell from the first few pictures how it worked but the last two were a revelation. Thanks for sharing :-)
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