Chauncy Rucker
chauncy@connsensebulletin.com

I've recently returned from the sixth annual Lemelson AT Development Center (LATDC) Forum held at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA. The forum topic this year was Assistive Technology (AT), Disability, and the Arts. I was especially pleased to get to visit with two graduates of the UConn AT program at the forum. Susan LaSante works at an educational collaborative in Littleton, MA, and Katherine Post completed her Ph.D. degree and is now chair of the Occupational Therapy Department at Springfield College.

Last year the forum topic was developing solutions, developing nations. I wrote at the time about what a powerful day it had been. We learned of the need for AT in developing nations, the abject poverty of some areas, and the need for us to become more informed about the conditions in developing nations.

Keynotes

There were two great keynotes at the forum this year. The first was by Bill Shannon, a performance and media artist from Pittsburgh. Bill uses crutches and a skateboard to move through life. He danced for us, told us about his life as an artist, and his interesting take on disability, but that doesn't really tell the story. In fact, I planned to tell you there was no way to describe his presentation. However, I did find a way that might help you understand Mr. Shannon a little better. Bill told of a common problem he has. He will be on an elevator standing on a skateboard with his crutches. Someone gets on the elevator with him and clearly he wants to know "What on earth is this?" Bill runs into this situation every day. He said that to explain his physical condition and why he uses these unusual crutches and why he uses a skateboard for transportation simply takes too long. So he had this card made up that he hands people who look like they have the question. the answer   (flip) The back of the card contains: what is what.com   (flip)

This is Bill in the middle of a maneuver. He is spinning around and will hopefully grasp the crutch with his left hand and complete the spin. Note the curved bottoms on these crutches he designed for his maneuvers.

(Bill says some people keep flipping the card until they get the idea) So please follow this link to get an idea of Bill's performance art and his feelings about disability and life. http://whatiswhat.com A little navigation advice may help for this very creative website. Selecting  "the answer" leads you to the home page of the site. Have fun exploring the page. The three main sections of the site are: "What Is" "Proof" And "Definitions of Phenomena" The three areas do in fact give "the answer" to why he uses crutches and a skateboard, but it goes way beyond that into his views of disability.  The area I enjoyed most was "Proof." It contains lots of videos of Bill in action. What an unusual and fascinating presentation!

The second keynote was by Stephanie Moore, director of artist services for VSA arts. VSA arts is an international nonprofit that creates learning opportunities in the arts for people with disabilities. Stephanie has developed a comprehensive Artist Registry of artists with disabilities from around the world, has been involved in curatorial work for over 20 exhibits, and produced VSA arts' largest international exhibition in Los Angeles in 1999.

Stephanie's keynote led us through a history of disability in the arts including some outstanding present day artists. She illustrated the talk with pictures from an online exhibition she assembled entitled "Art/Disability/Expression." You're in luck because you can view this exhibition at:

http://www.vsarts.org/showcase/exhibits/disability/index.html

Student Invention Showcase

In between the two keynote presentations there was a Student Invention Showcase. Hampshire College students take courses offered through the LATDC. In the courses students discover a need on the part of an individual(s) with a disability, work out a possible solution collaborating with the faculty and other students, submit a grant for funding from the LATDC, build a prototype, and if lucky, move on to a patent, marketing and distribution. There were so many wonderful projects, but I've chosen two that were particularly interesting to me.

RunAbout Cycle

I met Josh Kerson(jkoct28@hotmail.com), the inventor of the RunAbout Cycle at last year's forum. Josh is a senior this year and has spent three years on his cycle. The RunAbout Cycle combines a new electric assistive technology with the comfort, stability and style of a recumbent tricycle. Josh says the RunAbout Cycle is an "electric human hybrid." The cycle enables riders to go twice the average speed of a traditional bicycle, with only half the physical effort. That's because the cycle has an electric motor that can be controlled in terms of how much assistance it provides. You can simply pedal the cycle, let the motor provide up to half of the effort, or let the motor provide all of the power.

The cycle has a 20 mph maximum speed and has a 40 mile range on one battery charge - cost 12 cents. The pedals and seat fittings are adjustable and there is full suspension for a comfortable ride. The cycle has disk brakes and reverse. A rider up to 350 pounds can still carry an extra 60 pound load.

Josh is a great model of the success of LATDC projects. He has a patent pending, has formed a corporation, has built three prototypes of the present model, and will soon receive 200 frames from a fabricator in Pennsylvania. The cycle will definitely soon be commercially available!

Clearly the RunAbout Cycle will be appropriate for people with a variety of disabilities. I'd think it would also be very popular for our senior population. 

Late word: The cycle and its inventor will soon be featured on a new pilot television show on the History Channel, and Hammacher Schlemmer, one of the world's oldest mail order catalog companies, is interested in featuring the vehicles.

Whirlwind Wheelchair International

Last year I mentioned Ralf Hotchkiss from San Francisco State University, founder of Whirlwind Wheelchair International (WWI). This organization has developed a network of independent wheelchair-producing workshops in developing countries. The primary mission of WWI is 1) to teach wheelchair riders in developing countries to design, build, and repair their own wheelchairs; 2) to enable rider/builders to create businesses for the manufacture and distribution of wheelchairs to others; and 3) to foster the ever-widening Whirlwind Network of rider/builders around the world who exchange ideas for the continuous improvement of wheelchair design.

By teaching others how to create wheelchair businesses, WWI has had an important impact on the huge need for wheelchairs in developing nations. Building or repairing wheelchairs in this country and sending them to developing countries doesn't make any sense according to Mr. Hotchkiss. Within a short time they would be broken and the price of spare parts would be prohibitive. A pair of replacement rear wheels on an American wheelchair typically costs more than building a whole chair from scratch in-country.

The activities of WWI's Whirlwind Network are based on disseminating and continually updating the design of the Whirlwind Wheelchair, a lightweight, low-cost, high-performance, durable wheelchair designed to be effective in the rough urban and rural conditions of developing countries.

The man on the right is David Mukwasa who was trained by Whirlwind Wheelchairs to build wheelchairs in his native Zambia. David is sitting in the first chair he and his friends built there. David was in America for the first time and in addition to seeing the sights in New England, he was going next to MIT to give a presentation.

It's clear that Ralf isn't a student at Hampshire College, but this winter he and designer Chris Howard came to the LATDC and taught a January Term course on building wheelchairs. Students learned the art of oxy-acetylene brazing which is commonly available around the world, even in places without electricity. The students fabricated almost all of the chair parts, but didn't build complete chairs. However, the students spent the rest of the semester finishing parts and assembling three complete chairs.

On the left Ralf is collaborating with Colin Twitchell, LATDC Program Director. Together Ralf, LATDC staff and students revolutionized the whirlwind fabrication process during the January Term collaboration by designing new fixtures which made the process more efficient.

On the right is a picture of Mary practicing the art of oxy-acetylene brazing under the watchful eye of Ralf Hotchkiss. The Hampshire students who took the four week wheelchair course completed the chair below after Ralf had returned to San Francisco. As you can see, it is very sturdy and can fold for travel.

Now there are students at Hampshire College who could teach people in developing countries how to build a sturdy comfortable wheelchair from products easily obtainable in their community. Thanks to Ralf Hotchkiss for continuing to disseminate this kind of information so that it reaches around the world!

And More

In addition to the student projects and the two keynotes, the day included several workshops and discussion groups. You can learn more about the conference by following these links:

The Forum

http://lemelson.hampshire.edu/Arts%20&%20Disability/index.html

The Speakers

http://lemelson.hampshire.edu/Arts%20&%20Disability/speakers.html

The Workshops

http://lemelson.hampshire.edu/Arts%20&%20Disability/workshops.html

And the Lemelson AT Development Center

http://lemelson.hampshire.edu/

The Bottom Line

As was the case in 2003, the Lemelson Foundation provided funding for this event. This support meant that in addition to some of the best presentations ever, you were also provide breakfast and lunch for the cost of $5.00.

The date of next year's forum will be the first Friday in May, Friday May 6 2005. The theme changes every year, so stay tuned for next year's topic. If I were you I would send Lauren Way an Email so you can be added to the list for a notice about next year's forum. Lauren is the Center's Associate Director, and she, along with a small staff, pulls off this tremendous event each year. lway@hampshire.edu

You can learn a lot by attending conferences, but attending a LATDC forum may well change your life!