Ralf Hotchkiss
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ralf Hotchkiss is an inventor and Whirlwind wheelchair designer whose company, Whirlwind Wheelchair International, designs wheelchairs for use and manufacture in developing countries, involving wheelchair riders in all of its projects and activities. The organization's mission is "to make it possible for every person in the developing world who needs a wheelchair to obtain one that will lead to maximum personal independence and integration into society." [1] Himself a paraplegic, Hotchkiss is a graduate of Oberlin College.
His staff biography at Whirlwind states that:
- "Wheelchair-rider; engineer, inventor; Whirlwind co-founder; currently Whirlwind Chief Engineer and principal instructor in Whirlwind wheelchair design class; Women Pushing Forward (formerly Whirlwind Women) Advisory Board member; for 35+ years a wheelchair-designer - builder - trainer; 1989 MacArthur Foundation Fellow and recipient of countless other honors and awards; has worked in 42 countries teaching people who need wheelchairs how to build and maintain them for themselves." [2]
