Free wheelchair program big success here


By: SCOTT TYNES, DAILY LEADER Staff Writer September 08, 2006

The success in Brookhaven of a statewide program offering free wheelchairs to the needy has prompted officials to send a second shipment to its distribution point here.
AbilityWorks Inc., through a partnership between the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services and the Wheelchair Foundation of Mississippi, has received 35 more basic wheelchairs to give away, said Randall King, facility manager. Wheelchairs in the new shipment all have a width of 18 inches.



The initial shipment of nearly 130 basic wheelchairs in various sizes the agency received in August have all been awarded, King said. Six were picked up Thursday.

"We still have a few here, but they're all spoken for," he said. "We've had people come from as far away as Canton and Natchez. It's been a real rewarding experience."

Jennifer Clark, an AbilityWorks employee who is assisting with the project, agreed.

"We have helped a lot of people," she said. "It's made a big difference in the lives of a lot of them."

Many of the recipients of the chairs have said they stayed at home nearly all the time because they lacked the mobility to leave their homes to visit friends, go shopping or even attend church, Clark said.

"A lot of them say now they'll see me at (a local store)," she said.

The chairs are very basic, King said, but should meet the needs of a disabled person and are available to anyone who meets a few relatively loose criteria, King said.

To qualify, a person must have a recognized disability that is permanent in nature and a low income. The applicant must also sign a waiver releasing the providers from any liability of injury resulting from the wheelchairs.

There are no strict guidelines on what constitutes low income, King said.

"We can be the judge of that," he said. "We want to be able to give a chair to everyone who truly needs one."

The chairs available through the agency were allocated from a total supply of 800 chairs distributed among 16 agencies throughout the state.

Applicants for the wheelchairs should call the agency at 833-3201 to set an appointment, King said.
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