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Disrupting Disability
Video

Disrupting Disability


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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Overview
  • Inspiring

Recommendation

Wheelchair user Rachael Wallach is grabbing the Fourth Industrial Revolution by the horns to improve the lives of millions. Wallach’s firsthand experience with disability allowed her to identify a yawning gap, which she is bridging by leveraging 3D printing and open-source design to “disrupt disability.” getAbstract recommends Wallach’s daring personal story to manufacturers and entrepreneurs with the moxie to change the world for the better.

Summary

Imagine standing barefoot at the base of a mountain. The ground is blanketed in sharp rocks, and the only shoes at your disposal are a pair of stilettos that are several sizes too small. Would you strive to make your way up the mountain, ask someone for help or give up? This analogy neatly describes daily life for the 52 million people who need customized wheelchairs but can’t afford them. Yet society can “disrupt disability” in three steps:

  1. “Disrupt assumptions” – Wheelchair user Rachael Wallach planned to backpack around Southeast Asia, but her guidebook warned that travelers with disabilities could struggle to navigate the...

About the Speaker

Rachael Wallach founded Disrupt Disability, a business that designs and manufactures customizable wheelchairs.


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