My name is Thomas Quiter, I am the President and Founder of The Mobility Independence Foundation, a non-profit mobility technology foundation.
I have required the assistance of a wheelchair for my entire life.
I founded the MIF in 2022 after being trapped in my own home for over 5 years from 2014-2019.
I did not have access to the mobility equipment I needed to live my life and access the world outside my tiny, cluttered, dirty little apartment. Without the use of mobility equipment, I was unable to move from my bedroom to the kitchen, or to the bathroom, I could not run my own errands. I was reliant upon my family and medical aids for everything.
When I could not get maintenance completed on schedule for my Omegatrac Powerchair, the equipment inevitably broke down. I then had to fight with my insurance company for years just to get approved to look for a suitable replacement because there was nothing available on the market that could sustain me and suit my needs.
After several years without any mobility equipment and no available solution offered by any insurance company, the solution came from the generous crowdfunding of friends, neighbors, and Libertarian supporters who helped me to purchase a nearly 20-year old Omegatrac which the insurance company would not cover.
Imagine: being trapped in your own home.
One of the people I’ve been introduced to through this important work is my friend John Trivelpiece.
John has dealt with a malfunctioning wheelchair for 5 years, he described trying to operate the controls as the wheelchair having “a mind of its own.”
Imagine relying on a machine to carry you around that does not obey the user’s commands.
John is finally eligible to receive a replacement, which will be the exact same malfunctioning model, and warranty or lemon laws were no help to him.
Another friend named Stephen was denied a wheelchair by the same insurance company that covered the surgery to remove his legs. He was then unable to leave his own bed to get to the kitchen to feed himself. I’m not sure what became of him, I’ve been unable to contact him ever since. I can only imagine he is in a very dark place because he is unable to care for himself, which is one of the most basic components of self-esteem.
Studies are showing that 50% of all wheelchairs in operation break down during any 6 month period, 88 of them for veterans. I’ve experienced this for myself and others.
Repair wait times can be months or even years, if these were working legs that you were promised, how would you feel? Have you ever had a promise that was made to you broken?
The social contract is a broken promise. So, too, is the perception that today’s mobility equipment is adequate and reliable.
I know what it feels like to wait 12 hours for a glass of water. I know what it’s like to wait 6 months for a replacement battery to power a wheelchair which I’m not allowed to purchase and replace on my own. I know what it feels like to wait years for a new wheelchair and to be disappointed with the features and reliability of the device.
I love to be outside.
I love to work in the garden. I love to climb the trails on the hill behind my home. I like to feel the sun upon my face just like everyone else and yet, because I lacked the equipment to move around, I was trapped in my own home, in the dark, and unable to care for myself without the generosity of others.
I have also suffered a catastrophic failure with my mobility equipment, and while waiting months to make a repair or have a suitable replacement, I was once trapped in my own home for 5 years. My only visitors were family and caretakers.
I have experienced wheels falling off due to poor design, faulty electronics causing uncontrolled motion that broke my legs, I suffered over one hundred fractions in an instant because of malfunctioning equipment.
No longer able to do our own repairs, the wait times brought life to a halt.
I know what it’s like to lose your autonomy and independence because the equipment you rely on has broken down and there are no options for repair or replacement other than to go through medicare, medicaid, health care providers or insurance.
It’s a game of keep away that keeps persons with disabilities away from their loved ones and their right to live a free, happy, and productive life.
The socialized medical system in this country is broken and failing.
There is a better way to serve the needs of those who desperately need a way to move forward.
My advocacy on behalf of other persons with disabilities led me to found the Mobility Independence Foundation, and serve as its Chief Crash Test Dummy!
I have 35 years of personal experience with subpar wheelchairs and many broken bones from when the equipment has failed, and in my 25 years as a disabilities advocate, I have connected with thousands of people who have had similar experiences. My unique perspective on mobility technology provides me with valuable insight into the need for equipment that is both affordable and reliable.
Insurance companies and medical equipment providers only have the incentive to meet the bare minimum when providing mobility equipment to their consumers. They assume the user of the equipment needs to be able to move around their own home, get to the grocery store and their medical appointments.
There is so much more to life.
Everybody knows someone who was born with a mobility issue or develops one as a result of injury or advanced age.
How would you feel if it was your grandmother that was trapped in her own home, for five years, and if you weren’t there to visit her and help her with grocery shopping, she would actually die without support. It’s humiliating and demoralizing, especially in the senior years, to have to rely on others so heavily for our basic needs.
Without proper mobility equipment our loved ones will lose:
– Life
– Health
– Liberty
– Happiness
– Community access
– Visibility
– Careers
– Income
– Independence
This directly affects a person’s self reliance, self esteem and self worth. The obstacles and red tape that prevents people from getting the equipment they need can be deadly.
Everyone deserves the basic dignity to maintain a certain amount of mobility so they can get from the bedroom to the bathroom and the kitchen, to be able to go outside and make it to their jobs and appointments, but also to experience life and the natural beauties of the world while we have such a short time to live on this planet.
Mobility is the most basic need that enables us the access to live a full, productive, and happy life, and you can’t do that if you’re trapped in your own home.
Persons with disabilities need to be able to hold a job, parent our children, to travel and enjoy all the gifts this world has to offer. Yet, we are told that the ability to escape your own home in the event of fire is not a consideration for insurance covering mobility equipment.
Mobility equipment users want a chair that they can take off-road, off-sidewalk, and still maneuver effectively through their home. There is no power wheelchair currently on the market that meets these needs to enable persons with disabilities to live their full and best lives.
The Mobility Independence Foundation develops designs that allow people to live life.
The goal of Mobility Independence Foundation is to provide accessibility designs and completed equipment to the world in an open-source, easy-to-license format. This will allow people with disabilities to access equipment better suited to their needs, because we listen to their needs.
Our open-source designs will be available for individuals to use, improve or customize for their own accessibility needs. Revenue from licensing and grants will allow us to publish the designs and provide equipment at no cost to individuals with disabilities.
The MIF will perform its work in four steps:
1. Create an open-source modular design for a mobility wheelchair that can be built using parts from local hardware stores, bicycle shops, off the rack parts.
2. Provide the open-source designs to the community, so that providers worldwide can utilize the designs.
3. Provide mobility equipment and components directly to those who need it most.
4. Through outreach to disabled communities, get real feedback about the features that are needed for mobility equipment, design modular upgrades, technological components, or custom parts that will meet the needs of individuals with unique needs.
Thank you for your interest in the Mobility Independence Foundation and for your consideration of support for our mission. This work is deeply personal to me and you have my deepest gratitude.
For more information, please visit our website at themif.org and follow us on all social media platforms as @TheMIFinc or by searching for Mobility Independence Foundation.
I hope together we can create a lasting impact on the way that persons with disabilities are treated by our society and provide them with the independence and access to all the wonderful gifts that life has to offer.