Rope

Different materials or elements can be used to construct simple supportive devices for persons with disabilities to facilitate their daily lives. Rope is locally available, low-cost and can be very helpful in many ways for example:

  • As a balance support while using latrine;
    • In an open-defecation area, a rope can be hung from a branch to support people squatting.
    • In a closed-structure, the rope is suspended from the roof beam for support while squatting. The roof structure should be strong enough to support the user's full weight. It is important to test this; a support that breaks is more dangerous than no support at all! When not in use, it can be hooked out of the way, making sure it is still reachable.
  • Rope or a strong string can be a key element for home-made shower systems, and lock systems;
  • Ropes are also useful for example to build a guiding string for blind persons.
A boy using a rope as support when using a latrine
© Hazel Jones and Bob Reed. 2005
A man in a wheelchair is entering a temporary latrine. The door has a rope hanging from the top for make easy the closing
© Handicap International
A man using using a string rope as a guidance for orientation in a field
© USAID-WASHplus Kenya/Elisha Ratemo
Tags
Sources
Jones, H and Reed, B. Water and Sanitation for disabled people. Designing services to improve accessibility, WEDC Loughborough University, 2005.
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