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The Charity That Custom-Makes Equipment To Help Disabled People Live More Independent Lives

Remap is a charity that promotes independence by designing and creating bespoke solutions for people living with disabilities experiencing an everyday difficulty or problem, where there isn’t a commercially available solution. The charity was founded in 1964 by Pat Johnson who, as an engineer, began designing aids to enable his disabled sister to live a more independent life. When he saw the difference his simple adaptations made to his sister’s quality of life, Pat teamed up with other engineers to try to bring similar custom solutions to as many disabled people as possible.

Since then, Remap has grown and they now have over 70 local branches*, 900+ volunteers and create 3,500 projects every year! With every request they receive, a Remap volunteer will meet with the disabled person, along with their Occupational Therapist, family, support worker, etc, and if appropriate, talk through the problem. Ensuring they have a full understanding of what is needed from the build, as well as what the person’s capabilities are in terms of operating possible solutions. It is also an opportunity to go back to the route of the problem, think things through, and see if any other potential solutions may be more effective.

After the volunteer and service user have agreed on an idea, in principal the Remap volunteer will begin making the item, before bringing it to the user to see how it’s working and taking it away to do more work if required. The length of this process will vary depending on the nature of the project, but the focus is always on achieving the best possible outcome for the disabled service user.

Once the solution is complete, then it is the user to keep! Whilst the Remap volunteer leaves it with the service user, they will also that you can contact them again in the future should you have any problems. Or if your needs change and you require the item to be further adapted, they will try to find another solution so that you can continue using it.

As a charity, Remap do not charge for their services; their volunteers give their time and many of their materials freely to ensure their services are accessible to everyone, regardless of income or financial position.

As you can see, they are a fantastic charity who create bespoke solutions to disabled people’s problems! A couple of months ago I sent them my own request, as I needed a table that I could take out and about with me, which would also fit across the arms of my power chair for the occasions when I can’t get my chair under tables. For example, in cafes and restaurants, or when I’m somewhere when there’s tea and cake as I only have two hands and so had to choose between tea, cake or moving my chair! Although I am very pleased to say that Peter, my local Remap volunteer, has created a brilliant solution for me that I will be sharing with you all in my next blog post.

For more information on accessing their services, donating, and becoming a volunteer - simply check out the links below!

Thanks - Emma

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