Motivation began in 1989 when David Constantine, a wheelchair user, and Simon Gue, both Industrial Design students at the Royal College of Art, London, won the Frye Memorial Prize for their design of a wheelchair for the developing world. Designed to be made from locally accessible materials, the design was simple, easily adaptable and ideally suited to the often rough environment of many developing countries.
With the prize money, David and Simon teamed up with Richard Frost and presented their design to the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed in Bangladesh. At the end of their visit they were invited to go back to the Centre to establish a wheelchair workshop. This was done in 1991 after they graduated, and Motivation was born.
At Motivation we follow this simple Philosophy;
We believe that Poverty is the main cause and consequence of so many mobility disabilities in Sri Lanka. We believe that an effective way of counteracting poverty is to ensure that the provision of appropriate equipment and services lead to economic empowerment for disabled individuals and their families.
People with disabilities can organize themselves to claim their Rights only once their practical needs, such as mobility aids, are met. They have a right to be included in all aspects of life and be treated equal to others.
Developing the Capacity of local disability organizations is as important as the provision of mobility equipment itself. Grassroots organisations need help to harness their full potential via empowerment of means and method to become more effective in improving their service to their community.
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