A surface for everyday life
Custom 3D printed adapters and frames that fit a detachable tray to any wheelchair, so recipients can eat, drink and write on their own.
- 24+
- Items printed
- 15hrs
- Average print time
- TPU
- Filament
Wheelchair tray
Since 2014, HFA-BCMF has provided properly fitted wheelchairs to children and adults in Thailand and Burma. Trays on the wheelchairs allow the user more independence in eating, writing and other activities. In 2023, we began receiving wheelchairs from Free Wheelchair Mission that did not include a tray, making many basic tasks, including eating, difficult for wheelchair users. In response, the team designed customised PVC frames holding a tray using 3D-printed thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) adapters, that can easily attach and detach from the wheelchair. Later on, HFA-BCMF adapted this design to fit standard wheelchairs as well.
Product photos
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Recipient stories
Saw Kaw
Age 38
back injury
“With this new wheelchair I will be able to help my wife pick vegetables and cook for my children.”
Saw Kaw lives with his family on the Thai-Burma border. In August 2021 he fell out of a betel nut tree and broke both of his legs. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, he could not seek treatment until late December 2021, when he was told that his condition was untreatable. He received physiotherapy at a clinic, where he was also given a wheelchair. Over time, the wheels and the brake broke, and he could not afford to buy a new one.
Saw Kaw said, “Sometimes, I wanted to help my wife pick vegetables from the garden in front of my house, but I could not because my old wheelchair was broken and no longer moved. With this new wheelchair I will be able to help my wife pick vegetables and cook for my children. This wheelchair will make it easier for me to get around, and I can eat in the wheelchair with the table [attached to my wheelchair]. Thank you so much for making my life better.”
Thel
Age 14
cerebral palsy
“I want to be a teacher in the future and teach children with disabilities like me.”
Thel is from Ranong Province, Thailand. She was born with cerebral palsy, and she studies at Ranong Special Education Centre. She had a wheelchair donated by the school which she outgrew, so she often crawled around the house or relied on her parents to carry her outside. As her family couldn’t afford a new one, she was fitted with a new wheelchair during BCMF’s wheelchair mission on 11–12 December 2024.
With her new wheelchair, Thel can now visit her friends and the monastery with her family. Thel said, “I am so happy for the wheelchair. I like the wheelchair with the tray so I can eat and study on the tray. I want to be a teacher in the future and teach children with disabilities like me.”
Eh
Age 14
cerebral palsy
“...my daughter can attend school more easily and be included in family outings.”
Eh lives with her family on the Thai-Burma border. Although she received a wheelchair from BCMF and another organisation previously, she has outgrown both. Without a suitable wheelchair, her mother had to carry her from home to school and around their village, which was exhausting and challenging due to her weight.
Eh is excited to receive her new wheelchair with tray from BCMF. Her mother said, “With this new wheelchair, my daughter can attend school more easily and be included in family outings. One of Eh’s favourite things to do is for her uncle to take her out with him. It makes me happy to see her smile and relieved that I no longer need to carry her everywhere.”
Moe
Age 33
back injury
“Receiving this wheelchair feels like getting a new pair of legs.”
Moe is from Karen State, Burma. While digging a shelter against airstrikes in his village, the shelter collapsed on him and damaged his spinal cord, leaving him unable to stand or walk. Unable to afford a wheelchair, he was forced to lay in bed all day, which left him always feeling like a patient.
When I received this wheelchair, it became much easier to go outside. I could watch movies and eat on the table of my new wheelchair. Without it, I would still be stuck in bed. Receiving this wheelchair feels like getting a new pair of legs. It has given me hope and strength,” he said.