Things didn’t go as hoped on this trip. When we put the prototype on, there was immediate feedback on the idea as a whole. For example like the points of contact that the oars would be at.
They suggested we change the attaching points to instead being on the chair. All the wheelchair users at CRI have a foot rest and a seat area, they also all have 2 legs. So with the lessened constraint, they suggest building to the chair. They also mentioned how they are okay with making changes to the wheelchairs themselves, like adding a hook or something like that. Another idea was to make their current, method of transporting the oars better. One of the ladies has the oars in between her legs and resting on one side of her shoulder, but she cannot go uphill or downhill.
Another suggestion was to keep the prototype idea but instead of strapping it in, make a cup for the oar to hold it from the bottom.
As you can see by these many diverse ideas, Esther and I have our work cut out for us. Going forward we may just build different versions of all these and see what works the best.
Sadly we did not have a wheelchair user at CRI this time so we were unable to get their feedback. But hopefully next time.