The Flying Wheelchair


	When not using the Internet to communicate with disabled people around the world, students at the Redemptorist Vocational School may be found studying or praying. (Photograph by Peter Charlesworth)

an wheelchairs fly? As far as students at the Redemptorist Vocational School in Pattaya City, Thailand, are concerned, the answer is a resounding, "Yes!"

These disabled Thais are discovering what scientists and online users have known for years: The online world breaks down barriers and connects people to others trying to solve similar problems -- no matter where they happen to be.

Disabled students in Thailand are using the Net to communicate with others facing the same kinds of physical and psychological challenges throughout the world. In effect, Net access frees them to explore the world in ways that were never possible before. That's why they call their website The Flying Wheelchair.

The Net has opened the Thai students to strange and wonderful concepts such as kneeling buses, mandatory access ramps, and public bathrooms specifically designed to accommodate disabled people. "We were using our website to communicate with a man in Denmark who told us about how his government takes care of its handicapped people," says one student. "We were amazed to find out that some governments pass laws to help and protect people like us."

The Flying Wheelchair site is raising hopes and empowering its users with information. "I once thought my life was empty because of my handicap," one student remarked. "But the Internet makes me feel free of my disability. I no longer feel like a handicapped person."

On February 8, 1996, students reviewed logo designs for their website, The Flying Wheelchair. Competition is good natured but intense, since the student whose logo is selected wins a cash prize of U.S.$200. (Photograph by Peter Charlesworth)