View source for About WHIM

==Who Is Doing It==
WHIM is Walker-Horton Innovative Mobility, founded by 
*[http://www.madknight.com/pamela/ Pamela Kay Walker] - Artist, Activist, Wheelchair User, Disability Specialist, and Author of [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0977150526/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0977150526&linkCode=as2&tag=madknightconsult Moving Over the Edge: Artists with Disabilities Take the Leap]
*[[Michael Horton]] - Software Engineer and general Geek

We have invited (drafted) several local engineers (mechanical, electrical, and others), as well as experts in other fields, to assist us in this endeavor.  In approximate reverse order of induction:
*[[Ilia Potanin]] - Engineering Capstone Student, University of California, Davis, 2016
*[[Simon Quan]] - Engineering Capstone Student, University of California, Davis, 2016
*[http://www.jtaggard.com Josh Taggard] - Engineering Capstone Student, University of California, Davis, 2016
*[[Matt Seitzler]] - Mechanical Engineer, Bicycle Geek
*[[Mark Chang]] - Electrical Engineer, Unicorn Driver
*[[Stuart Robinson]] - Design Concepts and General Support
*[[Lauren Boswell]] - Body Worker, Body Mechanics, General Support
*[[Jason Moore]], PhD - Mechanical Engineer.  Also helped with maintenance on current chair.  Lecturer, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, University of California, Davis
*[[Robbie McMurry]] - Mechanical Engineer.  Also helped with maintenance on current chair
*[[Jacob Taylor]] - Computer geek, Robotics Aficionado.  Helped advise on the initial repairs, and was part of the first brainstorming for WHIM
*[[Dan Fiske]] - System Administrator and general Geek.  Helped with the original design concepts and maintenance on current chair

==Why We're Doing It==
[[file:Activist2.jpg|thumbnail|Pamela's first wheelchair]]
Pamela is a power-chair user, and has been for over 30 years.  In that time she has owned many chairs, and experienced the repair nightmare ''many'' times.  Somewhere along the line, she found that some of the issues could be repaired at local shops faster, cheaper, and with a lot less stress.  The ones that couldn't be repaired at the local bike shop (or other local non-wheelchair specialist) were usually due to the broken part being customized - unique to that brand and model of chair.

Michael is a software engineer, with 30+ years of experience in problem solving.  When Pamela's current chair started showing its age (17+ years), Michael kept looking at the "odd" design choices of her current and past chairs, and began asking questions.  He finally made the audacious claim that "I can design a better chair than that."  After a couple years of hearing this, Pamela finally said, "Prove it!"

==How We're Doing It==
We're still in the planning stages, meeting with the engineers and other experts weekly (or bi-weekly, or monthly, as schedules permit) over pizza, to discuss the possibilities.  We're looking at all of the available technologies, trying to find those which we believe will be around for the longest times, so that replacement parts will continue to be available.  We've made a lot of progress, but there's only so far we can go on paper.

Soon, we'll start fundraising in order to get the parts so that we can start building and testing.  Expect to see a Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign starting soon.  Or you could always donate using the Paypal link to the left!