About the PROJIMO Team

Many of the innovations described in this book were developed at PROJIMO, the village rehabilitation program in the mountains of western Mexico. As we explained in the Introduction, the program is staffed mostly by young disabled villagers. Because you wiil meet PROJIMO team members in various chapters, we thought you might like to know a bit about them. Most come from poor families and have lived through very difficult times. They first came to the program for their own rehabilitation, then decided to stay longer, learn new skills, and work together to help others. Many speak of their experience at PROJIMO as a kind of liberation or even a "return to life." Each has a fascinating story. Here we will say only a few words about some of the key members of the team.

MARI AND ARMANDO. Mari Picos is one of the coordinators of PROJIMO. She was paralyzed from the waist down (paraplegic) in a car accident on her honeymoon. For two years she stayed in a dark room, unwilling to accept her disability or use a wheelchair. Twice she tried to kill herself. She was first taken to PROJIMO against her will. But in the course of her own rehabilitation, her heart went out to some of the disabled children. Eventually she became one of the leaders and organizers of the program. She became skilled at evaluating disability needs, peer counseling, brace-making, and at treating medical problems such as pressure sores, urinary infections, and epilepsy. She married Armando, now runs her own home, and they have a delightful daughter, Lluvia (meaning rain).

Armando Nevérez had polio affecting all four limbs, Doctors said he would never be able to walk. But they were wrong. PROJIMO helped him to get surgery and to begin to walk with leg braces and crutches. Armando became a skilled brace maker and now runs the wheelchair shop. He married Mari and usually treats her as an equal (which makes him exceptional in more ways than one).

CONCHITA AND MIGUEL. Conchita Lara became paraplegic from a fall when she was a teenager. For 4 years she was totally dependent on her family and very depressed. At PROJIMO, in her words, she "returned to life." Today, with Mari, she helps coordinate the program, makes artificial limbs, and does the program's accounting. She married Miguel Zamora, who is a driver and handyman for the program. They have two lovely children. Conchita's story is told in Chapter 42.

Village children who have volunteered consistently with the program and have helped to make assistive equipment include EFRAÍN Zamora (who has since grown up and helped prepare this book, pp.88, 126 and 292), ERNESTO Navarro (p.67), MARTÍN Reyes Millán (p.213), LLUVIA Nevárez (Mari and Armando's daughter, p.291 ), DIONICO González (p.330), and BIANCA (Cecilia and Inez's younger daughter, p.285).

Skilled volunteers from North America and Europe who have helped to facilitate workshops at PROJIMO and cooperated with the village team in developing innovative aids and equipment include ANN Hallum (physical therapist, pp.137, 181, and 292), RALF Hotchkiss (wheelchair designer, pp.4, 148, 254, and much of Chapter 30), KENNETT Westmacott (director of People Potential in England, pp.33, 72, and 206), OLIVER Bock (brace maker, pp.82 and 88), JEAN ANNE Zollars (special seating expert, p.42), MICHAEL Heinrich (engineer and cushion designer, p.158), BRUCE Curtis (quadriplegic dancer and peer counselor), and MONICA Rook (occupational therapist, p.45). Some of the many other volunteers who have made important contributions but are not specifically mentioned in the chapters are included in the Thanks page in the front of the book.

Note on the use of personal names in this book: Most names used for the disabled children and adults in the stories are their real names. However, to avoid confusion, we have occasionally used different names for persons with the same names. We apologize for any confusion.