What began at the Border Conference on Disabilities has grown into a cross-border mission to restore mobility, independence, and opportunity.
Our Story.
Where It All Began
In 2008, Sonoran UCEED (the University of Arizona’s Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities) and Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (DIF) Nogales sponsored a Border Conference on Disabilities that was held in Nogales, Mexico. The plan was not just to have a conference but to leave something behind after the conference concluded.
What resulted was a construction shop in Nogales, MX that would build all-terrain wheelchairs for people with disabilities. RoughRider was designed by Ralf Hotchkiss for the rough terrain that is so prevalent in developing countries.
From left to right: David Werner, author of Where There Is No Doctor; Ralf Hotchkiss, inventor of the RoughRider wheelchair and co-founder of Whirlwind Wheelchair International; and Gabriel Zepeda, ARSOBO's expert craftsman who continues building customized RoughRider wheelchairs for people across northern Mexico.
Building a Cross-Border Organization
Over the next several years, multiple partnerships including universities, governmental agencies, private companies, and individuals from both sides of the border joined to form ARSOBO (ARizona SOnora BOrder Projects for Inclusion). ARSOBO is now a non-governmental organization (NGO) with 501(c)(3) status established on the U.S. side with a ‘sister’ NGO in Mexico.
How We Developed
ARSOBO developed sequentially in three phases:
Phase 1: All-Terrain Wheelchairs
Create a shop that constructs durable wheelchairs designed for rough terrain
In September of 2009, the first phase opened with a shop to construct both standard and custom-built all-terrain wheelchairs for individuals with disabilities to improve access to their communities. The wheelchair shop employs two skilled wheelchair technicians who are both wheelchair users. The chief technician had been building this wheelchair for more than 25 years.
With equipment purchased from U.S. Northern Command and alterations in wheelchair production, ARSOBO has increased construction from 1 to 3 wheelchairs each week.
Phase 2: Prosthetics & Orthotics
Develop the capacity and expertise to build prosthesis and orthotics
As a result of partnerships, grant funding, and donations, in 2013 ARSOBO expanded to fabricate prosthetic limbs and orthotics. With grant funding from the Tichi Munoz Fundacion in Obregon, MX, and the Shipley Family Foundation in AZ, ARSOBO’s two prosthetic using technicians received advanced training to fabricate prosthesis at the ARSOBO workshop in Nogales, Sonoran instead of at the Hanger Clinic in Tucson.
With that training, the time a person receives a prosthesis decreased from 2 months to 3-4 days. ARSOBO has been working with the Technical University in Nogales, Sonora to create 3D computerized prosthetic upper extremities.
Phase 3: Hearing Health
Implement a Hearing Health clinic and distribute appropriate low-cost hearing aids
In 2015, faculty at the University of Arizona opened the Hearing Health Clinic. Each month, faculty and Ph.D. candidates from the Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences Department conduct hearing clinics to evaluate individuals for hearing impairments and distribute appropriate hearing aids.
Since 2009, ARSOBO
Trained and hired 22 individuals with disabilities
Constructed more than 735 all-terrain wheelchairs
Fabricated more than 839 orthotics & prosthetics
Treated more than 140 patients with physical therapy
Distributed more than 740 hearing aids
Contact
We’re always looking for new opportunities to collaborate to further the mission of inclusion. Please write us and ARSOBO will contact you.
Phone
U.S. Office: +1 (520) 907-7865
Mexico Office: +52 631 314 0136