Specialized Mobility Operations & Innovations Pvt Ltd. (SMOI)

Specialized Mobility Operations and Innovations (SMOI) strives to assist people with disabilities (PWDs) to become active members of society through provision of appropriate Mobility Solutions, Services, Education and R&D. The approach towards disability in India has been a charitable model and hence majority of the stakeholders are from non-profits and government organizations. While this model has worked for many over the decades, a need to counterbalance the industry by bringing in a corporate structure could possibly change how disability is perceived here. This would result in access to quality products and best clinical practices along with promoting research & development while keeping in mind the Indian infrastructure and mentality. This thought was the driving factor behind the inception of Specialized Mobility Operations & Innovations (SMOI). The need for quality Mobility Assistive Technology can be illustrated by the fact that an estimated 10 million people have loco motor disability (National Sample Survey 58th round, 2002) and only 5% receive a wheelchair, brace or prosthetic that would allow them to be mobile. According to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on provision of manual wheelchairs in less resourced settings reveals that in any given population 1% require a wheelchair. These studies highlight the fact that most people who require a wheelchair do not receive one and those who do receive, do so without a proper evaluation to ensure it is appropriate in meeting their needs. This can lead to abandonment of the device or development of secondary health complications. We pursued an aggressive market research and networking with the pivotal companies/organizations,this resulted in crucial collaborations with educational partners such as University of Pittsburgh, Central Remedial Clinic and Indian Spinal Injury Centre and industrial partners such as Sunrise Medical, Tilite, Varilite, Bodypoint and Vicair.