Background: Fishing is one of the most popular recreational activities in Australia. Every year, over 600,000 Western Australians bait up and cast a line. Dreamfit, with its vision of an inclusive society, will seek to remove the barriers which prevent people with disabilities from fully engaging in popular sport.
Design challenge:
In 2011 Dreamfit Foundation worked with Fishers with Disabilities to design and manufacture custom equipment to aid fishers in casting and retrieving their lines and tying and baiting their hooks without assistance.
After refining earlier prototypes the Easy-Tie team produced 25 units of a specialised knot tying system. The compact design allows a user with limited finger dexterity to tie and bait a hook using just one hand.
The Auto-Caster team developed a device that would allow fishers with high support needs to electronically cast and retrieve their own line, allowing them to fish independently.
The FwDAI is a not for profit organisation that provides opportunities for people with disabilities to get outdoors and enjoy the excitement and reward of fishing.
www.fisherswithdisabilities.org.au
