In 2009, Dreamfit Foundation undertook the challenge to fulfill the dream of Josiah, an inspirational 9-year-old (at the time) Perth boy who was born no arms.
Josiah’s mother Marika contacted Dreamfit to see if we could help fulfill Josiah’s dream to ride a bicycle with his mates.
Dreamfit teamed up with UWA Mechanical Engineering students and ECU Occupational Therapy students to make Josiah’s dream a reality. 212 engineering students participated in a week-long project to design bicycle concepts for Josiah.
Dreamfit Foundation then established an engineering challenge for the students to convert their design concepts into prototype bicycles suitable for Josiah’s needs.
Six teams of UWA student finalists competed in the engineering challenge supported by sponsors Cliffs Natural Resources, Westnet Infrastructure and Laing O’Rourke. ECU Occupational Therapy Students were also been involved in the challenge by conducting an assessment of Josiah’s physical abilities and needs.
The competition culminated on the 3rd of December 2009, the International Day of People with a Disability where the project winners were announced at an exciting annual Westcare event. Josiah chose the winning bicycle which he could then keep, just in time for Christmas.
“The competition was an incredible success for all involved, so in 2010 we are stepping it up a notch and running three separate competitions,” states CEO of the Dreamfit Foundation, Darren Lomman.
To read how Josiah has been getting on since choosing the winning bicycle, click here for the update.
