PETALING JAYA: A wheelchair attached to a deconstructed bicycle rolls along the path leading to Pusat Penjagaan Kanak-Kanak Cacat Taman Megah (PPKKCTM). This vehicle is operated by hand instead of pedals.
Winley, a 19-year-old with spina bifida, smiles as she manoeuvres the tricycle, an invention by Tham Thin Yin, 72, a retired engineer.
This heart-warming scene is a testament to Tham’s dedication to creating apparatus that give the disabled a sense of independence.
“At first, when she looked at the tricycle, she thought it would be very difficult to use. She was very reluctant,” Tham recounted. “I took her to the park, and she enjoyed it. After that, she changed her mind.”
An electrical and electronic engineering graduate from Brighton Polytechnic in the UK, this father of three believes even persons with disabilities deserve to be independent.
He said his inventions are inspired by the different kinds of apparatus for the disabled available in Australia.
“This idea is still very new in Malaysia. Handicapped children, when they reach adulthood, should not stay in institutions. You have to make them independent, teach them the skills to earn a living,” Tham told FMT Lifestyle.
For 40 years, he worked with Hitachi Elevator Engineering, focusing on maintenance and design, particularly on safety.
However, a chance visit to PPKKCTM 20 years ago had a profound effect on him. He began volunteering there on weekends, and eventually gave up his marathon running to focus on the centre.
Founded in 1997, the centre houses over 100 children and adults from peninsular Malaysia, ranging in age from nine months to 56 years. Most of the children have disabilities, while others come from broken and single-parent homes, or are abused.
The untimely death of PPKKCTM’s founder, SK Manikumar, in 2006 pushed Tham to become more involved at the centre.
Reflecting on his engineering background, Tham said: “I use very primitive engineering skills. It’s not very complicated. My passion is to help people. If I can help them, I feel very happy.”
Tham’s first project involved designing a pulley system to help people like Winley move independently between their wheelchairs and the floor.
“I talked to a physiotherapist who said it wasn’t possible. But I worked with lifts before, so I know how pulleys work. So, I designed a pulley and asked my friend to build it for me,” he said, adding that this invention is affordable.
He pointed out that his ideas are “very easy to copy and very low cost. If they can’t afford to make it, I can give it to them for free, provided they don’t have money.”
So far, Tham’s inventions are focused mainly on Winley’s needs. They are still in the prototype stage, and he is constantly improving on them. But his goal is to make them available to others as well.
Besides giving the disabled a chance at being more independent, Tham said he hoped the apparatus he invented, such as the tricycle, were able to allow them to exercise in order to gain greater mobility.
“I want more people to test it and eventually for this to become a very popular sport for them and a means of travel,” he said.
Unsurprisingly, Tham’s innovations have drawn attention on social media, with many reaching out to him for help.
“A lot of people came back to me and said, ‘Uncle Tham, my son has this problem. Can you help me design something?’” he shared, revealing his next project is to build a detachable railing for stroke patients.
His advice to those who want to help the disabled? “If you have the experience and the passion, come forward. We can design more things to help people and form a proper setup to help the public.”
For Tham, the greatest reward is the happiness and independence his inventions bring to those who need it most.
“When I see the children, I’m happy. I forget about my work. That’s my reward,” he concluded.
