About Remap in Northern Ireland
Background

Remap (Rehabilitation Engineering Movement Advisory Panels) was formed at ICI Billingham in 1964. It exists to make one-off technical aids, at no cost to the end user, provided the item required is not available on the commercial market. In Northern Ireland, work is carried out as a United Kingdom Registered Charity (No. 1000456).

Remap owes its existence to the fact that alleviating a disability often demands novel solutions matched to the precise needs of an individual. The charity currently utilises the voluntary services of around 1,500 professional Engineers, Technician’s, Craftspeople and Healthcare experts belonging to 107 voluntary panels linked to 8 regions across the United Kingdom. In Northern Ireland there are voluntary panels in, Belfast, Antrim, Coleraine and Londonderry. It is also planned to establish a panel in Enniskillen in 2003 and we are currently researching into setting up panels in the Republic of Ireland.

The right is also reserved to refuse work that is not considered appropriate. Equipment worth over £3 million was made and given away throughout the UK last year.

Remap has made great progress since crossing the Irish Sea and establishing the operation in Northern Ireland in 1997. This could not have been achieved without the volunteers who came forward and offered their skills, experience and time to make this happen. A survey carried out in 1992 showed that 17 per cent of the population of Northern Ireland had a disability with England showing 14 per cents, indicating a definite need for the Remap service in Northern Ireland.