That's an interesting way of describing a non profit that you have listed under the heading "Examples of Useless Design."
The point is, they got something out there and while it may have just been a "cut-up plastic chair attached with wheels and bolts", it gave mobility to hundreds of thousands of people who would have otherwise not had it. I can't see how anyone would categorize that as useless.
It was only through creating that original wheelchair, then watching them being used in the field and getting feedback that they were able to get the knowledge and funding to continue to serve that community.
I think that the Free Wheelchair Mission has had a fantastic feedback loop with its wheelchair recipients which has allowed them to design and distribute their Gen 2 chairs.
I stopped reading at this bit about the Free Wheelchair Mission:
"Over 700,000 have been distributed in 90 countries - they could have easily and affordably produced a more appropriate and desirable wheelchair."
Not only did you inaccurately describe the product they deliver (which is constantly increasing in quality), your critique minimizes this example of what is actually fantastic design that has helped nearly a million people.
Would you rather those million people live without mobility while waiting for your mythical designer to build the perfect wheelchair?
Californians especially are woefully unprepared for disaster. I started a local company (http://expresssurvival.com) selling survival kits and emergency gear to try to help the community get prepared and realize the importance of having those supplies when that next earthquake hits.
Most of us understand that its not a matter of if, but when we will need those emergency supplies, but as someone pointed out earlier, we are "whistling past the graveyard."
I want to use the tablet to drive a home automation system built on a Spark Arduino module.