Assistive Technology Project empowers First Grader with Cerebral Palsy

Researchers in the U.S. Pacific Northwest recently delivered a piece of assistive technology whose design began with a simple but important question: What will the person using this tech need?

last month, a team of engineers and occupational therapists from Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash., delivered a learning station they designed for a first grader with cerebral palsy.

David Schipf, assistant professor of engineering and physics at Whitworth, credits the project’s success to the collaborative efforts of team members-engineers, physical therapists, and occupational therapists-and the child and his family. The Whitworth team delivered their system after multiple consultations with the family.

“The station is very user-friendly, allowing Ryken to focus on his first-grade studies and positioning him at eye-level with those speaking to him,” says Schipf. “He can also move throughout the house as needed.”

Ryken has a form of cerebral palsy along with other disabilities,including epilepsy, hearing, and visual impairments.

Ryken’s mother initially contacted Schipf because Ryken struggled to participate fully in his education. She also discovered a lack of suitable equipment on the market that met Ryken’s needs.

What is User-Centered Design in Assistive Tech?

As advocates for user-centered design (UCD) have pointed out, functional assistive tech must “answer the needs” of the person it’s designed for-not just the needs of its designers.

Schipf explains the station features a high-contrast black background, allowing Ryken to easily view anything placed in front of him.”It had to have some adjustable features for his caregivers and for his teacher,” Schipf says.”And his mother wanted the seat on the learning center to be able to be raised up and lowered according to what he was doing at the time. So if he’s learning with his teacher, it would be lower to the ground, and then if he’s in the kitchen, it would be raised up.”