Whitworth University freshman engineering students’ designs could help create toys for disabled children in Spokane Washington. The semester-long engineering project is a collaboration between Whitworth’s engineering and physical therapy programs. The physical therapy program provides services to Spokane residents, including children.
These children have access to toys in the waiting room. However, they are not always suitable for disabled children. This semester, students in Professor David Schipf’s “Intro to Engineering” class used guidelines set by physical therapy students to design a toy car accessible for disabled children.
Schipf believed students needed to consider how to make their designs as accessible as possible. The idea could be the first step toward creating an inclusive toy design lab at Whitworth. The toy car designs are based on the needs of a Spokane child who had physical therapy sessions at the university about a decade ago.
The child was a toddler at the time they received services. However, the child did not have forearms that extended beyond the elbow. Therefore, they relied on a prosthetic arm for daily activities.
“God gives us all different skills and opportunities in life. And I think it’s important for these students to learn while they’re in school that they’re given a great opportunity to get an engineering degree with these skills that can be used to help a lot of people,” he said recently following his students’ design presentations
Split into two teams, half of the class created an electric toy car with a controller that the child could use with their prosthetic, while the other team created a toy that was usable without the use of a prosthetic. One group’s remote utilized cups mounted on joysticks where arms could be positioned and moved to control the electric car. A body-mounted harness also supports the remote.
The controller for the other group was modified such that it could be controlled by a prosthetic without finger dexterity. The automobiles were created with a young child in mind. One car was modeled after a Tesla, and the other has a drawn-on lightning bolt for added effect.
Freshman engineering student Noah Bleeker said they tried to make the design as simple as possible while adhering to the limits of this child’s disability. The student designs are not yet ready for appropriate use by children. However, the prototypes will be worked on by new classes in future semesters until they are integrated into the physical therapy program.
“A lot of the principles that go into disability inclusion can also just be applied to general simplification of design. It’s important to make sure that you’re not creating things that are insanely hard to use for anybody,” Bleeker said.
“The end goal is for the physical therapy department to be able to bring local children into their clinic and have these children engage in normal play with these inclusive toys,” Schipf said. “I’d say we’d need to iterate at least three more times from this first attempt. But we really want to move toward having a dedicated lab for inclusive toy design and prototyping here at Whitworth.”
The engineering professor also stated he would “love” to collaborate with a local family whose child could benefit from a new toy designed just for their disabilities.
Playing with toys is one of the quintessential joys of childhood. Most people have fond memories of playing with their favorite toys. Every child should have the opportunity to play.
Sources:
Sullender, Amanda. “In Teaching Disability-Inclusive Engineering, Whitworth University Professors Hope to Open Lab Creating Inclusive Toys for Spokane Children.” The Spokesman-Review, Cowles Company, 13 May 2024, http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2024/may/13/in-teaching-disability-inclusive-engineering-whitw/.
Love this idea!