OT Students Claim 1st Place at Competition
Four students in 黑料专区鈥檚 Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) program have become award-winning creators of an assistive device that makes life easier for shoppers in wheelchairs and those who help them.
The device, called 鈥淩oll with Me,鈥� connects a wheelchair to a shopping cart. It won first place in a student design competition sponsored by the at its fall conference earlier this month in Raleigh, N.C. The competition encouraged new ideas for assistive technology and adaptive equipment.
鈥淩oll with Me鈥� is 鈥渉elpful for a caregiver of an individual who uses a wheelchair because they don鈥檛 have to pull the wheelchair and also push a shopping cart,鈥� said Mackenzie Gibbon 鈥�23 MSOT, one of four students who created the device. She added that 鈥淩oll with Me鈥� is also beneficial for someone who can maneuver their wheelchair without assistance: 鈥淲hen they push their wheelchair, they also push the cart without having to place a hand on the cart.鈥�
The creative team behind 鈥淩oll with Me鈥� also included Alexis Mikulewich, Sarah Benson, and Meredith Applegate, all of whom, like Gibbon, are scheduled to complete the MSOT program in 2023.
Benson said that 鈥淩oll with Me鈥� removes the need for transferring someone with special needs into one of a limited number of special carts or wheelchairs provided by some stores, a procedure that can lead to injury and leave the user with small baskets that fill up quickly. The device also enables individuals in wheelchairs to participate actively in food shopping; this is especially beneficial to children 鈥渂ecause it allows them to be in the store and learn a life skill,鈥� Benson said.
Gibbon first conceived of 鈥淩oll with Me鈥� when, back home in Cary, N.C., she realized that one of her friends uses a wheelchair when he leaves his home but is unable to move it himself. That task falls to his mother, from whom Gibbon learned that going to the grocery store was 鈥渁lways so hard because she would have to pull him in his wheelchair while also having to push a shopping cart.鈥�
Winning the competition 鈥渇eels really good because we really do care and believe in our idea, and we truly want to help a lot of people,鈥� Gibbon said. 鈥淭he recognition means other people saw the meaning behind the device and all it can do. However, even over winning, just having people at the conference say that they have been looking for something like this was even more exciting.鈥�
The 鈥淩oll with Me鈥� creative team took 鈥淭echnologies in OT,鈥� a course taught by Amanda Davis, an Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy at Pfeiffer. Among other things, course participants review all kinds of adaptive equipment, including special-order items with unique features. Students look at modifiable aspects of mainstream technologies and consider how they may be used for everyday tasks. They learn about barriers to obtaining equipment, and they learn that it鈥檚 often necessary to improve or come up with alternatives to what鈥檚 available.
The creative team behind another competition entry also originated in the course: Madison Lankford, Landon Jennings, and Kassie Williams. They developed the Lankford-conceived 鈥淪ensi-Hoodie,鈥� a tag-less hoodie with customizable fabrics sewn into its pocket. This is an item that could be helpful to what Lankford describes as 鈥渢he pediatric community, especially those who are diagnosed with autism.鈥�
The hoodie is similar to a fabric swatch that those who are sensory-seeking are often given, but it 鈥渋s more discrete and personal to the person using it,鈥� Lankford said. The hoodie can also benefit those who are sensory-avoiding by using just one or two fabrics that can sooth the person.
Davis wants her students to continue participating in design competitions sponsored by the association. 鈥淭hey set up in an exhibit hall and engage with attendees, who are mostly experienced occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants and other students,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his event engages students in being creative, and it promotes dialogue among OT professionals about common challenges people may face and possible solutions. It is my hope that this opportunity helps students grow their understanding, confidence, and ideas.鈥�