INNOVATION FOR INDEPENDENCE
ISSUE 116 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017 £6.95
Project aims to revolutionise people’s lives
GLASGOW Caledonian University professor Tracey Howe is hoping Scots will think outside the – cardboard – box to help revolutionise the lives of disabled children and adults. Professor Howe, with the support of the University’s student volunteers, has launched Adaptive Design Global to design and create assistive aids that will help people accomplish tasks, communicate and live more comfortably. Made from simple cardboard, the aids can be made quickly and cheaply to fit the exact needs of their user. Professor Howe launched the project when she competed in the final of TEDxGlasgow, and is working with Erskine – Scotland’s biggest provider of care for veterans and their spouses – and Yogability to pilot the scheme.
She said:“I used a Winston Churchill Fellowship to explore large-scale health communication projects in the US and was blown away by the work of New York’s Adaptive Design Association. It’s been creating assistive products for kids from cardboard for 15 years and I was delighted to get on board to bring this revolutionary work to the UK. “A disability or long-term condition can cut people off from education and leisure
and current methods of producing assistive products such as supported seating, standing frames and spinal supports can be prohibitively expensive, one-size-fits-all or take up to six months to manufacture – so often kids have outgrown them before they are even delivered. “With GCU’s student volunteers, Adaptive Design Global will bring together professionals and amateurs to create innovative solutions using locally sourced materials. We’ll offer templates and toolkits with high-quality designs that can be built anywhere and, in the longer term, we aim to work with other agencies to create specialist disaster relief teams to provide pop-up facilities that could build aids from the cardboard boxes that aid is typically delivered in. We believe we can change lives with cardboard.” Erskine’s head physiotherapist, Janet Leith, added: “This is a fantastic project with immense potential to create life-changing equipment. It has global reach as all you need is cardboard, a craft knife and glue. We are delighted to be involved with such an innovative project. Our first attempt at making aids has been a book stand, which we feel will be very beneficial to our veterans.”
A talented design student showcased her customisable prosthetic covers which allow the user the option to decorate and personalise their prosthetic casing. Eilidh Earle-Mitchell, who is studying Three Dimensional Design at Robert Gordon University’s Gray’s School of Art, unveiled the culmination of four years’ hard work at the annual Degree Show. She has developed a device which will allow users to either choose from an online service or upload a bespoke design to be printed on the device and then wrapped around the limb. Full story on page four.