- Reflection of field trip
The field trip to the Shanghai Pudong New Area Special School was very insightful as it provided me with a closer look on the difficulties faced by children with intellectual disabilities. We were able to observe children in different classes, personal development, and extracurricular activities such as performing arts, African music dance, and interacting with plants and nature. It was interesting to see how through the simplest of activities such as molding shapes with clay, playing with legos, and color coding drawings with small sparkles, kids learned the most. However, not only hands-on activities were used in the school, but actually technologies were employed to make children’s learning more efficient. Such case was seen in the personal development section of the school, where the teachers used an application in an iPad, to help kids learn and recognize basic everyday shapes like fruits and vegetables. These technologies went in hand with physical objects that also allowed children to touch the figures that were being displayed in technologies. In the end, the most beneficial factor of the field trip was allowing me to understand how there can be many ways of helping people with disabilities, even if it is through the slightest of change in an object. I am hoping this will help me improve in further ideation processes in Assistive Technology, since even though last week’s session went pretty well with my partner, there is always room for improvement in asking the correct questions in order to obtain the best results for the final project.
- Project idea
a. Describe your partner as a person
My partner is a very happy, energetic, and passionate woman. She has worked before in assistive technology workshops, therefore she already knows the dynamic in us trying to make a product that will help her overcome her difficulties.
b. What were their desires/challenges/difficulties?
Since my partner uses a wheelchair, her main difficulty is carrying an umbrella when she is outside and its raining, as the umbrella is too heavy for her to hold onto the whole time. Therefore, her desire is for something that will help her facilitate that process; an object that will keep her umbrella in place under any circumstance that she may need it.
c. What is your project? 1 paragraph description + Photos + Videos
Our project idea is an umbrella holder that will be fixed onto the left side of her wheelchair in such a way that it will be accessible to put an umbrella there at any time. The holder inside will have a structure similar to valves, in order to prevent the back flow, and allow the umbrella to stay in place under any weather conditions. I have attached photos of the development of the first prototype in cardboard and paper.
Initial Prototype Sketch with partner
TaoBao inspiration design of
Second inspiration design “Paraplis Umbrella Holder”
First Prototype Idea made with paper
First Prototype Idea, storage function in wheelchair (Paper)
Prototype Iteration made with tube and cardboard, tested to support umbrella.