Riding in my car
When people think of adaptive design, they often think of adaptive positioning aids- chairs, floor sitters and standers. However, one of the most important factors to take into consideration is what a person will be doing once they're positioned correctly- It's the reason why we try to incorporate trays, easels and other activity surfaces whenever possible. After all, how many of us can say we enjoy sitting or standing for lengthy periods of time with nothing to do? Even as adults, we can get antsy after a while. Now, if you have spent even a small amount of time around children, you will know that trying to get them to stay put without entertainment often does not go over well- and rightly so!
Play is crucial for a child's development- both cognitively and socially. Sometimes, it can be overlooked when the focus is on meeting a child's physical and clinical needs. One of the most challenging yet fun and rewarding parts of the adaptive design process is figuring out how to meld these two areas of need. How do you make a supine stander "fun"? Well, a lot of the time- you don't. I know, hard to believe when "supine stander" already sounds just as fun as classics like "Slip 'N Slide". Usually, we create an addition so that a child can play games or use a switch-adapted toy (we also have been doing extensive "research" on Slip 'N Slides after work). While this certainly does work well for meeting both types of needs, the "Go Baby Go" cars we create are an excellent example of how adaptation and play can go hand-in-hand seamlessly.
Go Baby Go was started in 2012 by Cole Galloway at the University of Delaware and has since expanded nationally. Our first car was made in collaboration with John Schimmel of DIYAbility and since then, we have made several more for children to use at home and at school. One of our more recent builds was for Zach who had already been using a few adaptations including this rocking chair and foot plate.
While Zach clearly enjoys the rocker, his parents wanted a Go Baby Go car so he would have a way to play outside and experience more independent mobility. For many non-ambulatory kids, the only mobility they experience is being pushed in a wheelchair or stroller. For Zach, his parent's chose a cool red Maserati complete with working headlights, sound system and V8 engine noises! Once I got over the fact that this toy car was way cooler than my real car, we got started by adapting the electronics to work with a variety of switches. Jason, our Creative Technologist and electronics extraordinaire did all of the wiring and design of the relay board to bypass the stock gas pedal in the car and make it run from a large lighted switch mounted to the center of the steering wheel.
Once we had the car running, we started building a new, more supportive seat. The stock seat back was much too low for Zach so the new seat extended up to his head and had slots for a supportive harness. We added a structural beam down the center of the back to make sure the seat would hold up to any scenario- park cruising or racetrack time trials.
After completing a second fitting with Zach and his family to make sure everything fit right, it came time to make a few final adjustments and add the finishing touches to the car. As with most of our seating adaptations, we covered the now black and red seat with yoga mat to make it more comfortable for long road trips- or dealing with the usual NYC potholes. We incorporated a padded neck support underneath the yoga mat made from the finest Maserati-spec pool noodle foam. Linda, our talented seamstress volunteer added some matching black and red quilted harness pads that I have since commissioned for my car- I'm still waiting Linda.
Unfortunately, Zach was too fast in his Maserati to get a good shot of him in action but we are told that he loves his new car and has been the talk of the play ground and local car shows. We've learned that he has since moved to France (seriously!) and we hope that he is still cruising around in his adapted car with other kids and making adults jealous
of his new ride! At the end of the day, any adaptation that works is successful. However, adaptations like the Go Baby Go cars manage to strike the right balance of functional and fun while allowing a child to explore movement and independence. Its a truly special experience to create, witness and enjoy these adapted cars just like Zach does.
In celebration of the Adaptive Design Association’s 20th Anniversary, we’re launching our Adaptive Design Without Limits: Beyond Inclusion to Full Engagement Campaign.