Practical design solutions for people with special needs

Even during the ‘Year of Corona’, members of the 2021 graduating class from the Department of Industrial Design continue to think ‘outside the box’ and provide practical solutions to make the daily lives of special needs adults and children easier.

Two final projects worthy of special note in the 2021 Graduate Exhibition were:

"Tulip", a toddler mobility system based on a motorized wheelchair

"Tulip" is a toddler mobility system based on a motorized wheelchair. The system is suitable for parents with various movement limitations, who move around in a chair and have difficulty taking their children with them out of the house.

"Tulip" allows for the mobility of a toddler from the age of 9 months to a weight of 22 kg, thus allowing the parent or caregiver to accompany the child to kindergarten, play in the park, or go out for daily errands – all this in an accessible and safe manner without being dependent on further external assistance. The seat holds the child close to the parent, making him/her accessible for care, touch and closeness.

"Tulip", a toddler mobility system based on a motorized wheelchair

The inspiration for the project came from Ella's own life experience: "As a woman with limited mobility, my concern about my future as a parent led me to explore the subject. I realized that there are no real and feasible solutions currently available to address this issue in a user-friendly manner.

The project was preceded by significant in-depth research that took place over the course of a year, during which Ella created a number of prototypes in order to experiment and work with a large number of professionals: wheelchair technicians, engineers and seat manufacturers.

"Winning Card": A set of accessories that make playing cards accessible to users with motor-coordination difficulties

Children with motor-coordination difficulties avoid playing independently due to their disability. The purpose of this product is to help them play independently as well as to develop their social skills.

"Winning Card": A set of accessories that make playing cards accessible to users with motor-coordination difficulties

The toolkit helps children play cards more efficiently and quickly, despite the motoric difficulty. Each participant has a magnetic stripe that holds the cards and once he/she takes a card and moves towards the stripe, the magnetic pull accelerates motor action so the pace can be adjusted to that of the the other participants. This movement greatly empowers the child, levelling the playing field so that the child can gain confidence and strengthen social skills.

Posted: 05/09/2021