TOM@University - Leonard

Design Factory Melbourne

Aid for eating and hobbies

As part of the TOM@University program in partnership with Tikkun Olam Makers (TOM), Occupational Therapy (OT) students worked to create human-centred design solutions that can enhance the lives of people living with disabilities, a.k.a the ‘Need-Knower’.

One of these Need-Knowers was Leonard, who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy and finds it difficult to lift and stabilise his arm when feeding himself. As a competitive chess player, he would also like the solution to help him lift chess pieces. Concepts that address Leonard’s need include:

Retractable belt with wrist brace and cutlery holder – a solution of three components: a wrist brace, a cutlery holder to hold utensils in place, and a retractable belt which is mounted below the seat of Leonard’s wheelchair. When in use, the belt is securely draped over Leonard’s shoulder and he can thread his arm through a loop at the end. These components work together to stabilise his arm and allow for a painless feeding experience. Team: Bryce Coward (OT), Joshua Derdge (OT), Roni Arengold (OT), Steve Elford (OT) & Qian He Ho (OT).

The Knight-Sabre Dynamic Arm Stabiliser– an attachment solution for Leonard’s wheelchair which provides support and stability whilst he is using his arm in an extended position, allowing him to avoid fatigue and weakness while playing chess. Team: Emily Campbell (OT), Elizabeth Hosking (OT), Courtney Lyons (OT), Ruby Plancke (OT) & Lauren Turner (OT).

Industry Partner: TOM: Melbourne

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The School of Design and Architecture respectfully acknowledges the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and knowledge-keepers of the lands, waters and sky that surround us, where we work, learn, create, communicate and make place. We recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded and this always was and will always be Wurundjeri Country. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who continue to make a better world through design.

We extend our acknowledgement to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, students, alumni, real-life clients, and knowledge keepers, who have contributed to our own education diversity and growth. We will continue to ensure that staff and students respectfully honour ancestral connection to Country and Place in everything that they do.

We are dedicated to the notion of design to make a better world and we acknowledge that making tools, shaping place, sharing stories, making meaning, wayfinding and collaborating have long been and continue to be both central and integral to First Peoples' cultures. We recognize that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ cultural contributions have continued relevance to design practice and commit to: reconciling ancestries of design and contemporary practice as well as pursuing culturally and professionally appropriate ways to engage with a diverse population of colleagues, industries and clients. In a time of treaty-making and voice we understand that there are overlaps between caring for Country and the sustainable production of goods, services, experiences, products and buildings.

Guided by the principles of respect, reconciliation, and reciprocity we undertake to indigenising and decolonising design practice by dismantling colonial structures and challenging biases that have marginalised Indigenous voices and design.

As students of SoDA you will be given opportunities to both engage with and educate yourself in Indigenous creative practices and cultural protocols through a lens of inclusivity, diversity, respect, mutual understanding, inter-cultural dialogue in all aspects of design practice. Indigenous people have been telling stories, making tools, and connecting to Country through visual media, placemaking and place marking for more than 60,000 years and these practices are part of an ongoing, evolving and live tradition.