TOM@University - Tom

Design Factory Melbourne

Supporting device for Tom

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 Tom, who has quad cerebral palsy and very limited use of his left hand. Tom would benefit from a supporting device that can allow him to use his other hand to do more different tasks. Each team tackled different elements, with one team working on a daytime splint and the other team working on a night time splint. Concepts to address Tom’s need include:

Daytime Splint – a splint that includes hard thermoplastic to hold joints in place, a medical-grade Velcro strap and soft padding underneath the thermoplastic, allowing Tom to stretch, stabilise and use his arm for various tasks throughout the day. Team: Mai Shibi (OT), Hibak Hassan (OT), Charlotte Burgess (OT), Kate Saunders (OT) & Lilian Taubert-Gallagher (OT).

AeroSplint – a splint for night time consisting of flexible thermoplastic material, wool or cotton lining for winter months that can be replaced with adhesive felt material during summer, and an air tube attached to an inflatable balloon which Tom can use to exercise his hand. Team: Stefan Longo (OT), Megan Lindus (OT), Amy Knight (OT), Osman Shahid (OT) & Josh Kulasingham (OT).

Industry Partner: TOM: Melbourne

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Acknowledgement of Country

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.