Projects - Children's Rehabilitation Engineering Team of Mobile, Alabama

Projects

Providing Children Ages 2 - 18 Therapeutic Tricycles Project

Picture of child on trike Left: A 2-year-old child with spina bifida using an AM-9 AmTryke Therapeutic Tricycle(R).

The Children's Rehabilitation Engineering Team has expanded our projects to include therapeutic tricycles that are equipped to accommodate the child's disabilities.See our Events page

Helping Mobile Area Severely Disabled Projects

Picture of man using sip and puff phone
Left: High level quadriplegic using a sip and puff switch operated phone, which was purchased with the grant money.

In the year 2004 we received grants totaling $110,000 from ten Alabama foundations and the Christopher Reeve Foundation to further the project. To learn more about these grants and the project, click on our Helping Mobile Area Links: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and our 2008

Animation of mother loading child in van

Animation of mother loading child in van

Mothers and fathers are constantly injuring their backs by lifting their child in and out of bed, the car, or the bathtub. The animation on the left shows a mother loading her child and the wheelchair. This is repeated several times a day, especially if the parents transport their child to and from school.Click here to see grandparents loading their granddaughter.

Accessible Playgrounds

Picture of child in playground

We have helped obtain various grants to help fund accessible playgrounds in several Mobile County Elementary Schools. Robert Perry, our engineer, designed these playgrounds. In 2002 we obtained grants totaling over $32,000 towards wheelchair accessible playgrounds.

Picture of child on platform swing Picture of child playing in raised sandbox
Children playing in raised sandbox

Child on platform swing

Picture of child on swing
Girl on swing

Technology Grants Picture of a student and teacher using a CCTV

Vision Grant
We have been awarded grants from the Bedsole Foundation to purchase adaptive software, hardware, switches, and communication equipment for three local schools for severely disabled students. In 2002, Katherine Hastings and Robert Perry, with help from Eileen O'Donnell wrote a proposal to the Bedsole Foundation and were awarded $25,400 for the provision of equipment, training, and services to the blind and low vision students in Baldwin County, Alabama.

By using funds from the grant, the students were provided with three CCTVs, two laptops, four large monitors, and numerous specialized input devices. Several software packages, including Jaws, ZoomText, and IntelliTalk II, were also purchased to be used with the new technology.

Top Left: Student learning how to use one of the new CCTVs.
Right: Student learning to operate a computer using a head switch.
Bottom Left:Student learning how to use ZoomText using one of the new large monitors.

Design Projects

Katherine Hastings, Robert Perry, and David Cox worked together to design an improved abacus for children and adults with motor impairments. The abacus is designed with several special features in mind. First, it is large, making it easy for people with various disabilities to use, and is easier to use in the classroom. It can be converted from base 5 to base 10 easily, also making it a well suited for teaching students. The sliders are also interchangeable to meet the needs of different users. Finally, its mounting options are adaptable. It features a table stand that will adjust the device from level to nearly perpendicular, and also features "tracks" along all sides to allow accessories or mounting hardware to be attached.