COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Students enrolled in a course on kinematics and dynamics of machinery at Tennessee Tech University have been working on a piece of adaptive playground equipment meant for students with disabilities.

Those students, working with Professor Stephen Canfield as part of the Tech Engineering for Kids Initiative, have been working on a playground that will land at Findlay Elementary School in Sparta, Tennessee. The effort was inspired by a student with cerebral palsy: Alivia Mosher.

“The most rewarding thing is knowing we’re making a difference in someone else’s life, because that’s what engineering is about – solving problems and helping people,” TTU Mechanical Engineering Major John Craw said.

Students met with Mosher and her family to learn about how she likes to play, and ultimately found that she wanted to be able to play with her friends and siblings who also attend Findlay Elementary.

“She’s fearless because she’ll go play with her friends on equipment that’s not very adaptive," Findlay Elementary School's Assistant Principal, Kyle Hicks, said. "This piece gives her a chance to play with her friends and keep her safe at the same time."

The structure looks like a standard playhouse so that Mosher could play without feeling set apart from her fellow students. Safety was integral in the design process, and students accounted for both the weight of children playing and the weight of any adult who might need to enter the playhouse to help a child.

“We don’t have a lot of inclusive playground equipment right now, but it is a priority for us. We are in the process of getting more,” Hicks added. “It’s very costly, and while we are doing the best we can with fundraising, being able to work with Tech has had a huge impact on our school.”

In addition to the structure, a group of TTU students also added a removal stabilizing front wheel to Mosher's wheelchair so that she could more easily navigate grass, mulch and other uneven playground terrain.

"“It’s easy to think something like this looks simple, but when you’re responsible for this kind of project, you begin to realize that every detail matters – materials, measurements, safety, sourcing," TTU Mechanical Engineering Major Richard Bryant said. "A lot of thought goes into it."

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/ttu-adaptive-playground-findlay-elementary/