South Alabama students turn toy vehicle into learning tool for children with disabilities
It started out as a senior project, and it ended up helping change lives. Every fall semester, senior engineering students at the University of South Alabama receive a list of group projects to consider for their Senior Design Capstone Project. “Students by this time have learned theory and ‘how-to,’” said Dr. David Nelson, professor and chair of mechanical engineering. “Now, they have to design it. In doing so, they can make a difference in someone’s life. It’s a great teaching tool.” For the 2016-2017 academic year, one of the chosen projects was undertaken with input from Hargrove Engineers and Constructors in Mobile. A Hargrove employee had learned of a handicapped child who needed a powered wheelchair and, through the Hargrove Adaptive Toy – or HAT – Project, contacted USA. The HAT Project, which was launched in 2016, takes off-the-shelf toy vehicles and modifies them for children with disabilities to practice with as they prepare to possibly use a powered wheelchair. “There are a number of children with disabilities who could benefit from a powered wheelchair, but a client must show they have the dexterity to operate it,” Nelson said. “Kids who’ve never used one are unlikely to pass the test to get one, so we wanted to provide a platform for them to practice.” “Reaching out to the USA College of Engineering was a natural fit,” said Michelle Jones, instrument engineer at Hargrove and executive director and project manager for HarGIVES, the company’s volunteer organization that sponsors the HAT Project. A College of Engineering graduate, Jones noted that Hargrove employs more than 100 South Alabama graduates. One of its more recent hires is Kent Bailey, a mechanical/piping engineer who graduated from USA last year after working on the HAT Project. The capstone project team included USA students from both mechanical and electrical engineering. “There were two challenges that really stood out,” Bailey said. “First, we, as mechanicals, had to have a basic knowledge of how the controls on the car worked, and that was a completely different language for us, so following what the electrical team was doing was difficult at times. “We also had challenges with scheduling,” Bailey continued. “With the electrical team having a different class schedule than us, we ran into an issue with when we could all get together. Building the car after we got the design finalized caused scheduling challenges as well, since the design was and still is evolving to adapt to different children. There were several instances when the mechanicals would have something in place and it would have to be modified to accommodate an update from the electricals.” Dr. Samuel Russ, associate professor of electrical engineering, underscored how valuable this type of collaborative effort is for future engineers. “The most important lesson the electrical engineers had to learn was that the work they did, such as selecting connectors and designing wiring, directly affected the mechanical engineers. So they had to learn to stop and ask, and they had to learn to respect the work of other engineering disciplines well enough to ask for their input. That sounds easy, but it is surprisingly hard to get engineers to do that.” Overcoming the challenges, the USA team successfully delivered its modified toy vehicle to Hargrove. “USA’s student team improved upon our original design and we used their changes to build eight cars last year,” said Hargrove’s Jones. “What sets many graduating seniors apart is experience – experience and passion,” Jones continued. “The HAT Project partnership gives real-world project exposure to these students that can make their resume stand out as well as give them a project to showcase in the interview process. That experience is invaluable. Retrofitting these toy cars for children with special needs is no easy task – it takes hard work, and hard work and the student’s dedication builds character. Many times, it is your character that helps students land good jobs – not just your skills.” For former students such as Bailey, it goes even deeper than practical experience and an edge in a competitive job market. “The personal satisfaction of having a finished deliverable was something the team always talked about and was motivation to make sure we provided the best product possible,” Bailey said. “It didn’t really sink in until I walked into the courtyard here at Hargrove one afternoon and saw a young lady driving the car that we built. There are not words to describe the excitement, not only on her face, but on her parents’ faces, too. Seeing that made every early morning and long night that we put into that car worth it, many times over.” According to Jones, through the volunteerism of South Alabama students, the HAT Project has been able to give eight specially designed cars to local children and physical therapy offices in the community. USA students who worked on the HAT Project are: in mechanical engineering, Kent Bailey, Kayla Bray, Ben Breland, Julius Pugh and Heather Turner; and, in electrical engineering, Victoria Antell, Emaleigh Sargent, Heath Skelton and Joe Wachob. Republished with permission from the Alabama NewsCenter.
Alabama helps to empower children, adults with disabilities during #ABLEtoSave month
The state of Alabama is working to raise awareness about Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts, which is a new financial savings tool for individuals with disabilities the state launched in February. Designed to be a tax-free vehicle for saving for certain Alabamians who have disability-related expenses, ABLE accounts will assist individuals and families to save private funds without jeopardizing their public benefits like Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Despite their widespread availability, lack of awareness and misinformation about ABLE accounts is preventing millions of people from taking advantage of this new savings tool. Which is why Alabama State Treasurer Young Boozer announced the state’s participation in #ABLEtoSave Month, an awareness month proclaimed by Governor Kay Ivey. “It is an honor to join disability organizations and ABLE programs across the country in partnership with the ABLE National Resource Center to promote such a worthy cause,” said Boozer. “The ABLE Act has provided new and exciting opportunities for the disability community and we are proud to celebrate the financial independence they have gained as a result.” Alabama’s participation in #ABLEtoSave Month is part of a nationwide campaign, spearheaded by the ABLE National Resource Center (ANRC), that aims to educate individuals with disabilities, their families, financial institutions and the general public about ABLE accounts and the financial independence they provide to the disability community. “In just six months, we have already witnessed firsthand the remarkable ways that Enable Alabama is positively impacting the lives of our account owners,” said Deborah Goodkin, Managing Director, College Savings Plans, First National Bank of Omaha. “This month is a valuable opportunity for us share the resources offered by Enable Alabama and connect with members of our community in spreading the word about the ABLE Act and how it has paved the way for a brighter future for individuals with disabilities.”
High court may put more bite into law for disabled students
The Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed willing to put more bite into a law that requires public schools to help learning-disabled students. Most of the justices indicated during arguments that school districts must offer more than the bare minimum of services to children with special needs. But they struggled over how to clarify the law without inviting even more litigation between frustrated parents and cash-strapped schools. The court is considering an appeal from the parents of an autistic teen in Colorado who say their public school did not go far enough in helping their son. They want to be reimbursed for the cost of sending him to private school. The case could have major implications for millions of disabled students who rely on schools to make special arrangements. School districts warn that imposing higher standards will be too costly and encourage parents to make unrealistic demands. “If we suddenly adopt a new standard, all over the country, we’ll have judges and lawyers and people interpreting it differently,” Justice Stephen Breyer said. The debate centers on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a federal law that requires a “free and appropriate public education” for disabled students. The Supreme Court last considered the issue in a 1982 case that said the law requires schools to come up with a plan that gives the student “some educational benefit.” But lower courts have disagreed over exactly what that phrase means and how far a school must go. Some courts say it can be anything greater than a trivial effort, while others have required schools to do more. Advocacy groups say the confusion has left wide disparities among states in the level of educational benefits that schools offer to children with special needs. Chief Justice John Roberts told Neal Katyal, representing the Douglas County School District near Denver, that the standard seems to require more than just a minimum effort from schools. “It says ‘some benefit,’ but you’re reading it as saying ‘some’ benefit and the other side is reading it as saying some ‘benefit,’” Roberts said, to laughter, as he switched his emphasis on the words. In the case before the court, the boy known only as Endrew F. attended public school outside Denver from kindergarten through fourth grades, where he received specialized instruction to deal with learning and behavioral issues. In 2010, Endrew’s parents decided to send him to private school after saying they were frustrated by his lack of progress. They want to be reimbursed for his tuition – about $70,000 a year – because they claim public school officials didn’t do enough to comply with the law. The Colorado Department of Education denied their claim, saying the school district had satisfied its obligations under the law. The federal appeals court in Denver upheld that decision, ruling that the school district met its duty to provide more than a “de minimus” effort. The family’s attorney, Jeffrey Fisher, argued that the law requires more than “just-above-trivial” benefits. Most of the justices seemed to agree and spent much of the session trying out different words that would convey the right message to lower courts. Fisher urged the justices to make clear it requires benefits designed “to provide substantially equal educational opportunities.” But Breyer and Justice Elena Kagan said they had problems with the word “equal” since the law focuses on what’s best for individual students. Fisher then suggested schools at least had to offer the kind of support that allows a disabled child to progress from grade to grade. Justice Department lawyer Irv Gornstein, arguing in support of the parents, said the schools’ obligation should be described as making “significant progress towards grade-level standards.” Breyer wondered about adding “significant and appropriate.” Gornstein said he had no problem with that formulation. Justice Samuel Alito later said he was frustrated by the “blizzard of words” that could mean anything when read literally. “What everybody seems to be looking for is the word that has just the right nuance to express this thought,” Alito said. Katyal, the school districts’ lawyer, suggested the high court didn’t need to clarify anything because the current standard “had bite” in the lower courts. But Kagan strongly disagreed. “If somebody said to you, write a standard with bite, I doubt you would come up with the words “more than merely de minimis,” she said. A ruling is expected by the end of June. Republish with permission of The Associated Press.
Alabama agrees to changes for inmates with disabilities
A federal judge on Friday gave final approval to a lawsuit settlement regarding how inmates with disabilities are housed in Alabama prisons. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson signed the agreement reached between inmates and the Alabama Department of Corrections. The state prison system agreed to survey prison facilities and make changes to settle claims brought by inmates under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act. The department will have 32 months to make any architectural changes required to make sure inmates with disabilities are appropriately housed and can access prison programs and facilities. The state also agreed to screen inmates for physical, mental or intellectual disabilities and to hire and train ADA coordinators. Disabled inmates said in the 2014 federal lawsuit that they were kept in facilities that couldn’t safely accommodate them, were denied access to prison education, work release and other programs because of their disabilities and were sometimes inappropriately housed with higher security inmates solely because of their disabilities. During a fire, a prisoner in a wheelchair had to maneuver deeper into the prison to access a ramp to the outside, according to the lawsuit. Thompson had given preliminary approval to the settlement in June. “The Alabama Department of Corrections is committed to meeting its obligations as set out in the settlement agreement,” Commissioner Jeff Dunn said in a statement. Thompson praised both the inmates who brought the lawsuit and the state prison system for agreeing to make changes. “This settlement reflects the Alabama Department of Corrections’ commitment to making manifest the rights of disabled prisoners in its custody; it represents the shouldering of significant responsibility, and presents an equally significant opportunity, by delineating a years-long process of ensuring compliance with the dictates of federal disability law,” Thompson wrote. Thompson wrote that the federal laws were meant to protect people with disabilities from being shunted and ignored. “Prisoners, looked down upon by society and hidden from public view, are likewise at risk of such treatment. Absent the protections created and processes mandated by the ADA and accompanying regulations, and without effective oversight, prisoners with disabilities are doubly damned,” Thompson wrote. The issue of housing for disabled inmates is part of a broader lawsuit filed by inmates over prison medical care. A group of inmates filed a civil lawsuit in 2014 that accused the state of failing to provide basic medical and mental health care. Those claims have not yet gone to trial. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
