PARMA HEIGHTS, Ohio — Welcome to Incarnate Word Academy in Parma Heights, where students are guided in faith, compassion, courage, and commitment. One example is the Adaptive Device club, where what started with toys has transformed into something bigger and more meaningful.
"We thought maybe we can combine our afterschool program in creating adaptive devices with Camp Cheerful and the adaptive sports program," Karen Micheli, technology teacher at Incarnate Word, said.
Making sports more fun and accessible is the goal, and it brought them to a soccer practice held by the Achievement Centers for Children's adaptive sports program.
"I went to the kids' game, and the ones who were in the walker, they couldn't really, like, be involved in the sport as much," student Sofia Mioev recalled.
"This was a great way for them to see the various ways that we can design something to help them," Micheli noted.
The goal was to design a device allowing a child with a walker to also carry a football. Incarnate Word club members went to work designing and engineering prototypes.
Once finetuned, students used a 3D printer to make their own parts. Some used coding skills to program a motion sensor, never once losing focus on who they were working for.
"We wanted to make them feel like more that they were playing the sport," Elizabeth Richard said, "not someone was playing the sport for them."
After months of work, six teams of students came up with six different solutions.
"Our answer was to get an elastic net," Ryansh Arora told us, pointing to a green net hanging from a walker. It works for several different sports, expanding large enough to hold a basketball.
Another team cam up with a device that secures the football inside a tube until its released.
"We have a sensor that can open and close things with the swipe of a hand," Joelle Quin said.
"What makes us unique is this thing," Aayaan Sabarwal added, pointing out what he calls a "plow" that can move a ball down field.
The next step was to visit the adaptive sports football program for some feedback. So far, the results have been positive.
"We feel that many of the devices that they designed are really for action on the field," said Micheli. "We were just amazed to see how they were able to really integrate art with technology in many ways."
