LIFE in the classroom: Their design skills help a child to walk

by Mark Jahne

Editor

Courtesy Photos

It’s not often that high school students have an opportunity to put what they are learning into practice in a way that directly benefits someone else.

The members of the JETS Engineering Design Team at Wethersfield High School were able to do just that and by using their knowledge and skills they enabled a young boy with a disability to walk.

An 11-year-old child named Gavin who attends Prospect Elementary School in the town of Prospect needed help to walk and build up his muscle strength. It had to be some kind of device that would also discourage him from the temptation to simply drop to the floor.

The design team worked in conjunction with Janet Gagas, the Prospect school’s occupational therapist and physical therapist. Previous efforts by a college design class did not solve the problem.

The finished product.

The WHS team members included Joseph Cieri, Connor Dolin, Troy Duelm, Jaime Ernst, Christopher Kola, Oliver Parker and James Sejdor. They are coached by Behn Sikora, a technology education teacher at the school, and John Wysmuller, who works for Evo Design, an industrial design company in Watertown.

Wysmuller lives in town, graduated from WHS in 1999 and started the design team while he was a student. He remembers participating in design competitions.

Sikora said the team has a connection with Central Connecticut State University and wanted to tackle a project that would improve the life of someone who has a disability. He called it a practical way to learn and employ skills.

Members of the WHS design team work on the gait trainer.

“The kids at CCSU were trying to build a walker” for Gavin, he said. Their efforts proved unsuccessful but “they gave us what they came up with” and encouraged the WHS students to expand upon their research.

“We took an aluminum frame walker with four wheels. We built a wooden box and a door on it,” Troy said.

Insulation and swimming pool noodles became additional ingredients. The concept of this “gait trainer” was to enable Gavin to walk without falling or giving up hope. To accomplish that, their invention needed to keep him upright.

“He was used to being in a confined space,” Wysmuller said.

The door of the gait trainer proudly proclaims that it is the work of WHS students.

“The task was supporting him without letting him sit down,” Troy added.

The team started by holding a Zoom meeting with Gavin’s teachers. They decided to make a plywood box using the walker, insulation and noodles along with plenty of tools, glue and spray paint. The team asked numerous questions and then built the gait trainer to customer specifications.

This gait trainer is designed not only to provide mobility but to prevent Gavin from sitting down.

“We got to go out to Prospect Elementary School and try it out with him. It was the first time he was able to walk unassisted,” Sikora said.

“It was fun to be part of it,” Christopher added.

He enjoys studying engineering and technology and was delighted that the team’s efforts had a direct effect on improving Gavin’s life and mobility.

Gavin and therapist Janet Gagas try out the new device.

“It was cool to bounce ideas off each other. It was nice being able to help him out,” Connor added.

“It’s something we’ve never done before,” Sikora added. “We’re always open for ideas from the community.”

The team also created Go Baby Go, a modified Power Wheels car for another child with a disability. Troy said the child had no use of his legs so they created adaptations to the steering wheel to make it functional for him. WL

Everyone celebrates with Gavin.