This week, Benchmark’s resident Fixpert, Maya Alvarado builds an art tray prototype for Fix Partner Philly’s wheelchair, visits new week-old twins, and delivers a resonance board to the Dingley Centre…
06:20: I wake up and get ready for work. I have some Swedish ‘quilted bread’ with honey and a cup of tea for breakfast.
07:30: I arrive at the Benchmark workshop and sketch out an idea for an art tray for Philly at The Old Vicarage, Hungerford. Philly loves to draw, but often throws the materials around. Her carers don’t mind picking them up, but there is a risk that something might hit someone. My idea is that each drawing tool could be strung to the sides of the tray and sit in specially created wells. Philly can pick the pencil or crayon she wants, have enough length to draw on the tray and if she does throw it, it will not be able to come into contact with anyone within a reasonable distance.
08:00: I wrap the string around the pencil through a slit and tie three tight knots, next I slide over some shrink wrap tube and heat it with a heat gun. As the tube shrinks it locks the string in place and makes the connection secure.
08:30: I want to try out an elevated drawing surface for Philly, so I cut some triangle wedges to secure a flat board on to. I drill holes into the side of the triangles and drop down knots at the end of each string. Using a Japanese saw, I cut little grooves for the string to sit as they come out at each side. The board will be attached flat down on to these, making it very hard for the knots to come out. I also add a small amount of Araldite glue into each hole to set the strings in place.
09:00: I round off the edges of the board using a radius cutter in a router and attach a strip with a bolt and wing nut where paper can be placed. I apply some wood glue over the triangle edge where the strings sit and use a pin gun to fit it to the board.
09:45: Using a drill, I make wells for the pencils to sit into at each side of the art tray. I will test the optimum positions for these with Philly.
10:30: I arrive at The Old Vicarage care home to test out the art tray with Philly. She is with Julia and I meet them in the kitchen.
10:35: I slide on Philly’s plastic tray that sits on the arms of her wheelchair. She uses this to eat from, but mainly seems to draw at her desk in her room.
10:40: I sit the art tray on top of this for Philly to test out. It would need to be secured in some way to prevent it from falling off if it was knocked. Philly and Julie do some drawing on sheets of paper attached underneath the strip of plywood.
10:50: Philly does not seem to take to the strung up pencils, she prefers the act of rustling through her pen pot to select her materials. I wonder if there is a middle ground of securing the pencils, but still allowing the sensory play of feeling through a set of mixed shapes and sizes. The sound that is created during this activity might also be part of the attraction.
11:00: It is not very easy for Philly to tear the paper off the tray, causing her to scrunch her drawing, so I will remove this feature from the next prototype. A bulldog clip could be a better alternative, and against the right material, it would allow her to slide the paper out from underneath.
11:05: Considering materials for the next version, bringing wood and plastic together does not seem the most sensible option. I plan to replicate the form of Philly’s plastic tray, but with the addition of the paper holding surface and materials container. The angle of the surface was also too steep, I do not want the shape to feel like a barrier for Philly, and so I will take this down in the next prototype. One benefit of a steeper angle is the ability to hold A3 paper in landscape, and A4 in portrait, but I will try out other opportunities for doing this.
11:10: I take measurements from Philly’s existing acrylic tray and sketch around the curve as a template.
11:20: The edges are all curved and rounded, making them better to interact with, especially as it sits so close to Philly’s stomach and arms. I will do this to the next prototype also, and see opportunities to add a pot for pens, with a securing mechanism.
11:30: Back in Kintbury, I visit Emma and Jamie and their new, week-old twins. I am excited to meet them and Jamie, who I have only spoken to through Twitter. Emma popped into Benchmark to speak about the project a couple of weeks ago, so it will be great to hear their thoughts now that the twins are with them.
11:35: Their babies, Anouska and Rufus are absolutely gorgeous and so tiny. At the moment they are asleep on little baby beanbags. I meet Tiggy, their dog, and Jamie tells me about the issues around having a dog and babies. She is a gentle dog, and very good with the twins, but they will always have to be cautious and watch them together. Emma suggests a situation when they are a little bigger, where it might be possible for them to play safely in the room with the dog, whilst they are around, but also able to go about daily activities. We discuss a possible playpen that Tiggy would not be able to get into.
12:00: So far feeding has been manageable with both Emma and Jamie around, but they describe the difficulty in one parent trying to feed both at the same time. This might be another area to consider, and as that scenario arises, I will observe and see if there is an opportunity for something that might help.
13:00: I arrive back at Benchmark for a lovely lunch of Jo’s salads.
13:30: Martin has kindly lacquer-sprayed a resonance board that I have been making for the Dingley Centre. The children lie on the wooden board and respond to the vibrations created by their hands and feet, or by a supervisor. The sensory effect is very strong and pivotal in early development. Dingley’s Newbury centre has one on loan from a clinic, but will have to return it soon. These boards are quite expensive considering the value of the materials involved. The board is a softwood frame with a sheet of 4mm plywood set in on a rebate (removal of material from an edge) on the inner edge; I finish the underside with some wax with a cloth.
14:00: I wrap up the board with packaging foam, ready to take to the nursery.
14:15: I get a lift with my boyfriend, Jake , to the nursery, I am excited to take my driving test soon – a necessary form of transport out here!
14:40: We spend some time watching Lewis and Freddie try out the resonance board. I also bring out one of the xylophone sticks that I made with Xenia Moseley who also has just started work in the Benchmark workshop. The hands and feet produce some excellent sounds. Louise comments that the reaction from the new board is stronger, making more vibrations.
16:00: I ask them about the shape and interaction with the resonance boards. Another option for their group music play could be a large circular resonance drum, where the children sit around and make music together. Louise says that the vibrations felt from their hands alone can be very effective. In a few weeks I will meet an occupational therapist at the centre and go through the necessary features in seating support for specific children. I would then like to build a model where measurements can be entered and an ergonomic chair can be created, perhaps with the CNC (computer numerically controlled) routing machine. At the moment, chairs must be purchased through the charity’s funds, and can be as much as £3000 per chair. We arrange to meet again after the Easter break and I make my way home.
17:30: I arrive back in Hungerford after a fun day of testing and meeting with Fix Partners.
Further reading for the especially geeky:
- A day in the life of the Benchmark Fixperts Resident – Week 25
- A day in the life of the Benchmark Fixperts Resident – Week 24
- A day in the life of the Benchmark Fixperts Resident – Week 23
- A day in the life of the Benchmark Fixperts Resident – Week 22
