This week, Benchmark’s resident Fixpert, Maya Alvarado visits the Dingley centre to meet an occupational therapist to get feedback on some of her ideas, and makes Heidi a playing cards tray…
07:00: I wake up in Hungerford and gather my camera, measuring equipment and sketchbook.
07:30: I leave for the Dingley Centre – an early years centre for children with additional needs and disabilities I have been working with for a while. We made an appointment a few months ago for me to meet an occupational therapist there to learn more about what I can do to help improve seating in the centre.
08:30: I arrive at the nursery and meet the occupational therapist, who has come from the NHS to discuss some ideas that I have for adaptations in seating. We begin by talking through potential add-ons for the nursery’s existing set of chairs. The aim is to provide extra support for children who are able to move around themselves. I would love for all of the children to be able to get their knees under the table when seated, but some individuals require the extra support of a specialist chair.
09:00: Initially I anticipated the need for back support, footrests, arm rests and pummels. From speaking with the specialist, it is most crucial that the feet are flat on the floor with a non-slip surface, the arms are held at a 90 degree angle on armrests and that the chairs have solid backs to give full support.
09:30: After walking around and looking at the specialist chairs together, it becomes important that a lap strap is included as an addition to the non-slip surface to prevent children from slipping down off the seat. We talk about the benefits of having two strings coming together as one strap to contour the articulation points on the body.
10:00: It was a hope of mine that it might be possible to design a CNC (computer numerically controlled) routed specialist chair for children in need of specific support. However, hearing about the long-term risks involved if these elements are not positioned perfectly, makes the project not sensible. The intention was to reduce the costs for the nursery in purchasing the chairs, but with their expense comes development, rigorous testing, and reliability – all factors that take time and specialist knowledge. This gets the team discussing manufactured add-ons that would be beneficial for individual children.
10:45: I am shown the changing station in the adult disability toilet. There are some restrictions in access, and it is also quite difficult for the staff to lift children on and off the surface. We discuss an idea for some steps up to the top of the station.
11:00: One of the staff members at Dingly, Abi, also mentions the problem of the height of the children. As this is used for children up to the age of five, their feet hit the edge of the station. We suggest cutting away some material in order to free space; this will also act as an entrance for the children after completing the steps. This will be beneficial in reducing the amount of manual handling for the staff.
11:10: Another topic that comes into conversation is the use of the toilet. Even the child-sized toilets are quite a height for some smaller children to reach, and most children at the centre still need some support in getting up onto them. The current toilet frame in place is adult sized and can move from side to side, so we make a plan to move this into the adult disability toilet and secure it to the ground. Then there is a possibility of creating a smaller wooden frame, which hugs the child sized toilet and has a supportive step – and adding weight to prevent it from toppling.
12:10: After a very useful morning of research and planning, I catch a train back to Kintbury Station and walk to Benchmark.
12:30: I go through my notes from my time with the occupational therapist and make a plan for how the various elements we have discussed could be made.
13:00: Lunchtime – Jo makes a spicy chilli which we eat with rice, cheese and yogurt. It is lovely to sit outside in the sunshine and to catch up with the team. We get talking about clay ovens as I was making pizzas in one over the weekend, so I might make one this summer with Jo the chef!
13:30: A while back, I cut a groove in a strip of plywood for Heidi, one of my first FixPartners – a local student who has cerebral palsy, to test as a card tray. It needed some adjustments, and a back for the cards to rest on, so I select some of Benchmark’s lovely offcuts and start making a set of two – one to be kept at college and one to be used at home. I have made a cutting list, so I search for pieces that will fit this after sawing and thicknessing (putting pieces through a specialised machine to achieve a specific thickness).
13:45: I place the pieces of walnut through the thicknesser to get them down to desired measurements. You decrease in small intervals, repeatedly removing material from either side of each board. I measure the pieces as they come out to check that they are all accurate.
14:15: I check over my boards and get in line to use the panel saw.
14:20: I cut the pieces down to size. Then I lower the blade to a height of 7mm to cut the groove in the two base pieces – this creates the slot for the cards to sit in.
14:40: I position the pieces, without gluing, to check how they sit. I like the way the grain meets in one tray, but I switch the orientation around in the other to get it right.
14:45: I mark up the correct edges for the ‘biscuit cutter’. I use a biscuit cutter tool to create holes where the ‘biscuits’ (wooden flat pegs) will sit and lock into place after absorbing glue to secure the panels together.
15:15: Before I glue the parts, I slot the biscuits in and get them in to position to check that they are aligned, I have a play with cards to test the amount of space around to lift them out. They feel good and move out freely, I will give this to Heidi next week to see how it works for her.
15:30: I apply glue on both parts, and inside the biscuit holes, I clamp them tight to a bench, and check with a square that they are at 90-degree angles.
16:00: When the parts are dry tomorrow, I will finish them with Benchmark’s clear oil. I clear up my tools and equipment and pack up, bringing home my sketches from Dingley to think over. It was a really useful morning with the occupational therapist – it quickly taught me what was risky, what was worthwhile and what was possible.
Further reading for the especially geeky:
- A day in the life of the Benchmark Fixperts Resident – Week 26
- 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
