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This activity focuses on getting students to think about disabilities and how they can make some aspects of life more difficult. The students are asked to pick a disability and design a new kind of sport for it.

Biomedical and mechanical engineers design and test various types of prosthetics to better the lives of people with physical disabilities. This activity focuses on getting students to design a sport for people with a particular disability. assistive technology design disability medical sport Describe key problems with four types of disabilities and the current solutions available. Explain the basic knowledge of limited capabilities of people with certain disabilities and their compensating strengths. sheets of paper drawing utensils, as needed You have been hired by AbleSports, a small start-up company that manufactures game/sports-related assistive technology. A new department has been formed to "invent" new, active sports to be geared specifically toward individuals with disabilities. Your team of designers has been chosen to lead development on one of these new sports. Market research surveys show that the general public associates certain criteria with sports, and that in order for new sports to be potentially accepted by the populous, the game must incorporate the following: Rules for play, including: Object of the game (for example, in football, the object is to get the most points; in chess the object is to put your opponent in check-mate), scoring, beginning and ending the game A well-defined playing space Scoring: How is a score made? How much is a score worth? An object that is passed around within the playing space Details of disability-specific criteria for your design are listed on a separate sheet. Be as creative as possible! You have no monetary restrictions. This new sport should not be an adaptation of a currently-played sport. Do not include fictional or not-fully-developed technology, such as time traveling devices or personal jet packs. At the end of this class, you must produce the following to present to the other groups: Drawing of your playing space Rules of the game Description of the playing surface (its material and dimensions) List of equipment required to play the game Description of the teams Worksheets (doc) Worksheets (pdf) A lot of students do not realize that people using crutches need them at all times to support themselves. Advise students choosing this disability that they cannot incorporate the crutches as a part of the sport (for example, use crutches like a tool to hit a ball, etc.). Evaluate the depth with which students engaged in the activity. Were all the criteria met? Is the game safe?