At the University of Detroit Mercy, nursing and engineering students are teaming up with community members to design one-of-a-kind assistive devices aimed at making everyday life easier for people with physical disabilities.
For 17 years, the university’s “Faces on Design” program has paired seniors from the College of Engineering & Science and the College of Health Professions with local clients to develop customized technology that doesn’t already exist on store shelves. “It can’t be anything that’s on the market. It can’t be something you can buy on Amazon,” said Dr. Molly McClelland, Ph.D., a nursing professor at Detroit Mercy. “What we’re trying to do is have our students use their academic - their education - to support the mission of our university.”
McClelland said the process starts with a blank slate - and real lives at the center. “We give them a blank sheet of paper and we say, here’s the students from engineering and nursing disciplines, here’s the client, figure it out,” she said.
One recent project focused on a challenge faced by Bobbi Stevens, a polio survivor and client volunteer: transferring from her wheelchair into a car. After visiting Stevens’ home and observing her daily routine, engineering student Colin Gaddey said the team realized existing transfer boards weren’t meeting the need.
“The ones that are out there on the market are just a sheet of wood, basically,” Gaddey said. The student-built prototype hooks onto the car door and uses an adjustable leg for stability, bridging the gap between wheelchair and seat while staying lightweight and adaptable across different vehicles. “It’s lightweight,” he said, adding that the leg and hook are adjustable “so it’s very versatile for other type of cars.”
For Stevens, the impact is immediate. “Yes, it works great,” she said. “It will give me the freedom that I was lacking before.”
Stevens said she learned about the program after McClelland visited her post-polio support group to share the opportunity. “I was so excited about it right away,” Stevens said, adding that the experience “worked out beautifully” and that she “had a ball working with the students.”
Beyond the device itself, Stevens described the collaboration as meaningful on both sides. “They’re all wonderful and smart, and I just had so much fun with them,” she said. “Learning from them and having them learn from me.”
Gaddey said the work isn’t necessarily finished once the semester ends. “I’m still going on campus with my professor working on stuff - different improvements,” he said, noting it could take years to bring the concept to market. Still, he believes the design could fill a gap in existing options. “I don’t think there’s anything like this out there,” he said.
McClelland said the program’s broader goal is to ensure people with disabilities aren’t overlooked - and to train students to solve problems with both skill and empathy. “Oftentimes people who have physical disabilities are forgotten,” she said. “And so this is - that’s the concept that we’re doing with this collaborative program.”
To learn more about the program, visit UDMercy.edu.