On Wednesday, March 22nd, Temple Honors hosted the Accessible Design Challenge in partnership with TechOWL, an assistive technology program within the Institute on Disabilities (IOD), and Accessible Pharmacy, which specializes in serving the needs of people who are blind, have low vision, and those who are DeafBlind. The challenge tasked students with coming up with solutions to the problem of medication packaging that is difficult to manage for people with disabilities. The goal was to come up with an assistive device that TechOWL can 3D print and offer through the IOD or Accessible Pharmacy to anyone who needs it.
Raffel of TechOWL presenting survey data to attendees
Alanna Raffel and Thomas Diagostino from TechOWL set up shop in the Huddle and, along with Andy Burstein, Accessible Pharmacy’s CEO, described the challenges their patients and clients are confronted with on a daily basis when it is time to take their medications. They began with a presentation of the results of a survey conducted by TechOWL, which revealed that many respondents have difficulty opening traditional medication packaging, getting one pill out of the container without spilling the others, or maneuvering multiple medications at once. Respondents also expressed a desire for independence. Using medication simply needs to be easier to do for people with disabilities. Many of the student participants felt a personal connection to the results. One student shared, “My mom has Rheumatoid Arthritis. Making meds easier to open would be so good for her!” This all set the stage for student-engineered solutions. After a short workshop discussion, students brainstormed ideas. Armed with Play-Doh, pipe cleaners, and beads, they set out to design 3D models of their proposed solutions.
As they got started, Burstein shared some examples of accessible packaging that is already distributed by Accessible Pharmacy. There were large, easier to open blister packs, single-dose liquid medications, large print labeling, and easy-open bottles.
Burstein (right) of Accessible Pharmacy describing existing adaptive designs: “We have quite a few options for our patients, but there are still many patients who can’t yet get what they need,” he shared.
From there, students’ ideas began to take shape. They created models of saucer-like dispensers, machines that automated the pill dispensing process, and simplified pouch-like containers. They then presented their models and offered each other feedback to round out the event. Raffel, Diagostino, and Burstein were blown away with the results. Many of the students left the event invigorated, with some committing to continue developing their designs for class projects or in their free time. According to Diagostino, “This was an amazing turnout and we should definitely do it again!” A couple of students also chatted with Burstein about potential internship opportunities with Accessible Pharmacy. All in all, it was a fantastic event!