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Young Engineers Receive Recognition for Inventions Aimed to Help People with Disabilities in the Workplace
Kansas High School Students Design the "Basic Ergonomic Re-Attachable Tub"
Washington, DC, February 16, 2007 — Five high school students from Gardner Edgerton High School received today the top prize of $3,000 for their school, in the National Engineering Design Challenge (NEDC), sponsored by the Javits-Wagner-O'Day/Junior Engineering Technical Society (JETS). The National Engineering Design Challenge is a contest for high school students around the country, to build technologies that tear down a barrier to employment for people with disabilities.
The top team developed the "Basic Ergonomic Re-Attachable Tub," a tool engineered to help people carry multiple items such as cups and plates, for busing tables and other jobs. It is composed of an oval shaped tub, conveniently attached to a customized vest. It also includes a removable liner to keep the tub clean. Students from Staples High School in Westport, Connecticut placed second, for their "Hydraulic Shelving" tool. Students from Grand Rapids Catholic Central High School in Michigan placed third for their "Grip and Seat." Awarded the position of first runner up were students from Gann Academy in Waltham, Massachusetts, for their "Easy Count."
"We are so honored to be part of this national competition," said Hela Kawar, a senior on the winning team. "But most important to us is the possibility that our design might help a lot of people."
To compete, each team was required to identify a workplace problem from a set of scenarios taken directly from agencies affiliated with NISH under the Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Program, developing and maintaining employment and training opportunities for people with severe disabilities. Students then researched that need or problem, interviewing people with disabilities in the process and working to develop a solution. Skills involved with the design process included problem-solving, math, science, research, writing and presentation, as well as drafting and design.
"It is inspiring to see that so many students have taken an interest in learning about the daily challenges encountered by people with disabilities, especially as related to employment, and have gone on to apply their engineering skills and knowledge toward designing technology that can empower people with disabilities to surmount these challenges," said Bob Chamberlin, CEO of NISH. "The students have designed assistive technology that will enable people with severe disabilities to experience success in jobs that may have been previously unattainable, to earn a paycheck and to become more independent."
The winning team also won a trip to the NISH annual conference near Dallas, TX this spring.
Eighty-four high school teams registered for the competition this year from across the United States, and the U.S. territories. Second and third place entries were awarded $1,500 for their sponsoring departments. Each of the five students on the national finalist teams was awarded a $50 gift certificate to the Discovery Store.
NEDC is a JETS program made possible through a partnership with NISH and the JWOD program. For more information on how to participate in the 2008 program, email info@jets.org or visit the JWOD/JETS Web site at www.jets.org.
NISH-Creating Employment For People With Severe Disabilities
Established in 1974, NISH (www.nish.org) is one of two national, nonprofit agencies designated by the Committee For Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled to support nonprofit agencies (NPAs) participating in the Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Program, which provides employment opportunities for people who are blind or have other severe disabilities by procuring Federal contracts for goods and services.
Headquartered in Vienna, Va., NISH supports a network of more than 2,100 NPAs as well as Federal customers by providing the legislative and regulatory assistance, communications and public relations materials, information technology support, engineering and technical assistance, and extensive professional training needed for successful contract management.
In FY 2005, through the JWOD Program, NISH-affiliated agencies operating in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam reported a record 44,021 jobs for people with severe disabilities. During this same period, JWOD-producing NPAs reported more than 138,000 jobs for people with disabilities supporting a wide range of companies, organizations and Federal customers.
Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Program
Providing employment opportunities to nearly 47,000 people, the JWOD Program is the largest single source of employment for people who are blind or have other severe disabilities in the United States. More than 600 participating nonprofit organizations employ these individuals and provide quality goods and services to the Federal Government at a fair price. The JWOD Program is administered by the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled (www.jwod.gov), an independent federal agency, with assistance from National Industries for the Blind (NIB, www.nib.org) and NISH-Creating Employment Opportunities for People with Severe Disabilities (www.nish.org).
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