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Kevin Cronin with Caitlin Farless, Caitlin’s mother Kathy Doyle (standing right), and Caitlin’s teachers and aides. |
By creating device to help disabled child, disabled URI engineering student helps himself
When a car accident on Memorial Day 1997 left Kevin Cronin a quadriplegic, he set a career goal of using his mechanical abilities to create ways to make his new life easier. But first, he’s using those abilities to help other individuals with disabilities.
Cronin had just completed his freshman year at URI when his accident occurred. Following years of surgeries, rehabilitation, and a few modest jobs, he returned to URI in 2003 to complete his degree in mechanical engineering.
As an intern in URI’s Assistive Technology Laboratory, the South Kingstown resident recently completed development of a unique switch and arm brace to help10-year-old Caitlin Farless more easily operate a voice output device that helps her communicate.
“Caitlin has cerebral palsy as a result of a birth injury, so she lacks the ability to communicate, and she can’t get her muscles to do what she wants them to do,” explained Caitlin’s mother, Kathleen Doyle, a nurse at URI Health Services. “When she tried to operate a switch to control the communication device, her arms would flail around and she would use a lot of energy and misfire with the switch.”
So Cronin asked questions of Doyle, Caitlin’s teacher and her physical therapist at Hazard School to learn exactly what they wanted the switch to do, where on her wheelchair it should be mounted, and what position her arm should be in when using the switch.
“Customized devices like this can be really expensive, but we were able to create an inexpensive one that connects easily to Caitlin’s wheelchair, supports her arm and elbow comfortably, and is easy to operate,” Cronin said.
“We’ve tried many devices before, and all have been difficult for her to use,” said Doyle. “But this one uses the least amount of energy and she can operate it with more ease. She’s much more able to manage the switch and be more accurate with her communication because of it.”
“Helping Caitlin has given me a great sense of accomplishment,” said the URI student. “It gives me motivation to want to create more tools and devices to help more people. Every day I find myself thinking about how I can make things better for myself and other people by adapting equipment for their special needs.”
“Kevin is exactly the kind of person we needed in our Assistive Technology Laboratory,” said Ying Sun, a URI professor of biomedical engineering who directs the lab. “He can not only work in the lab, but he can serve as a consultant to me and the other students because he knows from personal experience what works and what doesn’t, and what kind of devices will be most useful.”
Cronin has some big ideas for devices he’d like to develop to make himself and others more independent.
“I want to create a backpack-briefcase that can be mounted on the back of a wheelchair and that can swing around in front to become a mobile desk for a laptop computer,” he said. Other ideas include a video game controller that’s easier to use, a helicopter he can pilot himself, and a van that’s easier to get into.
All of which will not only make Cronin’s life easier, but also the lives of many other individuals with disabilities.
By Todd McLeish
