Speed School camp aims to make life easier for those with disabilities

Last month, the J.B. Speed School of Engineering hosted its inaugural Design the Future Camp, aimed at making lives easier for individuals with physical disabilities.

The camp brought local high schoolers to campus to design tools for such a purpose. Design the Future began four years ago at Stanford University, and UofL is the first school outside of California to participate. The camp's mission is to combine empathy, engineering, and public service for high school participants.

Donna Fox, who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, has trouble zipping up the boots she needs to stabilize her ankles. A group of campers designed a tool with hooks that allow her to zip up the boots much quicker.

“Oh my gosh, it’s amazing,” said Fox. “I just told [the students] what would normally take me about 20 minutes took about three seconds.” 

“I really, really love helping people and impacting the community in a positive way,” said Connor Strothman, a participating student. “And this was something that combined both of those things.”

Check out more from the camp: