Young inventors get a major lesson in engineering and inclusion

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    Minnesota (WCCO) — As the end of the school year approaches, a group of Twin Cities students are making it memorable for some of their peers living with disabilities.

Inside Shakopee High School, students in the engineering academy are presenting a variety of innovative products, from a typing aid, to a custom sound board and a spoon stabilizer.

“Harper would be wearing this grounding bracelet, so that when he touches this tinfoil, it’ll complete the circuit to a Makey Makey board that’s in the inside,” said a student named Coen.

Every one of the products is designed specifically to make life easier for a younger student living with disabilities, like Camden, a fun-loving kindergartener who lives with cerebral palsy.

“It’s squishy,” Camden said.

He says it’s easier to hold when he’s having one of his favorite foods: M&M’s yogurt.

Over less than a month’s time, the engineering students learned about their client’s disabilities, the impact on their lives and maybe most importantly, inclusion.

“Everyone just wants to be liked and included and have a friend, and that’s kind of what this does,” said Julie Phillips, Shakopee Public Schools’ physical and health disabilities consultant.

Colton and Coen worked with a seventh grader named Harper, who speaks with a communication device or body language.

“We figured out what he liked, so we’d say certain things and if he liked it, he would kick up his leg,” Colton said.

Harper wanted to make music.

“The four buttons on the left play different musical instruments. These two make the pitch of that instrument either higher or lower,” Coen said.

These acts of accessibility and connection are having a big impact on the students with disabilities and their peer builders.

“You can make so many different things to help people and just improve their life in general,” Colton said.

“That idea of being able to help other people, it’s really rewarding,” Coen said.

Ryder and Mahdav designed and 3D printed the silverware stabilizers that Camden loves to use. They hope they’ve made as much of an impact on him as he has on them.

“His face, his laugh,” Ryder said.

“Every time he got super excited, it was really fun to watch,” Mahdav said. “It made it worth it.”

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