ACCEL Power Platform

ACCEL Power Platform

Meeting Time

Thursday 5pm Poly

Project Description

ACCEL is a “nonprofit organization serving children and adults who have developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, behavior disorders and intellectual disabilities. [1]” In order for insurance companies to approve individuals for a powered wheelchair, they must demonstrate that they are able to operate one successfully. If someone does not pass the test, they are often never re-tested, never recive a powered wheelchair, and are never able to achieve independent mobility. To help their students pass the test and qualify for a powered wheelchair, ACCEL needs a tool to train their students on how to use a motorized wheelchair. With such a device, students at ACCEL would be able to practice using electrically powered assistive technology with their own manual wheelchairs, and increase their chances of qualifing to receive a powered wheelchair.

We plan to use a powered platform that a manual wheelchair can safely drive onto and be secured. The platform will be able to drive at least forwards and backwards, and ideally also turn, with the use of a switch operated by the person using the wheelchair. This switch will be interchangeable and re-positionable to accomodate different users. This EPICS project is brand new this semester, so there is no word to date but the current team will work until April 29, the final day of ASU’s Spring 2022 semester.