ART MAKING AND ASSISITIVE DEVICES
Kathy Hooyenga, OTR/L M.A. RET; Ellen Trenn, MSW and Carol Kiendl, M.A.A.T. Mental Health Program and Assistive Technology Unit The Institute on Disability and Human Development University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, Illinois
ABSTRACT
This paper will describe several adaptive devices used by children with disabilities for art making. The adaptive devices were designed for the children through a grant project entitled: Opportunities for Children with Disabilities Art Making and Assistive Devices. An Art Therapist and Assistive Technology Specialist combine their efforts to provide the inclusive art making opportunities.
BACKGROUND
"Art is a fundamental human process. Every society, from the most primitive to the most sophisticated, has expressed itself through art". Art is an important learning process for children, allowing them the freedom to explore movement, sensation and perception. And, when the process of art making, versus an objective endpoint is the goal, children have an opportunity to allow their minds to move freely.
For children with physical limitations, the ability to act on the instinctive appeal of art materials may not be possible due to the nature of their disability. With the aid of assistive devices, however, children who previously may have been excluded from art making can enjoy the experiences that non-structured, non-judgmental, art making offers.
Opportunities for Children with Disabilities: Art Making and Assistive Devices, is a project that was started in 1995. The project provides art making opportunities for young children in inclusive classroom settings. The art making classes consist of approximately 6-8 children per group and is run one time a week, for one hour over the course of 6-8 weeks. Aiming to support inclusion the project provides adaptive art equipment for those children whose physical disabilities limit their use of commercially available art tools and changes to the art curriculum are introduced that will meet the needs of all the children.
This paper will focus on a three different adaptive art equipment designs involved in this project and the artists who use them.
RATIONALE
Most commercially available art materials require dexterous use of ones hands. This dexterity requirement makes it difficult for children with cerebral palsy and upper extremity involvement to use the art tools. When unable to use the art tools the children are excluded from the benefits that art making can provide. However, adaptive devices can provide a child access to art tools they previously may have been unable to use and allow the child to choose and experiment with different materials and colors.
DESIGNS
Design #1: Adjustable Easel Board with Turning Palette.
Here a young boy, five years of age sits at the same table as his peers even though his wheelchair will not fit under the table. The adjustable easel board clamps onto the table and is raised on a quick release bracket to rest over top of the boys wheelchair. This boy's arms are tight from tone making it difficult to grasp onto standard art materials (makers, crayons, craypas) and his reach is limited. Bulb holders make it easier for the boy to hold his art materials and a turning palette provides him independent access to seven different art tools where he used to have access to only one. As a result of this setup the child spends less energy in trying to grasp, reach for and use the art materials and where he used to tire after 15 minutes he now participates for up to 40 minutes.
With his new set up this young artist brings to canvas his interest in dinosaurs and the color green.
Design #2: Hand Strap Tool Holder. This five year old boy also uses an adjustable easel board and sits st the same table as his peers. He also has difficulty using his arms and hands because of tightness and tone in his upper extremities. A hand strap tool holder, similar to a universal cuff but adapted to fit a young child's hand and adapted to hold multiple materials, provides this young boy with increased freedom of movement.
When the child no longer must concentrate on holding the materials (increasing the tone in his arms) his shoulder and elbow are able to move about more freely. A paint palette C-clamped onto the art board in conjunction with a paintbrush, in the hand strap/tool holder, provides this boy access to six colors of paint he can choose at will. Prior to the use of this adapted equipment this boy was primarily a passive participant watching as others participated in art making.
Now empowered with his adaptive equipment this young boy shows us his use of bold strokes and increased horizontal movement across the canvas.
Design #3: Hat Mounted Head Stick with Spring Component. The boy in this picture, A.S. is 14 years old. He has little active movement of his arms due to significant tone throughout his extremities. His head and neck, however, offer him the greatest and most controlled active range. To access this movement a hat mounted head stick was provided for him (a mouthstick was ruled out as an option as his oral motor control is limited, and his bite reflex would dominated). A Bulls cap was chosen for modification as A.S. is a dedicated fan of this basketball team.
The head stick utilizes the mouthstick appliance tips available from the Modular Mouthstick Kit (available from Therafin Corporation) for interchanging various paintbrushes, pencils and other art tools. To accommodate the changing distance the tip is from the paper when A.S. moves his head from the side and across the middle of his flat canvas a rubberband spring action component is added to the end of the headstick.
With his headstick and adjustable easel board A.S. brings to canvas his interpretation of "basketballs in motion".
DISCUSSION
Out of 75 children serviced over the past year through the Opportunities project 25 were provided adaptive equipment for use in inclusive art making groups. The adaptive equipment overall provided the children with disabilities increased independence in art making and a greater amount of choice making with colors and materials. The process oriented art making curriculum (versus an art curriculum based on a set end product), with an emphasis on exploration of materials and expression, provided success for all children involved.
For more information on the Opportunities for Children with Disabilities Project or for detailed instructions on fabrication of the adaptive art equipment designed for the children in this project write or call the author.
REFERENCES
1. Lowenfeld, V. & Brittain, W.L. (1987). Creative and mental growth (8th ed.). New York: MacMillan.
2. Kramer, E. (1975). Art therapy and childhood. The American Journal of Art Therapy, 14 (2), p. 36-38.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Opportunities for Children with Disabilities: Art Making and Assistive Devices is a grant funded project through the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation. The project represents a collaborative effort between the departments of Mental Health and the Assistive Technology Unit at the Institute on Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago. * Special thanks to Scott Mason for his technical assistance
Kathy Hooyenga OTR/L M.A. RET Assistive Technology Unit Institute on Disability and Human Development (UAP) University of Illinois at Chicago (M/C 626) 1640 W. Roosevelt - Room 415 Chicago, IL 60608-6904 (312) 413-1555 (V) (312) 413-1554 (TDD) (312) 413-3709 (FAX)