3.2 - Scott
Scott is 12 years old and has athetoid cerebral palsy. He uses a power wheelchair and has the use of a laptop computer on loan from SET-BC. Scott has just moved from another school district and attends a regular grade 6 class at his neighbourhood school. In consultation with Scott's former teacher, it was discovered that he used a modified table which was very different in appearance from other student desks.
Scott's new class is an active one with many opportunities for cooperative learning situations. Students move about the class and rearrange desks as they create their groups. Scott's wheelchair will not fit under the present desk top height. The desk top itself is large enough to hold a laptop computer but little else. When the computer is on his desk top, Scott is not able to lift up the top and access books from the normal storage compartment, nor can he retrieve books from an under- the- desk storage space if the desk top does not lift up. Scott uses the computer frequently during the school day, so he needs it to be easily accessible.
Assembling the Planning Team and Assigning a Team Leader
The team included Scott, Scott's mother, the classroom teacher, teacher assistant, special education teacher, physotherapist and occupational therapist. The occupational therapist also filled the role of team leader.
Planning the Workspace
The team was anxious to make appropriate recommendations for Scott and to facilitate a smooth process for the creation of an adapted workspace for him. All team members agreed that Scott required an adapted work space. However, there were a number of constraints. His teacher did not want a large desk, nor one that was significantly higher than the other desks in the room. He felt these would exclude Scott from active participation in many of the cooperative groups. Scott said that he wanted to be as much like the other kids as possible. Scott's mother wanted him to have as much independence as possible. The therapist added that the adapted workspace needed to be as functional as possible. The teacher and teacher assistant wanted Scott to be able to access stored materials such as books. They also wanted him to have easy access to the laptop computer. They team decided he needed an enlarged desk top designed to meet all of these requirements.
The occupational therapist brought several design samples of possible workspaces, including catalogues and photos. She presented 3 recommended designs and after much discussion and some further modification recommendations, one design was selected.
Fabricating the Workspace
The occupational therapist then met with the school district cabinet makers, and it was determined that they could build the workspace for less than the commercial cost. The occupational therapist and the cabinet maker then met again with Scott and shared the plan for the new desk. Scott repeated his request that it be as close as possible to the height of the other desks. They took several measurements to use in the final plans. Scott's adapted workspace was completed within a month.