Final

Sydney Brown and Justine Hatton

Our goal for this project is to create a hanger that helps children with Cerebral Palsy who struggle with getting dressed. When we began thinking about this project we realized just how much body motion and gross motors skills are needed in getting dressed. An everyday task like putting on a shirt becomes daunting. Children who struggle getting dressed require a caretaker, and it can be a strenuous and challenging duty for both the caretaker and the child. Especially when older and larger children are involved, putting on a shirt can be physically exhausting for the caretaker. The “helpful hanger” makes the job for the caretaker much easier, because all they need to do is put the shirt on the hanger, and the child can do the rest; all they have to do is put their arms through the sleeves and bring their arms down to release the shirt. The hanger mounts to a wall at any height, and it sits about a foot off the wall, making it wheelchair capable. The wall mount is built in a triangular shape for stability, and the rod fits the top of the hanger exactly so the hanger is secure.  

Our product is important because not only does it make the work easier for the caregiver, it gives the child the liberation of dressing him or herself.