Musical Sensory Wall
To design a Musical Sensory Wall for children with all kinds of disability.
The Need
The client currently uses music to provide therapy. The schoolteacher, Molly currently holds therapeutic sessions for the children in the school. The clients wanted to incorporate a musical board with different instruments, and the use of the wall would serve as a reward or therapeutic break for the students inside the music room. Further, this wall would be used as a form of physical therapy, a sensory tool, and to assess the children's interactions with the instruments, such as whether they are able to grab, squeeze, or hit a target. This wall needs to be accessible to a wide range of users, including students who are deaf and blind. Further, students who would use the wall on their stomachs, in wheelchairs, and in chairs that assist them in standing up to 6 feet will also be using this wall. These children have a wide range of abilities, so it is important that we thought of all types of users.
The Solution
The need was addressed by creating a music sensory wall that adapts to the needs of our client. One of the challenges of creating this product was to find a way to display it and adapt it to the user. We proposed the idea of two 4’x6’ boards that are mounted to slide them up and down. This allowed children to reach the board standing or on their stomachs, which was requested by the client. These boards have different instruments attached. The boards are split based on whether the instruments are calming or more stimulating. This allows a user to decide which board they need. Beyond instruments, we included lights and other electronics such as haptic vibration to further stimulate the user. Finally, we included sections of the board that fold down for children in wheelchairs or in other similar situations to better use the wall.
The Team
Valentina Ribeiro
Katherine Poissant
Owen Van Sickle