projects | adaptation + ability group @ Olin College

We partner with individuals and with organizations. Our work may be realized as engineering, or design, or art — but it’s often some hybrid combination.

Projects get started through the “test kitchen” of Sara Hendren's course for undergraduates, Investigating Normal, or stand alone as ongoing collaborations.

An aerial shot of students building a 24-foot square wooden ramp, a stage landscape for dancer/choreographer Alice Sheppard and her collaborator, Laurel Lawson.

Ramp/Kinetic Light

with Alice Sheppard and Yevgeniya Zastavker

January 2016–ongoing

Carmen tests a cane with audio—hooked up to an amplifier and microphone, it now senses and

Acoustic Mobility Device

with Carmen Papalia

September 2015–ongoing

Students sit on cardboard furniture and adaptations tailored to their own bodies: standing desks, custom stools, and more.

Low Tech Engineering

with Adaptive Design Association

September 2014–ongoing

Chris Hinojosa, born with one arm but not a prosthesis user, tries on an early prototype for a modular socket that would accommodate single use extensions, like one for rock climbing or biking.

Socket and Limb

with Chris Hinojosa

January 2015—ongoing

Cindy, who lost most of all her fingers following complications from a heart attack, uses this set of tools for daily eating.

Engineering at Home

with Caitrin Lynch and Cindy

June 2015–February 2016

Amanda Cachia, an art historian and curator who also has dwarfism, stands with a cardboard prototype of a lectern for short stature.

Alterpodium

with Amanda Cachia

March 2014–ongoing