Helen Bae

STUDIO 2: Spatial – Safe haven project
DHEA-6006-001
Studio 2: Spatial
Community partner: Safe haven
Primary topic focus: Autonomy
Team members: Helen Bae, Dorothy Choi, Zahra A.

My Role: Research, SME interview, Design process, Graphic Design, Prototype Design

BACKGROUND

Children with complex health conditions at the safe haven require specialized care to perform daily tasks. This care can be provided through caregiver assistance, skill development, and environmental modifications. To promote autonomy for children with disabilities, it is important to understand their specific needs. Adaptive behavior dimensions include self-care, contingency maintenance, mobility, communication, and social skills. To achieve our design goal, we focused on cerebral palsy, one of the most common conditions affecting children. Our research explored technologies to support these children and revealed a correlation between color and motor function impairment in those with spastic cerebral palsy.

OVERVIEW

This project is closely intertwined with my final project, which centers on co-creating a housing experience for low-income older adults facing housing instability. Both projects deal with the challenges of personal living spaces. While Safe Haven aims to cultivate a homely atmosphere, the institution we’re discussing specializes in providing institutional care to a diverse range of disabled individuals. With a history spanning several decades, this institution has adapted to the evolving landscape of medical science, leading to extended and healthier lives for disabled children who, in the past, faced shorter life expectancies. Consequently, the institution is proactively addressing the needs of these aging clients by transitioning them from smaller children’s beds to larger ones and equipping them with the skills necessary for their future aspirations and integration into society.

Within our three-person team, I contributed to the “autonomy” theme, a challenging aspect due to its extensive scope. Our recommendations predominantly centered on harnessing technology to support residents’ autonomy and optimizing both horizontal and vertical spaces to facilitate self-sufficiency in their movements. Our overarching goal was to transform the institutional environment, often reminiscent of a hospital, into a more comforting and familiar setting where residents could feel at ease. Additionally, we proposed the incorporation of vertical dividers embellished with knitted collage pieces to enrich the surroundings while offering interactive elements for tactile engagement.

Daily Routine Map of Cerebral Palsy Child

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