WheeStroll

Bullis Upper School students in Matt Zigler's Making for Social Good course invented and designed two functional wheelchair adaptation devices which allow a wheelchair user to carry an infant seat or push a stroller with safety and ease.

Ten Bullis Upper School students are making it possible for a new father with impaired mobility to walk with his newborn son.

Jeremy King had surgery for a brain tumor three years ago and was left with physical challenges like not being able to balance well. He can walk, but he can't do it safely while carrying a child, so his wife, Chelsie King, Middle School theatre teacher, turned to a coworker for help.

Ms. King reached out to Matt Zigler, BITlab coordinator, who teaches a class called “Making for Social Good,” where students design products that have a positive social impact. He threw the challenge to his class and they got to work on something that could attach to Jeremy’s wheelchair. The students did interviews with the Kings to understand the issue and needs and eventually narrowed down their ideas into two projects:

1. WheeStroll Stroller Attachment, which connects an infant car seat to a wheelchair.
2. WheeStroll Stroller Adapter, which connects an entire stroller to a wheelchair.

Using the Bullis Innovation & Technology Lab (BITlab) and MakerSpace, students were able to 3D print parts and buy other materials from a hardware store. Their goal, beyond helping the Kings, was to create an affordable design that others could replicate to help families with disabilities.