Independent Living Made Easier  

37^th Annual MADDAK AWARDS
2011 AOTA Conference
Philadelphia, PA
April 2011

Winners of the 37^th Annual Maddak Awards Competition for Product Design were announced at an awards breakfast sponsored by Mr. Kurt Landsberger, CEO, Maddak Inc. during the AOTA meeting in Philadelphia, PA. Six individual winners were selected by a panel of judges from the local OT chapter. Entries were categorized as Professional or Student.

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Professional Awards

1^st Place – Jon Turnquist , OTR/L , St. Ambrose University – The Magnetic Display Magnifier

Simple, ingenious device helps people with low vision see the temperature readout on digital stoves. Magnifier was designed to be used on newer stoves that do not have knobs or dials that can easily be marked for specific temperature settings. It attaches to the stove with magnets and enlarges the digital temperature readout, making it easier to see.

2^nd Place – Tosin Olowu, OT, PS 373 at Robert Randall School – Proprioceptive Pebble Sack (PPS)

Designed for children with Autism, the PPS is a donut shaped sack stuffed with pebbles to help decrease mal adaptive behaviors and increase attention span to functional tasks. The texture and weight of the sacks provide input to the child that inhibit the behaviors (hand clapping, flickering, flapping, neck/head movements, running, etc.) typically seen in children with autism. The PPS sacks are applied based on the child’s targeted behavior and can be used on the neck, back, wrist, waist and ankle.

Adaptive hair tying device created for clients with hemiparesis, weakness, or an amputation. The decorative elastic band grips the hair like a head band and allows the user to tighten the hair into a ponytail with the use of only one hand by pulling the toggle that’s on the end of the holder.  The One-Handed Pony Tail Holder is great for various hair lengths and types.

1^st Place – Mackenzie Fary, New York University – Cannula Cap

The cap is designed for infants who receive oxygen via nasal cannula. Infants tend to dislike the feeling of the tape on their face and are constantly pulling the cannula out of the nose resulting in a drop in oxygen saturation. The snug fitting hat allows the cannula to be secured to the cap; eliminating the need for tape on the infant's face-which can result in skin irritation and/or breakdown. The cap can be modified to address positional needs, to allow for ease in dressing and to allow participation in play and therapeutic activities.

2^nd Place – Nicole Rowold,   St. Ambrose University – Adaptive TV Remote

Adapted TV remote was designed to encourage usage of the affected hand/limb in children with cerebral palsy or a related diagnosis, and to help develop fine motor skills. The remote requires two hands and individual finger movements to operate.  It has 5 basic functions – power on/off, channel up, channel down, volume up, volume down.  Each function has 2 buttons which are spread apart so that the remote cannot be operated with only one hand. To successfully use the remote, both buttons must be pressed at the same time (one hand with each button).