TULSA, Okla. — 6-year-old Union student Paulina Rodriguez was born blind and uses a wheelchair to get around Jarman Elementary. After seeing her struggle navigating the crowded hallways, her physical therapist, Rhiannon Cook, wanted to help.
“I was looking for something that when she gets close to something, it’ll alert her and tell her where she is,” Cook said. “And with different sounds so she can know what side of things something is.”
WATCH: Union elementary students help blind classmate get around school
Union elementary students help blind classmate get around school
So she reached out to the biggest brains she knew; 4th and 5th-graders in Darnaby Elementary’s STEM program.
TJ: “Show me what this is.”
BRODY, Darnaby 4th grader: “These are distance sensors right here. And we named this club Sound Scout.”
KJRH
With help from their teacher, MacKensie Mathison, and a grant from the Opp Project and Google, they created Sound Scout.
“We were able to 3D model our own custom piece to fit an existing Vex IQ piece into her wheelchair to make it work,” Mathison said.
Attached to the bottom of Paulina’s wheelchair, Sound Scout sets off buzzers when she gets within 10 inches of a wall or object. Providing her with safety and some Independence.
“That’s what we all want is to be more independent,” Cook said. “And so whatever that looks like, that’s our goal is for her to be able to just access her environment.”
“Everyone loves her,” Brittany Lewallen, Jarman Elementary’s special education teacher said. “Everyone wants to be her friend. So knowing this came from other students is just amazing.”
The kids at Darnaby say they’re proud of what they accomplished. For a classmate they don’t even know.
“We know that somebody needs it,” Brody said. “Now I’m like, we need to get that done so that person can stop having to go like that.”
Their teacher says she’s proud too.
“To be able to take all of that and actually help somebody in need was a really cool impact,” Mathison said. “They’re learning that they’re engineers now.”
Right now, the wheelchair has sensors on the left and right side that make different sounds. The staff says the ultimate goal is to have them on the front, back and underneath Paulina’s wheelchair.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere —
