VTC Happenings - 2008

Section Index:

VTC and Cal Poly Students Awarded Prize Money

Paula Gijon and Chittayong (Jao) Surakitbanharn with award winning design

Paula Gijon and Chittayong (Jao) Surakitbanharn
With Their Award Winning Design

NISH, the National Institute for the Severely Handicapped, is a national nonprofit agency that supports groups participating in a program to provide jobs for handicapped people. NISH established the National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation & Design to create technological solutions to barriers that prevent people with severe disabilities from entering or advancing in the workplace. The Award is open to any college student or student team at the graduate or undergraduate level. The program is a great service learning opportunity for engineering, computer science, industrial design, physical therapy and occupational therapy students.

The annual competition is in its sixth year of sponsorship by NISH. The awards were presented during a reception during the 2008 NISH Grassroots Advocacy Conference at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

The winning students were from California Polytechnic State University – Paula Gijon and Chittayong (Jao) Surakitbanharn. They designed the “Napkin Roll Assist” for an individual who works in a supported employment position through VTC Enterprises, Inc., in Santa Maria, CA. The employee has limited dexterity and use of only one arm and was not able to meet industry standards for this task at the restaurant at which he works. The Napkin Roll Assist enables the individual to roll napkins at a significantly higher rate of productivity (26 seconds with the device compared to two minutes without). The device can also be used by other individuals with a variety of dexterity and motor impairments.

VTC and the students shared the $30,000 top prize award: VTC and Cal Poly each received $10,000, while Gijon and Surakitbanharn each received $5,000.