Some people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease or symptoms of dystonia may feel like they’re living in world that’s rapidly shrinking. As their shaking, tremors, and involuntary muscle contractions increase over time, the number of day-to-day tasks they’re able to accomplish diminishes. And sometimes, the loss of the smallest things can leave the biggest scars.

Take the simple act of cutting vegetables—most of us wouldn’t give it a second thought. And if we did, that thought would be: “Hey, why don’t I buy pre-sliced vegetables and save some time?”

Fortunately, Australian student Emily Andrews was thinking a lot bigger. Emily came up with an idea that could be a game-changer for people with Parkinson’s and dystonia—and the result was award-winning. She modified a simple kitchen cutting board into a safe, effective design ideal for people with movement disorders.

As part of her advanced coursework in Design and Technology, Emily settled on the cutting board project after watching online videos about Parkinson’s disease. She quickly realized that food preparation can be difficult and dangerous for people with hand tremors—either from disease or age. Her foremost goal was to design a practical tool that patients would use every day.

Emily recognized the need to have a product that allowed people to feel they had won a psychological victory over the disease.

Emily thoroughly researched Parkinson’s disease to determine design modifications that would be helpful. She worked with neurologists and gathered feedback from a local resident with Parkinson’s. To test her design, she used her own grandparents as “guinea pigs.”

Emily’s teachers were so impressed with her design they encouraged her to enter into competition for innovative design at Sydney’s Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS), also known as the Powerhouse Museum. Not only was Emily’s design selected by Powerhouse for exhibition, it also won the museum’s top award: The MAAS Innovation in Design Award.

Her final design included features like a fixed integrated knife guard, special holders to keep food items steady, and a magnet to keep metal bowls stable. Emily is hoping her design attracts the attention of a manufacturer. We hope so too—any tool that helps restore some measure of independence for people with Parkinson’s and dystonia can go a long way to healing some of those everyday scars.

---

Have a look at Emily’s design for yourself. What kind of tools do you think people with Parkinson’s and dystonia need? Sound off in the comments below!