The second semester of my sophomore I was the design lead of a new project with Grant's House. Grant's House is a local non-profit that helps members of the community with various disabilities develop life, interpersonal and professional skills to help them live independently.

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Many members of Grant's House struggle with over and under-stimulation. For those unfamiliar with the terms: over stimulation is classically what we think of when thinking of panic attacks or autism meltdowns. Under-stimulation is commonly seen in those with ADHD and in situations with "fidgeting". Over and under-stimulation are the two ends of the sensory tolerance spectrum, existing there for extended periods of time can be extremely harmful to the nervous system as the body is in a constant state of fight or flight. 

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Sensory devices and sensory walls work by allowing the user to focus on one sensory input, typically touch or sight, to drown out other inputs. In our project, it was important to have a wide range of available sensory input areas to accommodate people on either end of the spectrum. 

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My involvement with this team was focused on project specification development and small prototyping. We were able to deliver a small-scale prototype of a marble wall, the design is meant to help de-escalate individuals dealing with overstimulation. The device was made with laser-cut acrylic and free-rolling glass marbles. After being tested at Grant's House over the summer we received feedback that it worked better than we expected, and future teams will be implementing the device in their designs.