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Those of us who enjoy spending time in the kitchen relish our space’s personalized utility and design. For others, like those with certain disabilities, the kitchen is full of futility. For
these people special devices can aide in being able to take back control of one’s kitchen and pleasure in the acts of cooking and food preparation. Persons who are confined to wheelchairs
but have independence and personal mobility have unique problems negotiating the common kitchen. For this project I have focused on tasks that entail either using the body to carry objects
in the kitchen from place to place, or which require the use of the lap as a work surface. These specific problems include, but are not limited to: carrying multiple, awkwardly shaped, heavy
or dangerous objects, and using the lap for food preparation. In response to these specific issues, I have designed a tray that sits directly over the lap and rests on the seat on either
side of the body. I found that trays already in existence which rest on the handlebars of the chair, limit range of movement and raise the work surface level on the lap to more constraining
levels. The tray is made of several parts that easily come together and separate from each other for specific uses, cleaning and storage. The main part, the top tray has many compartments
that can be used to hold utensils cups and glasses. A removable cutting board sits in a well in the center of the tray and has two handles that make it easy to dislodge from the main body of
the tray. Under the cutting board are compartments for more objects as well as a centralized series of slots. Into the slots slide two pot clamps that are meant to hug pots centrally placed
on the tray. Carrying full or hot pots and pans is one of the most difficult and dangerous tasks for handicapped persons in the kitchen. I spoke with individuals in this process who
referenced times when they had received second and third degree burns on their legs from water spilling onto their laps while carrying these objects. Not only do the easy to use pot clamps
restrict the movement of pots, in the event of a spill, the water or food spilling over would land safely in the well of the center of the tray and not on the body itself. The top tray sits
on a base, which in turn sits on the seat of the chair beside the body of the user. Under the base are pads of memory foam, which evenly distributes the weight of the materials on the tray
over the lap while securing the tray to the contoured lap of its user, as well as creating a further heat buffer between the body and the objects that may be placed on the tray. The top
tray, pot clamps and base would be made of heat resistant plastic that is dishwasher safe. The cutting board is made of either plastic or wood and the memory foam cushion is secured to the
base with Velcro for easy removal.
