Design Thinking and Disabilities: Empowering SSFS Students to Solve Real-World Problems

This month, Sandy Spring Friends School (SSFS) observes Disability Pride Month, an opportunity to honor the history, achievements, experiences, and struggles of the disability community. July marks the anniversary of the historic signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, landmark legislation that aimed to protect the rights of and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. SSFS’ Quaker-inspired commitment to equity, inclusion, and creating a sense of belonging makes celebrating Disability Pride Month a natural fit. And yet, as we observe this month, we simultaneously recognize our need for growth and improvement as we seek to create a community in which people with disabilities can fully experience belonging—from our School’s culture and policies to the physical spaces we all share on campus. We're grateful to all of the members of our community who are walking alongside us in this journey toward equity and inclusion for all.

This spring, a unique course offered to Middle School students provided an unexpected opportunity to connect curriculum to community—an opportunity that came in the form of applying design thinking principles to solve a real-world problem faced by some individuals with disabilities. 

You may be wondering, What is design thinking? It's a term encountered with increasing regularity, often without a clear definition. Simply put, design thinking is a problem-solving approach that emphasizes empathy, iteration, and collaboration—one that has gained significant traction in recent years. Initially rooted in the world of product design, design thinking has expanded beyond its initial boundaries and found its way into various industries, including education. Recognizing the potential design thinking holds to foster creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills among students, K-12 schools have begun realizing its potential. Distilled to its essence, it’s an approach involving identifying a problem, understanding the needs of the users, generating ideas, prototyping solutions, and testing and iterating those solutions.

It was summer 2019 when Middle School Head David Blake's design thinking vision became a reality. Middle School Science Teacher Steffany Cartellone remembers, "David wanted to offer middle school students more technology classes like design thinking, robotics, and coding. It was my first year teaching at SSFS, and I had room in my schedule to teach one more class. When David proposed the idea, I felt a little intimidated at first, especially given my degree in wildlife biology. Still, in my 23 years as a teacher, my attitude has always been, 'Whatever you need, I'll do it—I can learn along the way.' As I started researching, I saw the parallels to the scientific method and realized I wasn't completely out of my realm." She was grateful to have help at the outset: during that first semester, Steffany team-taught the class with Middle School faculty member Francis Zell, Learning Specialist Patti Lemere-Pates, and David, and by the second semester, she was off and running, teaching solo. 

The Middle School’s course added to existing options for students to be exposed to the process. As SSFS prepares students for a rapidly-changing world replete with technological advances and complex problems, the School already offered multiple formal opportunities to engage in design thinking in the Upper School—including Introduction to Engineering and Advanced Techniques in Fabrication and Design—to equip students with the skills necessary to thrive in the 21st century. With its framework encouraging students to think critically, empathize with others, and develop solutions through a human-centered approach, design thinking’s non-linear steps fit right in at SSFS—one solved problem at a time.

The Middle School Design Thinking class is a semester-long course open to seventh and eighth graders. Each year, Steffany solicits problems from faculty and staff, asking "What needs solving—what product or process bothers you or could be improved?" Students can retake the class, so the real-world problem they tackle must be different each semester. Regardless of the problem presented, students apply the established nonlinear steps of design thinking—which can be found posted prominently via a student-created poster in Steffany’s room featuring the mnemonic device “LAUNCH”: look, listen, learn, ask questions, understand a problem, navigate your ideas, create prototypes, highlight and fix prototypes, repeat.

In light of Steffany's open call for problems, Brenna R., Associate Director of Stewardship and Donor Relations, Clerk of ASMFB (All School Meeting for Business, the School's Quaker version of a regularly-occurring all-employee meeting), and Co-Advisor to the Upper School’s Student Affinity Group focused on disabilities, approached the class with a specific issue. She sought a solution that would keep her dry while navigating her wheelchair in rainy conditions. Brenna shares her motivation: "After the millionth time of getting soaking wet while using my wheelchair in the rain, I went to Steffany's class to ask them if they could design me a raincoat/umbrella solution that would be sleek and keep me dry."

During a faculty/staff professional development day planned and facilitated by the Office of Institutional Equity, Justice, and Belonging (OIEJB) in March 2023, Steffany had chosen to participate in a course focused on neurodiversity and ability, highlighting the importance of inclusive language, understanding the daily challenges faced by neurodiverse learners and individuals with disabilities, and the benefits of Universal Design in Architecture and for Learning. She remarks, "It's a topic we could spend a whole year on!" Needless to say, when Brenna shared her problem, Steffany was eager to present it to her enthusiastic class. 

To prepare the students for the project, Steffany first asked them to form groups of one, two, or three people of their choosing and design games to stimulate their creative thinking. Next, she directed them to modify the games so that people in wheelchairs could fully enjoy them. Drawing on what she learned during the recent faculty/staff continuing education session, Steffany reviewed with the class a guide published by the United Nations presenting appropriate language related to people with disabilities—a resource used in the professional development training she attended (readers may access the content online). The class then borrowed the drama department’s wheelchair to become accustomed to it and begin to think through how someone who used it would navigate campus. And, Steffany asked each of them to think through how they would navigate their entire daily routine, step by step, if they were in a wheelchair.

"I wanted to scaffold things, to build the foundation of the design process before Brenna visited for the first time," she says. The next part of that scaffolding involved teaching the students how to conduct effective interviews. They learned to ask open-ended questions that would yield useful information and practiced active listening—complete with thoughtful follow-up questions—while conducting mock interviews with each other. "All of the preparation was worth it; by the time Brenna visited the class for the first time, the students asked good questions and were very engaged," Steffany reflects. Brenna applauds their collective efforts, sharing, "Steffany was great about educating the students about disability issues—my involvement in the class felt like a really thoughtful inclusion into the curriculum." 

During Brenna's first visit on April 7, the students conducted an interview to better understand her needs and desires. They learned about the specific challenges she faces, such as rain pooling in the seat of her wheelchair and the limitations of using a typical umbrella. The discussion transitioned to the larger realities of wheelchair use, including the elements of wheelchair design (e.g., learning which parts are removable was vital for developing functional prototypes). And, Brenna and Steffany engaged students in a discussion of social justice and advocacy issues related to wheelchairs.

During that first visit, students also took measurements of Brenna's wheelchair—and found that the devil is indeed in the details. When it came time to begin developing prototypes, some groups discovered they were missing crucial measurements to complete their design. Steffany reflected that some of the most challenging aspects of the project for these students were the organization, planning, and detailed measurements required. She recounts, "I didn't direct the students during their measurements, allowing them room to do independent planning and execution. Ultimately, Brenna graciously responded to our request and returned for 10 minutes during a subsequent class so two groups could take additional measurements. Throughout the process, Brenna has been gracious, patient, and lovely."

Armed with new-found knowledge, awareness, and measurements, the students began prototyping solutions. Beginning with sketches—both to jumpstart their creativity and avoid wasting materials—the students began to conceptualize the potential shape and form of their final products. Then, after receiving their teacher’s full approval to change plans as needed along the way, they used cardboard, tape, glue, and other materials to construct their initial designs. "These initial 2D and 3D iterations weren't optimized—they didn't look good, weren't waterproof, and weren't strong enough, but constructing prototypes allowed the students to see, touch, and test their ideas," Steffany explains. Design thinking nurtures students' creative abilities by encouraging them to think outside the box and explore multiple solutions to a problem. Their teacher notes this creative energy in action: "It was amazing how different their ideas were—no two groups designed the same thing. Some were designed to go over Brenna's legs, some over her feet and legs, and some were aimed at supporting a large umbrella."

Brenna visited the class again on June 1 to test the prototypes and provide feedback. The students eagerly watched as she tried each design and shared her thoughts. One student remembers, "Hearing Brenna's feedback was really helpful." Brenna, noting the students’ enthusiasm and the initial promise of their work, encouraged them to consider patenting successful designs down the road. "Beyond their innovation, I appreciated their positive energy. When one group ran into an issue with the pole they constructed being wobbly, they stuffed straws in the port to make it more sturdy. Their excitement for problem-solving was palpable—they didn't allow themselves to become discouraged, which was especially beautiful to me. Seeing this positive energy makes me excited for this next generation and the way they will walk and work in the world," she praises.

After receiving Brenna's feedback, the students refined their prototypes. In preparation for the construction of the final products, Steffany reached out to the faculty and staff for material donations. Soon after, PVC piping, corrugated plastic, Gorilla Glue, plastic sheeting, liquid foam, and the like began multiplying in her classroom. Then, she coached students to research their remaining material needs and create a reasonable budget that would allow them to bring their eight final designs to fruition.

After receiving Brenna's feedback, the students refined their prototypes. In preparation for the construction of the final products, Steffany reached out to the faculty and staff for material donations. Soon after, PVC piping, corrugated plastic, Gorilla Glue, plastic sheeting, liquid foam, and the like began multiplying in her classroom. Then, she coached students to research their remaining material needs and create a reasonable budget that would allow them to bring their eight final designs to fruition.

In the end, the Middle School's spring 2023 Design Thinking course not only resulted in innovative products that address a problem experienced by a member of the SSFS community—by Brenna’s enthusiastic report, one of these products is currently keeping her dry on rainy days—but it also profoundly impacted the enrolled students. First and foremost, the group learned the iterative nature of the design process as they continuously refined and improved their ideas through feedback and testing. The approach underscores the value of persistence, resilience, and learning from failure. Steffany remembers, "I told them at the outset, ‘You're going to fail, and that's OK; you're going to try again and fail again, and that's OK, too.' I make sure the students know I don't have all the answers. Figuring it out together when there's a risk of failure is the whole point."

They learned another essential aspect of design thinking, as well: collaborative teamwork. By tackling an authentic problem, they mirrored real-world situations where multidisciplinary teams work together to tackle complex challenges with empathy. They learned from each other, each utilizing their unique strengths. "The students appreciated difference, didn't steal each other's ideas, and focused on the work at hand with a spirit of generosity—the communal approach they took is probably what I'm most proud of," Steffany lauds.

The students were equally enthusiastic, volunteering eager reflections: "This class makes me feel like we're really doing something; it doesn't feel like work when you're creating stuff." 

Beyond their pride in creating, the passionate group of 15 seventh and eighth graders shared countless realizations about the experience of people with physical disabilities—from the steep expense of wheelchairs to a few specific challenges presented by SSFS' campus to those with various disabilities to the inspirational accomplishments of the disabled community. "They learned the design process; they learned how to build a product; they learned how to interview people. But I think more than anything, they learned from each other and gained an awareness of what people with physical disabilities face," Steffany says. "Their eyes were opened to their privilege—the many things they don't have to think about. There was an attitude of, ‘I'm grateful for what I have,’ and at the same time, ‘The sky's the limit—people really can do anything.’”

Brenna reflects, “This class is a microcosm of the highest values we hold at Sandy Spring Friends School, including our commitment to equity and unity, which allows each person to come as they are. And, it demonstrates the openness of our faculty and staff to learning and growing—we are a community of lifelong learners."  

Which problem will the Middle School Design Thinking class tackle next? With the way the course exemplifies the power of education to transform students into empathetic problem solvers and positive changemakers, we can't wait to find out.