Name of teaching material
Portable on-lap wash basin with drain self-made product
Japanese Page URL
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| Target | Primary and secondary students with mobility restriction (students who use wheelchairs or those who are unable to extend limbs due to muscle contracture) |
|---|---|
| Disability category | mentally challenged physically challenged multiple disabilities other |
| Teaching units / Applicable scenes | science life studies drawing and crafts, art technical arts and home economics physical education foreign languages special activities activities for independent living instruction for living skills instruction of play life unit learning learning for unit of work other pre-school education teaching and learning tools, auxiliary aids |
| Specific purposes |
Special needs curriculum for primary education students with intellectual disability, 1: Basic life skills -Knowledge and skills: Learners acquire the knowledge and skills regarding handwashing before mealtimes. -Thinking, judging, expressing: Learners recognize the importance of washing their hands before mealtimes, gain the motivation to practice handwashing, and learn to express their feelings about handwashing. -Self-driven learning: Learners practice handwashing on a daily basis, along with their instructor. |
| Considerations for disability characteristics |
1. Wheelchair users can use My-Sink whenever and wherever, in their wheelchair During the school day, students must frequently wash their hands. Students in wheelchairs struggle to use conventional washbasins; oftentimes, their knees hit the basin and the faucet lies beyond reach. For users of motorized wheelchairs, almost all conventional washbasins are inaccessible. Another problem is that even though wheelchair users wash their hands before preparing food, they will contaminate their hands again once they push the rims of their wheelchair. The solution is My-Sink, a personal washbasin that can be used anywhere where drainage is available. The user can wash their hands free from the problems mentioned above. 2. Accessible to users who cannot extend their arms Because the washbasin is placed directly in front of the chest, students can easily wash their hands even if they are unable to extend their arms due to muscle or joint contracture. One high school student said after using the washbasin, “It’s been so long since I was able to wash my hands.” |
| Expected effects and results |
1. Students can practice handwashing by themselves, encouraging self-driven learning Wheelchair users often require an assistant to use conventional washbasins. The assistant parks the wheelchair perpendicular to the washbasin, washes the hand on the washbasin’s side, then repeats the process for the other side. Students undergoing this process never get a chance to wash their hands on their own, meaning that they lose out on an opportunity for self-driven learning. With My-Sink on their lap, however, the students can wash their hands by themselves, using the basin on their lap, whenever and wherever. 2. One can learn how to wash your hands in a safe, easy, and hygienic manner Some wheelchair users keep a filled basin of water on their lap. However, in such cases, the water must be changed after each wash to ensure proper hygiene. Additionally, a filled basin is heavy and unstable. The person may struggle to balance it on their lap and the water may spill. The My-Sink avoids these problems; it is lightweight and the drainage hose runs between the person’s knees, meaning that it stays safely in place. The product makes it easy for anyone to wash their hands in running water. 3. Minimizes the need for assistance when using a sink My-Sink has multiple applications. During a cooking class, for example, it could be used to wash vegetables. Wheelchair-friendly washbasins are rarely found in cooking sites on camps and other outdoor venues for extracurricular activities. Many campers look forward to cooking Japanese curry and other dishes on portable gas stoves. Wheelchair users, however, have to use filled basins when washing the dirt off the potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables. With My-Sink, however, wheelchair users can wash the vegetables in running water. |
| How to use |
1. Place My-Sink on the user’s lap. 2. Connect the drain hose to a drain pipe. 3. The user rests his or her hands on My-Sink. 4. Run water into My-Sink from a hose, watering can, or filled basin. 5. The user washes his/her hands like everyone else. Provide assistance as required if the person has difficulty moving fingers. The water used will drain away from the drain on the My-sink. |
| Related teaching materials and information |
The washbasin itself should be deep and wide enough to minimize splashing. The hose should be around two meters in length. A washing machine drain hose should suffice. A conventional garden hose may be used too, but it may be too thin to ensure efficient drainage and prevent spillage (not impossible). The hose should ideally be sealed to the basin using silicone caulk. Alternatively, use hot-melted adhesive (apply thickly to ensure a firm seal). |
| Useful for other students |
- Informant Special Needs Education School for the Physically Challenged, University of Tsukuba
- Keywords handwashing, cooking, practice
- Created 2020-11-23 17:49:48
- Updated 2023-06-29 12:01:55