Two-year-old Ryder McGriff has battled a brain tumor and epilepsy. The tumor, which was located near his brain stem, required 28 surgeries and has left him with gross motor delays.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a very slow walker, he takes three steps and stops,\u201d said Cassie McGriff, Ryder\u2019s mom. \u201cHe\u2019s a very independent toddler. Anything that he can do to be on his own he loves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wright State\u2019s Ohio\u2019s STEM Ability Alliance program collaborated with the Clinton County Board of Developmental Disabilities to build\u00a0a motorized vehicle to help Ryder get around on his own.<\/p>\n
Created by the University of Delaware, the Go Baby Go program designs vehicles to safely empower children with mobility challenges to play and socialize more independently.<\/p>\n
Ryan Goecke, a Wright State biomedical engineering<\/a> student, volunteered to adapt a battery-operated car to fit Ryder\u2019s needs. \u201cI actually get to use my engineering knowledge and put it into play in a role that will make a difference,\u201d said Goecke.<\/p>\n The car\u2019s foot accelerator was replaced with a paddled button located on the steering wheel along with a seat belt system that can be adjusted as Ryder grows. The vehicle also has several other safety features including PVC pipe around the cabin for protection and an emergency shut-off switch on the side.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will let him get around our backyard and let him go where he wants to go and I don\u2019t have to worry that he\u2019s going to fall a lot,\u201d says McGriff.<\/p>\n Funding for this project was provided by Bill Marine Ford, in Wilmington.\u00a0Wright State’s\u00a0STEM Ability Alliance program is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wright State\u2019s Ohio\u2019s STEM Ability Alliance program builds motorized vehicle to help 2-year-old get around on his own. Continue reading