Pragya Singh recently won a prize of US $30,000 at the India Future of Change Contest 2011 held in New Delhi.
A future where patients with cerebral palsy may not have to struggle too hard trying to sit up, that’s what 23-year-old Pragya Singh envisages. And, the design of this student of National Institute of Design, (NID), Ahmedabad, has struck a chord nationally. She recently won a prize of US $30,000 at the India Future of Change Contest 2011 (IFCC) held in New Delhi.
Singh, who studied product design at NID, has designed a chair-like structure which would assist those with mild or moderate cerebral palsy to change their postures comfortably.
“All cerebral palsy patients have unique complaints. So, this design has to be customised for every patient,” explains Singh.
She was required to prepare a product design as part of her curriculum. To get an idea, she visited hospitals and institutes for people with special needs. “I noticed that the chairs that cerebral palsy patients use are very uncomfortable. Patients are completely tied up with their chairs. I researched on the subject for the correct postures for these patients and thought of using this study to design a chair for them,” she elaborates.
That this chair can be made from used as well as easily available material makes it an economically viable option for the needy. According to Singh, a customised chair would cost anything between Rs2000 and Rs2500. Singh will receive the prize in national category at a special event to be held in March 2012.
Two more students, Mrinalini Sardar (graphic design) and Suman Biswas (furniture design) were among the top 10 national finalists at the design contest.
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