Faculty Members from the Biomedical Engineering Department at Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus) held a meeting dedicated to the Indonesian Women with Disabilities Association (HWDI) and the YPAC of Semarang. They were people with disabilities using crutches as walking aids.
The event took place on the first floor of the I building, with twelve people from the HWDI and YPAC attending it. The event was a guidance of optimization in using walking aids known as crutches. Those people with long-term disabilities also complained about the non-optimal quality of crutches, as crutches sold on the market could only sustain short-term users.
At the event, several faculty members were also present, including Dita Ayu Mayasari, S.T., M. Biotech, Dedi Nurcipti, S.T., M.T., and Menik Dwi Kiniatie, S.Si., M. Biotech. In addition, those faculty members also involved two students, namely, Erika Dina Permata and Muzaifa Nakiatun Niza. Both of whom were Biomedical Engineering students of the 2019 cohort.
Dita Ayu Mayasari, S.T., M. Biotech., one of the community service team members, explained that this event aimed to accommodate every problem experienced by people with disabilities in using crutches. She revealed that there were several cons of using axillary crutches, with fragile grips being the most prominent one. Sometimes, the crutch pads could also inflict injuries after a long usage.
“Upon further inspection, we realized that the axillary crutch pedestals are also not durable enough. As a result, a repair is constantly needed. The received complaints will later serve as a fundamental basis of our newly designed walking aids,” she explained.
Meanwhile, Dedi Norcipti, S.T., M.T., one of the community service team members, hoped for this event to serve as an inspiration for a more durable crutch design, allowing the users to use the crutches in the long term.
“Hopefully, this event could fulfill their needs concerning a better-designed crutch specification they have been hoping for,” he concluded. (Humas Udinus/Alex. Foto: Dok. FT)
