鈥淚n 鈥榯witch鈥� games or really fast-moving games, a millisecond can be a long time,鈥� Cendan says. 鈥淪o having a controller that doesn鈥檛 rely on joysticks can speed up your responses.鈥�

Cendan鈥檚 custom controllers were inspired by a friend who could no longer play games because of a hand issue. 鈥淚 was surprised to find no custom controllers out there on the market, so I decided to try and build them myself,鈥� says Cendan.

In 2018, he formed the company聽Stickless聽and started building the boxes for competitive and disabled gamers. Now he鈥檚 got more orders than he can fill, making 85 custom controllers last year alone. This is on top of his graduate work in interactive entertainment at 麻豆原创’s , where he is in the production track with a focus on audio.

Cendan says about half of his clients are disabled gamers who need a way to play their favorite games.

鈥淔or so long accessibility was an afterthought in the game industry, and in every industry really. And that鈥檚 no longer the case.鈥� 鈥� Aaron Cendan, FIEA student

鈥淔or so long accessibility was an afterthought in the game industry, and in every industry really,鈥� Cendan says. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 no longer the case.鈥�

The design process starts when Cendan gets clients to send a diagram of where their fingers touch the faceplate.

Then he drills the button holes using that design and builds the rest of the controller using wood, circuit boards and a polycarbonate faceplate. A contract artist working in Brazil creates custom artwork based on the client鈥檚 wishes. Each controller takes 8-12 hours to make.

鈥淚 really like doing it,鈥� Cendan says. 鈥淚 like helping people play who couldn鈥檛 previously. And people seem to love them.鈥�

At the time I was about 6 years old and I thought sports were for boys, so I didn鈥檛 care too much to play with him, but I would still watch from the side and cheer him on.

In elementary school, I participated in a few Special Olympics track and field events and received participation metals and ribbons. For a long time, that was the extent of my participation in sports.

Spending most of my childhood in Orlando, I became a huge Orlando Magic fan. I watched almost every game on TV and attended some in person. I started to understand all the calls being made by the referees and learned the players鈥� names on the team. I fell in love with the sport, just as my older brother did.

Around this time, I started to expose myself to other sports such as football, tennis and soccer. I didn鈥檛 understand them as well as I did basketball, but my curiosity kept my eyes glued to the screen.

One day something inside of me clicked. I realized that with every sport I came across on TV, from the time I was a toddler to even now, I had never seen someone who was in a wheelchair or had some form of physical disability playing on a team. I didn鈥檛 quite understand why. I mean, if I am able to fall in love with a sport, then other people like me probably do too. I thought maybe the reason we can鈥檛 play the sport is because our chairs or something else limits us.

I quickly found out this limitation wasn鈥檛 true when my next door neighbor bought a basketball hoop and I would play with him every weekend. I discovered that I was actually able to get the ball into the net.

I had been mentally putting these limitations on myself that were not true.

I had been mentally putting these limitations on myself that were not true.

But I still didn鈥檛 understand why I never saw anyone with physical disabilities on TV playing sports.

A year went by and I met someone who was also in a wheelchair, Gabriel. We became good friends and I learned that he played on a local wheelchair basketball team. This was the first time I heard of a sport team specifically for people who utilize wheelchairs. Shortly after, I learned about the Paralympics and found myself watching countless YouTube videos of sports that were adapted for those who had physical limitations.

Gabriel kept trying to convince me to go to a practice and play with the team, but I constantly denied the invite because I felt I was not good enough 鈥� I only played with my neighbor for fun.

But Gabriel never gave up. Every year they were having tryouts he always told me and I always turned down the offer.

It was not until I was a student at the 麻豆原创 when I learned about an upcoming intramural two-on-two wheelchair basketball tournament that was inviting people of all abilities to play. I finally pushed aside my fear and told myself: 鈥淲hy not? It鈥檚 just a one-day tournament.鈥�

Alas, we ended up in last place. Although for me it wasn鈥檛 about what place we finished, but rather the impact and awareness the tournament had on me and everyone participating.

That tournament changed my entire outlook on sports!

It made me finally feel a part of something and made me appreciate the people who recognize that the disabled population is the most underserved population in the country and are trying to make a difference.

Allowing people of all abilities to participate in these kinds of tournaments and leagues helps bring this kind of awareness to everyone. I often hear feedback from people who are able-bodied on how difficult it actually is to push the chair, dribble the ball and shoot all at the same time, and how much they respect those who play this sport. Hearing this feedback fills me with joy.

It is amazing to see how simple it is to adapt a sport for those with physical limitations. Every time someone hears about a Paralympics sport and I show them a video, they seem so amazed and always say: 鈥淚 could never play this, it looks so difficult!鈥�

I hope that at someday I am able to come home from a long day at work, turn on the TV and watch a live game of wheelchair basketball. Now that would be the cherry on top.

Katherine Torres is the facilities scheduler at the 麻豆原创鈥檚 Recreation and Wellness Center. She can be reached at Katherine.Torres@ucf.edu.

The 麻豆原创 Forum is a weekly series of opinion columns presented by 麻豆原创 Communications & Marketing. A new column is posted each Wednesday at /news/ and then broadcast between 7:50 and 8 a.m. Sunday on W麻豆原创-FM (89.9). The columns are the opinions of the writers, who serve on the 麻豆原创 Forum panel of faculty members, staffers and students for a year.

The first step to bridging this gap often starts with providing accessibility in its many forms to those who need it. Physicist Michael Lodge 鈥�18PhD, who has used a wheelchair since he was 8 years old and is now a nanotechnology research fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, is just one example of the difference that accessibility can make.

鈥淲hy should someone be excluded from a tradition as old as humanity itself simply because they鈥檙e disabled?鈥� 鈥撀�Michael Lodge 鈥�18PhD

鈥淪cience is fundamental to the pursuit of knowledge. It is how we have advanced as a species,鈥� Lodge says. 鈥淲hy should someone be excluded from a tradition as old as humanity itself simply because they鈥檙e disabled?鈥�

Lodge was left paraplegic as a child after undergoing surgery to remove a tumor embedded in his spine. Since then, the Sanford native has used a wheelchair to navigate the world. While Lodge says he has learned to adapt to the challenges he faces, he encountered a major obstacle as he began to do experimental research.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a blow to the ego when your disability curtails your options, however it鈥檚 downright devastating when your disability is the sole thing preventing you from seizing a great opportunity that has been handed to you,鈥� Lodge says.

Gaining Experience

After coming to 麻豆原创 in 2007, Lodge began working as a graduate student in Professor of Masahiro Ishigami鈥檚 lab. In order to make sure Lodge could make use of the space, Ishigami worked with him to make the lab more accessible by moving things to a reachable distance and allow more room for the wheelchair鈥檚 movements. Improving accessibility for Lodge came naturally to Ishigami, as his father was a medical specialist who provides rehabilitation to patients who have been disabled by injuries, diseases, conditions or disorders. 聽The American Disability Act defines a disability as 鈥渁 physical or mental impairment that limits one or more major life activities.鈥�

鈥淔or me, this is something we have to solve; it鈥檚 something I was familiar with. For me, he was just another person.鈥� 鈥撀燩rofessor of Physics Masahiro Ishigami

鈥淚 use to tell Mike my weakness is I can鈥檛 actually see that he鈥檚 different from anyone else,鈥� Ishigami says. 鈥淔or some people this is an insurmountable problem. For me, this is something we have to solve; it鈥檚 something I was familiar with. For me, he was just another person.鈥�

Lodge immediately demonstrated tremendous talent, Ishigami says. Within a few months he was able to teach himself to create graphene, a single-atom layer of graphite that is very difficult to make. Ishigami then arranged for him to participate in other research projects, but the lack of accessibility in other labs prevented Lodge from gaining experience.

鈥淲e realized at that point if he鈥檚 going to have a career in [the scientific field], he鈥檚 going to have to engineer solutions so that he can improve accessibility himself,鈥� Ishigami says.

Engineering Solutions

At 麻豆原创, Ishigami continued to support Lodge鈥檚 experimental-research efforts and eventually was able to get a custom-designed $14,000 wheelchair, with the cost covered entirely by the wheelchair company, a grant from the National Science Foundation and 麻豆原创鈥檚 . The motorized wheelchair allows Lodge to increase his elevation by 11 inches, which enables him to use special microscopes and other tools.

鈥淸The wheelchair] is essentially the difference between me being an independent person in the lab and me having to shelve projects until someone can help me do something mundane, like reach a canister of glue on a high shelf or look at a sample through the slightly too-high window on a vacuum chamber,鈥� Lodge says.

Expanding Opportunities

Eventually, Lodge was able to use the wheelchair abroad for the first time when he was selected from a group of 199 candidates for a two-month research project in Australia at the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes. There, he got to enjoy the beautiful sites of region, while building important connections.

鈥淔or many disabled people, there are steps that can be taken to improve accessibility to a point that the person鈥檚 limitations become minor.鈥� 鈥撀�Michael Lodge 鈥�18PhD

鈥淭he people in and around the lab [in Australia] were very personable and knowledgeable, and they made it easy to really network with other scientists. In fact, I met my current boss while I was working there,鈥� Lodge says.

After graduating in the summer, Lodge was able to keep the wheelchair Ishigami acquired for him.

鈥淚 think many of the issues that disabled people have with pursuing a career in science, and perhaps other aspects of life, is that they focus on the reasons why they would inconvenience or be rejected by a professor, a group, or their field of interest as a whole. The truth is that these perceived barriers are usually way less serious than they think,鈥� Lodge says. 鈥淢asa [Ishigami] was not only able to look past my disability, he was considerate of it and actively made my life easier.鈥�

Now working in his field, Lodge has become a researcher at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. There he uses the skills he learned in Ishigami鈥檚 lab and in Australia, to study the electronic properties of materials that conduct electricity in unusual ways. The science he is developing will be used for future electronics that will be created over the next 20 years.

Orlando Health is sponsoring a 麻豆原创 Go Baby Go! event at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children

in downtown Orlando. 麻豆原创聽Go Baby Go! was established in 2015 as a chapter of the national Go Baby Go! program, which develops innovative, accessible ways to improve the lives of children and adults with limited mobility. The program creates modified ride-on toy cars for young children and portable-assistive harness systems for children and adults.

Jennifer Tucker, who runs the program at 麻豆原创 and is a lecturer in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, will provide a workshop for parents and physical therapists from Orlando Health. Tucker will address how important mobility is for a child鈥檚 development and she will talk about the local and national efforts of Go Baby Go!

鈥淭his is about independent mobility,鈥� Tucker said. 鈥淲e know that getting children mobile isn鈥檛 just a necessary part of their physical therapy. It is also a critical part in a child鈥檚 socialization, growth and future potential. This is about so much more than a car. This is about giving a child an opportunity at a future that includes not being left on the sidelines as their peers move ahead.鈥�

Afterwards, the attendees will join 麻豆原创 volunteers who will help them build the modified ride-on toy cars at the hospital. Ten children will be able to take the vehicles home. One car will stay at the hospital to give pediatric patients an opportunity for a fun driving experience during hospital stays.

Individuals聽aged聽5 through 21 years and their families are invited to participate in this free event sponsored by the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. There will be two sessions, 10 a.m. to noon and noon to 2 p.m.

Each child will be partnered with a D.P.T. student 鈥渂uddy鈥� for聽a two-hour session. The聽physical therapy聽student will tailor activities such as soccer, basketball and Frisbee throwing to meet the child鈥檚 individual needs and ensure fun and safety.

Family members, including siblings, and legal guardians are invited to participate in the activities or simply relax and watch.

The goal is to create a fun and memorable day for both the children and families聽and to promote聽a healthy lifestyle, according to D.P.T. student and event co-chair Jerilyn Toubman.

This year’s event will feature a visit from Knightro and assistance at activity stations聽by 麻豆原创 athletes.聽In addition, the Orlando chapter of Medals4Mettle will honor each participating child at the end of the event.

Day-of聽registration is available but early registration is encouraged.

麻豆原创 physical therapy faculty members and students, administrators, and engineering students,聽along with family and community members,聽gathered for the聽workshop Dec. 4, from 1 to 5 p.m., at聽麻豆原创’s Morgridge International Reading Center.

They modified off-the-shelf toy聽cars聽for 16 toddlers with limited mobility using readily available parts. Afterwards the children聽learned to drive their cars and聽had an opportunity to explore their surroundings.

Research shows that children with new-found mobility are empowered to be part of the action. They demonstrate increased social interaction, motor skills and cognitive development.

GoBabyGo is a national movement led by Cole Galloway, a professor, physical therapist and associate chair at the University of Delaware. The National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation fund much of his work.

Galloway worked with Jennifer Tucker, a 麻豆原创 physical therapy faculty member and pediatric physical therapist, to lead the latest workshop. They led the first 麻豆原创 Go Baby Go! toy car workshop in May, when cars were built for 11 children.

Community interest in the 麻豆原创 mobility initiative has grown considerably since the first workshop,聽Tucker said.聽New mobility projects and additional workshops are being planned for the coming months in partnership with Galloway.

Learn聽more about 麻豆原创 Go Baby Go! at www.ucfgobabygo.org.

View additional photos at https://bit.ly/1TUFQ5c.

(Top photo by Abi Bell)

The puppy is the first assistance dog-in-training allowed to live in student housing on the campus of the 麻豆原创 as part of a new partnership with Canine Companions for Independence. 麻豆原创 is the first public university in Florida to have this agreement.

Robin rooms with 麻豆原创 sophomore Morgan Bell, a volunteer puppy raiser who takes the yellow Labrador-golden retriever mix with her to classes, study sessions and around campus. The cute ball of fur arrived at Bell鈥檚 Lake Claire dormitory room with lots of potential, but in need of help to shape her into a trustworthy assistance dog.

By the time Bell turns Robin back in to the Southeast Region of Canine Companions for Independence for professional training after about 16 months, she will have helped the puppy master 30 commands, and provided basic obedience instruction and socialization opportunities. Those are essential skills for dogs that are meant to be matched with people with disabilities.

鈥溌槎乖� recognized the learning opportunities that the Canine Companions for Independence program could bring to a residence hall community,鈥� said Christi Hartzler, executive director of Housing and Residence Life at the university. Morgan underwent a rigorous selection process and has made a huge personal commitment to work with Robin over the next year.鈥�

Prior to committing to the program, students must seek approval from 麻豆原创鈥檚 student housing department, their resident assistant and all of their roommates to be allowed to house the puppy in their dorm room.

Bell, who is majoring in statistics and finance, knows that being a volunteer puppy raiser is a big commitment and comes with a lot of responsibility.

鈥淗aving a puppy live with me in university housing is an awesome experience. It will increase my capacity for responsibility, will help me structure my days and will give me a feeling of purposefulness. In addition, 麻豆原创 students, faculty and staff will learn more about assistance dogs and about the impact they have for people with disabilities,鈥� Bell said.

Robin can be seen around the 麻豆原创 campus as she becomes socialized. As a volunteer puppy raiser for Canine Companions, Bell must take Robin many places, allowing her to socialize with strangers, attend classes, walk amid crowds and traffic and otherwise become familiar with the world around them.

鈥淐ollege students are some of the best people to train our puppies because they are always putting them in social situations,鈥� said LeAnn Siefferman, Canine Companions鈥� puppy program manager.

Canine Companions has also committed to bring information and educational programs to the Lake Claire community.

鈥淲e are excited that other residents will have the opportunity to聽learn more about the training of assistance dogs and maybe even have a chance to help with the socialization of Robin,鈥� Hartzler said. 鈥淭he structure and resources that Canine Companions provides is a good fit for 麻豆原创 as we develop this special living-learning community.鈥�

Canine Companions has its own breeding program in Santa Rosa, California, and the volunteer puppy raising program offers a unique opportunity for college students to assist Canine Companions with its mission.

Aside from learning about puppy care and training, students gain knowledge and experience with learning theory, recordkeeping and reporting, public speaking and communication skills.聽 Disability awareness is also gained along with the knowledge of issues regarding the legal aspects of public access for assistance dog users. In addition, puppy raising grows a culture of personal and social responsibility.

Canine Companions assistance dogs are provided free of charge, though costs to Canine Companions exceed $50,000 to breed, raise, train and provide ongoing support. Charitable contributions, grants, special events and corporate support fund the substantial costs involved with this process.

That鈥檚 what makes them especially well suited as animal partners in helping children and adults cope with physical and mental disabilities, and post-traumatic stress, while improving their interaction skills and building their confidence.

Parslow, who鈥檚 been riding and working with horses since she was 5 years old, works as the聽volunteer coordinator for Freedom Ride, a therapeutic horseback riding center in Orlando. She loves everything about her job, because it allows her to make a difference in the lives of others every day.

鈥淚 can see the changes in the riders, their physical and mental health improving, and their overall quality of life improving,鈥� she explains. 鈥淚 also love that I get to work with the things I am most passionate about: children and horses.鈥�

Freedom Ride is a PATH (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship)-accredited riding center that provides therapeutic riding lessons to help its mentally and physically disabled participants gain core strength, posture and balance.

In addition, the non-profit organization also provides hippotherapy, a form of occupational therapy in which a therapist uses the movements of a horse to engage sensorimotor and neuromotor systems to create functional change in a patient. It also offers a military program to help veterans increase self-awareness, enhance coping skills and learn more effective ways to interact and move forward within the community and with loved ones.

Parslow originally majored in forensic science at 麻豆原创 鈥� until she took chemistry, which was extremely difficult for her. During her struggle, she also was working at the YMCA, which led her down her new path.

鈥淚 realized how much I enjoyed working with children,鈥� she explains. 鈥淚 did my research and knew I didn鈥檛 want to become a teacher, so I took the early childhood development track. I loved every class and gave 100 percent every day.鈥�

While pursuing her degree in early childhood development and education, Parslow interned with Freedom Ride for four months to gain the hands-on experience required for her major. Now employed with the organization for almost one year, she ensures they have enough quality volunteers to care for the horses and facility, and work the classes alongside the riders.

鈥淚 think my education degree helps me offer my expertise on our riders and their behaviors that the other staff may not understand,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 able to offer insight into why children do certain things and not others, or what they respond to best.鈥�

HORSIN’ AROUND Q&A

Q. What advice do you have for current education students at 麻豆原创?

A. Enjoy what you鈥檙e studying! You鈥檙e going to be guiding future generations. A degree in this field is EXTREMELY important. I wish more people would understand that. The first eight years of life are most important. So many milestones are reached in that time frame. PLEASE enjoy what you are doing. There has to be passion for what you want to do or it will affect future generations.

Q. Describe a typical day at work.

A. The first thing I do when I arrive at work is greet all of my staff members and volunteers. We have a small staff, and we always ensure our volunteers have a great time. We鈥檙e a family, and I want to make sure that they feel that way. Throughout the day, I enter the volunteer hours into our database, work on the monthly volunteer newsletter, ensure that we have enough volunteers each day, visit the horses and riders, and am聽thankful that I have a job I enjoy. There are days where we may not have enough volunteers, so I鈥檒l need to work a class, which I thoroughly enjoy! I鈥檓 always asking the other staff members if they need anything done, and I will do it if they need the help. My days go by quickly, but I always come to work with a smile on my face and leave with a smile!

Q. What鈥檚 the last thing you Googled?

A. 鈥淭rucks for sale.鈥� Living on a farm is tough without a truck!

Q. What one thing drives you absolutely crazy?

A. I鈥檓 a firm believer that if someone says they鈥檙e going to do something, they should do it. I don鈥檛 like seeing people, or myself, get their hopes up only to have them crushed.

Q. Last book you read?

A. PATH Instructor Manual. I鈥檓 going to become a riding instructor!

Q. If someone wrote a book about you, what would the title be?

A. Happy-Go-Lucky, or something along those lines. I鈥檓 always, always happy. I always have a smile on my face and enjoy life to the fullest.

Q. What鈥檚 the hardest thing you鈥檝e ever done?

A. The hardest thing I鈥檝e ever done was to beat depression and anxiety. Before attending 麻豆原创, I was a very anxious and depressed teenager. I sought help from a psychologist and her dog, and overcame my depression and anxiety. Those two things are very hard to beat and overcome, but I鈥檓 glad I did. I think that鈥檚 why I鈥檓 such a happy and thankful individual.

Q. Best piece of advice you鈥檝e ever received?

A. Worrying never changes the outcome. How true is that?!

Q. What鈥檚 something you learned in the past week?

A. I鈥檝e learned that sometimes you have to step up and take care of things when no one else is willing to help. It鈥檚 difficult, but it can be done!

Q. What鈥檚 something most people don鈥檛 know about you?

A. I鈥檓 easily intimidated, and I do NOT like confrontation.

MORE INFO

That changed on Thursday, when 鈥� after months of preparation 鈥� a new high-tech wheelchair was delivered to Lodge at the physics lab where he鈥檚 conducted research for the past four years. The power wheelchair has a 鈥渟eat elevator鈥� capable of lifting Lodge to a height that allows him to work with scientific instruments that have been out of reach until now. He can move around the lab safely, for the first time at eye level with his fellow researchers.

鈥淚鈥檓 very excited, not just about getting the wheelchair, but also what it represents,鈥� said Lodge, 28, who was left paraplegic at age 8 after surgery to remove a tumor embedded in his spine. 鈥淭raditionally there aren鈥檛 that many people with mobility impairments in science because of the barriers. Being in a wheelchair, unfortunately, does limit your opportunities. With this, it鈥檚 a whole new world of opportunities that were closed off.鈥�

Physics professor Masa Ishigami helped arrange for the $14,000 wheelchair at no cost to Lodge. Manufacturer Amysystems agreed to discount the price of the wheelchair by half. A portion of a National Science Foundation grant brought the cost down further. And when he learned of the effort, Michael Johnson, dean of the 麻豆原创 College of Sciences, arranged for 麻豆原创 to cover the rest of the cost. The wheelchair was delivered to Lodge by distributor Majors Medical Supply of DeLand on Thursday afternoon. Lodge took it directly to the physics lab where he conducts his research.

鈥淗e鈥檚 one of the best students I鈥檝e worked with at 麻豆原创, hands down. I think this wheelchair will help him achieve even more,鈥� Ishigami said.

Lodge has interned at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, and has developed a new technique to measure the friction properties of ultra-thin sheets of graphene.

See video from FOX35 news .

On Saturday, the 麻豆原创 will host a free outdoor聽event on 麻豆原创鈥檚 Memory Mall to encourage physical activity in children with developmental disabilities. Physical Therapy Field Day promises to be fun for kids 鈥� and families will come away with strategies to tailor physical activities to the particular needs of their children.

鈥淲hen you reach a certain age, there are very few opportunities for children with developmental disabilities to be engaged in activities that they might like,鈥� said Jennifer Tucker,聽a member of the physical therapy faculty and board-certified pediatric clinical specialist. 鈥淭his event really exposes the children to activities designed just for them.鈥�

It鈥檚 the second year for the event, which was created and organized by doctoral students in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Physical Therapy program. Under the theme 鈥淟et鈥檚 Ignite! Building Better Bodies,鈥� children ages 5 to 18 will have the chance to warm up with 麻豆原创 mascot Knightro, play games and have fun.

There will be activity stations for soccer, throwing, basketball, an obstacle course, and other fun stuff, including face-painting, sidewalk chalk and a parachute canopy.

Each child will be paired with a buddy 鈥� a physical therapy doctoral student 鈥� who will tailor games and activities based on the child鈥檚 abilities. A wheelchair-bound child, for instance, can play soccer with a bigger ball.

Parents and siblings can see how they, too, can modify playtime activities to improve fitness.

The day ends with a ceremony in which all the children who participate are presented with medals.

About 40 children attended last year鈥檚 event, and organizers hope for more this year. Also signed up are more than 70 physical therapy doctoral students, who gain valuable experience working with kids of varying abilities.

鈥淭he students are driven to the profession at a fundamental level by a desire to help and connect with others,鈥� Tucker said.

The event on Memory Mall in front of the CFE Arena runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 28. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.