A Gift for Liam: Chantilly Academy Seniors Help Student with Disabilities Return to Class
With days to go before graduation, seniors at Chantilly Academy scrambled to finish an important final project. Inside Michael Piccione’s Engineering classroom, students darted across the room, grabbing supplies and tools to make last-minute adjustments.
Piccione watched over their work. “We’ll want to use a lock washer, Sebastian,” he commented. “There, this should be the right size.” He observed another student attaching a 3D-printed part to a metal frame. “Might want to try a smaller screwdriver.”
Minutes later, the students rolled their project across the hall to the Physical and Occupational Therapy (PT/OT) classroom. Students there spent the year collaborating with the Engineering students on the project: a mobile, adjustable, and customizable medical bed. Here, both classrooms faced their final test — getting feedback from the student who plans to use the bed when he starts at Chantilly High School in the fall.
Liam Bruen is an eighth grader at Rocky Run Middle School who has Nemaline myopathy, a type of muscular dystrophy that leaves him nearly paralyzed. Liam has previously been able to attend school with the help of a nurse but her retirement meant that this year he received homebound instruction — a teacher visited his house to ensure he kept up with his studies.
“What shines about Liam is his giving heart,” said Liam’s homebound teacher, Katie Mazur. “He is always showing concern for others. His smile and laugh are infectious. Being homebound can be tough on students and Liam always finds a way to make the best of the situation.”
Knowing Liam missed being in school and hanging out with his friends, teachers, and therapists, the Engineering and PT/OT students put their heads together and came to the rescue.
As part of the design process, his mother, Jamie, introduced him to the two classes and explained how her son communicates. He answered "yes" or "no" questions with his eyes; opening his eyes wide means “yes,” and blinking them closed means “no.”
After he was lifted onto the bed and made comfortable, Liam used his specially designed computer to ask the seniors a question. He moved his fingers near two sensors, selecting words from a list on a tablet screen. After a few minutes, the students heard his question, “What is your favorite color?”
Designing Liam’s Bed
While Liam gets around in a wheelchair, sitting in the chair for extended periods can feel uncomfortable. The bed allows him to stay in a lying position while attending classes.
Addressing Liam’s needs is a top priority. The engineering students made it happen with feedback from the PT/OT students.
“Even though safety is a primary concern for any project,” said engineering student Sebastian Nowicki, “for this, it’s especially a concern. Since he has no mobility, if anything happens, he’s not able to react.”
The project was months in the making. The first challenge they faced, said PT/OT Teacher Lindsey Grilliot, was finding the right class to partner with. At first, her students presented ideas to the engineering, carpentry, and auto tech classrooms.
Piccione’s engineering class had just the right skill set and resources the PT/OT students were looking for.
“The students spent the first three months of class doing an engineering study to look at how to address the needs of the student,” Piccione recalled, explaining the study involved extensive research into Liam’s condition. Along the way, students received feedback from professional engineers and Liam’s physical therapist before moving to the design and build phase. To help fund the project, they secured a $2,000 grant from Educate Fairfax.
The bed needed to feel comfortable and carry Liam’s equipment, including a feeding tube, oxygen tank, and ventilator. It needed a power supply that wouldn’t fail in an outage and storage space for Liam’s books. The engineering students solved many of those problems.
The bed also had to fit through every door in Chantilly High School. The PT/OT students helped with the test drive.
“We had a student lay in the bed and we rolled it through all the doors through Chantilly to make sure it could fit with the student on it,” said PT/OT student Margaret Crossan.
Finally, the bed needed some personal style so Liam could feel confident lying in it. The PT/OT students picked out "Star Wars"-themed decor to add. It’s one of Liam’s favorite movies. In his first meeting with the Chantilly Academy students, he spoke using his special computer and shared his favorite character: Darth Vader.
Working Toward a Common Goal
The Chantilly Academy students studied two different disciplines, but together, they worked toward a common goal. This project supported many of the FCPS Portrait of a Graduate skills. In particular, it helped the students become better communicators, collaborators, and creative and critical thinkers.
“We each speak our different languages, our healthcare provider language, our engineering language, and that was a little bit uncomfortable in the beginning,” Grilliot reflected. “We were on separate sides of the room when we discussed things. But now, we come together. It’s been nice for them to see the common goal.”
Sebastian says the feedback he received from the PT/OT students opened up possible career paths. “Biomedical engineering isn’t something that we considered, but we got exposure to this entire field through this project, which was really valuable.”
The PT/OT students also learned from working with the Engineering students. “They have very different minds than us,” said PT/OT student Kirsten Park, “but it was really cool to see how analytical they are. The PT/OT students were focused on what the PT needs are, but they were focused on questions like, ‘How is this functional?’ and, ‘How can we make this happen?’ I'm glad we got to work with them.”
Those different disciplines came together in the students’ first meeting with Liam. Sebastian spoke to Liam in a caring tone: “Hi Liam, I’m Sebastian, I’m from the engineering team at Chantilly.” Sebastian explained everything he and his classmates designed, and what else they planned to do: “We’re going to try to get a mount for your speaking aid,” he explained, “so it’s easier and more convenient for you.”
Liam felt enthusiastic about the bed. Back in his wheelchair with his mom seated next to him, he opened his eyes wide to say, “Yes,” he loved the electrical components. Mounted batteries power the mechanism that raises and lowers the bed. They can also power his devices.
The PT/OT students also received hands-on experience interacting with and helping Liam.
When she introduced herself, Kirsten recalled, “I was kind of nervous,” but that didn’t last long. “I saw him communicating with me through his eyes, which was so cool because I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said.
Moving Forward
The work on Liam’s bed is not quite finished — some final adjustments will be made before the students graduate. This project could help even more students like Liam — the Engineering students’ designs will be uploaded to a George Mason University database for others to download and use.
When these seniors receive their diplomas, Piccione says they have a lot to be proud of.
“All the students involved have learned to become much more professional in how they deal with situations and communication, and they're all acting like young adults with having to communicate about their project and come up with solutions and work with others.”
Grilliot agrees. “We’re all on the same path, right?” she asks. “Doing something to make someone else’s life better. So it’s been cool to see.”
When asked what he’s most excited to study at Chantilly High School, Liam opens his eyes for two subjects as his mom lists them: math and writing.
When asked if he’s excited for the new school year, Liam opens his eyes wide — a resounding “Yes.”
