King's gives wheelchair bound 8-yr-old equal seat at the table

Eight-year-old Harrison Carter finally has an equal seat at the table with his friends at St Clair Primary School in Dunedin, after being presented with a new wheel-chair friendly playground table by senior King’s student, James Marshall and Technology & Visual Design Teacher, Andrew Bowen.

Deputy Principal at St Clair School, Luke Herden approached us after several declined applications for funding or grants. “It wasn’t right that Harrison is disadvantaged and segregated away from everyone else because he’s in a wheelchair. We eventually cut out a section of one of the standard playground tables, but it was still difficult for Harrison to get in and out easily. We approached King’s about helping us find a solution, because of their strong community spirit.”

The King’s Technology & Design Department has a strong focus on developing product design skills that solve challenging problems, so this was a natural fit for the students. Mr McIvor welcomed “the opportunity to enhance our students’ enthusiasm and advocacy for delivering on their duty of care for the wider community. Developing this table for young Harrison was an invaluable learning experience for our students, not just in technical skills but also in empathy and inclusivity.”

Harrison was born with cerebral palsy and a tepid spinal cord, which means his mobility is extremely limited. The wheelchair -friendly table has been designed to fit Harrison’s needs during his years at St Clair school. It will be located near Harrison’s classroom for easy access. When asked how he felt about the new table, Harrison said, “I didn’t like not being able to sit with my friends, so this is exciting.”