QL+ Program Manager:
Janet Papazis
PT, DPT
Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the Commonwealth of Virginia’s most comprehensive university and research institution, Virginia Tech offers 250 undergraduate and graduate degree programs serving over 33,000 students. Through a combination of its three missions of learning, discovery, and engagement, Virginia Tech continually strives to accomplish its motto Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).
janet.papazis@qlplus.org
QL+ mechanical engineering students from Virginia Tech tackled the Spikeboard Challenge. QL+ Challenger, Rob Jones is a double, above the knee, amputee that is committed to pushing himself past any obstacle. Rob is a fellow Hokie that deployed to Iraq in 2008 with the Marine Corps. In 2010, he deployed to Afghanistan where his main role was to detect buried IEDs. Unfortunately, an IED exploded before he found it and he lost both of his legs in the incident. Rob has by no means let his condition limit him in any way. He won a bronze medal in the 2012 Paralympics as a tandem rower, ran 31 marathons in 31 days in 31 different cities, and he has also cycled across the United States of America....
The project Challenger, Phil Swinford, is a retired U.S. Army Veteran and Virginia Tech Parent who experienced an injury while mountain biking with his son, who is a cadet at Virginia Tech....
QL+ engineering students from Virginia Tech worked on the Spasticity Hand Brace for QL+ Challenger, Mark Dellinger. Mark is a retired US Air Force Sergeant who had a stroke in 2015. The stroke resulted in limited mobility on the right side of Mark’s body. He has regained some mobility but is still affected by a condition known as spasticity in his right wrist and hand. Spasticity is characterized by continually contracting muscles. This condition makes it nearly impossible for Mark to voluntarily open his hand, causing difficulty in performing daily tasks such as cleaning and cooking....
QL+ engineering students from Virginia Tech were tasked with the Challenge of creating a Wheelchair Tire Change Device for QL+ Challenger and Army Veteran, Tammy Landeen. Tammy was involved in a horseback riding accident that resulted in the loss of her leg function. She lives in Maine and is an avid outdoors person. Tammy depends on others to help her change out her wheelchair wheels whenever they get dirty from outside activity. She challenged this team to design a device that would allow her to be more independent and improve her quality of life....
Dawn is a retired Army Captain who was injured in Iraq in 2004 when a rocket-propelled grenade went through her Jeep. This resulted in the loss of her right arm and shoulder. Dawn is a very active person and is a fitness enthusiast. She loves to work out with the assistance of her trainer. However, due to her injury, she is unable to perform exercises such as push-ups and planks. Attempts at these exercises result in the misuse of her muscles and could damage them or result in the uneven development of abdominal muscles....
The objective of this Challenge was to create a device to effectively clean our Challenger's wheelchair tires before he enters his home. QL+ Challenger, Adam Keys, is an Army Veteran and triple amputee (bilateral above the knee and below the left elbow). Adam lives a very active lifestyle; most recently, he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and participated in the Chicago Marathon. He was recently named Military Times' Veteran of the Year for 2019....
Adam Keys, 2019 Veteran of the Year, is frustrated by the dirt and debris tracked into his home via his wheelchair tires....
The wheelchair transfer device project was conducted for a QL+ client. The challenger for this specific project was Jeff Dolezal. Jeff served in the Air Force and was injured in a motorcycle wreck in 1980. The accident caused spinal damage and as a result, Jeff uses a manual wheelchair every day for mobility....
