Occupational Therapy student Abby Barton poses with the sling she created to help a child with cerebral palsy use swings at a playground.

Abby Barton, an occupational therapy student at San José State University, received first place in the student division of the 2014 Maddak Awards. The Maddak Awards program honors Occupational Therapy professionals and students who use their creativity, ingenuity and dedication to find new ways to enhance the rehabilitation of their clients.

For a class assignment in the College of Applied Sciences and Arts’ OT department, Barton was challenged to create a positioning device for a child with whom she works who has cerebral palsy. The girl had difficulties playing on swings at the park with other children. Barton said bucket swings were an issue for the child because she has difficulty bending her knees and wears leg braces. Barton created a sling that attaches to swing to allow the girl to use the playground equipment.