-
A child drove a customized ride-on car at HPU's second annual 'Go-Baby-Go' event hosted by the University's Doctor of Occupational Therapy program.
-
The 'Go-Baby-Go' event, hosted by HPU, was an interprofessional effort with engineering faculty and students participating to ensure the ride-on cars were wired properly.
-
A total of six families participated in the 'Go-Baby-Go' event hosted by HPU.
-
HPU occupational therapy students, along with physical therapy and engineering students, worked together to ensure a highly successful event.
-
A group photo with a family at the second annual 'Go-Baby-Go' event hosted by HPU.
-
A group photo with a family at the second annual 'Go-Baby-Go' event hosted by HPU.
HPU held its second annual Go-Baby-Go event on October 3, at the University’s Graduate College of Health Sciences in Kaka‘ako, Honolulu. In an interdisciplinary effort, HPU Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) students collaborated with Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and engineering students to customize six ride-on cars for six local children with disabilities, offering early independent mobility, play, and social participation.
HPU’s OTD Honolulu program is Hawai‘i’s only occupational therapy doctoral program. It carefully integrates community-centered builds like Go-Baby-Go directly into the coursework, pairing students’ pediatrics and assistive technology labs with hands-on service learning.
The second annual 'Go-Baby-Go' event was a wonderful success, where children had the chance to have fun and interact with their friends and siblings.
“We are so proud that this is our second year of hosting the Go-Baby-Go event at HPU,” said HPU Professor of Occupational Therapy Patricia Coker-Bolt, Ph.D., OTR/L, FNAP, FAOTA, who coordinated the event. “It’s been a wonderful collaboration between the HPU occupational therapy program, as well as our physical therapy students, and students and faculty from our engineering department.”
“HPU purchased the ride-on cars and adapted them for children with various conditions or disabilities, giving them an opportunity for early mobility and a way for them to explore their environment. This year, we have six families. The children are receiving services from local clinics like Sprouts, Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children, and Shriners Children’s Hawai‘i. Our occupational therapy program really promotes service learning, so our students are learning and giving back to our families and our community partners. It’s also interprofessional; our engineering students make sure the cars are wired properly, and our occupational therapy and physical therapy students ensure the children fit safely with seatbelts and straps.”
Engineering students and faculty focused on reliability and access.
“We took the foot pedal in the cars and rewired them to be controlled by a big red button,” said HPU Assistant Professor of Engineering Patricia Young, Ph.D. “This is the second year our engineering students have been involved in this great event. We have engineering students across our electrical, biotechnology, and biomedical programs participating in the modification processes.”
As the first test drives rolled down the lab hallway the impact was immediate. The Yoshiro family shared how they were feeling at the event with their son Kaden.
“The experience has been priceless so far. We never thought we would have the opportunity to do this with our son. We didn’t think it was possible," the Yoshiros expressed. "This event is amazing, having it be accessible to Kaden. We have so much gratitude. It has succeeded our expectations. How much the students and faculty care about our son and other families is amazing. And seeing how they interact with our son has been amazing. As we have been preparing for the event, our son has been so happy. It has made our day, our week, our month.”
For OTD students, the build connects the classroom to real life. “Go-Baby-Go helps children do the things they want to do in life,” said first-year OTD student Mariah Borce. “Bringing together our pediatrics lab and assistive technology coursework to adapt cars means keiki (children) can play and interact with their friends and siblings, on their terms.”
Founded at the University of Delaware by Professor Cole Galloway, Go-Baby-Go has grown into a global movement that adapts off-the-shelf cars with adaptive seating and switch-activation, so young children can explore their world on their own. Research indicates that early, self-directed mobility supports cognitive, social, and motor development, which in part is why HPU launched the build last year and continued it this fall.
HPU’s Doctor of Occupational Therapy program in Honolulu is ACOTE-accredited, delivered in an accelerated two-year hybrid format, and features immersive on-site labs, interprofessional education with DPT and engineering, and rich community partnerships that reflect Hawai‘i’s culture and needs.
To learn more, go to www.hpu.edu/otd
