Eden Fields
We are working with The Freewheelers Theatre Company, Paul Hodgkinson, and a diverse group of professional engineers on a project supported by The Royal Academy of Engineering.
The project is developing a resource called "Eden Fields", which explores the notion of a perfectly accessible environment developed with disabled people and exclusively for the use of disabled people and their carers.
The resource will be used to stimulate discussion and debate about inclusion and accessibility.
We held our first workshop session in June 2010, at The Bridge in Leatherhead.
Participating engineers came from: Upton McGougan, Mott Macdonald, Surrey University, MERU and Promode.
We then held a series of workshops at the Leatherhead Theatre, bringing engineers and The Freewheelers together for planning sessions.
Graham from MERU and David from Upton McGougan explored the design, engineering and accessibility issues associated with a swimming pool and hydrotherapy pool with their group.
Jason from Mole Valley Borough Council and Nouh from Surrey University developed an idea for solar-powered charging points for electric wheelchairs in their session.
Stephen from MERU and Stuart from Thomasons explored the idea of a pod-based transport system in their group.
David from MERU and Hannah from Mott Macdonald talked with their group about a multi-purpose electronic bracelet that would work like a set of keys, a credit card and much more besides.
Following on from the large workshops, we ran a series of smaller sessions. The first of these brought engineers from MERU to meet The Freewheelers Theatre Company to explain their work and their gadgets.
Two members of The Freewheelers Theatre Company visited Cranleigh School, to meet with Thomasons, to find out about an inspiring eco-friendly engineering project.
Stephen, from Freewheelers, spent an afternoon with Graham Crisp from Promode, at the BedZed development, finding out about eco-friendly design and engineering.
We are currently producing the short film which will summarise all of the ideas to emerge from the workhops, and we will take this resource into schools and business settings to explore issues of access, design and engineering, and diversity together.
The project website is currently under development www.edenfields.com