Students from Spain Park High School’s Engineering Academy partnered with the Hand In Hand Early Learning Program at United Ability to build customized electric cars for children with disabilities. With support from a Toshiba grant, the students worked alongside United Ability therapists to adapt the cars so children could operate them independently, giving them new ways to move, play, and explore. The cars can be driven by the child or guided with a remote control, ensuring independence and safety. “Having an adapted car helps kids who can’t move—or who have a difficult time doing so—explore their environments, learn consequences of their actions (such as driving into an obstacle), and master special skills, like navigating from one place to another or turning the wheel,” says Marliese Delgado, OP Therapy Manager at United Ability.
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Active Engineering Education
Spain Park’s Engineering Academy, established in 2007, has become one of Hoover City Schools’s premier Career and Technical Education programs. The four-year academy is designed to prepare students for engineering majors and technical careers by guiding them through real-world, hands-on problem solving. Teachers who are themselves trained engineers lead students through increasingly complex coursework for four years, pairing advanced math and science with technical electives such as circuitry, CAD modeling, and robotics.
The Academy’s philosophy extends beyond technical proficiency; students also develop essential soft skills, from writing résumés to presenting complex ideas effectively, that position them well for college admissions and internships. Competitive teams, such as the Technology Student Association, VEX Robotics, and the Testing of Engineering Aptitude in Math and Science (TEAMS) team give students additional opportunities to apply what they learn in authentic, high-pressure environments. The result is a robust pipeline of students who go on to thrive in engineering programs and high-tech industries.
A Purpose-Driven Partnership
The collaboration with United Ability began four years ago when Engineering Academy teacher Elizabeth Browne, searching for meaningful, community-focused opportunities for her seniors, reached out to Marliese. Marliese, already familiar with engineering programs through her work with UAB students, welcomed the opportunity to partner. Since then, she has hosted Spain Park seniors annually for facility tours, introductions to therapists, and candid discussions about inclusive and accessible design. “She really encourages students to think about engineering design for people of all ability levels,” Elizabeth says. Marliese now serves as both a project advisor and a member of the Engineering Academy’s Advisory Board.
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Solutions for Therapeutic Needs
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Each car also included a personalized 3D-printed license plate.
For a recent project, students were tasked with adapting off-the-shelf ride-on electric cars to the unique physical and developmental needs of five children served by the Hand In Hand program. These modifications required students to pull together skills they had been building over three years in the Academy—circuit modification, 3D design and printing, and custom fabrication among them.
The students were divided into teams, and each team was assigned a child, their family, and a physical therapist (PT). PTs and students emailed back and forth as each car was customized. Because students were not able to meet the children prior to delivery day, communication with therapists and parents happened primarily through email. Students asked questions, requested measurements, and submitted proposed designs for approval. They also gathered personal details—favorite colors, characters, and interests—to make each child’s car feel truly their own. “The therapists are experts on what type of physical accommodations are needed, and the parents are experts on what their child likes and what will motivate them best,” says Marliese. “Everything we do is centered around giving these young ‘clients’ independent mobility,” Elizabeth says. “Mobility helps them explore, interact with their peers, and build confidence. That’s huge for social and cognitive development.”
Creating appropriate harnessing and switching mechanisms was often the most challenging aspect. Many children required custom supports, alternative activation buttons, or adapted seating. In some cases, cars had to be brought back to the high school after the initial delivery for additional adjustments. Elizabeth notes that this wasn’t a setback—it was an authentic lesson in the engineering design cycle. “Continuous improvement is part of what engineers do,” she says. “Making revisions ensured the cars truly enhanced each child’s mobility.”
Collaboration Leads to Empathy
While the technical challenges were significant, Elizabeth believes the personal growth she observed was even more profound. “Each student grew not just in their technical understanding of how these cars work, but in empathy,” she says. Student teams—each named after their assigned child—routinely shared solutions and helped one another troubleshoot problems.
Their collaboration reflected a deeper understanding of what it means to design with purpose. They weren’t just building a product; they were creating independence, joy, and possibilities for children whose world becomes larger when mobility becomes accessible. “Not having the ability to move and navigate your environment can create delays that are not directly related to the diagnosis, as children learn through physical experiences, and the lack of that often has a negative impact,” says Marliese.
“Seeing the children sit in the cars for the first time and seeing the families’ reactions was overwhelming,” says Marliese. “These cars don’t exist in the ‘real world,’ so it’s not an option most people have. But those with disabilities deserve to do all the things other people do: play, work, live. They just need assistance or assistive technology to do it.” As this partnership continues to grow, both Spain Park High School and United Ability hope to expand the project, offering more students the chance to put engineering into action—and more children the chance to move, explore, and simply be kids.