UATP joins effort to make face shields for individual needs

The face shield can be modified to be shorter 
or narrower, depending on what works
for the wearer.

Cathie Chansamone's daughter, Diana, needs to wear personal protective equipment. She has developmental delays, has had pneumonia, and is at high risk for complications or death from COVID-19. 

Diana also has sensory issues, she didn’t like wearing a traditional face mask, and she did not keep them on. So Cathie worked with Dan O’Crowley, Logan coordinator of the Utah Assistive Technology Program, to create an alternative that would keep Diana safe.

 

The result: a visor with a shield that snaps onto the headband. The design keeps the shield farther away from Diana’s face than other designs, and that made the shield easier to tolerate. “She likes it,” Cathie said. “We tried it for the first time today at the doctor’s office, and she wore it.” 

 

“A face mask can be too claustrophobic,” O’Crowley said. “So a face shield is a good second option.”

Related link: Student creates transparent masks for the Deaf and hard of hearing community.

 

Diana wears her mask

The design can be modified so that the shield is shorter or narrower, to fit the needs of the individual. It is easy to clean with a bleach solution or disinfectant wipes.

“It’s just life-saving,” Cathie said. “I knew we wouldn’t be able to go out without it.”

 

Do you have a need for customized personal protection equipment? Contact Dan O'Crowley in Logan and Cameron Cressall in the Uintah Basin.