Opening the medicine cabinet, grabbing a toenail clipper and putting your foot over the toilet to trim your toenails is a universal experience and often overlooked.
Yet, for local resident Janie McInturff who was born with one arm, this is something that is not possible.
Now with the help of Tikkun Olam Makers on Cal Poly’s campus, McInturff is able to trim her own nails with a special gadget the organization gifted her.
“Trimming my toenails is really hard,” McInturff said. “That device is really helpful.”
Tikkun Olam Makers, which translates to repairing the world in Hebrew, is a global movement that provides people in need with affordable solutions for their disabilities, according to their website.
The organization works to support “Need Knowers,” which is a person who knows the needs of the person with the disability, according to president of the organization Noah Alloun.
“That could be the person themselves that has a disability. It could also be a parent, a caretaker, an occupational therapist or physical therapist,” Alloun, a mechanical engineering junior, said.
Tikkun Olam Makers gives out all devices for free and funds them through the global organization.
“They can try it for free, they can keep it for free,” Alloun said. “There’s no kind of downside.”
The organization started on Cal Poly’s campus in the fall 2024 after Alloun completed his fellowship with them the previous summer. The club currently hosts meetings every Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Engineering IV and is made of about 15 members, according to Alloun.
Gifted a prosthesis from the global organization, Cal Poly’s members visited the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo to look for a “Need Knower.” After showing them their website and the prosthesis they had on hand, they asked to be put in contact with someone from their nonprofit that could use it.
This is where the connection between Tikkun Olam Makers and McInturff began.
The process of providing a solution
After being connected to their Need Knower, the Tikkun Olam Makers showed them previous projects they’ve done and resources they have. The organization started working on the prosthesis after collecting McInturff’s measurements and getting her feedback.
“We have it set up like a lookbook,” Alloun said. “Basically, you go in, you see the inventory and then if something isn’t quite what they’re looking for we can make them a custom product.”
McInturff’s prosthetic has the option for a multitude of different attachments. Some of these include utensil holders, a steady hand to hold things in place, a grocery carrying attachment, a writing attachment and more, according to Alloun.
From household chores to painting, McInturff has done it all. “I’ve always done everything on my own,” McInturff said.
As per McInturff’s request, members of TOM started working on three different attachments for the prosthetic, one to help her with typing, holding and lifting.
They started with making a 3D model and ordered the materials, which included fabrics, buckles and straps. They then began the assembly process, according to Alloun.
Alloun explained that the organization acts as an opportunity to take learning outside of the classroom.
“Engineering students around the world create these projects and after a class ends, they end up getting thrown in the trash, almost like they’re just forgotten,” Alloun said.
Mechanical engineering freshman Eitan Ziegel has been involved in the organization and started working on McInturff’s prosthesis last quarter.
“It’s provided me with the next step to actually get into the field of engineering for the first time and actually make something that’s useful and that has a purpose,” Ziegel said.
Members work together in teams of two to three to create the final product. Working in teams of three allows students to work together and bounce ideas off of each other, according to Ziegel.
“It also expedites the whole process since there is a lot that goes into each attachment from the idea to the design phase all the way to manufacturing and testing and redesigning,” Ziegel said.
As of April, McInturff has tried the prosthetic on and is waiting on final adjustments.
“I believe all those little devices are really going to help me even more because I’m having a hard time with the only hand that I have,” McInturff said.
In total, Cal Poly’s Tikkun Olam Makers has given McInturff 11 devices.
Not only is the prosthetic going to help McInturff, but it’s helped Cal Poly students in the process, according to Alloun.
“It was so nice to see something that I designed and created actually on her and her giving me real-life feedback on what I can improve on or what I can change or how it’s working and how it’s going to help her in her everyday life,” Ziegel said.
