The Access

2007 IDEA Best in Show

Access is a sleek, advanced exercise machine that accommodates users with or without disabilities through engineering and universal design. It also combines the features of multiple machines into one unit capable of giving a full-body workout. Simplified, minimal controls enable people with limited dexterity (paraplegics and quadriplegics) to set up and use Access with ease. Adjustable grip attachments allow anyone, from a short, 100-pound woman to a tall, 240-pound man, to customize the machine to their body type. Hooks from the base of the machine secure a wheelchair in place, and a rolling bench can be locked in place for users without disabilities. The design follows the current trend in fitness equipment for cleaner, sophisticated aesthetics. It also introduces color in a market where whites, grays and blacks dominate, with green accents that represent bright, vibrant energy.

“Simple design. Simple solution. Very thorough design process. Quickly became the standard by which all other entries were evaluated.” --Jonathon Kemnitzer, IDSA, Principal, KEM STUDIO; “Exemplifies the high quality of student work seen in this year’s entries. The Access designers embraced ideas of inclusion and universality, based their work on thorough research, and produced a beautiful, carefully detailed, remarkable solution to a very real problem.”

--Prasad Boradkar, IDSA, Assistant Professor, Arizona State University

Contact:     J. Ryan Eder, IDSA (ryan.eder@gmail.com) (513-253-6043)

Credit:        J. Ryan Eder, IDSA of University of Cincinnati

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