Barbara Beskind facts for kids

Barbara M. Knickerbocker Beskind, born in 1924, is an amazing inventor, designer, and writer. She used to be an occupational therapist, helping people recover from injuries. After working for the U.S. Army, Barbara started her own special clinic. She also created many new inventions to help people and wrote three books. When she was 89 years old, Barbara joined a cool design company called IDEO. There, she still creates new products to help older people and those with physical challenges.

Early Life and Becoming an Inventor

Barbara Beskind was born in 1924. From a young age, she dreamed of becoming an inventor. She grew up during the Great Depression, a time when money was scarce. This meant she had to be creative! Barbara made her own toys, like a hobbyhorse from old tires. This taught her a lot about how things are designed and how gravity works.

Even though she loved inventing, Barbara couldn't go to industrial design schools. Back then, these schools didn't accept women. So, she studied home economics at Syracuse University and graduated in 1945.

Helping Others as an Occupational Therapist

After college, Barbara joined the Army. She became an occupational therapist (OT). OTs help people get back their skills after an injury or illness. Barbara worked for 20 years in the military, helping soldiers recover. She created new ways to help them heal. She retired from the Army as a major.

After leaving the military, Barbara started her own occupational therapy clinic. It was the first independent OT practice in the United States! She also invented and patented six inflatable devices. These devices helped children who had trouble with their balance.

Joining IDEO to Design for Seniors

Barbara's passion for helping people never stopped. When she was in her late 80s, she joined IDEO. This is a famous design company. She brought her amazing ideas to help create products that make life better for older adults.

Designing at IDEO

Barbara was 89 years old and already retired. One day, she watched a TV show called 60 Minutes. It featured David Kelley, the founder of IDEO. Barbara realized that IDEO liked people with unique backgrounds. So, she wrote a letter to David Kelley. She explained her experience as an occupational therapist. She also shared her strong desire to invent things for older people.

Within a week, Barbara got a reply! She was invited to join the IDEO team in 2013. At IDEO, Barbara shared valuable ideas about aging and how to make things easy to use. She helped the team think differently and create designs that included everyone.

New Products for Mobility

At IDEO, Barbara helped design important products. These products focused on helping older people move around and access things easily. She came up with ideas like:

• A rearview mirror that could attach to a walker. This helps seniors with hearing problems see what's behind them.
• A walking cane designed to be more stable.
• Glasses with face recognition to help people with poor vision.

She also worked with a Japanese company. They were designing new glasses to replace bifocals. Barbara's advice was very important. She helped the IDEO team see mistakes they had made. For example, she told them not to use small batteries. She knew older adults would find them hard to replace. Instead, she suggested making the product rechargeable. Barbara always said that good design starts with caring about the people who will use the product. She believed function was more important than just looking pretty.

The "Trekker" Walker

Barbara once gave a speech at the White House. Her main message was: "design with us, not for us." This means that designers should work with older people, not just for them. Barbara has lived in senior homes for many years. This allowed her to see what older people really needed.

She noticed how walkers were often used incorrectly. People would lean on them too much, causing bad posture. Their shoulders would hurt, and they would walk strangely. So, in 2016, Barbara started working on a new kind of walker. She called it the "Trekker."

How the Trekker Helps

The "Trekker" has long, vertical handles. This design makes it hard to lean on the walker. It helps users stand up straighter and improves their posture. Barbara says this is her most challenging design project.

For her own use, Barbara is very inventive! She uses a pair of ski poles that cost only $30. She changed the handles to prevent blisters. She also added a flashlight to help with her vision. And she uses markers to tell the left pole from the right one!