Design of a cafeteria tray for use by stroke survivors

Survivors of a stroke present varying types and degrees of neurological impairments and functional deficits. They often have difficulty using one side of their body and may require assistive devices such as canes and walkers. As a result, carrying a standard cafeteria tray can pose a challenge to these individuals. Our goal was to design a cafeteria tray that could be easily used with one hand. User interviews of stroke survivors offered client needs that guided the entire design process. It was important to the stroke survivors that the device required intuitive understanding of use, effectively transported food using only one hand, supported the weight of a meal, and had a pleasing design to promote discreteness by avoiding a "disabled" appearance.