Summary

During our work in a school for students with physical disabilities, we have noticed that several students who use a wheelchair have difficulties carrying and reaching their school bags. In most cases, the school bags are attached to the wheelchair handles in the back of the students, making it impossible for them to reach them themselves.

Print Settings

Printer Brand:

UltiMaker

Printer:

Ultimaker 3

Rafts:

No

Supports:

Yes

Resolution:

0.2

Infill:

100%

Filament: Formfutura PLA Your Choice

Notes:

Supports for the moving arm:
None

Supports for the outer housing: tree-supports (build plate only)

Place support blockers over the holes for the wooden rods & screws
Perimeter walls:
1,6 mm
Top & bottom layers:
5

This print usually takes around 24 hours. The colour was chosen by the student, so it is
optional which colour is used.
Includes:

1x hinge
1x hook
2x end caps

Additionally, the following items are required for assembling the backpack holder: one
wooden rod with a diameter of 18 mm, one wooden rod with a diameter of 14 mm (size
adjustable in the 3D model), 4 wood screws of size 3.5x20 mm, 2 wood screws of size
3.5x25 mm, and 4 pipe clamps for attachment to the wheelchair, selected based on the
size of the wooden rods.

Challenge

In everyday school life in a school for students with physical disabilities several students using a wheelchair are facing difficulties carrying and reaching their school bags because of the impractical attachment of the school bag to the wheelchair. The school bags are usually hung on the handles of the wheelchair in the students back area, so that the pupils
have no way of reaching them independently. This means they can neither take out their school materials nor put the bag down in the classroom and fasten it again. As a result, pupils are always dependent on support in this area and cannot use their school bag independently.

Next Steps

As this prototype is in its initial stages, there is room for further refinement. Subsequent iterations should consider the following enhancements:
a) Employ a material for the schoolbag attachment that is more stable.
b) The use of the schoolbag attachment should be observed in everyday life in order to identify potential for improvement and add other useful tools if necessary.

Project

Acknowledgement

This innovative design was developed by students in their master's program specializing in special education with a focus on physical disabilities. It was created by Leonard Balster, Teresa Bremer, Julia Müller and Mona Scheidtweiler.

Citation Recommendation

Balster, L., Bremer, T., Müller, J., Scheidtweiler, M. & Sponholz, J. (2025). Assistive schoolbag
holder for wheelchairs. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6929677/

Our Mission

Developing 3D-printed Assistive Technologies

Hi, I am Jakob. I am a research assistant at the University of Cologne in Germany. Back in 2018, my supervisor Professor Boenisch and I came up with the idea for a seminar focusing on designing 3D-printed assistive technology devices.

Seminar: Using ICT to Enhance Participation

The development of this design was part of the seminar: "Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Special Education with a Focus on Physical and Motor Development." Our students study special education with a focus on educating children and young people with physical disabilities in their master’s. At the start of each semester, our partner schools and institutions submit new challenges they face. Challenges could be scenarios like "A student in school xyz wishes to play the trumpet but can only use one arm. Can you make that possible?" or "In PE, wheelchair users with little mobility want to participate in catching activities involving hitting someone with an object, e g. dodgeball. How can we make that happen?"
Students select a challenge and work in small teams to design a custom solution by applying the Stanford Design Thinking approach. Throughout the project, we closely collaborate with the students in these schools, giving them the opportunity to participate in the development process and ensuring that efforts remain on track.

Aim

The designs developed during this seminar primarily aim to assist people with physical impairments and motor difficulties, but we also explore ideas that promote inclusive learning or address other life challenges. We'd love to hear how our designs have helped you or others.
Feel free to drop a message!

Assistive schoolbag holder for wheelchair users