Adaptable House
Walking Sticks
A New Take on Everyday Support
Concept
The Walking Sticks feature integrates mobility support into the architecture. What appears as a sculptural installation reveals itself as grab points, balance supports, and removable walking sticks—turning design into independence.
Design Intent
Mobility support is integrated without stigma—making assistance intuitive, dignified, and beautiful. By embedding function into form, the design preserves agency, choice, and self-respect.
User Experience
As you move through your home, the installation offers a place to pause — to regain balance, stretch, or steady yourself before continuing. When more support is needed, a single element lifts free and becomes a walking stick — no searching, no asking “where’s my cane,” no disruption.
Mary’s Reflection
“I don’t want to stop what I’m doing just to go find a walking stick. I don’t want to announce that I need one. With this, support is already there. I can rest, stretch, steady myself, or take one with me—quietly, naturally, on my own terms.” Support appears where life happens.
Research & Collaboration
The Walking Sticks system was developed through Human-Centered Design research at the University of Washington and California State University, Long Beach. Work to date includes conceptual development, form studies, and user-centered evaluation focused on grip, reach, and placement, ensuring supports are intuitive, dignified, and responsive to lived needs.
Next Steps
Full-scale prototypes, usability studies, material refinement, attachment systems, and manufacturing feasibility. Funding, manufacturing, and construction partners are needed to bring these innovations into homes where they can make a real difference.
Join Us. Make an Impact.
Your support helps move these responsive systems from concept to lived experience. Opportunities include:
• Donate – fuel innovation and accelerate development.
• Collaborate – partner on prototyping, manufacturing, or construction.
• Volunteer – contribute your expertise or time to advance the project.
Together, we can reimagine everyday supports as tools for strength, balance, and expression — empowering people to move with confidence and individuality.
