Canadian Paralympic Athletes Keep Cool Thanks to KPU Alumn

The men’s wheelchair rugby team are sporting vests developed by Design School graduates

Throughout September, Canadian athletes competed in Rio as part of the Summer Paralympic Games. Amongst them were the men’s wheelchair rugby team who, thanks to two enterprising Kwantlen Polytechnic University alumni, were able to boast a slight advantage over their competition.

Product Design graduate Jaymes Williams and Fashion and Technology graduate Laura Hutchison have created special cooling vests designed for all eight athletes on Canada’s team.

Last June, Carolyn Robertson—the Dean of KPU’s Wilson School of Design—introduced Williams and Hutchison to each other. Both aspiring designers went on to join a group of post-baccalaureate students on a trip to a Nike technical apparel manufacturer in Hanoi, Vietnam, where they worked on the cooling vests.

The duo later connected with Canadian Sports Institute exercise physiologist Melissa Lacrox as part of the user and testing process of the vests’ development. Lacrox taught Williams about some of the effects of spinal cord injuries, including how those who suffer from such injuries lack the ability to control their body temperature.

“[When someone severs their] cervical spine, their body changes a lot… [That person loses] a lot of muscle functions depending on how high the break is at the top of [their] neck,” says Williams.

He goes on to explain that “for every vertebra [along their neck, they] start losing different muscle groups,” meaning that each person’s movement or lack of movement is unique to the vertebrae they retain.

“They can’t use snaps, buckles, zippers—and that’s what’s used a lot in current products—so with that in mind, we wanted to develop something that was inclusive to them, that they could use it without any distractions,” says Williams.

After considering a number of remedies to this problem, the team settled on the most practical solution: magnets.

While preparing the vests for practical use, Williams learned about the intricacies of each athlete’s disability when he met with the wheelchair rugby athletes. He was looking to understand their needs in terms of both functionality and comfort, but also came away from the meeting with a newfound appreciation for the athletes themselves.

“They’re great,” says Williams. “They’re professional athletes by trade, so that’s what they do day-to-day. They’re very dedicated, hardworking individuals.”

Once their product had been further developed, Williams and Hutchison were approached and commissioned by the Canadian Sports Institute to create eight similar vests.

“It was definitely scary when they asked for it, but at the same time, it was exhilarating,” says Williams.

In addition to the collaborative effort of himself and Hutchison, Williams credits the KPU faculty of design with giving him the knowledge and ability to develop the vests. Both designers plan to use their success with the men’s wheelchair rugby team to push into the market and continue to innovate new products. For now, though, they’re content to watch the Paralympic Games and see all their hard work contribute to team Canada’s success.

“To be able to put in the time and see people really benefit from something is really rewarding,” says Williams. “That’s what I do it for.”