
Matt Kawiecki:
Hello, that is Matt Kawiecki and I’m the founding father of totchop, and that is your Assistive Expertise Replace.
Josh Anderson:
Hiya and welcome to your Assistive Expertise Replace, a weekly dose of knowledge that retains you recent on the most recent developments within the subject of expertise designed to help people with disabilities and particular wants. I’m your host, Josh Anderson with the INDATA Venture at Easterseals Crossroads in lovely Indianapolis, Indiana. Welcome to episode 712 of Assistive Expertise Replace. It’s scheduled to be launched on January seventeenth, 2025. On as we speak’s present, we’re tremendous excited to study all in regards to the totchop. Let’s have a fast story a couple of partnership working to make kiosks extra accessible. So now let’s go forward and get on with the present.
Listeners, are you heading to the ATIA convention right here on the finish of January? Effectively, we’re right here from Assistive Expertise Replace, the INDATA Venture and our different assistive expertise packages right here at Easterseals Crossroads. We’ve acquired a fairly large group going this 12 months, and we’re very excited to get to study all the brand new assistive expertise on the market, in addition to study from a number of the professionals out within the subject. In case you occur to be attending ATIA this 12 months, it could be actually nice to attach, and when you’re on the lookout for some classes to attend, why don’t you attend one of many ones that we’re collaborating in.
On Friday, January thirty first, I’ll be presenting with a beautiful Lisa Becker on transition instruments for people with cognitive impairments in post-secondary training. This presentation will spotlight and deep dive into totally different assistive applied sciences and lodging that may help people with cognitive impairments with a transition to greater training and assist them to attain success. We’ll go over every kind of various stuff from thoughts mapping to planning, to staying targeted, to writing, studying, and different wants that may have an effect on people with all totally different sorts of cognitive impairments. In case you do attend these coaching, you’ll come out with some actually nice concepts what may be capable to help people that you simply may work with or know in addition to perhaps some strategies to determine and pick what these could be.
Even be presenting on Saturday, February 1st with off the shelf lodging for growing older. Brian Norton will likely be becoming a member of me for this presentation, which can go over in-built accessibility options and makes use of of on a regular basis off the shelf electronics and different issues, and the way they will help people as they age with the intention to reside full, lively and unbiased lives. This presentation can be very excited, honored, and humbled to be chosen as one of many Pleasure Zabala Spirit Award winners. We’re tremendous excited to be chosen for that award and searching very ahead to presenting and speaking to everybody down there. So once more, when you’re heading to the ATIA convention right here on the finish of the month down in Orlando, Florida, go searching for a few of our crew from Assistive Expertise Replace from Easterseals Crossroads and from the INDATA Venture.
And likewise be sure you attend one in every of our trainings when you like, and cease by, say hello. We sit up for seeing everybody there. Our story as we speak comes from Cision PR Newswire, and it’s titled TPGi and Storm Interface Associate to Superior Accessible Self-Service Kiosks with JAWS for Kiosks. This story talks a couple of partnership between TPGi, which is a Vispero firm and Storm Interface, which is, I assume they make self-service accessibility and totally different human interface units. In order that they’re working collectively with the intention to put JAWS for kiosks, so the display screen reader and Storm Interface’s AT merchandise into kiosks to make them accessible and accessible for people with a whole lot of totally different wants.
So this helps out in a couple of alternative ways. After all, JAWS and JAWS for kiosk is a display screen studying software program, so it’s going to have the ability to make info there on the display screen that’s visible auditory, in order that a person who’s blind or low imaginative and prescient is ready to entry that info. After which with these items from Storm Interface, this brings a sturdy and versatile enter units. They’ve some issues referred to as NavPad, NavBar, and AudioNav. These are going to provide you different enter strategies similar to tactile navigation and audio steering, simply ensuring that people that simply can’t depend on a conventional touchscreen due to mobility challenges, cognitive impairments, any form of factor. That they’ve methods to have the ability to entry these.
Studying on within the story, a part of this partnership comes with European Accessibility Act, ADA Title II and ACA Part 1557. Deadline’s looming. So that is mainly from what it says right here, going to be turnkey accessibility options embedded in kiosks and self-service units. Studying by the story, it says the collaboration addresses key challenges in self-service accessibility by enhancing the enter choices, having the ability to help units like numeric keypads, QWERTY keyboards, tactile navigation instruments, simply so that people can simply use it slightly bit higher. It ensures privateness, these audio enabled options to information customers with out having to depend on visible interfaces.
It says it gives JAWS scripting capabilities for tailor-made buyer interactions, and it could actually assist enterprise meet these requirements and accessibility laws arising. We’ll put a hyperlink to this press launch over within the present notes. Effectively, what a extremely cool partnership and simply ensuring that self-service kiosks as a result of I do know no less than right here within the states, it’s exhausting to stroll into a whole lot of locations with out discovering an iPad on a stand or another form of self-service kiosk the place perhaps you choose your seat, order your meals, order different providers and the whole lot else. So making these absolutely accessible to people with all totally different sorts of wants and talents actually does assist out and actually simply makes it to the place they will entry your merchandise, your providers, and the issues that it’s that you simply’re attempting to promote.
So it’s not nearly regulation and form of maintaining with these, however it’s actually simply not the precise factor to do, in fact, but additionally good enterprise. Simply ensuring that anybody that comes into your small business or tries to entry, once more, your items, your providers, no matter it’s that you simply’re providing, has full entry to these independently as properly. Not having to discover a sighted assistant or any person else who can entry that contact display screen, however having the ability to independently do what it’s that they wish to do. So very cool partnership. Once more, we’ll put a hyperlink to this launch over within the present notes.
Listeners as we speak we’re tremendous excited to speak with Matt Kawiecki, and he’s right here to inform us all in regards to the totchop and the way it could make meals prep simpler and safer for people of various skills. Matt, welcome to the present.
Matt Kawiecki:
Hey, thanks a lot for having me, Josh.
Josh Anderson:
I’m actually excited, particularly after I get to speak to any person form of native. So Matt’s right here in Fort Wayne, which isn’t removed from Indianapolis, form of the place we’re primarily based. However earlier than we get into speaking in regards to the totchop, are you able to inform our listeners slightly bit about your self?
Matt Kawiecki:
Positive. My title is Matt. I’m Indiana born and raised. I went to Purdue College and popping out of college, labored at Eli Lilly for 10 years in a wide range of manufacturing and R&D roles earlier than leaping into this startup final 12 months. So blissful to be right here and excited to share our background and the place this concept got here from and the way we’ve not but pivoted into incapacity house, however we’ve begun to analysis and perceive that the product we designed for one more house could be a improbable assistive expertise.
Josh Anderson:
And generally that’s my favourite form of issues. Perhaps they’re not made for a particular objective, however when you get it on the market, it’s like, “Oh, this can be utilized in a whole lot of alternative ways.” So I assume let’s begin with perhaps from the start. I don’t know if we should always speak about what totchop is or perhaps the place the thought got here from first. I’ll go away that one as much as you.
Matt Kawiecki:
Positive. I feel they’re fairly intently associated. So shout out to my spouse, however her mother and father again in 2018 purchased a memento whereas on a visit as much as Alaska. And it was this very lovely Ulu knife. And this knife, we didn’t actually know what to make use of it for. It regarded like one thing that was for charcuterie. Quick-forward, I’m an engineer. After I see one thing inefficient in my day by day life, I search for issues round the home to attempt to make it sooner, and it actually boils right down to that. So I got here throughout this knife whereas I used to be making ready meals for my daughter on the time, and I used to be like, “I’m going to strive that.” And it was that aha second after I realized {that a} rounded blade with a rounded bowl mean you can minimize up meals in a short time.
So then I in fact went to my spouse and I used to be like, “That is nice. It’s important to use this to chop up meals for Abby day-after-day.” After which it turned our day by day driver for a few years. The one factor about it was that it’s wooden, and when you could have two working mother and father, when you could have a day by day dishwasher load, you need to have the ability to conveniently clear issues. So the one factor I’d hoped for was that I may go and discover one on-line that was dishwasher protected, extra handy to make use of in kind of our busy day by day lives. After I didn’t discover that, that’s after I had this, “That’s a neat concept.” However that concept was simply form of on the again burner till October of 2022.
We had a choking scare with our 14-month previous on the time, and by chance she ended up okay, however after calling EMS and pondering your baby’s unresponsive on the desk, it’s a type of moments in life like, “There’s earlier than that occurred and after. What am I going to do after?” And that’s after I had this concept of mixing the ingenuity of a rounded knife just like the Ulu, together with measuring aids, making one thing that’s tailor-made for fogeys to chop up meals and likewise handy to wash, straightforward to wash, et cetera. That’s the place the thought of totchop happened. So it took a couple of 12 months to develop, and we went by a whole lot of human elements research the place we actually have been what mothers and dads are doing within the kitchen whereas making ready meals for youths.
And a part of that includes usually holding a child. So when you’ve ever needed to attempt to put together meals whereas holding a child, it’s not very straightforward. You possibly can perhaps take a cleaver and begin chopping, however meals’s going to fly round all over the place. So then we put a give attention to one-handed use. And the best way that totchop is designed, and I do know your listeners won’t have seen an image of it or something earlier than, however it has a curved bowl on your chopping floor. In case you add non-slip toes to this chopping floor, then you possibly can primarily use the product one-handed as a result of the bowl acts as your third hand primarily. In order that’s the design inspiration for creating one-handed use. It was to permit a mother or dad to carry their 10-month-old, 12 month previous and take part in meals prep, after which the child’s blissful.
They’re engaged in meals, hopefully extra keen to strive the meals that you simply’re making ready. In order that was the design inspiration and line of pondering we had from the start, and that’s the place it interprets into the incapacity house. We’re like, “Huh, it may be used with one hand. You don’t actually need that a lot superb motor management. It’s very fast. It’s very easy to wash, and your fingers aren’t subsequent to the blade. Let’s dig into this slightly bit.”
Josh Anderson:
And form of such as you mentioned within the incapacity house, in fact, with one hand or form of impeded motor management, but additionally I may see how if I used to be visually impaired, as a result of once more, it’s form of being all held there with out having to have my arms all near the blade, could make an enormous, enormous distinction.
Matt Kawiecki:
Sure. Undoubtedly. And one factor I haven’t talked about but is we’re actively within the R&D part for our youngsters’ model of totchop, and the children’ model has a uninteresting blade. So whenever you consider a uninteresting blade, like a butter knife, for instance, it’s not that efficient at chopping. Nonetheless, with the design of this knife, since you’re simply pushing, the uninteresting blade nonetheless capabilities fairly properly and may minimize, I’m estimating 80 to 90% of meals fairly simply. So when testing this with youngsters and designing this with youngsters in thoughts, we wished the blade to nonetheless perform in addition to we will. So make it as sharp as you possibly can with out having the ability to minimize pores and skin. After which I’ve a fast story right here concerning visually impaired.
My spouse, she’s an ophthalmologist, so she acquired a letter at work from this native middle right here in Fort Wayne that works with individuals with imaginative and prescient impairment and blindness. And so they mentioned that they’d an open home arising. So I used to be like, “Effectively, I’m going to succeed in out to them to perhaps check this child’s knife with somebody who struggles with imaginative and prescient impairment.” And I went there, once more, it’s earlier than that and after that. It was a type of life-changing moments. You’re watching any person work together with one thing you’ve created. There was one particular person named Mark, and Mark was utterly blind since start, and he solely had use of 1 hand.
And as I’m attempting to soak in all this info whereas I’m watching him have interaction with the child’s prototype knife. He was capable of minimize up a uncooked carrot with one hand utterly blind and utterly safely. After which after seeing that, it’s taking place in actual time, you possibly can’t actually realize it. However I requested him as a follow-up, I mentioned, “Mark, have you ever ever achieved that earlier than?” And he mentioned, “No.” And he’s 45, 50 years previous. So I referred to as my spouse on the best way residence and I used to be really dropped at tears. I used to be like, “Rachel, I feel this could possibly be life-changing for individuals with blindness. I imply, not simply individuals with one hand, however individuals who can’t see as a result of this blade can’t minimize them, however it could actually nonetheless minimize meals.”
In order that was a fairly profound expertise that I went by, and it actually opened my eyes into the decreased independence that the majority kitchen instruments supply individuals with disabilities or permit individuals with disabilities, after which the decreased alternatives for studying these important cooking abilities that may carry that independence. So it’s not just for older individuals like Mark, however I feel with youngsters as properly. I reached out to this random woman that I discovered on Instagram, and her daughter solely has, I don’t know if it’s amniotic band syndrome, however her hand shouldn’t be absolutely developed on one in every of her sides. So I despatched her a set of the child’s prototype and searching primarily for suggestions. So can your baby use this?
After which now she makes use of it day-after-day, and she or he mentioned that she’s solely three years previous, however that is the primary time she’s really capable of assist in the kitchen with one thing protected as a result of it’s really easy to make use of since you’re simply pushing. So it’s tales like that I thrive off studying about this house as a result of it’s one thing that I don’t should expertise in my day by day life, which in methods is lucky in different methods unlucky as a result of it opens up a whole lot of totally different potentialities and publicity to new merchandise and several types of individuals and all that. However I feel that these tales with connecting with people with a incapacity and seeing the vary of disabilities that our portfolio merchandise will be capable to hopefully assist out, that’s the most motivating factor I might say that I’ve labored on.
Josh Anderson:
No, that’s superior. And also you introduced up simply so many alternative sorts of teams. I imply, not solely totally different sorts of teams, however I actually like the way you’re together with youngsters in there as a result of I’ve small youngsters, and I like that you simply talked about the entire holding a child in a single arm. I’ve used that analogy so many instances when persons are like, “Oh, …” Or after we speak about incapacity, I actually can’t relate. It’s like, “Effectively, I see you could have a baby there? Have you ever ever been holding them in your arms? How straightforward was it to sort up one thing in your pc?” It’s like, “Effectively, I couldn’t.” Effectively, similar form of factor. You want an lodging so as to have the ability to do this.
So it’s alongside those self same traces, however I imply, particularly with youngsters, after which even talked about the younger lady who perhaps had a incapacity as properly, you’re educating that independence. That you are able to do issues by yourself. And I do know working on this subject for therefore lengthy, some of us, they don’t get that form of, I don’t wish to say push, push is the improper phrase, however the alternative to have the ability to do issues for themselves. But it surely looks like anytime I see somebody get that chance, they normally excel and go on to do even increasingly issues. So I like that the software is in a position for use in so many alternative methods by so many, many form of totally different individuals.
Matt Kawiecki:
Completely agree. It’s actually inspiring to consider, I discussed these variety of disabilities, and we’ve talked about a couple of right here, however for kids, for instance, with autism or ADHD, down syndrome, developmental delays. There’s so many alternatives only for that uninteresting knife. After which we now have, the sharp knife is on the market as we speak. So I’ll point out that when you suppose this product may assist somebody or on your listeners on the market, that one’s accessible as we speak. After which hopefully by April we’re going to have the children’ uninteresting a knife accessible as properly. However I’m very excited to see as soon as we get that available on the market what varieties of individuals discover essentially the most worth in it.
Josh Anderson:
And Matt, you form of introduced this up slightly bit, however you mentioned it could actually even assist me with measuring, how does it assist me with measuring?
Matt Kawiecki:
So going again to that choking scare I’d talked about that we had in the home on the time, that knife that I discussed that was soiled, and I used to be chopping up meals in a rush as a result of we simply acquired achieved with work and hungry youngsters. And typical facet of fork, simply use what you could have. I don’t know if it was too giant of a chew or whatnot that brought about that choking incident, however after that, I requested myself, “From an engineering standpoint, what’s the quickest solution to examine a chew dimension?” In engineering time period, it’s a go, no-go.
If it suits in there, it’s a go. If it doesn’t slot in there, it’s a no-go. So instantly on the chopping board, there’s a ruler within the high left nook, after which within the high proper it has three go, no-go gauges. I name them labeled, minced, diced, and chopped. And the highest circle is according to the really helpful bite-sized from the American Affiliation of Pediatrics, which is a half inch.
Josh Anderson:
Good, good. That’s superior. And that makes it’s so a lot simpler for people. I imply, I even consider… As I consider it, individuals with totally different developmental disabilities or other forms of issues. I imply I’m not a chef, I wish to prepare dinner, however a store, a cube, a chop, I don’t know the distinction between these. So having one thing the place I can hold it constant isn’t just a lifesaver in some methods. It’s simply actually darn handy to have the ability to form inform what dimension I’m making issues too. In order that’s an awesome additional form of software on there. After which simply to ensure, as a result of I do know our listeners can’t see it, and that is simply from me really seeing the whole lot.
I like that the chopping board has that, I don’t even know what you wish to name it, the way it’s indented in order that the best way the knife really connects with it, it holds all of the meals in there. That’s actually cool. And hopefully our listeners will go test it out and see the way it works as a result of it’s a fairly darn neat approach of having the ability to, properly, to prep your meals, to chop issues up and to get issues prepared for the children on your meal or for no matter you may wish to do.
Matt Kawiecki:
Thanks. I feel it’s a type of merchandise, when you… I name it a contact to belief. You don’t really imagine it’s going to be as quick or as straightforward to make use of till you utilize it. After which it’s that eureka second, the place’s this been all my life? As a result of it does, the gravity feeds the meals again in the direction of the middle of the bowl, so it’s not working round. So when you’re chopping a grape or small crimson potatoes or one thing like that, you are able to do it one-handed, which there’s one other retailer right here, Aaron is his title. Aaron’s a fuel station attendant, and I used to be shopping for Gatorade or one thing and seen that Aaron didn’t have use of one in every of his arms. And I used to be like, “Hey, I’m Matt. I like speaking to individuals a couple of product I’m creating. Would you be keen to check it for me?”
And lengthy story brief, Aaron examined the product and he had cerebral palsy, and he and I nonetheless stay good buddies to today, however Aaron talked about that this was the primary time he may minimize a potato as a result of it didn’t roll away from him. So he had used different curved knives, and his was a bigger model referred to as a Mezzaluna, however he talked about with our chopping board, this was the primary time {that a} potato gained’t roll away from him. And Aaron’s once more in his forties, and to have one thing for the primary time having the ability to minimize a potato on his personal, that was fairly neat.
Josh Anderson:
That’s tremendous cool. Effectively, I do know the uninteresting model remains to be within the works, but when I went and wished to purchase a totchop knife as we speak, form of what comes within the equipment?
Matt Kawiecki:
So within the equipment we now have the totchop chopping board, which is a dishwasher-safe plastic. After which lately in November of 2024, so for Black Friday, we made an enchancment to the set {that a} piece of rounded silicone sits on high of that bowl, the chopping bowl. And so silicone’s nice as a result of it doesn’t create microplastics. So when you’re chopping on a plastic chopping board over time, I’m positive most of your listeners have seen this, the chopping board wears down little tiny flakes of plastic get in your meals. There’s arguments whether or not or not that could be a drawback long run.
However the development and the place we wish to go as an organization is to maneuver extra in the direction of the microplastic-free options. So the silicone is now an ordinary a part of our providing. So that you’ll get the chopping board, you’ll get the silicone chopping floor, after which the stainless-steel knife with the soft-touch deal with as properly.
Josh Anderson:
And if our listeners wish to try, study extra in regards to the totchop or order one for themselves, how would they do this?
Matt Kawiecki:
So that’s attainable at totchop.com. T-O-T-C-H-O-P. And as I discussed, we’ll have the children’ model up there quickly. We’re round an April launch. With a youngsters’ product, it’s attention-grabbing, it’s a must to undergo the regulatory necessities for lead testing, and there’s extra necessities round a kids’s product. So it takes a while to get to that time, however the provide chain’s prepared and we should always be capable to pull that lever right here in March-April timeframe.
Josh Anderson:
Superior, superior. We sit up for seeing it on the market. And listeners, whereas that’s nonetheless within the works, positively go try, I assume the unique totchop. We’ll name it the unique for now or the sharp one. Undoubtedly. As a result of it’s a very cool, and form of such as you mentioned, not only for people with disabilities, however just about anybody may actually profit from it of their day by day lives after they’re cooking, their prepping. Such as you mentioned, simply getting issues prepared for these youngsters after they’re hungry, the endurance actually disappears fairly darn fast.
Effectively, hey, Matt, thanks a lot for approaching as we speak for telling us all in regards to the totchop, and we sit up for seeing the following iteration come out right here quickly. However thanks once more, and we’re so blissful that you simply made it and that it ended up being a assist to individuals with so many alternative sorts of skills.
Matt Kawiecki:
Thanks, Josh. I actually respect you having me. So I do wish to take the time shortly simply to say thanks to Marin, Alicia, Eric, Aaron, Mark, go down the listing. These of us have all helped me with the boots on the bottom suggestions, the individuals at Turnstone as properly right here in Fort Wayne, which is a tremendous incapacity middle. So simply wish to ensure that to provide them a shout-out and say thanks. I hope that my ardour for the incapacity house, hopefully it comes out throughout this dialog, and it’s one thing that… It’s not the primary focus of the corporate proper now, and I haven’t talked about this, however I’m the one full-time worker with topchop.
So going into an area as overwhelming because the assistive expertise from a fragmented market standpoint, it’s an excessive amount of for me to stability alone. So if any of your listeners, or if in case you have anybody in your community that is ready to assist get this info out to extra individuals with disabilities, I’d love that assist. And I do know that this neighborhood appears to be extraordinarily reliable from a word-of-mouth standpoint. So I hope that when you do discover potential worth on this or if in case you have some concepts for tips on how to make this simpler to entry in that market, I’m actually blissful to have some conversations round that.
Josh Anderson:
Superior. Effectively, listeners, there’s your problem for as we speak to exit and discover of us that may assist matter. At the very least get the phrase out to of us if this can be a software that may be capable to help them or their kids or their relations or anybody that you simply may know, and we’ll ensure that to share the phrase as properly. Matt, thanks once more.
Matt Kawiecki:
Josh Anderson:
Do you could have a query about assistive expertise? Do you could have a suggestion for somebody we should always interview on assistive expertise replace? If that’s the case, name our listener line at 317-721-7124. Ship us an electronic mail at tech@eastersealscrossroads.org or shoot us a observe on Twitter at INDATA Venture. Our captions and transcripts for the present are sponsored by the Indiana Phone Relay Entry Company or InTRAC. You’ll find out extra about InTRAC at relayindiana.com. A particular due to Nikol Prieto for scheduling our wonderful friends and making a multitude of my schedule. Right now’s present is produced, edited, hosted, and fraught over by yours really.
The opinions expressed by our friends are their very own and should or might not replicate these of the INDATA Venture, Easterseals Crossroads, our supporting companions or this host. This was your Assistive Expertise Replace. I’m Josh Anderson with the INDATA Venture at Easterseals Crossroads in lovely Indianapolis, Indiana. We sit up for seeing you subsequent time. Bye-bye.