When Ryan Beckett, EG24, was in high school, his 10th-grade English teacher had students memorize a soliloquy from Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Today, nearly a decade later, Beckett can still recall word-for-word the entire scene in Act 5, in which Macbeth declares that life is essentially meaningless.

That quote always bothered Beckett. “Since that point, I have tried to prove Shakespeare wrong,” says Beckett with a laugh, arguing that in fact we are really able to make change. 

As a graduate student in the Human Factors Engineering program, Beckett brought meaning to his life—and change to many others’ lives—by designing adaptive equipment for people who have disabilities. 

The work is personal for Beckett. “I have a neuromuscular disorder and I’m on autism spectrum, so I see the world slightly differently than other people,” he says. “Human factors engineering uses my ability to think as an engineer and do the engineering design, which I love to do, but also apply that human focus and disability focus lens into what I do.”

All of his projects involve a lot of research, usability testing, listening to users’ feedback, and fine-tuning designs to meet their individual needs. At Tufts, he worked on projects such as making an adaptive baby stroller for a woman with cerebral palsy and an automated treat dispenser for a service dog. 

For his capstone project, Beckett designed an adaptive, one-handed kitchen cutting board in partnership with the nonprofit Easterseals Massachusetts. The prototype is designed to be easily customizable, replicable, and inexpensive to make, allowing the organization to produce custom-made boards for their clients’ individual needs. 

“Simply put, if you do it right with assistive design, it can truly change lives,” says Beckett, noting that even a thoughtfully designed cutting board can empower people to be able to cook a meal independently, gain skills, and take care of others. “It helps them become more like everyone else in society, being able to do something that everyone takes for granted.”