Molded and assembled right here in Indiana, the Totchop is quickly becoming a staple of family households as well as AT expos and rehabilitation centers across the country.
A dinnertime choking scare with his daughter sparked founder Matt Kawiecki’s initial idea for the device — a tool that would allow parents to safely and quickly cut their kids’ food into bite-sized pieces. Cut to today, and this tool is being used by occupational therapists as well as clients across a wide range of ages and abilities.
The Totchop kit includes a knife with a non-sharp, blunt-tip blade and universal grip design; a nonslip concave cutting board; and bite-size measuring guides based on the recommendations of the USDA and American Academy of Pediatrics.
What started as a solution for safe food sizing turned into a tool for empowering independence. For example, Kawiecki points to Hayden, a 4-year-old with cerebral palsy that affects her left hand. The Totchop’s one-handed usability gave her the confidence to participate in kitchen activities, and she cut up all of her snack on her first try.
At the Disabilities Expo in Fort Wayne, “people with arthritis, cerebral palsy, limb differences, and more lit up when they tried the Totchop,” Kawiecki reported in a blog.
Totchop continues to build partnerships with therapists, universities and disability foundations to improve and grow the product line.
The Totchop is currently available through INDATA’s Equipment Lending Library. For more information about this device, check out our Monday Tech Tip video or click here.
Photos courtesy of Totchop.com.