My Product Design capstone project provided a solution to increase the independence of mobility service dog owners who used wheelchairs. The development of the hand tool that was designed benefited greatly from KPU’s Student Research and Innovation grant. Specifically, the grant allowed me to explore many design ideas and further develop the most promising solutions. In the project’s early stages, I felt confident in investing lightly in many ideas and then testing them to assess their suitability. Additionally, when I chose the final design idea, the SRIG grant provided me with the financial support required to develop variations of the idea and develop the design’s details. I recommend to future students to apply for the SRIG grant as it greatly benefitted my project. -Emile Routley-Long, 21 May 2024