communicATor

Fletcher Miller, a Jeffco public school specialized in serving students with significant support needs (SSN), cut the ribbon to a new building on March 18, 2026. A highlight fixture in the new space is a conveyor-style book display for its library, which the school partnered with MOA Architecture, Crossland Construction and Pacline Conveyors to bring to life. But a book conveyor is only as accessible as its controls — and that's where CIDE came in.

Dr. Morris Huang, Assistant Research Professor at CU Denver | Anschutz, led the project for CIDE's Industry Services team, designing a control system built around the existing Rockwell Automation motor driver. The goal was simple to state and harder to build: let a student advance the conveyor to the next book, or back up to a previous one, with a single tap of a switch.

“This was quite an interesting and exciting project, as we had to apply an inclusive design solution that could accommodate all the students in a school setting. Enabling all students to be physically involved in book browsing and selection contributes to their sense of independence and agency.”

The work moved through three phases: understanding Fletcher Miller's desired control behavior and infrastructure, designing and testing the control system with iterative input from Fletcher's clinicians and staff, and finally implementing it on-site. That included everything from wiring diagrams and microcontroller code to housings for the electronic components — and plenty of troubleshooting along the way.

The result: a book conveyor that students can operate themselves, with two ports that any monojack switches can be plugged into to control forward and reverse. The system is also configured to progress by a set number of books, better supporting students who lack the motor control to sustain switch activation. Teachers and students have enjoyed using the system.

This project showcases one of many industry services that CIDE provides to advance the design of assistive technology and provide customized and accessible solutions to clients with disabilities. To learn more about CIDE Industry Services, please visit ucdenver.edu/center-for-innovative-design-and-engineering/services.