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The ALS Support Garden Project
Submitted to: Robin Evans
Submitted by: Jonathan Allen
Submission Date: 4/19/2015
In correspondence with:
Phi Delta Theta and the ALS Association

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Abstract
The goal of the ALS Garden Project is to design and build a handicapped-
accessible walkway and garden for a member of the Cleveland community who has a
neurodegenerative disease. The construction of this garden is necessary to aid in the
healing, well-being, and general happiness of a woman stricken with a crippling disease.
The intended outcome of this project is to give this woman a safe, obstacle free, area to
garden and walk comfortably using installed rails. In this proposal, one can find a more in
depth project description, literature review, plan of work, schedule of work, anticipated
involvement of all parties, and a budget. This initiative was proposed by the ALS
Association, which is an organization that raises money for ALS research and victims. As
a partner organization of Case Western Reserve’s Phi Delta Theta chapter, the ALS
Association imparted this project unto our chapter after our initial inquiry about similar
opportunities. As a member of Phi Delta Theta, I am proposing the following research
and design concepts to the Phi Delta Theta Executive board, as well as the woman who
we are building the garden/walkway for. This proposal’s request is for funding from Phi
Delta Theta’s 2015 Food Fest earnings and philanthropy donations.

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Table of Contents
1. Project Description………………………………………………………………...4
2. Literature Review………………………………………………………………….5
a. Why a garden is important
b. Garden Design
c. Limiting Factors
3. Plan of Work/Methodology……………………………………………………….7
a. Backyard Layout
b. Solidworks Sample Model
c. Solidworks Sectional View
4. Schedule of Work………………………………………………………………..10
5. Researcher Qualifications…………………………………………………..……11
6. Anticipated involvement of all parties involved…………………………………11
7. Budget……………………………………………………………………………12
8. References………………………………………………………………………..13

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1. Project Description
This project will compose of building a handicapped-accessible walkway in the
backyard of a Cleveland resident with a neurodegenerative disease. This disease
decreases the use of muscle function and balance in those affected. The purpose of this
walkway is to serve as a rehabilitation runway and a peaceful getaway. To enable the
resident to have full use of the garden and walkway while suffering from this disease, the
walkway will be fitted with thin hand railings positioned at a comfortable height and
distance relative to the residents body. The railings will double as holders for hanging
planters. At the end of the walkway, there will be a seat with a overhead stretching bar.
This will serve as a resting point and a physical rehabilitation site. Factors that must be
addressed in the yard are hidden or underground pipes/gas lines, drainage from the house
gutter system, and general accessibility to the garden sections. The creation of this garden
is absolutely necessary to make one unfortunate woman stricken with a disease happy
and to potentially offer healing in the way of horticultural and physical therapy. Simply
conversing about this project with the woman, it was clear how excited she was about it.
Her enthusiasm made the need for this project abundantly clear. She commented that she
desperately needs a area to walk without her walker and misses interactions with nature.
This proposal is a plea to the Executive Board of Phi Delta Theta for funding from the
annual philanthropy earnings, which is about $2,000, and also serves as a design proposal
to the woman who we are building the walkway/garden for.

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2. Literature Review
Horticultural therapy is a therapeutic method that implements the use of a garden
environment to display color, growth, and beauty [1]. In the case of my garden project,
the recipient of the garden is an elderly woman stricken with ALS, also known as Lou
Gehrig’s disease. This woman cannot walk on her own and is incapable of performing
typical garden care actions, so the goal of the project is to build a railed/wheelchair
accessible garden walkway that is easy for her to care for and that will also potentially
offer horticultural therapy. Doing so will require research in garden aided therapy, garden
design and construction, soil, and garden limiting factors.. This project will be funded
and performed by Phi Delta Theta chapter of Case Western Reserve University as a part
of its annual philanthropy contribution. The accompanying research material for this
project was selected using CWRU Library provided software and links and choice
articles obtained from google scholar.
a. Why a Garden is Important
When a severe stress, such as a serious illness or disability, is introduced into
someone’s life, it is not unusual for that individual to deal with spurts of depression and
anxiety [1]. Most individuals are disturbed by these changes in their lives because of a
general change in normalcy or comfortable behavior. The concept of a garden, however,
can reintroduce a sense of consistency into someone’s life. By having something to care
for that is both low stress and physically beautiful, such as a garden, a sense of purpose
and normalcy can be rediscovered through a fun hobby [2]. Gardening has been found to
be one of the most enjoyable and mentally helpful activities for disabled seniors in certain
research groups. For the individuals that take to the hobby, the sense of passion and hope
that someone can experience in gardening is useful when related to other, more difficult,
subjects in an individual’s life [3]. Instilling this sense of hope and joy for one afflicted
woman is the focus of this project.
a.
b. Garden Design
The plan for this garden is to have a walkway raised above ground level at an
appropriate height so that an average person in a wheelchair can interact with miniature
garden beds. This means that one must take into account individual garden bed lengths,
widths and any potential obstacles that would inhibit a handicapped user from caring for
the garden. For wheelchair users, specifically, one must also take into account any
changes in elevation of the ramps or isles between garden beds. Failing to do so could
result in a lack of operator convenience or accessibility [4]. Another factor that could
limit a user’s accessibility is the thickness of the supporting garden bed walls and the
material that they are made out of. It is recommended to use a thinner material to
decrease the separation distance from the user to the plants. It is also recommended that
the material is rid of any sharp corners so that the intractability of the garden remains
intact. Common material for the walls is sanded ¼” plywood and the cross supports can
be 2x4” pine or a small steel or aluminum bar [5].

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The actual design of these hanging beds could vary drastically, but they usually
are long and rectangular, have many places for hanging garden pieces, and have crossing
supports that run side to side through the soil to prevent walls from giving way after the
garden is exposed to the elements and the soil is displaced. The strength requirement of
the walkway will vary depending on the expected load at different points. The placement
of the individual miniature garden bed segments can be both strategic for user
ease/navigation and for aesthetics [6].
Garden soil can vary depending on what kind of plants the user wants to grow and
what kind of nutrients it can expect to receive over a given period of time. Regardless of
the exact type of soil, it is recommended that all soil be revitalized annually, that it be
light and crumbly in appearance, and that composit be used to provide the best organic
nutrients. Sticking to these three basic fundamentals, soil should be generally productive.
It is also recommended that the soil receive an organic fertilizer and that it have access to
a source of phosphorus, whether that be purchased rock phosphate or natural from local
soil [7].
c. Limiting Factors
The design and function of a garden can vary greatly depending on the purpose of
the garden, the immediate physical surroundings of the garden, and climate at any given
time [6]. Knowing that the purpose of this garden is to be railed/wheelchair accessible,
that would prevent the addition of anything terribly abstract in the design of the garden
beds or the accompanying garden accessories. Abstract or contemporary garden designs
tend to have more variability in the setup and plant fixturing, which could be detrimental
to the simplicity that a disabled person would be looking for [8]. The immediate
surroundings of the garden also play a large factor in design because they regulate the
garden level, size, and the amount of sunlight that certain areas can be exposed to. In this
case, the scene of the garden has not been surveyed yet so many of these factors remain
undecided. The things that must be determined are whether or not the garden is attached
to the woman’s porch or not, what relative size are we looking to build in, and how many
trees are around that could potentially block sunlight. Furthermore, the climate of the area
can determine what kind of plants can be maintained [6]. Knowing that the woman’s
house is in the Cleveland area, we can assume that she will need to maintain plants
typical to this region.

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3. Plan of Work/Methodology
a. Backyard Layout
In the following figures are pictures of the woman’s backyard and a general
dimensioned layout. These figures will provide a basis for design comprehension. As one
can see, the yard is lined with the resident’s home at one end, a garage/shed to both sides,
and a long fence at the other. Building within these bounds, the walkway has been
designed to avoid any potential obstacles.
Figure 1: Yard Dimensions

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b. Solidworks Sample Model
The following figures are preliminary walkway designs that correspond with the
needs of the resident. As one can see, there is a narrow opening at the bottom of figure 2
that represents the entrance from the house. The wide opening at the top of figure 2
represents the opening where a bench and stretching bar would be installed. Along with
the design pictured in the following figures, rails would be mounted alongside the larger
flat-top rails for better grip and support. Two rails will line the inside of the walkway and
one will be on the inside of the “C” shaped walkway to allow the resident to walk in the
grass next to her walkway. The ideal lateral distance from rail to rail will be 30 inches,
which means that there will be approximately 36 inches between the vertical 4 x 4”
support posts. The outside of the walkway will run flush with the outside of the yard.
These measurements can be seen in Figure 1.
Figure 2: Walkway, view 1
Figure 3: Walkway, view 2

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c. Solidworks Sectional View
As one can see, the purchased and cut wood will be fixed as shown in figure 4,
with either 2 x 4”s or 4 x 4”s as the base of the planking, 2 x 4”s as the main coverage for
the walkway, and 4 x 4”s as the support posts. The support posts will be dug into the
ground one foot and cemented to ensure that any foundational shifts do not affect the
walkways structural integrity. The support posts will be bolted to the rest of the design
and the minor wood parts will simply be screwed together. For further material details,
see the budget section of this proposal. The wood will be sanded entirely clean of sharp
corners, as well as finished with a waterproof stain and an anti-slip stain that provides
texture to the wood surface. This textured surface should provide the resident with the
foot traction needed to traverse the walkway, even on wet days.
Figure 4: Walkway Assembly Sectional

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4. Schedule of work
As one can see, the schedule for the project is set up to be contained within 12
weeks. This time period begins this week, April 20th, and ends in late June. The process
will begin with taking care of any legal obligations. We must be sure not to hit any city
gas lines, as well as have an Ohio mandated check of the area before breaking ground.
The area in which we can build will be outlined by the plat of survey, which clearly
defines the property lines. After the area is set, materials will be bought, wood will be
finished to a workable standard, and the support posts will be dug in and cemented. After
these actions are completed, walkway construction may begin. After the walkway is built,
it can be weather-proofed and decorated. The approximate time table for each of these
actions is outlined in the following “Garden Project Gantt Chart.”

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5. Researcher Qualifications
As a researcher, I have been involved with many projects through my engineering
courses at Case Western Reserve University. The most notable of my research endeavors
was for EMAE 360 in which we designed a motorcycle engine from scratch and proved
its function thermodynamically and its structural integrity through software testing. As
the team lead in my motorcycle engine group, I was forced to have a part in the research
and understanding of every aspect of the engine. Through our work and perseverance, we
were able to achieve an A in that class. While the complexity of this garden project might
not match that of the engine, the need to research standards and legal obligations is the
same. I have also done research related work for Bombardier Transportation. At
Bombardier, I was in charge of researching and selecting feasible secondary train
detection methods if the train GPS were to fail. This mix of school research and research
in the field should qualify me for the research and design of this walkway/garden.
6. Anticipated involvement of all parties involved
Those involved with this project are Phi Delta Theta, the ALS Association, the
woman that we are building the garden for, and I. Phi Delta Theta’s role will be to
finance the project and provide the manpower to complete it. The ALS Association will
be overseeing the project and making a promotional video about it. The woman who we
are helping will be responsible for approving a design that she is comfortable with. As a
member of Phi Delta Theta, I will be presenting the design and budget for this project to
the Executive Board and the woman.

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7. Budget
ALS Garden Project Budget
Supplies Quantity Price Per Unit Total Price
Wood
Walking surface 2" x 4" x 8' 140 $2.98 $417.20
3 row surface sub-supports 2"x 4" x 8' 20 $2.98 $59.60
8ft 4" x 4" 14 $7.88 $110.32
WM 231 1-1/2 in. x 1-11/16 in. x 96 in. Pine
Handrail Moulding 20 $25.03 $500.60
Treatment
1-gal.Semi-TransparentWaterproofing Wood
Stain 2 $28.98 $57.96
1-gal.Textured Wood and Concrete Coating 2 $36.94 $73.88
Supplies
2 in. Phillips Flat-Head Wood Deck Screws (1
lb.-Pack) 5 $8.47 $42.35
Bronze Handrail Bracket 30 $3.98 $119.40
5 gal. Bucket 2 $2.97 $5.94
Cement 2 $1.98 $3.96
Canterbury 7 in. Steel Deck Rail Planter 16 $23.96 $383.36
14 in. Metal Hanging Grower's Basket 8 $4.98 $39.84
Caution tape 1 $8.97 $8.97
Electric Sander 1 $29.97 $29.97
Metal Rake 2 $15.97 $31.94
Level 2 $4.47 $8.94
Total Cost: $1,894.23

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References
[1]J. Clatworthy, J. Hinds and P. M. Camic, 'Gardening as a mental health intervention: a
review', Mental Health Review Journal, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 214-225, 2013.
[2]M. Annerstedt and P. Wahrborg, 'Nature-assisted therapy: Systematic review of
controlled and observational studies', Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, vol. 39, no.
4, pp. 371-388, 2011.
[3]E. Diamant and A. Waterhouse, 'Gardening and belonging: reflections on how social
and therapeutic horticulture may facilitate health, wellbeing and inclusion', The British
Journal of Occupational Therapy, vol. 73, no. 2, pp. 84-88, 2010.
[4]J. Adil, Accessible gardening for people with physical disabilities. Bethesda, MD:
Woodbine House, 1994.
[5]J. Woy, Accessible gardening. Mechanicsburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books, 1997.
[6]G. Rothert, The enabling garden. Dallas, Tex.: Taylor Pub. Co., 1994.
[7]G. Seaman, '6 Tips for Building Soil for Your Raised Garden Beds and Planters |
Eartheasy', Eartheasy.com, 2015. [Online]. Available:
http://eartheasy.com/blog/2012/01/6-tips-for-building-soil-for-your-raised-garden-beds-
and-planters/. [Accessed: 29- Mar- 2015].
[8]M. Conan, Contemporary garden aesthetics, creations and interpretations.
Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 2007.