CPR/AED Learning Game Launched to Improve Accessibility to Certification

Post Date: April 6, 2023 | Publish Date:

Project SEARCH and Innovation Ventures team up to produce a game-based training tool

As the Damar Hamlin drama from January 2023 revealed to millions of football fans, the quick use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) can save lives.

But obtaining the certifications to use such tools and techniques can be a challenge for some people who seek such skills.

“Many great jobs require you to become CPR certified, and it’s just not that easy for everyone to achieve, not because they can’t perform CPR, but rather because the one-size-fits-all instruction and test requirements are a challenge for a number of people,” says Erin Riehle, RN, MSN, director of Disability Services, founder of Project SEARCH, and co-inventor of this toolkit. “Project SEARCH focuses on helping and training young people with a range of different learning needs to find employment, and this was a hurdle our members kept encountering.”

Learn more about how members of Project SEARCH teamed up with Cincinnati Children’s Innovation Ventures, the Live Well Collaborative, and the University of Cincinnati’s College of DAAP to create a competitive board game that helps users learn and practice CPR skills in preparation for the certification class in a fun, low-pressure way.

The game was further refined and is being marketed by Attainment Company, which makes educational products to help people with disabilities.