Barbara Knickerbocker Beskind

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Portrait of Barbara Knickerbocker Beskind and her innovative walking sticks.[/caption]  Getting to Know Barbara Knickerbocker Beskind. About a year ago, Jackie Siminitus, a member of Team CareLinx, read a newspaper article about an amazing 91-year young designer who worked for the international design firm, IDEO. It made an impression for a number of reasons – Barbara Knickerbocker Beskind was a conceptual designer, focused on assistive technology for seniors, had low-vision, and was a local celebrity.  That summer, when watching and listening to the live streamed 2015 White House Conference on Aging, Jackie got to see and hear Barbara speak on universal design. And then it happened: Jackie, who is trained as a Senior Peer Counselor, was visiting a senior at an Independent Living Center. When she was leaving, she overheard a woman at the front desk discussing how to get a taxi and they somehow got to talking. At some point, given Barbara’s special glasses, walking sticks, and engaging personality, Jackie asked if Barbara was the “celebrity” designer and the rest is history.  In her volunteer position as a Senior Peer Counselor, Jackie now meets weekly with Barbara to talk, read, and even discuss design and technology challenges for seniors. Barbara is one incredibly creative, organized and prolific conceptual designer, thinker and writer. Jackie considers it a treat to sit with Barbara in the window seats overlooking her building’s garden courtyard.  Barbara is often asked to talk about the power of positive thinking in aging, a topic she has graciously agreed to share with us. Read about them here.  

About Barbara   Barbara Knickerbocker Beskind is a conceptual designer, inventor and internationally recognized pioneer in the field of Occupational Therapy. Barbara graduated from Syracuse University, College of Home Economics, with a BS in Applied Arts and Design. After graduation, she entered the US Army War Emergency Course and trained as an Occupational Therapist. She worked to rehabilitate injured service men and women, and their dependents. Upon her retirement from the Army, she opened the Princeton Center for Learning Disorders, the first independent private practice in Occupational Therapy in the United States. In 1989, after a 44-year career, Barbara retired from Occupational Therapy and was named a Charter Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Foundation. Following her retirement, she studied creative and non-fiction writing, and published three books, including Powder Keg. In 2013, Barbara began her third career, this time with the global design firm IDEO, meeting others who share a passion for creativity and problem solving. She directs her creative focus on products and services that address moderate to severe vision loss. At IDEO, she has been directly involved with client projects concerning health care and vision issues, and retirement home services.