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We build networks and community by hosting events to prototype and build new devices; providing a library of free, tested, open source assistive technologies; and hosting a community based “matching service” through our website where makers and people with disabilities can connect to work on projects collaboratively in their region.
Resources
Notes
- Makers Making Change is an initiative out of the Neil Squire Society
- Supported by the Google Foundation, Vancouver Foundation, Government of Canada
- 80% of people will need an assistive device in their lifetime
- however due to high customization needs, they are produced in small quantity
- Based in Burnaby
- What they are hoping to do is to combine the energies of three different groups: Maker Movement, Crowdsourcing, Open Source
- What is the Maker Movement?
Ability to have small workspaces/workshops where you can make fairly complicated devices
Bring in as many people together to produce, develop, extend, support these devices
- What is the Open Source movement?
- really valuable that you can take someones software, modify it for your own needs, and let other people use it
- What is the Crowdsourcing movement?
- Kickstarter, wikipedia, etc.
- Open source assistive technology (OpenAT)
- people identify their needs
- you can very quickly iterate a design
- can very quickly modify a design
- 3D printing allows you to have a tangible object for something that was just a thought moments before
- crowdsource build-a-thons, repair days, meet ups
They have a library of simple open source assistive devices that anyone can print
They are on Thingiverse
Encourage forking their designs and find 100 more different uses; revise, remodify, learn how to 3D design, etc.
- They hold Buildathons where people help build or repair devices
Other crowdsourcing events
Meetup events: AT and build demos, and networking thing so people can learn what basic ATs they can make; can connect with any medical or academic people who want to come to these events
Makers meet the user and developers and let ideas flow from there
- Connecting people of all abilities who need AT
- Licenses for open source hardware is complicated; recommend CC Share Alike license