Makers Making Change
3999 Henning Drive V5C 6P8 Burnaby, BC, Canada

#TechTuesday Each of Violets paws can be pressed to make music, BUT, what if a child has motor control challenges? In this case, pressing those soft paws hard enough and accurately enough might be too challenging. What can Makers do to help? To make a toy easier to access, makers can 'hack' or 'adapt' the toy to allow the addition of an access switch to match the child's abilities. (We have tons in our open source library-link in bio!)... This adaptation requires just a few extra wires, a mono cable and switch jack, as well as a steady hand to solder some wires together. There are so many toys that can be adapted: talking stuffed animals, bubble blowing machines, race track sets, and many more! Thx to @ATMakers - Charitable Organization for the jack box design! https://tinyurl.com/yaeddaj9 Check out instructions to adapt toys and/or Sign up to be a maker or request an adapted toy! Link in Bio #Christmas #Toys #Xmas2020 #GiftsForKids #ToyHack #Accessibility #access #ChristmasIsComing #Present #volunteer #TalkingToys LeapFrog USA LeapFrog Canada #LeapFrog #FineMotor #MotorControl #CognitiveDisability #disabilities #access #accessibility #ToyHack #pediatric #RehabEngineer #OccupationalTherapist #OccupationalTherapy #disabled #disability #makers #make #MakerMovement #MakersGonnaMake

#HappyHolidays from Makers Making Change! Whichever winter season holidays you celebrate, we hope you enjoy this season as safe and joyously as possible. Makers Making Change connects makers to people with disabilities on our forum where they can post and reply to requests, to support in development, or customizing of assistive tech projects.... Thank you to all the makers, disability professionals, chapter leaders, donors, sponsors, feedback givers and requesters who make this project possible! #makers #MakerMovement #disability #accessibility #access #volunteer #AssistiveTechnology

#HappyHolidays2020 Today the MMC team adapts Stargazer Toys Virtually! Need a Toy Adapted? Make a Request and we'll find a maker who can help! Check out our Assistive Device Library to see what we have available! ... https://www.makersmakingchange.com/assistive-devices/ Can't find what you're looking for? Sign up for our website and submit an idea in your profile! Thx to Husky ADAPT for their open source instructions/images for toy adaptation. This image taken from their instructional video #MotorDevelopment #MotorSkills #cognitive #cognition #pediatric #CognitiveDevelopment #disability #SpeechLanguagPathologist #SpeechLanguagePathology #access #accessibility #toy #ToyHack #SwitchAccess #MakeAccess #OccupationalTherapist #OccupationalTherapy #soldering #maker #makers #MakersGonnaMake #StemSkills #SwitchAdapt #christmas #ChristmasGifts

#tbt It's been 3 years since we started the assistive device library! We just added our 100th device and we'd like to acknowledge Ken Hackbarth who has contributed 8 designs to our library including a Keyguard Customizer for grid-based apps! Read more about Ken's contributions and projects here:... https://tinyurl.com/maker-Ken Volunteer Your Maker Skills to Help People with Disabilities: https://tinyurl.com/volunteer-mmc #SocialImpact #Maker #Makers #MakersGonnaMake #drafting #CAD #3DPrinter #3dPrinting #3DPrint #Design4Good #DesignForGood #DesignThinking #Designer #IndustrialDesign #IndustrialDesigner #MechanicalEngineering #MechEngineer #Volunteer #AssistiveDevice #AssistiveTechnology #Educational #STEM #FirstRobotics #Biomedical #biodemedicalengineering #ComputerEngineering #STEMEducation #MakersOfInstagram

Live LipSync build!! Met our Chapter Leaders from all over Canada and the US

We're doing a survey- honorarium provided. Do you have difficulty using your hands and arms? Read below! https://www.facebook.com///a.91160740858/10158969266175859

#TechTuesday RBC staff built over 15 Round Flexure Switches at our recent buildathon events! This switch is ideal for people who have difficulty with fine motor control. The flexure in the design allows the user to press, hit, or smash on the switch with a high degree of force. The flexure design also allows the top of the switch to be pressed from all angles if targeting is a challenge. This low cost device uses $15 of parts to build and takes less than 45 minutes to assem...ble. Similar commercial switches cost $70+ commercially. At many of our buildathon events, community partners sponsor the cost of materials, so we’re been able to distribute this switch to disability professionals and people with disabilities across Canada and the U.S. for free. Design inspired by Ken Hackbarth of Volksswitch.org Request or Build the Round Flexure Switch: https://tinyurl.com/round-flex #AssistiveTech #Assistivetechnology #AssistiveDevice #CerebralPalsy #GrossMotor #FineMotorSkills #FineMotor #OccupationalTherapy #OccupationalTherapist #Access #accessible #AccessSwitch #OpenAT #OpenSource ##3DPrinted #3DPrinter #prusa Creality3d Creality3DPrinter Prusa Research 3D printers #DesignForGood

LIVE Today @ 4 PST: MMC Chapter Leader LipSync Build! Chapter leaders across Canada and USA will build a #3DPrinted Sip and Puff mouse. $200 #opensource vs $1500+ commercially. Thx to Google for the funding to start this wild ride! Chapter Leaders:... Kristen Webber Shepherd Center Atlanta Georgia Mary Elliot Bellingham Makerspace Bellingham Washington Barnabas Helmy SmashToast Springfield Illinois Loreto Dumitrescu and Farrukh Zia Zero Day Camp Brooklyn NYC Emily Sirota @ Marmaroneck NY Alice Shriver @ nexusabilities Albuquerque New Mexico Connor McGough ARISE Adaptive Design Syracuse NY Dakota and Mandy Welch @creationstation3d Colorado Springs CO John Lee @cal_poly Cal Poly General Engineering Cal Poly Mechanical Engineering California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo CA Ryan Hall Valley Makers Association in Winchester Virginia Jordana Bengall in Toronto Ontario Ana Paula Arantes in Calgary Alberta Katie Butzu and Mark Lyons Regional Educational Media Center Association of Michigan Leigh Ann Brewster and the Roaring Riptide Roaring Riptide: FRC Team 4118 University of Florida Veronica Chase in Seattle Washington Other participants include: Gabriel PROVAIL Seattle Washington Shea Hunt @Rehabilitation.Centre.for.Children Winnipeg Manitoba #asssistivetechnology #opensource #a11y #Quadriplegic #Accessibility #disability #disabilityrights #disabilityawarness #occupationaltherapy #occupationaltherapist

We still need your input to help us plan our future. Please fill in a short 2-minute survey by Friday, December 18, 2020. Link to Short Survey: tiny.cc/MMCsurvey We really appreciate your support as we plan the future of Makers Making Change.... #MakersGonnaMake #MakeAccess

#TechTuesday Got a painter in your life? The Assistive Paint Tube Opener is a simple 3D printed assistive device for painters with arthritis or finger dexterity challenges. This opener makes it easier to open paint tube caps! Just pinch the cap between the grooves and twist the paint tube! . I think it’s an excellent example of what an accessibility aid is it doesn’t have to be fancy, it just has to work. -Michelle, Canada ... . This device takes only an hour to print and requires no supports. Designed by our very own Regional Coordinator Stewart Russell @scruss . Request or Print an Assistive Paint Tube Opener: https://tinyurl.com/paint-assist Link in bio #disabaledartist #disabledartists #assistivetechnology #arthritis #assistivetech #painter #painting #artist #disabilityrights #disabilityawareness #3Dprinted #3DPrinter #disability #arthritisrelief #arthritisawareness #arthritissucks #arthritisfoundation #arthritispain . Kickstart Arts Tangled Art + DisabilityArthritis SocietyArthritis Foundation Disability Horizons NW Works

#tbt Our first chapter of Makers Making Change! Valley Makers Association President Ryan Hall contacted us to start a chapter out of his City of Winchester VA - Local Government makerspace back in 2019. At the time, the makerspace was between spaces and looking ways to create some impact and buzz. . Ryan’s wife Molly, an Occupational Therapist, drew his awareness to how makers can help people with disabilities. Soon, Ryan started hosting presentations about Makers Making Ch...ange and open source assistive technology to students in the Occupational Therapy program at Shenandoah University University. . In Dec 2019, Ryan engaged members of his makerspace and community at the NW Works Fire Fly Cafe to create switches from our Assistive Device Library. Participants followed simple step by step instructions from the Makers Making Change website to build their switches. Together maker volunteers built 20 switches that were donated to Valley Health . Fast forward to 2020: Ryan was the recent recipient of Community Impact Award presented by the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council. Since then, Ryan has continued organizing events and applying for grants to improve the community he lives in. . We are so lucky to have him on our team of Chapter Leaders! . ** :** https://tinyurl.com/mmc-chapter See more

According to the Statistics Canada, the cost of assistive technology is the most common barrier for people with disabilities. This open source proximity switch costs ~$30 to build. It's a great alternative to similar commercial devices that sell for $200+. This switch is ideal for those with low hand strength or large gross motor movements. At Makers Making Change, we host a library of open source assistive technology device designs. People with disabilities can request de...vices and makers volunteers their time and skills to build assistive devices for those in need. Do you have a disability? Do you work with people with disabilities? Request this proximity switch today! https://tinyurl.com/proximity-sw #accessible #opensource #assistivetechnology #occupationaltherapy #3dprinter #makers #makersgonnamake