Today we’re going to shed some light on one of our AT partners, Makers Making Change, and take a look at their newly re-designed website which can be found at www.makersmakingchange.com(new window). Makers Making Change is a Neil Squire Society initiative that allows AT users to connect with AT in a brand new way by giving them access to open-source assistive technology designs that can be freely downloaded, adjusted, and manufactured via 3D printer. More than that, Makers Making Change is designed to foster connections between those that require AT, and the makers who are skilled enough to build the AT.
Let’s look a closer look at the main features of the Makers Making Change website:
Here, users are able to search by location for Makers, Requests (Requests for a specific piece of AT to be fulfilled by a nearby Maker), and Events. If there’s something nearby, you’ll get a description of the project, event, or individual, and you’ll be able to connect directly through the website. If there’s nothing nearby, you’ll be encouraged to start the conversation at info@makersmakingchange.com. That being said, a good way to start would be by creating a profile on the website by choosing the Sign Up(new window) option. Once you sign up, you can create projects, request builds, submit ideas, and look at any reviews or connections that you’ve made.
In this section, AT users can search for and download AT resources such as schematics and design packets that provide makers with everything they need to create the AT. Plus, for completed projects such as Makers Making Change’s flagship product, the LipSync, AT users can purchase and ship the finished product at a relatively low cost. In fact, there are lots of other interesting and useful prototypes for download, and they’re designed for a wide variety of AT applications. Users are able to search for AT by category (e.g. Cognitive, Mobility, etc.) or by filtering by level of project completeness.
In the Events section of the website, users are able to get more information on past and future events involving makers and/or assistive technology. For upcoming events that require registration, registration links are provided directly through the website.
Makers Making Change is a non-profit initiative made possible in part through charitable donations from people like you. To donate to the Makers Making Change initiative, or to Neil Squire Society, click Donate(new window).
