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<\/a><\/p>\nIf you’ll permit me to get on my soapbox, I’d like to share my experience and opinions regarding designing and making things, particularly assistive technology.<\/p>\n
Here’s a bit about my background:\u00a0 I spent almost 30 years designing, developing, and supporting commercial products and the last 10 years designing, developing, and supporting do-it-yourself (DIY) assistive technology (AT) devices. I try to bring what I’ve learned in both environments to my work at Volksswitch.org.<\/p>\n
I hope you don\u2019t think I\u2019ve performed a \u201cbait and switch\u201d on you with the title of this page.\u00a0 I could<\/strong> <\/em>focus on how to find a design for a DIY AT device and then how to build it.\u00a0 I will address that topic indirectly, but here, I want to address a bigger, and I believe more important, topic \u2013 creating the designs themselves in a way that gets the device into as many hands as possible.<\/p>\n Still, no matter how confident I may sound, these are just my opinions<\/strong>.\u00a0 I believe I have a unique perspective on effective device design and development, but you can certainly find successful makers who will disagree with me – maybe you!\u00a0 We can talk – offline – about how you define success.<\/p>\n Since this topic is about Making, we should begin by defining a Maker…<\/p>\n It’s fair to assume that “Making” is something done by a Maker.\u00a0 But we should be more specific. Let’s start with the definition of a maker as provided by the Assistive Technology Industry Association in advertising for their “Maker Day” event in 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cWho are makers? The maker community is comprised of people \u2013 high school STEM and robotics students, hobbyists, and DIY electronics enthusiasts \u2013 who are interested in using their skills to create and make solutions for people with disabilities. These are not always experts in AT, but they have a myriad of interests and just simply like to solve problems and make things.\u201d<\/span><\/strong> – ATIA Maker Day 2023<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n High school tech students and electronics enthusiasts? This definition is WAY too narrow! My definition is very simple and much broader.<\/p>\n Who can be a \u201cMaker\u201d?\u00a0 Anyone who contributes to the design, implementation, support, and\/or promotion of a DIY device or service.<\/strong><\/p>\n I discuss the process for designing and implementing assistive technology and the necessity of assembling a “multi-functional” team below.<\/p>\n But what do Makers do? Rather than simply saying something vacuous like “they make things,” let me suggest that they focus on the design and implementation of DIY projects. I’ll restrict this further for the rest of this discussion by adding that these are assistive technology-related projects.\u00a0<\/p>\n Next, let’s look at the “what” and the “why” of DIY.<\/p>\n “Designed for construction or use by amateurs without special training.” – Dictionary.com<\/a><\/p>\n This definition is misleading when it references \u201cwithout special training.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s common for a DIY device to require some<\/strong> <\/em>instruction\/training.\u00a0 The device design team is responsible for providing this instruction\/training.\u00a0 The \u201camateur\u201d benefits by not needing the skills necessary to build the design at the start.\u00a0 For example, the maker may apply their computer-aided design skills so that the amateur implementer only needs to 3D-print the ready-to-print design.<\/p>\n Why emphasize \u201cdo it yourself\u201d rather than \u201clet me do that for you\u201d?<\/p>\n Do it yourself:<\/p>\n Let me do that for you:<\/p>\n When you embrace DIY, you acknowledge that you are no longer in control. You have less say over how something is built or used – but you receive the benefit of learning about the quality of your assembly instructions, and you get to see how your device can be modified and used creatively.<\/p>\n Let’s now examine the best way to make assistive technology.\u00a0 Allow me to impose my own criteria for judging whether a process is a “best practice.”\u00a0 A best practice <\/em>gets the highest quality, least expensive, most effective assistive technology into the hands of the most people possible.<\/strong><\/p>\n First, an historical perspective…<\/p>\n Most AT designers begin with a specific individual and a specific need in mind, put blinders on during the design process, and move on after the device is delivered to that individual. I believe such a process is ineffective and almost disrespectful to those involved. It reminds me of an old Western movie called “Shane.”<\/p>\n In the movie, a good-guy gunslinger protects a family and town from a bad-guy gunslinger and then rides off into the sunset.\u00a0 It\u2019s not clear that he has solved the long-term problem faced by the town, and he certainly hasn\u2019t left the town with a phone number or email address for them to contact him if something comes up in the future.<\/p>\nContents of this Discussion<\/h1>\n
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<\/a>What\/Who is a Maker?<\/h1>\n
<\/a>What is DIY (Do it Yourself)?<\/h1>\n
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<\/a>What is the Optimal Process for Making Assistive Technology?<\/h1>\n
<\/a>The “Good Guy Gunslinger” Maker<\/h2>\n