Phoenix Custom Assistive Technology Webinar

Are you looking for custom assistive technology in the Phoenix Arizona area? Join Makers Making Change Chapter Leader Matt Levac for a series of informational webinars and workshops! When: Monday, May 11, 2020; 10:00 am – 11:15 am This free webinar presentation will introduce attendees to the concepts behind AT Maker Movement. Learn about Custom Assistive Technology in the Phoenix area and how to join the Arizona Chapter of Makers Making Change! We will teach you how to find makers in your community and invite you to participate in AT “build” workshops and events. This webinar is the first in a series of Maker webinars and events created in partnership with the Arizona Technology Access Program (AZTap). Follow up webinars will focus on hands-on “build” events. NAU Continuing Education Certificates will be provided to participants.

About Our Phoenix Chapter Leader Matt Levac

Matt Levac is an Occupational Therapist working for the Arizona Center for Comprehensive Education and Life Skills(ACCEL).  In his position, Matt goes above and beyond to help students with disabilities learn, play and socialize to the best of their abilities. To aid this process, Matt creates custom assistive devices for students himself, but also engages talented makers from the local BioScience High School, capstone students at the local Grand Canyon University’s  GCU Biomedical Engineering Society. In addition to his work with ACCEL, Matt is also completed a Graduate Certificate from Northern Arizona University in Assistive Technology.  As part of his own capstone, Matt is incorporating his Makers Making Change Chapter into his project. Learn more about what MMC Phoenix is up to in the Phoenix Chapter Highlight Blog!

Phoenix Toy Hack Workshops Coming Soon!

In June, Matt will host a live toy hack webinar through the Arizona Technology Access Program.  Event details are not available yet. If you would like to be alerted when this workshop is announced, please sign up for Makers Making Change.com and check the subscribe to mailing list box.

What is a Toy Hack?

Many toys have built-in standard switches, which are difficult for children with motor control challenges to use. In order to make a toy more accessible for kids with disabilities, makers  ‘hack’ the toy, by re-wiring the electricity to add a simple headphone jack. This modification allows the toy to be used with an access switch. Access switches are available for a range of motor functions. Switches plug into a headphone jack to allow children to turn on the toys and play with it more easily. Access switches are very costly devices. A typical commercial switch costs about $75, which can be unaffordable to many people who do not have adequate insurance or for those who are low income. Makers Making Change has a library of open source assistive devices that are more affordable through open source designs and volunteer makers! A list of the open source toy hacks we have are available here

Have questions about Toy Hacks?

Discuss toy hacks in our forum

1. Sign up for Makers Making Change.com
2. Check your email to activate your account. Follow instructions to the link to sign up for the forum as well.
3.  To sign up for the Forum, use the same email and password as on the website.
4.  In the search bar of the forum type in ‘toy hacks’