Community Impact: Make Change at your Makerspace

Attention Makerspace Adminstrators, Teachers & Organizers!

Do you want to make a big difference in your community through making? Involve your makerspace in the Makers Making Change project!


What is Makers Making Change ?

Makers Making Change is a network of makers who volunteer their skills and time to help make open source assistive technologies to help people with disabilities participate in simple everyday activities and tasks. This project is aimed at helping those who cannot afford commercial assistive devices, or those whose needs cannot be met by store bought products.


Volunteering as a maker could involve simply printing a design from our Project Library on a 3D printer for a person in need or could involve designing a custom project from scratch. The level of involvement is self determined according to your availability, skills, and tools.


How Does Makers Making Change Work?

Makers can sign up for www.makersmakingchange.com and create a profile where they can list their skills. Makers can respond to requests listed in their area by searching your area in the Connect section or reply to request posted in the forum(Coming soon!) Makers may also receive direct messages from disability users requesting a build that involves the skills listed in their profile.


People with disabilities and/or disability professionals can browse our Project Library, then request items or can 'Submit an Idea' for a device they would like custom designed or modified. If a user has a design they have created and tested, (or if they improve a design in our library) they can also submit their designs via the Create a Project button in their user profile.


Why is Makers Making Change Needed?

Statistics on Disability(Canada):

The Canadian Survey on Disability in 2017 by Stats Canada showed :

  • An estimated 1 in 5 Canadian adults had one or more disabilities that limited them in their daily activities
  • Almost 1 in 3 working age adults with more severe disabilities are living in poverty
  • Over 80% of people living with a disability use some kind of aid or assistive device on a daily basis to increase their independence. 
  • More than 4 in 10 Canadians with disabilities have a severe or very severe disability
  • 57% of Canadians with disabilities had a "milder" disability (classified as having a mild or moderate disability) and 43% had a "more severe" disability (classified as having a severe or very severe disability). In all cases, the disability was severe enough to limit them to some extent in their daily activities.


Statistics on Disability (United States):

According to the Centre for Disease Control

  • 26 percent (one in 4) of adults in the United States have some type of disability.
  • Disability is especially common in older adults, women and minorites.
  • 1 in 3 adults with disabilities 18 to 44 years do not have a usual health care provider
  • 1 in 3 adults with disabilities 18 to 44 years have an unmet health care need because of cost in the past year


Options to Get Involved!

  • Let your makerspace members know Makers Making Change exists!
    • Request an outreach pack to display at your schools, library or community makerspace
    • We will send you an outreach pack with the following items: poster and pamphlets to print and a video if you would like to display it at your space!
    • Make a difference with minimal effort!

 

  • Host a Presentation at your makerspace & become a Community Champion
    • A Community Champion role is a low impact non-committal role that involves helping spread the word of MMC in your community
  • Find users in your area:
    • Use our email templates to introduce disability professionals, libraries, universities, colleges and local social services organizations to MMC

 

  • Start a Makers Making Change Community Chapter
    • Get makers in your community to sign up for the MMC website
    • Find disability organizations and low income users in your area who need access to devices
    • Host events to build devices -use our workshop curriculum or prototype your own events depending on local needs
    • Receive rewards and swag**(more details available soon)

 

Note:Applications for Community Chapters open to Canada only until further notice

  • Those interested to become a US Community Chapter can apply for the waiting list by filling out the Chapter Leader form maker_outreach-pack