Not-for-profit organization creating specialized solutions for disabilities in 72 hour makeathon event
TOM:Calgary 2017, August 25-27, 2017, 3536-27 St NE, Calgary, AB, T1Y 5E2
CALGARY, Alberta, Aug. 17, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Tikkun Olam Makers:Calgary run by Kadima Dynamics, is excited to announce their third makeathon event where local engineers and designers, termed ‘Makers’, work with people with a disability, or ‘Need-Knowers’, to create solutions for their everyday challenges. 15 teams of 4-6 individuals each, from communities across Alberta will work together for a continuous 72 hours, with access to fabrication equipment and materials. Participants will be given a budget, monitored, and guided through their projects.
One of the projects this year is working to help a young girl with autism spectrum disorder, who like other children with ASD, has difficulty expressing basic needs. This is equally frustrating for her parents, who wish they could understand her, and who worry about how she’ll do at school in the Fall. The challenge is being addressed by a team of electrical engineers developing a specialized simple communication gadget. Challenges that will be taken on include disabilities such as ALS, quadriplegia, brain injury, Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy and many others.
This year TOM:Alberta will be operating another event in parallel, the LipSync Buildathon, sponsored by the Neil Squire Society and Makers Making Change. This event will allow high school students and undergraduates the opportunity to experience the world of STEM. Together students will create a mouth operated kit with sip and puff controls meant for a person with limited use of their arms to operate a smartphone, so various apps helpful for accessibility can be utilized.
TOM is a global organization based in Israel that facilitates grassroots events like this one around the globe. ‘Tikkun Olam’ is a Hebrew concept that means “repairing the world”. Since its founding in 2014, TOM makeathons have come to San Francisco, Sao Paolo, Tel Aviv and Saigon. TOM events will often partner with local businesses and schools to provide the best experience possible.
Celebrate the city’s spirit of innovation at TOM:Calgary 2017 Demo Day, showcasing the projects made during the makeathon on August 27th, 2017 2:30-5:30 PM at the University of Calgary EEEL building. To RSVP at no cost, visit bit.ly/yycdemoday. For more information, please visit tomcalgary.com or e-mail tom@kadimadynamics.com.