412 Ability Tech event showcases innovations in assistive technology
Curiosity and connections bring practitioners and students together
Developers, therapists and students gathered at UPMC Mercy Pavilion to leverage talents and foster a greater ecosystem for assistive technology. The July 11 event, hosted by 412 Ability Tech, demonstrated Pittsburgh’s robust tech community and its need to connect.
During the past 18 months, 412 Ability Tech has mapped 120 local organizations and 900 contacts working in related areas, founder and board member Alexander Geht said.
The difficulty is that different people and companies aren’t aware of each other’s services. Part of the reason for hosting the event is to “make the field much more accessible for all,” the Israeli said.
Nearly 50 people from more than 25 organizations attended the three-hour-long gathering. Participants conversed, discovered mutual interests and toured the UPMC Mercy Pavilion. A breakout session led by Allegheny Intermediate Unit’s Scott Dougherty and 412×972’s Dror Yaron introduced participants to 3D printing’s simplicity and possibilities.
When a student struggles with a piece of equipment, whether it’s a pencil or paintbrush, 3D printing can “bridge the gap,” Dougherty said.
3D printers range in price. Some go for as little as $100. Others can top $5,000. A $400 printer can make a 20-cent plastic piece that helps someone hold an item, Yaron explained.
“And you don’t need to buy a printer,” he told attendees. “Enough people have printers already that are collecting dust.”
Part of the goal is connecting people who have 3D printers with individuals who could benefit from the tools, Doughtery said.
“People who are doing this stuff are often sitting with piles of resources and, on the other side, are people who need it,” Yaron said.
Another hope, he added, is that attendees will leave this space and “spread ideas.”
Throughout the morning, Yaron carried a white plastic instrument across his shoulder.
The Arcana Strum was developed in Israel by musicians, engineers and designers after Gil, a young girl with cerebral palsy, wanted to learn how to play guitar.
The Strum, Yaron explained, is adaptable and suitable for individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities.
“It is an accessible musical instrument,” he said. “It is more sophisticated than a toy. You can really play serious music and grow your understanding of music.”
Yaron brought the Strum to the event to spark curiosity and connection.
“I know there are people with disabilities that want to play music like that girl. I don’t know where they are, and I’m hoping that people here may run into somebody who does,” he said.
Fellow participants expressed a similar desire to interact and learn.
Carnegie Mellon University graduate student Audrey Reiley told the Chronicle she attended the program to “dip her toes in and see who’s kind of around in the community.”
Classmate Kimberly Blacutt said she “didn’t realize that there was such a big and passionate group of people who are working on assistive technology in Pittsburgh.”
“I’m excited as a maker and designer to meet part of that community,” Blacutt added.
Duquesne University student Elyse Barnes attended the event after spending the past year in a fellowship with TOM (Tikkun Olam Makers).
The group, which spans 70 communities worldwide, creates and disseminates affordable solutions for people living with disabilities.
Thanks to TOM, Barnes partnered with Geht’s Testa-Seat — the company develops, designs and manufactures custom supportive chairs for children with disabilities — and 412 Ability Tech to “make assistive technology, adapt toys and then give them back to the community,” she said.
Barnes attended Thursday’s program, she said, because Geht and 412 Ability Tech demonstrate how to “build a community around people who have interests in creating assistive tech and solutions.”
While much of the morning enabled individuals to find new colleagues and explore possible partnerships, participants also toured UPMC Mercy Pavilion.
Ashli Molinero, director of UPMC’s Disabilities Resource Center, led visitors through an apartment designed to help individuals boost independence.
Often used by patients with low vision, or occupational therapists and clients, “this is a space for people to practice,” she said.
Items were arranged to support and promote a resident’s autonomy. An enlarged timer was placed on the kitchen countertop. The nearby fridge had a bottom-freezer so items were more easily reachable. Buttons for the stove were located on the front of the appliance, as opposed to above, to prevent burns, Molinero said.
Elsewhere in the Pavilion, Mitch Bell, from UPMC’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, welcomed visitors to Assist+, a space for testing assistive technologies.
There was an adaptive trowel, braille LEGO and a button aid. The latter, a small wooden handle with a metal hook on the end, helps people with arthritis or dexterity concerns button a shirt.
Robert Zacharias, an assistant teaching professor at Carnegie Mellon University, marveled at how so many items were easily adapted.
Zacharias, who carried his three-month-old daughter, Ruth Olive, in tow, said there’s a misunderstanding about assistive technology.
“I think it is so unfortunate that we draw this thick-line distinction between those everyday assistive technologies — or just we could say, technologies — and those which are specified to people with a disability,” he said. Whether it’s a table, so one can enjoy dinner without having to place their plate on their lap, or lights, so people can see when the sun goes down, “we are surrounded by assistive technologies that we have built for ourselves.”
The takeaway for students is the same for practitioners, and even “people reading this article,” Zacharias continued.
“All of us can be helpful to each other in many ways,” he said. “You don’t need to be involved in technology or development, and you don’t need to be a professional in the field, to remember that there is meaning and value in using your ability, knowledge, skills and time to contribute to the well-being of other people around you.”
Before closing the event, Geht encouraged participants to reconvene the following week at Winchester Thurston School.
A July 19 event, hosted by Design to Make a Difference and 412 Ability Tech, will showcase how students in grades 7-10 spent two weeks creating assistive technologies.
“What we noticed was that the younger the student is, the less boundaries they saw,” Geht said. “When children understand the needs of others they will grow up with a better understanding of how to be inclusive. And, in the long term, this will be the best for assistive technology.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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