This project is a great way to get those idle 3D Printers running and make something useful for AT Users in your community!
We’ve designed 3D Printed Switches that you can easily download and assemble. This guide will show you how! If you’re an AT User or part of an AT team (parent, SLP, ATP, etc.), bring this guide to your local STEM or Robotics team and they’ll know how to put it to good use.
Positioning switches is critical for folks with severe and profound physical challenges. Getting the AT Switch “just right” reduces fatigue, increases accuracy, and makes communication and environmental control much more successful.
First, and most importantly, this site has just had a major update & some extra protection added to try to stop the LOSERS who are trying to use our site to send SPAM and increase their own site’s SEO by taking advantage of folks with disabilities. Like I really have time for this crap. :-/
Second, we’ll be gathering at the AT Makers Facebook Group for an update concerning Closing the Gap and our efforts this summer!
Cariboo is a great way to teach AAC scanning for target pictures by playing to win the treasure! This popular game by Cranium, no longer available in the stores, provides a great example of how to AT Switch Enable a commercial board game. We’ve finally done a full end-to-end video of how to make the Cariboo Adaptation.
Well, due to circumstances beyond our control, we’ve had to change our name. It’s OK, I wasn’t a big fan of OpenAT since it really implied that our goal was to make more Open Source hardware/software for AT users… when in reality that’s more of a tool, not a goal.
So, with some input from the community (thanks Yahnatan!), we’re now ATMakers.org!
When you’re first starting out with electronics, it’s hard to know how to make good-looking, easy-to-understand diagrams of your ideas and creations. But doing so is a huge plus when others are trying to help you!
Luckily, there’s a free program named Fritzing that makes physical, schematic and even circuit board diagrams very easy.
People with physical challenges often are very limited in their ability to make precise movements with their arms, fingers, etc. (This is known as having poor “fine motor” control.)
This severely limits their ability to control things like keyboards, mice, pens and pencils. If the person is also unable to speak, they may have no way to communicate.
This site is our first attempt to express a simple idea:
Open Source Hardware (and Software) provides tools that the Assistive Technology users could benefit from tremendously. Let’s make that happen.
Our first project will be to create complete instructions for the Switch-Enabled Cariboo® Game we created for display in the LessonPix.com booth. Hopefully, this will lead to more detailed discussions of how the amazing low-cost commodity hardware now available to Makers can help those who rely on Assistive Technology.