Clubs That Care (new window) youth leader Dante Bravi (pictured above in front of his group of volunteers) teamed up with his alma mater, the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) (new window), to host a Hacking for the Holidays (new window) build event, making 150 low profile switches for children with disabilities.
Dante graduated from the Automotive Service Technology program at SAIT. He has a passion for cars and gained a passion for electronics while in the program. Having a spinal cord injury himself, he worked on a prototype for an adapted steering wheel that allows drivers who use hand controls to keep both hands on the wheel for his capstone project.
So, it was no surprise he began volunteering with Makers Making Change (new window). Looking to host a build event and engage other volunteers, Dante reached out to Chenoa Hansen, the Academic Chair for the Automotive and Motorcycle programs at SAIT.
“I’ve always been very proud of Dante and the progress that he’s made,” Chenoa shares. “I’ve just been really impressed with the strides that he’s made to have an impact on this world, to do good work, and support others with accessibility.”
The event aligned well with SAIT’s commitment to community engagement, inclusion, and innovation.
The MacPhail School of Energy at SAIT provided the venue and the equipment for the build, while about 20 volunteers participated, including students and instructors from the electrical, transportation, and aviation programs.
While they had four hours booked for the build, the volunteers were able to build 150 switches in two hours.
“It was great,” says Chenoa. “When I explained to our volunteers what the outcome of the project was, there was a lot of engagement, and they were pretty keen. We had a lot of keeners there that were glad to help.”
Dante credits his experience at SAIT for giving him the skills and ability to run an event like this, and while volunteering as a Clubs That Care leader, enjoyed getting the opportunity to develop his skills while making an impact.
“I want to do as much learning as possible,” he explains. “Before I went to school, or started on anything technology related, there’s no way I could have like even thought to organize something like this or be able to instruct people.”
Dante and Chenoa particularly appreciate that the switches will help children with disabilities play with toys independently.
“It’s definitely a good cause. I mean, I have a disability as well, so I can understand that resources and access to technology and things like this are highly important,” Dante shares.
“It was a great day, and we are hopeful our efforts make an impact for young children facing accessibility challenges,” says Chenoa.
This post originally appeared on the Makers Making Change(new window) website.