When grade 12 student Nico learned he could use his design skills to make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities in his community as a Clubs That Care (new window) youth leader, he jumped at the opportunity.

“I was all over it,” he says. “I really enjoy 3D printing and designing and stuff like that too. It was really a perfect fit.”

Nico, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, had learned about the initiative from his old kindergarten teacher, Shaun Maddock, an education consultant with Grandview School, the education partner of Grandview Kids (new window), and the Makers Making Change (new window) chapter leader in Durham Region, Ontario.

With help from the Clubs That Care micro-grant, Nico ran a workshop with the Technological Design class at his high school, leading his fellow students in adapting Small Duck toys — a toy adaptation he designed himself and wrote instructions for — and in designing and printing custom toppers for Interact Switches.

His classmates particularly enjoyed learning new skills like soldering. Nico also noticed how the students reacted when they tested their finished devices and saw they worked — that their hard work had paid off with a practical device that could be used by someone else.

“That was one of the biggest impacts,” he shares. “When you explain what the button is for, that’s one thing, but actually doing the workshop and attaching your button top to the toy is another thing.”

The toys and switches were donated throughout the Durham District School Board (new window) to be used by students with disabilities.

Nico has also helped his former teacher Shaun run build events and technology showcases in the community. Throughout all of these events, he has enjoyed working on his public speaking skills, sharing his story with participants.

Looking to his future, Nico wants to study biomedical engineering after he graduates high school, and to continue designing assistive technology for people with disabilities.

“I think my experience and my passion for it is definitely what drives me to get into that field,” he says.

For now, he enjoys continuing to make a difference as a Clubs That Care youth leader.

“As a person with a disability and wheelchair user myself, I know firsthand how expensive stuff like that can be, and I know personally that I would have benefited from a lot of this stuff if it had been more affordable. What Makers Making Change does is just amazing to me,” he explains.

“It just makes me feel happy that other kids and people will benefit from this, and that now I’m helping to design some of this stuff. It’s amazing.”

This post originally appeared on the Makers Making Change (new window) website.