There are over 200 open-source devices in our Makers Making Change (new window) assistive device library, free for anyone to use. But many of the devices began from a need in our community.

“Every design we approach is to serve a need. I mean we don’t just build tech because tech is cool — we build it because it has a purpose,” says Justin Pezzin, Director of Makers Making Change.

Take the Tube Opener design that’s been a staple in our library — it began as a solution for one artist whose barrier to making art was that they couldn’t open a paint tube. Our team worked with them to create a simple design that allowed them to open paint tubes, and to make art. Now, in our assistive device library, it’s served many people with a wide range of disabilities.

One of the most recent additions in the library is the Musical Grasping Training Aid, an assistive device which plays music when grasped, came from a request from a clinician in the community to help teach a child with a disability cause and effect. The Chatterbox, an auditory switch scanning AAC device that our team is currently working on, came from a request from the Surrey School District and was developed in consultation with them.

“One of our core values is ‘nothing for us without us,’ that’s front and centre for our entire team. We work very hard to bring users and caregivers and clinicians into our design methods,” explains Justin. “Every step along the way, we’re considering the end user and having real people engaged in the process.”

And once a design is finished, it goes in our assistive device library, free for anyone to make. Our devices are designed with an eye for customizability — our switches and joysticks can be printed with many different toppers and designs to accommodate a wide range of disabilities, with the option for even further customization by individual makers.

“It has always been designed with the goal of being highly reproducible by makers,” Justin says. “We’ve designed it in a way where when someone says, ‘Hey, I need that customized,’ now we just take that same device, we print a different file and now we have a customized device in minutes.”

Equipped with 3D printers, laser cutters, and a meticulously organized inventory of tools and components, our offices are fully prepared to build devices that serve the needs of our community.

This article originally appeared in our 2024-2025 Annual Report.