SELFMADE – self-determination and communication through inclusive makerspaces

Abstract

The article demonstrates how 3-D-printing can be used in an appropriate pedagogical setting to empower people with complex disabilities to design and produce assistive tools. It refers to the SELFMADE project, which is linked to the research and practice of assistive technology in special education with a focus on participation in everyday life/leisure time, work and communication. Within the project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, a MakerSpace was set up in a Service Center for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) in Dortmund, Germany. The Service Center for AAC is a place where the specific competencies needed to work with persons with disabilities are present. This project uses 3-D-printing as technology, as well as the processes and platforms of social innovation. Starting with group of persons with movement disorders and complex communication needs, SELFMADE tries to enable all persons with disabilities to design and produce products with a 3-D-printer as well as sharing the designs with other people.