School District 60: Peace River North

Neil Squire’s Makers Making Change & School District #60/Peace River North: Partner up to Bring Accessibility Solutions to the Community

Fort St John, British Columbia, January 15th, 2020  – Neil Squire and their Makers Making Change initiative, in collaboration with the School District #60, is holding its first Light Touch Switch build-a-thon at Duncan Cran Elementary.

Students from North Peace Secondary School, especially those interested in engineering, design, and software programming or those who have an interest in a disability profession are participating in this event.  Working alongside maker mentors and Makers Making Change, students will be building assistive devices that will be sent to people with limited use of their hands or fingers living in and around Fort St John. All materials and instructions are provided, no experience is necessary.

WHAT: Light Touch Switch build-a-thon

WHEN: Wednesday, January 15th, 9am -11:30am.

WHERE: Duncan Cran Elementary School, 8130 89 Ave, Fort St John, BC V1J 5S5

The Light Touch Switch is well-suited for use by a finger, allowing a person with severely limited arm/hand movement to control various technological devices such as a tablet, or Xbox controller.  The switch can be plugged into any standard AT interface and is an open source hardware project funded by the Government of Canada that uses 3D printed parts, a mono cable and tactile switch that are soldered together to create the switch.

Makers Making Change (www.makersmakingchange.com) has hosted a number of build-a-thons across Canada and the United States, and has given out over a thousand assistive technologies ready for use by people with disabilities. Their website hosts hundreds of open source assistive technology projects which include instructions and parts lists.

Global News recently aired a feature about our Electronics Arts Switch Buildathon

About Neil Squire

“We use Technology, Knowledge, and Passion to Empower Canadians with Disabilities.” Neil Squire has been revolutionizing the lives of Canadians with disabilities since 1984 through accessible technology. Our work is focused on four distinct areas: Innovation, Digital Literacy, Employment, and Assistive Technology. Our work enables people with disabilities to achieve their goals, reach their full potential and continue living life to the fullest. Makers Making Change, an initiative launched by Neil Squire in 2016, connects volunteer makers to people with disabilities who need assistive technologies.

For media inquiries:

Suzanne Wiens

Director of Communications

604.473.9363

suzannew@neilsquire.ca