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What I’ve learned from MIT Assistive Technology Hack
PS: This blog is a work-in-progress as there are a lot of different pieces to put together and I am waiting for my teammates’ notes and photos.
MIT Assistive Technology Hackathon, aka, MIT ATHack, connects engineers, designers, and community members to create inclusive technology. Specifically, student teams collaborate with community members with disabilities, who are known as co-designers, to build accessible products. Teams are encouraged to investigate the challenges, observe how co-designers navigate through their daily life, and communicate with co-designers before the hackathon, which is quite different from usual weekend-long hackathon settings.
Accessibility is a cause dear to my heart. I work with a professor who is legally blind, so I see his frustration with poor accessibility design firsthand. My college best friend also has vision impairment, yet he never stops to amaze me with his optimism, initiatives, generosity, and wild dreams.
Personally, I had a minor accident 3 years ago. Before that, I never understood my school’s big investment in accessibility design, since I barely saw anyone used it. Yet as soon as I used crutches, all of a sudden, automatic swing door openers and escalators truly saved me. While the majority won’t use these special designs, they are life-changing for the few who do need them. And equally importantly, the design also creates a priceless inclusive psychological environment.
