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Engaged Opportunity Grants

Empathetic Design to Help People with Disabilities

Taking a team approach to creating open-source technology that assists people with disabilities and can be shared with communities around the world.

More than a hundred students from across Cornell’s campuses attend a three-day experiential learning event, where they work in teams to create technology that assists people with disabilities. Students learn the value of diversity by collaborating with others from different schools, majors, degrees, genders and people with different capabilities. Documentary filmmakers capture the process of product development and the teamwork involved, and they interview students about their perspectives on what the event experience means to them. The weekend culminates with a public demonstration of the open-source products and solutions the teams have created. Instructions and designs for accessible devices are provided to community partners to be shared with people around the world who would like to micro-manufacture the technology.

Grant category: Student Leadership

Topics: Access, Equity and Justice; Arts, Communication, Media and Design; Health, Nutrition and Medicine

The Team

  • David Brewer, Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability

    School of Industrial and Labor Relations

  • Ami Stuart

    Entrepreneurship at Cornell

  • Jane Swanson, Community and Government Relations

    Cornell Tech

  • Community partner:  Tikkun Olam Makers
  • Community partner:  New York City Mayor’s Office for Persons with Disabilities
  • Community partner:  NewLab
  • Community partner:  New York Business Leadership Network

Engaged Opportunity Grants

Supporting a wide range of community-engaged learning projects, from student leadership programs and partnership building to events and conference travel. Open to all faculty and staff.

Learn More

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