{"id":266,"date":"2020-04-20T21:55:30","date_gmt":"2020-04-20T21:55:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/roaringriptide.com\/?page_id=266"},"modified":"2020-04-20T21:55:30","modified_gmt":"2020-04-20T21:55:30","slug":"makers-making-change-florida-chapter","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/roaringriptide.com\/index.php\/makers-making-change-florida-chapter\/","title":{"rendered":"Makers Making Change – Florida Chapter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This article was originally written on the MakersMakingChange website and was adapted, reworded, and many parts of the article remain intact within this page \ud83d\ude42 – Source: https:\/\/www.makersmakingchange.com\/author\/zeek\/<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

As a FIRST Robotics Competition Team,\u00a0Roaring Riptide students see the power of engaging in community impact initiatives. Since 2017, Roaring Riptide has regularly hosted or assisted with toy adapt-a-thons,\u00a0Go-Baby-Go<\/a>\u00a0projects, specific assistive tech device builds with\u00a0ATMakers<\/a>\u00a0as well as having completed two\u00a0Magic Wheelchair<\/a>\u00a0builds. Riptide’s students are passionate about helping people with disabilities and find their work to be extremely rewarding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0Recently, the Roaring Riptide team added another national community impact project to their partner list. We are now an official chapter of\u00a0Makers Making Change<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Makers Making Change?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“Makers Making Change pairs makers to people with disabilities who need access to low cost assistive devices. Their website hosts a\u00a0Project Library<\/a>\u00a0of open source devices that includes material lists, design files, and instructions for building DIY assistive technologies. Some projects in the library include switches for electronic devices like accessible gaming, AAC devices and toys. The library also has files to create simple eating and grooming aids for daily life. One of the highest tech projects is the\u00a0LipSync<\/a>; a mouth controlled sip and puff mouse.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“With all their previous community impact experience, Makers Making Change is a perfect match for their groups passion and skill set.”<\/p>https:\/\/www.makersmakingchange.com\/author\/zeek\/<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Spreading the Word with the #FIRSTwithAT Initiative<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Roaring Riptide wants to help as many individuals as possible to be able to have and access assistive devices. On our own initiative, we created a DIY Toy Hack Kit (pictured above), with the supplies and directions required to take a toy and adapt it to be accessible. The\u00a0#TidalWaveofAT<\/em> Kit includes parts, a toy hack guide created in collaboration with\u00a0FIRST\u00a0FRC Team 6413: Degrees of Freedom<\/a><\/em> as well as a switch build instructions from Makers Making Change on how to build a\u00a0Raindrop Switch<\/a>.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The goal of\u00a0#FIRSTwithAT<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0#TidalwaveofAT<\/em>\u00a0 projects are to act as a catalyst by providing resources to First Robotics Club teams. The secondary goal of the project is to connect FRC teams with AT professionals in their community.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

“Over the years, Roaring Riptide has participated in 15 events and adapted approximately 600 devices for people with disabilities.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Roaring Riptide hosted their first Makers Making Change\u00a0Raindrop Switch Build<\/a>\u00a0and Toy Adapt-a-Thon in December 2019, where they worked with other high-school teams to adapt approximately 80 toys, as well as prepared 115 switches. The toys and switches were distributed to\u00a0Sydney Lanier School<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Littlewood Elementary School<\/a>, both located within the\u00a0Alachua County Public Schools.<\/a>“<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing the Gainesville Chapter<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“At the\u00a0ATIA conference in February 2020<\/a>, the Roaring Riptide participated in several activities including a\u00a0soldering booth to teach disability professionals how to build their own DIY access switches<\/a>. Working together with Makers Making Change staff, Roaring Riptide mentored disability professionals to create over 110 switches to use with their clients!”\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The team also demonstrated their community impact at a poster session where they showcased several projects the team participates in such as the\u00a0Intellikeys<\/a>\u00a0project with\u00a0ATMakers,<\/a>\u00a0as well as their adapted toy hack and switch build projects with AT Makers and Makers Making Change!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Other projects on display included several personal AT projects students have taken on. One student, Jackson Fugate showcased his accessible keyboard and mouse he designed for a person with cerebral palsy. At the end of the conference, Jackson met up with a device requester to try his first prototype.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Needless to say, if anyone needs a request fulfilled in Florida, the students of Roaring Riptide have your back!”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s Next for Makers Making Change Gainesville?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Through their connections with ATMakers, ATIA, Makers Making Change, and Regional AT Specialists, the team aims to present to more high-school robotics teams and AT Specialists about their work.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team is currently working on two individualized AT project requests they\u2019ve received through their online request portal on their website \u2013\u00a0www.roaringriptide.com<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0(a communication project using Braille and a GoTalk20 device, and the other is for a switch-adapted guitar) as well as 2 requests through Makers Making Change (a\u00a0braille keyboard overlay<\/a>\u00a0and a\u00a0voice switch<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please reach out to us on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Twitter<\/a>! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Join the Florida Chapter of Makers Making Change!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t have to be a first robotics team member to join!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volunteer as a Maker: <\/h3>\n\n\n\n