We've partnered up with Makers Making Change chapter Leaders Katie Butzu and Mark Lyons to present a series of free workshops for disability professionals. (Follow Katie and Mark on Twitter @KatieButzuOT  & @MrMarkLyons)

Yesterday, we hosted our first live session where we built our own big mack style switches to provide switch access for students of varying abilities. Plus, we learned how to make paintbrushes musical to make therapy fun for children who have poor grasp or need to work on fine motor skills. 

View the Webinar Recording

New Guide: Make Your own Big Mack Switch 

Katie and Mark are writing us more guides for our accessibility resources. Check out this new free guide for upcycling materials to create your own DIY big mack style switch to provide switch access for students or clients.

New Guide: Musical Paintbrushes

Learn how to provide switch access with a Makey Makey musical paintbrush! The ‘Musical Paint Brush Activity’ offers a variety of therapeutic benefits to include: improving fine motor coordination, improving grasp, improving visual motor coordination, improving cause/effect understanding and improving social play.

More Free Workshops for Disability Professionals

We are so honored to continue this partnership with Makers Making Change, Katie, and Mark! There are two more FREE workshops for disability professionals. Make sure you sign up and bring your hula hoop and yoga ball to the next two sessions.

Make-Along Workshop: Hula Hoop Controller

When: May 20th, 2021 4:00- 5:30 pm Central Time

Sign up for the Assistive Tech Hula Hoop Workshop:  https://bit.ly/MakeyOT2

Last Session: Make-Along Workshop: DIY Therapy Ball

When: June 24, 2021 4:00-5:30 pm Central Time

In the 3rd session, Katie Butzu and Mark Lyons will teach you how to turn a yoga ball into a therapy ball. (Sign up today: https://bit.ly/MakeyOT3 )

Bring a yoga ball, foil, and your Makey Makey to make your own Therapy ball!

Supplies Needed for the DIY Therapy Ball: Yoga ball, aluminum foil tape, speaker wire, and for the switches: cardboard, wire strippers, Duct tape, glue stick, scissors, and a Makey Makey kit.

See our previous work with Katie, Mark, and Makers Making Change where we worked alongside disability professionals who created even more assistive tech ideas!

More Resources from the Webinar

• For more info on Makers Making Change visit: https://www.makersmakingchange.com/

• Check out our partnership with Makers Making Change and Katie and Mark last fall.

• Make Your Own Braille Calculator with this guide by Tracy Zhang.

• Discover even more resources for Assistive tech and Makey Makey.

• Check out the work of Matt Richards and students that designed a Minecraft Foot Controller (Colleen said the wrong name in the webinar).  

• Learn about this great project where high school students made assistive tech for their peers by designing cash registers for students with special needs.

• Visit the Makers Making Change library of open source and affordable assistive technology: https://www.makersmakingchange.com/assistive-devices/ .

• Read about the students who invented Vest Buddy using Makey Makey and a Raspberry Pi for their peer. 

• A parent sent in an idea for virtual school- Use Fruit to Unmute.

• Use the Virtual Makey Makey with Students.