Vanderbilt’s First Ever TOM Makeathon!

Posted by coffeyac on Friday, December 1, 2017 in Blog.

The technological boom of the 21st century has fueled a growing market of assistive technology designed to improve the lives of people with disabilities. Gadgets fashioned by accessibility teams in corporate settings are changing the lives of these individuals
by helping them perform everyday tasks with ease, an obstacle they previously had not been able to overcome until introduced to such new technology.

However, even in these large companies, who have an aim to assist this specific population of people, there are oftentimes gaps between what the companies are creating and what the individuals with disabilities really need. Tikkun Olam Makers, commonly referred to
as TOM, recognized this issue. TOM is a global movement of Makers (designers, developers and engineers) who use their talents and creativity to design ‘public domain’ assistive technology with people with disabilities by actually sitting down with individuals (the “need knowers”) and allowing them to communicate their specific needs, rather than arbitrarily assuming a solution.

This winter, the Wond’ry is hosting Vanderbilt’s first ever TOM Assistive Technology Makeathon. Teams comprised of students and professionals with a variety of skills and talents will meet with their need knower this Saturday, December 2nd to
understand the challenge with which they are faced and to form a more concrete path for establishing potential solutions. The Wond’ry is enthused by the interdisciplinary nature of the TOM Makeathon. Specifically, through a
combination of science, engineering, design and social engineering coupled with the accessibility harnessed by the maker community, it will drive inclusive innovation for the need knowers coming to campus, followed by anyone else with similar needs.

Getting the Need Knowers to actually sit down with professionals, and put their ideas together provides the resources to make things that will not just intend to help people, but which will actually help them. The Vanderbilt TOM Makeathon will be an incredible challenge
for everyone involved, but with that challenge comes a unique opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life.

Alexa Levitt
Student Ambassador