Cerebral Palsy Alliance has partnered with the University of Technology,
Sydney (UTS) to bring Enabled by Design-athon to Sydney.
Enabled by Design-athon is a 48-hour design marathon that aims to bring
the best and brightest young designers, engineers and inventors together to change
the world for people living with a disability.
Previously held in the UK (2012) and Washington (2013), the 2014 Enabled
by Design-athon edition will be hosted by Sydney over two days. The ideas and
prototyping fest aims to inspire Australia’s mainstream design and technology
community to embrace the concept of universal design, which translates into
designing for all including people with a disability.
Enabled by Design-athon 2014 will feature 120 designers, engineers,
inventors and people with a disability working in teams, with the objective being
to conceptualise and create prototypes for products, technologies or services,
which may eventually be produced and made available for sale on the open
market.
Robyn Cummins from Cerebral Palsy Alliance says the event is unique as
each team includes a person with a disability who will provide the inspiration
needed for new ideas. The Design-athon begins with the empathy stage where each
team has to literally walk in the shoes of their team member with a disability
to give them first-hand experience of the everyday challenges they face, and a
greater understanding about how their daily life is impacted.
Based on their understanding, teams have to come up with a new product
idea, design it and produce a working prototype.
Sponsored by the Department of Family and Community Services, Enabled by
Design-athon 2014 will be held at UTS on Friday 25th and Saturday 26th July.
