MAKEATHON2017

©UNICEF Timor-Leste/2016/ Kelley Lynch

#thisability

Calling all Innovators!Do you have a fantastic product idea that can help children with disabilities lead more independent lives?

If you are a:

Young person (age 24 and under) with disabilities.

A parent, sibling, caregiver orfriend to a child with disabilities.

Frontline service worker for children with disabilities.

We want to work with you!

You have invaluable insight and expertise to support the

development of products and services designed to address the

challenges you face. We can’t and shouldn’t do this without you

and your experience of navigating public spaces and services with

disabilities.

UNICEF Malaysia and Petrosains invite you to participate in an

upcoming 1-day Makeathon event to help connect you with

technical experts – product designers, medical specialists, 3D

modellers and printers and technologists - that can turn your ideas

for assistive devices into physical products.

We invite you to submit your idea for developing an assistive

device* to improve the lives of children with disabilities via our

online submission form, by 11th July 2017.

(Note: Ideas can be submitted by individuals or teams.).

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THE CHALLENGE

All children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill

their potential – to the benefit of a better world. There is

a powerful case for investing in the lives of children with

disability. Children with disability are valued less than their

peers, are seen as being less capable of, or needing love,

affection, humour, friendship, play, cultural and artistic

expression or intellectual stimulus.

They are commonly segregated, marginalised, and lack

access to critical public services. Yet, these patterns of

exclusion and institutionalisation do not arise from the

intrinsic nature of the child’s impairment or disability, but

rather as a consequence of a lack of understanding in

society about the causes of their disability and inclusive (or

universal) design of premises, products and services.

Failure to to fulfil, respect and protect their rights

represents a failure to invest in their potential. It also

presents a compelling economic argument for preventing a

population of children growing up as dependents of their

families and the state, rather than active contributors to

economic, cultural, social and scientific growth of

Malaysian society. While progress has been made in

improving the lives of children with disabilities in Malaysia,

critical issues of access and inclusion still remain.

We believe that these barriers present exciting

opportunities for new problem-solvers – product and

service designers, technologists, frontline workers, health

and education experts and business leaders – to positively

impact the lives of vulnerable children.

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THE OPPORTUNITY

Throughout Malaysia, we have seen countless examples of children, parents and caregivers ‘hacking’ or modifying products

and services to make them more inclusive for children with disabilities. Some parents, for example, adapt toys to enable

their child with limited mobility to more easily play with siblings or friends. Others are customizing furniture to allow use by

their child with disabilities. Still others are developing simple, makeshift ‘tools’ to help their children navigate daily tasks –

such as getting dressed, eating or writing – more independently.

At the same time, we are seeing an increasing interest from private sector ‘problem-solvers’ who want to contribute their

skills, business expertise, products and other resources to addressing the challenges faced by children with disabilities.

This Makeathon event provides an opportunity to connect these two communities, showcase home-grown innovations and

build real products that can improve the lives of children with disabilities. Based on its success we hope there will be many

more opportunities for such collaboration in the future.

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CHALLENGE STATEMENTS

This Makeathon will focus on building physical products to address the following challenge statements

(you are welcome to submit ideas to one or more Challenges via our online portal, though each entry will have to

be separately created):

Have a great idea for a product that can address one of the challenges above?Visit this link to register now online: www.innovationlab.my/makeathon

What kind of assistive tools might be useful to help children with limited fine motor skills write, manipulate paper, hold utensils for eating, or carry out other similar daily activities?

How might we create assistive tools that help children participate in everyday play and games and pick up after themselves?

How might we adapt classroom furniture to better accommodate children with disabilities?

At Home

At Play

In School

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WHAT IS A MAKEATHON?

Submit your idea. Get selected! Refine your ideas with experts.

Build and test a prototype of your idea.

Showcase your prototype.

Ideas submitted to us via the online registration form will be

reviewed and shortlisted, and semi-finalists invited to

participate in a Makeathon event. During the Makeathon,

you will be matched with a team of experts to help you

build and test a prototype of the product you have

imagined. At the end of the day, you will have the

opportunity to present your product to a team of judges,

who will select six semi-finalists.

Over the following weeks, your team of experts will further

refine the product to develop a polished, 3D printed model

that can be showcased during a public launch event on

5 October 2017 that will be attended by ministers, private

sector leaders, civil society organizations, parents and

children and other members of the general public.

During this event, a final judging round will take place, and

three semi-finalists will receive seed-funding and support to

manufacture a larger quantity of their product.

The Makeathon on 22 July 2017 is a fun activity that brings together like-minded people from different backgrounds to

collaborate and rapidly build new practical products. This makeathon event will focus on building simple devices and products

that help children with disabilities gain more independence at home, during play times and school.

How does a Makeathon work?

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WHAT IS A PROTOTYPE?

While we know there are all kinds of products, technologies

and services needed in this space, this Makeathon focuses

specifically on building products that can be relatively easily

manufactured using a 3D printer and/or basic carpentry

tools. The skillsets we will have on hand will not focus on

technology (i.e. programmers, graphic designers, computer

engineers) but on physical product design (product

designers, mechanical engineers, 3D modelers etc).

A prototype is a simple, ‘rough and ready’ version of a product that enables demonstration and testing. It allows creators to

collect valuable feedback that can be taken into account when developing the final product. In this case, building a prototype

will enable us to match you with private sector partners who can help you build a more polished prototype to present during

the launch event judges or potential investors.

What kind of products can we create?

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Portable Ramp

Hearing Aid

Pencil Grips Braille Slate and Stylus

A lightweight portable ramp that provides

wheelchair/disability access into homes, buildings,

vehicles and more. Portable ramps can be

horizontally and longitudinally folding, telescopic or

with fixed dimensions. In addition, they can be

either wide platforms or channel-ramps. They are

usually made of aluminum and sometimes

fiberglass/graphite fiber.

For more examples check out:

http://www.discountramps.com/wheelchair-ramps/c/3100/

Below are some examples of the types of products that can

be created through a Makeathon event:

1. Portable Ramp

A slate and stylus is a small, mechanical device used for writing

braille by hand. Typically, a braille slate is a pocket-sized or

desktop two-part hinged device. The top part contains rows of

rectangular openings corresponding to individual braille cells

which guide the stylus while the bottom part has rows of

indentations arranged in cells allowing the stylus to emboss dots

on paper. A stylus consists of a small handle made of wood or

plastic with a sharp metal point. Writing on a braille slate is done

by inserting paper between the top and bottom parts of the slate

and inserting the point of the stylus through the openings in the

top part, pressing the paper into the depressions below. The slate

and stylus allow for a quick, easy, convenient and constant

method of making embossed printing for Braille character

encoding and requires very little training.

2. Braille Slate and Stylus

For more examples check out:

http://www.braillebookstore.com/Writing-Braille

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For more examples check out:

http://www.discountramps.com/wheelchair-ramps/c/3100/

To prevent hearing aids from detaching from the ears of

children, with the result of the aids getting damaged or

lost, it may be beneficiary to secure them to the child’s

ears by using lightweight caps and headbands, fishing line

and a safety pin, or hearing aid clips. Accessories that offer

protection of hearing aids from sweat, moisture and dirt

are also available, and may prolong the lifetime of the aids

and reduce frequency and cost of repairs.

Older children may be more

willing to wear their hearing

aids if they have been

engaged in choosing the

color of their earmold or

hearing aid.

Below are some examples of the types of products that can

be created through a Makeathon event:

3. Hearing Aid Clips

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The pencil or pen grips are made for left and right handed users to

make gripping a pencil/pen easier. It is made in many different

shapes and allows the user to write for long periods of time

without cramping. The pencil/pen grips are used to make gripping

a writing instrument easier and avoids cramping.

4. Pencil Grips

For more examples check out:

http://www.thepencilgrip.com/

UNICEF (2016) Overview: Assistive Products for Children with Disabilities.

For more examples check out:

http://www.huggieaids.com/Huggie_Aids_Too_Catalog_12.2009.pdf

UNICEF DESIGN PRINCIPLESDesign principles guide us in designing for our end-users - in this case, children, their families, and other young people like yourself.

In this Handbook we refer to UNICEF’s Principles for Innovation and Technology in Development. These principles are not set in stone,

but rather can be thought of as best practices that can inform the design of user-centered social development projects or programs.

Design withUsers

UnderstandingThe ExistingEcosystem

Design ForScale

Build ForSustainability

Be DataDriven

Use OpenStandards, Open Data,Open Source & Open Innovation

Refuse andImprove

Do No Harm

BeCollaborative

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Design with Users

• Develop context appropriate solutions informed by

user needs.

• Include all user groups in planning, development,

implementation and assessment.

• Develop projects in an incremental and iterative

manner.

• Design solutions that learn from and enhance existing

workflows and plan for organizational adaptation.

• Ensure solutions are sensitive to, and useful for, the

most marginalized populations: women, children,

those with disabilities, and those affected by conflict

and disaster.

Understanding The Existing Ecosystem

• Participate in networks and communities of

like-minded practitioners.

• Align to existing technological, legal, and regulatory

policies.

Design For Scale

• Use, modify and extend existing tools, platforms, and

frameworks when possible.

• Develop in modular ways, favoring approaches that are

inter-operable over those that are monolithic by design.

Refuse and Improve

• Design for scale from the start, and assess and

mitigate dependencies that might limit ability to scale.

• Employ a “systems” approach to design, considering

implications of design beyond an immediate project.

• Be replicable and customizable in other countries and

contexts.

• Demonstrate impact before scaling a solution.

• Analyze all technology choices through the lens of

national and regional scale.

• Factor in partnerships from the beginning and start

early negotiations.

Do No Harm

• Assess and mitigate risks to the security of users and

their data.

• Consider the context and needs for privacy of

personally identifiable information when designing

solutions and mitigate accordingly.

• Ensure equity and fairness in co-creation, and protect

the best interests of the end-users.

Be Collaborative

• Engage diverse expertise across disciplines and industries

at all stages.

• Work across sector silos to create coordinated and more

holistic approaches.

• Publish materials under a Creative Commons license

by default, with strong rationale if another licensing

approach is taken.

• When possible, leverage data as a by-product of user

actions and transactions for assessments.

Build ForSustainability

• Plan for sustainability from the start, including planning

for long-term financial health, i.e. assessing total cost of

ownership.

• Utilize and invest in local communities and developers by

default and help catalyze their growth.

• Engage with local governments to ensure integration

into national strategy and identify high-level

government advocates.

Use Open Standards, Open Data,Open Source & Open Innovation

• Adopt and expand existing open standards.

• Use open data and functionalities and expose them in

documented APIs (Application Programming Interfaces)

where use by a larger community is possible.

• Invest in software as a public good.

• Develop software to be open source by default with the

code made available in public repositories and supported

through developer communities.

Be Data Driven

• Design projects so that impact can be measured at

discrete milestones with a focus on outcomes rather than

outputs.

• Evaluate innovative solutions and areas where there

are gaps in data and evidence.

• Use real-time information to monitor and inform

management decisions at all levels.

• When possible, leverage data as a by-product of user

actions and transactions for assessments.

http://www.unicefstories.org/principles/

Guidelines can be obtained from:

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UNICEF works in 190 countries to uphold the rights of

children. In Malaysia, part of this work is focused on

children with disabilities, through a #thisability public

awareness campaign that encourages the public to see the

child before the disability. Petrosains, an initiative of

Petronas, is a Science Discovery Centre that uses a fun and

interactive approach to tell the story of the science and

technology through the lens of the petroleum industry.

At both UNICEF and Petrosains, we believe all children

deserve to have the best start in life – starting with access

and inclusion in spaces in which they can play, grow and

learn. This Makeathon is one of a series of activities

designed to raise public awareness around opportunities to

make public spaces and services available to all children.

Champions for Inclusion

UNICEF-PETROSAINS:

#thisability

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