Makers Making Change in the Cities: Building an Accessible Fabrication Lab for the Transition Program at Saint Paul Public Schools

Presenter(s)

Event Details

Topic:

transition, employment & vocational rehab

Format:

lecture

Subject Level:

beginner

Age Span:

grades 7-12
adult

Target Audience:

AT specialist

educator

K-12 administration
occupational therapist

special educator

teacher of the visually impaired

Professional Development Credits

IACET CEUs:

.01 CEU

ACVREP CEs:

1 CE

Presentation Length: 1 hour

Location:

Plaza 6

Description:

This session will explore the development of the Fabrication Lab, an inclusive makerspace at the Focus Beyond Transition Program in Saint Paul Public Schools. Designed specifically for students with disabilities, the lab empowers them to develop technical and vocational skills. To develop the space, Focus Beyond has partnered with a range of organizations—including Ramsey County, VRS/DEED, Macalester College, and Minnesota Diversified Industries (MDI)’s Unified Work program—to build accessible vocational pathways. Through this collaboration, students are not only gaining valuable technical skills but also designing assistive technology solutions for themselves and others, shifting their roles from care recipients to care providers. The presentation will offer practical strategies for building similar partnerships in your own community and share resources for designing and creating assistive technology.

Learning Outcomes:

As a result of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Describe why learning fabrication and technical skills is important for students with disabilities.

• Describe three types of organizations that they could collaborate with to build these partnerships in their community.

• Identify three resources that they can use to design and obtain DIY assistive technology.