Makeathon seeks solutions for people living with disability

Makers will gather in Geelong this weekend to seek solutions to challenges faced by people living with disability.

For the first time in Australia, the Saturday, March 25, and Sunday, March 26, Tikkun Olam Makers (TOM) event, is running two simultaneous Regional Makeathons in Geelong, and Wide Bay, Queensland.

The events will occur on the same dates and times, allowing teams from both Makeathons the opportunity to connect virtually throughout the program.

Founder and Director of TOM: Melbourne, Debbie Dadon, said the Makeathons will tackle issues with is no obvious or current solution in the market connecting people with disability who have a specific need, ‘Need-Knowers’ and with Makers – with skills and knowledge to find solutions.

“We are extremely excited about the upcoming TOM: Melbourne 2023 Regional Makeathons and the prospect of working with our fabulous teams of Makers and Need Knowers to design and create customised and affordable assistive technology,” Dadon said.

Makers may include anyone from professionals to university students, working and studying in the disciplines of engineering, industrial design, allied health, trades and more.

Originating in Israel in 2014, the phrase Tikkun Olam is roughly translated as ‘repairing the world’.

TOM has since sprung up in over 70 communities across 30 countries, creating more than 600 unique solutions for Need-Knowers around the globe.

Community Lifestyle Support Speech Pathologist and TOM Wide Bay Makeathon Mentor from Bundaberg Sue Lord said the event will benefit the lives of individuals with any impairment.

“TOM Makeathon is a unique opportunity for an individual with any impairment who struggles to access sports or recreation activities to have a piece of customised equipment designed and built specifically for them,” Sue said.

The Makeathon will run from Saturday 25 to Sunday 26 March, with a showcase on the Sunday giving teams the opportunity to explain how their solutions will assist in overcoming the Need-Knower’s unique challenge.

The Showcase will be live streamed via TOM’s online channels from 5:30-6:30pm Sunday 26 March.

For every solution found at the Makeathons, intellectual property will be shared through open-source Digital Product Files, enabling other Makers around the world to create solutions for Need-Knowers in their own communities with no cost for the IP.

For more information on the event head to www.tommelbourne.org/