The Inaugural Hacksessible event took place in Sheffield on 1-2 December 2018.

Students from the University of Sheffield have collaborated with individuals with disabilities to help them overcome everyday challenges using assistive technology.

The Hackcessible make-a-thon, which aimed to give students real world experience in manufacturing as well as providing solutions that will increase accessibility for individuals with disabilities, was held at the University of Sheffield’s iForge.

Hackcessible is a collaboration between the University of Sheffield’s iForge, the Centre for Assistive Technology and Connected Healthcare (CATCH), and Assistronix. D4D’s Clinical Director, Professor Wendy Tindale, took part as a member of the judging panel.

The winning project included creating a system which could scan sheet music and feed it into an iPad so that it can be more easily read by someone with a visual impairment. Vicky, who plays the euphonium, worked with her team over the weekend to create a working prototype, which was then demonstrated with a live performance.

For one of the other projects Jake Clarke, a science undergraduate who had previously dropped out of a different university due to deteriorating vision, worked with students to create a solution that will allow him to use technology tools that are currently inaccessible to people with visual impairments.

It is hoped that further workshops will take place in the new year for teams who wish to develop their prototypes into minimum viable products and to explore the routes of entrepreneurship and/or open sourcing.

You can read the full news item on the University of Sheffield’s website, here.