Teaching Digital Fabrication to Early Intervention Specialists for Designing Their Own Tools

Abstract

We taught basic principles of digital fabrication to four early intervention therapists that were specialized in the training of children with cerebral visual impairment and related disabilities. Here, our intention was threefold. First, we wanted to engage in digital fabrication together with the therapists to ‘kick-off’ a co-design project and get to know them; the project was about creating therapeutic toys, and we hadn't met our participants or co-designers before. Second, we wanted to give them an impression of the tools we use and the sorts of designs that we are capable of producing in the course of such a one-year design project. Third, we aimed at generating a first set of design ideas. In this paper, we show in which ways teaching digital fabrication enabled us to accomplish these goals. Interestingly, we did not anticipate one of our most interesting findings. - As it turned out, the therapists continued creating their own designs after the project was completed, drawing on their newly developed digital fabrication skills. Hence, as a fourth outcome, we ‘accidently’ empowered the participants to address their problems independently.