This semester, sophomore Morgan Verellen and junior Alyssa Welch are bringing a new club to campus focused on making assistive technology for people with disabilities.
The club is a fellow of Tikkun Olam Makers, an international organization that creates and disperses affordable products to neglected communities living with disabilities.
These products include items such as one-hand ponytails, palm pen holders and toddler mobility trainers.
Clients can work with members of Tikkun Olam Makers in their community to produce a product that is tailored to them for an affordable price.
Welch is a transfer student from Duquesne University, where she was a part of the university’s chapter of Tikkun Olam Makers.
“I came here, and they didn’t have it,” Welch said. “So I applied for the fellowship, because the impact that it made in the Pittsburgh community was so insane to see.”
Verellen, a recreational therapy pre-occupational therapy major, has observed through her classes how many people in the Slippery Rock area could benefit from assistive products.
“We’ve been able to interact with so many different groups of people,” she said. “We’ve learned how much there is a need for this where we are at.”
Verellen acknowledged the well-built foundation within the recreational therapy department, advocating for people with disabilities.
“We already have a really strong community advocating for stuff like that,” Verellen said. “But having something where we can bring in other majors and other disciplines to be a part of that is pretty cool.”
The club’s mission is to make assistive technology more accessible to its clients. “It helps them be more independent and eliminate social barriers,” Welch said.
There are two main categories for members of Tikkun Olam Makers: builders and backers.
Backers will be focused on communicating and advocating for the client. “They are the people taking the measurements, testing the products or the prototypes with the clients,” Welch said. “Then you give feedback to the engineers.”
The engineers are called builders. They take feedback from the backers and produce a design that will fit the client’s needs.
Verellen and Welch believe joining the club will benefit students by giving them hands-on experience that is unique from their coursework, especially for those interested in engineering.
“We’re not creating just to create a product that is a hypothetical solution,” Welch said. “It’s creating a product that is based on someone’s specific need.”
“It’s person-centered design,” Verellen said.
The club meets at 342 Patterson Hall during common hour and at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays or Thursdays. Students can check the club’s Instagram, tom.sru, to see updated meeting times.
Students do not need any experience to join Tikkun Olam Makers.
The club expects to be on CORE soon. Students can email Verellen at mmv1010@sru.edu or Welch at akw1005@sru.edu if they are interested in getting involved.
The club also has its own email: tikkunolammakers.sru@gmail.com.
