On Saturday, June 1st, UCP of NYC program participants celebrated with our partner MOUSE and MOUSE Corp members at The New York Public Library-Bartos Forum for the 5th annual Emoti-Con!

MOUSE is a national nonprofit organization that empowers youth to become the digital media and technology leaders in their schools. Through MOUSE Corps program, NYC high school students develop their skills and experience by designing and creating new technologies that address social needs.

In the fall of 2012, UCP of NYC started our partnership with MOUSE Corps to assess ways in which technology design and innovation can be applied to positively impact the needs of individuals with disabilities. Students visited UCP of NYC to collaborate, brainstorm, prototype, and share ideas about accessible solutions for the people we serve. Ongoing collaborations with project participants from UCP of NYC enabled MOUSE Corps students to execute four projects over the school year. Two of the MOUSE Corps/UCP of NYC projects, the Mixing Buddy and ArtSquared, won awards at Emoti-Con.

The Mixing Buddy is a hacked, counter top-mounted kitchen mixer, with an accessible switch for users with cerebral palsy and other mobility challenges, controlled by touching two fingers together. ArtSquared is an assistive painting device for artists with disabilities powered by an Arduino that controls motors guided by a nunchuk-joystick. The device enables users to express their love of art with greater fluidity of range.

Out of the 46 technology projects submitted by various organizations at Emoti-Con, ArtSquared and Mixing Buddy were both selected as finalists. ArtSquared was given the Point of View Award for bringing a unique perspective to Assistive Technology Design, and Mixing Buddy won both Most Innovative and Crowd Favorite for their unique design and fantastic marketing pitch.

MOUSE Corps participants have expressed how informative the partnership with UCP of NYC has been for learning universal design and improving social aptitudes. MOUSE leaders have reported an uptick in the MOUSE Corps interest in universal design for disabilities and the purpose it serves in the world. Students like Peizhu, who is a Junior at James Madison High School appreciated the process of getting to know individuals at UCP of NYC. Says Peizhu,"I enjoyed exchanging stories with the people at UCP of NYC, and then forming our ideas through their perspective and using our knowledge to design new technology for them."

Thank you to our partners at MOUSE and congratulations to all of the members of MOUSE Corps. We sincerely hope your experience with UCP of NYC helps guide your careers toward thoughtful, accessible, and innovative technology design.

To learn more about MOUSE visit: http://www.mouse.org/

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