Engineering students to help individuals with disabilities
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - NYSID (New York State Industries for the Disabled, Inc.), has announced the 2022 CREATE (Cultivating Resources for Employment with Assistive Technology) Symposium where college engineering students collaborate with rehabilitative support organizations to develop innovations that help those with disabilities succeed in their jobs.
College engineering students from around the state will demonstrate their inventions.
A panel of community business leaders will evaluate and score the CREATE projects. Student teams will compete to receive prize funds worth $15,000 dollars, $10,000 dollars or $5,000 dollars, to be split between students, their universities and their rehabilitation organization partners. This year there are nine teams from five colleges and five NYSID member rehabilitation organizations each presenting their assistive technology. Members of the NYS Legislature will attend and speak at CREATE.
“The CREATE Symposium is one of our favorite events of the year. Not only does it showcase part of what we do at NYSID, it allows for innovation from college students to help make it easier for our member organizations to employ people with disabilities,” said Maureen O’Brien, CEO of NYSID. “In New York State, 67% of people with disabilities are not employed or are underemployed. The CREATE Symposium offers an opportunity for students to build a specially designed invention that can go a long way toward helping an individual become more productive in the workplace. We are excited to share the 2022 inventions with our legislators and the public.”
SUNY Albany's Paper Shredder Disposal System invention is in good use at the Center for Disability Services! One of the shredders in the Mail Fulfillment affirmative business is difficult to empty. The process currently used is to place a cart with two bags under the shredder, wait until they are full, then remove the bags, lift them and throw all the paper into another box. Often, a worker with a disability has difficulty lifting the bag without assistance, reducing the worker’s productivity. The goal of the project is to make the process easier by allowing the worker to dispose of the paper through an automatic process, resulting in more efficiency.
This is a capstone project for many involved engineering students, but many tell News10 it means a lot more than a good grade. "When you get to know the people who you're working with, how much it has changed their lives, the impact of it-- it's really great," said Guillermo Esteban, Ualbany Engineering Student.
"People will disabilities are great problem solvers. At the end of the day, that's what we are because we live in an enabled-bodied world. You take real problems and you have problem solvers that come together with engineers and with some of the best youngest minds, you're going to get great inventions," said John Robinson, President, and CEO of Our Ability Inc.
NYSID is a not-for-profit business with a mission of "Advancing employment and other opportunities for individuals with disabilities." Established in 1975, NYSID is a registered 501(c)(3) Not for Profit that creates employment opportunities for nearly 5,000 New Yorkers with disabilities annually through New York's Preferred Source Program. NYSID's community rehabilitation Member Agencies and Corporate Partners are located throughout the state, providing jobs in the community and in production facilities. For more information, visit www.nysid.org.