This spring, Oliverian School’s Engineering class participated in the 2026 Make:Able Challenge, a global competition that invites participants to create 3D-printed solutions that improve the daily lives of people with disabilities or older adults. Each year, more than 150 teams from around the world take part.
Our students embraced the challenge by developing an empathy-driven assistive device for Ean, an avid traveler and business owner living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). After learning about Ean’s needs and experiences, they designed and built a custom prototype using an Arduino Nano—a programmable microcontroller that allows electronic devices to interact with their environment. The result was a compact, one-button controller with four different functions, designed to simplify everyday tasks and increase independence.
While the team did not place in this year’s competition, the project was a great success! Students gained hands-on experience in engineering, programming, and 3D printing while discovering that the best designs begin with listening, asking questions, and understanding the needs of others. It was a meaningful example of innovation driven by empathy, creativity, and real-world problem solving.
