Bhutan Inclusive Makeathon develops personalized assistive technology

The Inclusive Makeathon in Bhutan brought together engineers, teachers, and international experts to design assistive technology through a person-centered approach. Rather than creating generic devices, the initiative focuses on identifying specific challenges faced by individuals with disabilities to build tailored prototypes.

Participants, referred to as ‘need knowers,’ collaborate directly with designers to ensure solutions meet their daily requirements. For example, 18-year-old Tshering Lhamo worked with participants to develop a colorful, pattern-based prototype to assist with learning and interaction. Professor Harshit K Dave from the S. V. National Institute of Technology noted that the goal is to bring stakeholders, including parents and experts, together to transform individual problems into functional solutions.