United Cerebral Palsy’s Life Labs initiative is partnering with Smart Chicago and Microsoft Chicago to bring together people from all walks of life under the principles of universal design to dream up the next big idea for people with disabilities. The Chicago Innovation Lab will be an intense, collaborative, two-day design challenge uniting a diversity of talent across a variety of fields who will use human-centered universal design concepts to solve everyday challenges. Teams at past events have utilized 3D printing to design, develop, and test their prototypes.
Who?
UCP’s national organization, based in Washington, D.C., along with local partner Smart Chicago will be producing the Chicago Innovation Lab event. The Innovation Lab is an opportunity for designers, technologists, engineers, students, caregivers, and people with disabilities to collaborate and learn from each other about how to use human-centered universal design concepts to solve everyday challenges. UCP believes that a team’s diversity brings more perspectives and results in products that are more accessible, usable and desirable.
What?
Following the format of successful events in Washington, DC and Sydney, Australia, the two-day Innovation Lab planned for Chicago brings together designers, makers, engineers, caregivers, and people with disabilities to learn about universal design and collaborate on building prototypes of products and services that support people with disabilities. Approximately 100 attendees are expected to attend to hear inspiring lightning talks by industry experts before forming into teams and collaborating to identify and build a prototype of a product or service that can benefit the life of a person with a disability. The event will end in a pitch contest to a panel of judges. Past sponsors of these events have included Google, Adobe, Sprint, CareerBuilder, CEA Foundation, TechShop, and many others.
When?
Tuesday, May 19 and Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Where?
Microsoft Technology Center (MTC) Chicago
200 East Randolph Drive, Suite 200, Chicago, IL, 60601
REGISTER TODAY!
Contact lifelabs@ucp.org with further questions about UCP’s Life Labs or Innovation Lab events.
