Assistive technologies and disability: a gathering between women-mothers and digital fabrication in Fab Labs

Abstract

The space that new technologies have occupied in people's daily lives is increasingly broad. However, such occupation does not tend to be democratic and egalitarian. From this perspective, this article aims to present perceptions about the experiences carried out in a project developed on the following pillars: women-mothers, disabilities and the development of Assistive Technology in spaces known as Fablabs. Through an exploratory and qualitative approach, this study introduces an overview of the research, followed by explorations and reflections on the activities carried out. In its practical steps, among others, ethnographic and Design Research methods were used. The group of women, mothers of children with disabilities, whose number of members varied during the practices (from two to five people), carried out activities to develop assistive technology products using digital manufacturing tools in a public laboratory of the Rede Fablab Livre SP, in São Paulo, Brazil. The thoughts and analysis presented on this piece of study are related to the questions of interpretation of the meanings of the activities in these spaces for the group and their identifications with the performed technological tasks. In this way, we seek to contribute to a debate regarding the occupation of environments of the Fablab type, focused on a social and plural participation of its users.