In June, students from the AbilityOne® Design Challenge top three winning universities traveled to Washington, DC to attend the NISH Grassroots Advocacy Conference and were presented with their awards at a Congressional Reception on Capitol Hill. The first place team was awarded $10,000 for their design of the Frappe Valve Assembly, a mechanical press used to assemble a three part liquid dispensing valve that reduced repetitive strain injury and increased employee productivity by 200%! Winning team members from Ohio University, Broc Pittinger and David Few, accepted their award and the matching $10,000 prize for Ohio University. In addition, Judy Sheppard from PSA, Inc. accepted the CRP’s matching award of $10,000 on behalf of SW Resources from Parkersburg, WV. Also, in attendance at the reception were second place winning students from Duke University and third place winning students from UNC Chapel Hill. Read more information about the winning teams here.

For ten years NISH has sponsored the AbilityOne® Design Challenge, a competition for students to develop assistive technology devices that empower people with disabilities in the workplace.  This year, the entries for the AbilityOne® Design Challenge were even more competitive than in the past with the highest number of entries.  Three-quarters of the entries were built in conjunction with NISH CRPs; and the remainder were designed in collaboration with veteran disability service or other local disability service programs.
 

The 2011-2012 AbilityOne® Design Challenge kicks off this month with a new format. The college and high school program have combined into one program with two tracks. Registration and submission procedures and requirements have been streamlined and are all online so students from around the country are able to compete.
 

High School teams will work through the fall to research, design and submit a presentation featuring their device. The top five teams win a trip to Washington, DC in March 2012 to present their devices and compete for cash prizes for their school up to $5,000. The deadline for high school submissions is Wednesday, December 14, 2011.  University students will work throughout the academic year and are eligible to win cash prizes up to $10,000 and a representative from each winning school will be invited to Washington, DC in summer 2012 to attend a conference and receive their award. The deadline for university entries is Friday, April 20, 2012
 

Students, faculty and school administrators, form your team and register today! Contact us for help finding a project.
 

CRPs don’t miss this “win-win” opportunity that helps your employees overcome productivity challenges or other barriers to employment and at the same time creates an avenue for students to better understand the positive impact that they can make by applying their talents and skills to the development of assistive technology. If your agency partners with a student team that is awarded one of the top 3 prizes, you will receive matching cash awards! Order application materials by contacting This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call (571)226-4527. Reach out to the engineering department of a college or university near you, schedule a site visit to your CRP, and collaborate on this “win-win” opportunity to benefit your business, help your employees and support students!
 

For more information go to www.a1designchallenge.org , email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call (571)226-4527.