3D-Printed Prosthetic Limbs by Students-for-Students Expanded! (Special Ed. NYC)
My students need a LulzBot Enclosure to house the 3D printer/safety, a hexagonal screwdriver to build the enclosure, a Sceptre LED monitor to view our project and an HDMI cable to connect to a computer.
Within the NYC Public school system is District 75. District 75 houses the highest needs special needs students and oftentimes, these students also fall into the highest needs economically disadvantaged category. Over 90% of my students fall into this category. We are a 12-month program, where students attend year-round to receive services.
My students are part of the largest school district in the country (the NYC DOE) and fall into the highest needs category.
For years, I have poured my own money into my classroom, but it is not enough! I have reached out to local community members and collected used and refurbished computers, but they do not meet the requirements to run modern software.
I teach grades K-8 and a total of 9 classes, a daily lunch club and a weekly positive behavior intervention club as a reward for students. All students would have access to these resources!
That is why today, I am reaching out for global support to help our highest needs students get an equal chance to succeed! We truly need your assistance to level the playing field. Many students come from homes that do not have Internet access or technology, further increasing the achievement gap.
My Project
I recently had a project funded to help print prosthetic limbs for students by students using a 3D-printer! This project consists of the essential items for safety and accessibility so all students can participate.
My goal is to get a safety enclosure for the 3D-printer so students do not accidentally burn themselves and to add a monitor so students with visual impairments can see and participate!
The printer heats up to hundreds of degrees and can cause severe burns if touched while in use or while cooling down. It is very feasible that a child could touch and burn themselves. For this reason, it is crucial to get an enclosure before operating the 3D-printer with children!
The second goal is to make the 3D-printer accessible to students with disabilities. Some of my students are visually impaired and would not be able to help participate in our projects without a larger screen. Since this is whole class instruction and I do not have a Smart Board, I need an external monitor large enough that all students will be able to see.
For both the enclosure and monitor, I looked for the least expensive options that would be sufficient to my students’ needs. As an added bonus, the enclosure requires certain pieces to be 3D-printed in order to be functional. This significantly cuts down on the cost of the enclosure and will empower students to design, build and assemble the enclosure themselves! For this part of the project, I will have my oldest students help me, and then my younger students will assemble the enclosure!
To see the first part of this project please click the below link for my full backstory: https://www.donorschoose.org/project/3d-printed-prosthetic-limbs-by-students/3132597/?rf=page-dc-2018-03-project-teacher_3627809&challengeid=20839101&utm_source=dc&utm_medium=page&utm_campaign=project&utm_term=teacher_3627809
Thank you so much to everyone who has helped bring 3D-Printed Prosthetic Limbs by Students for Students to life!
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Kamer and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
