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Support gimp-friendly Kickstarter ideas

Oct 18 07:14

Did you know there are loads of gimp-friendly designs waiting to be made on Kickstarter that never see the light of day? It’s a travesty. So many brilliant, novel ideas, many with universal design elements and all which could have a significant impact on the lives (and future independence) of people with disabilities.

My friend pointed me to SILISKIN Glass on Kickstarter last week; a smart drinking cup design that removes the unhealthy, plastic aspect of drinking from a cup for many quads (they say drinking out of plastic cups over time can cause cancer), and making it a standard glass but covering it in latex to give it an easier grip (brilliant!). For years I’ve avoided glassware for this reason…it just slips right out of my hand.

This Universal Mini Stand (got funding) for mobile phones is a cool universal design on Kickstarter. This invention lets you keep your phone upright and easy to see if you’re trying to watch a movie or something like that. It also lets your clip your phone to almost anything, like your car visor, really making it versatile and great for people with mobility disabilities.

And boy there are loads of awesome design ideas on Indiepop. The No Spill Kangaroo Cup is a ceramic cup (invented by a girl for her grandfather who had Parkinson’s; he kept tipping his cup over). It has three specifically-positioned legs that makes it impossible to tip over.

Or the Hot Straw, another Parkinson's-inspired product,made from high-quality plastic. It can withstand high hot coffee temperatures and has two separate straw holes you sip from, helping to prevent dribbling for people with Parkinson‘s, and for those without the condition, the design makes it easier to drink hot liquid safely (and makes it harder for lipstick to get wiped onto your teeth).

One of the worst reasons for ANYTHING to get stalled is because of a lack of funding, yet it happens all the time. We don’t have to let it happen though, thanks to the internet. We can start getting our butts on Kickstarter more and more often, and Indigogo, and search “universal friendly” designs.

It’s time we started supporting these inventors, crowdsourcing-style. It’s our responsibility.

Start searchin’

- Kickstarter

- Indiepop

Have you tried inventing a product for people with disabilities? How did it go?

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1. silikids | Oct 19 09:14

Thanks for the mention and support! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1659480065/siliskin-glass-silicone-glass-the-best-cup-ever?ref=live

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By Tiffiny Carlson

Tiffiny Carlson Disability buzz, travel, fashion and dating — fun things to amp up everyday wheeling life.

Tiffiny Carlson is freelance writer and writes the “SCI Life” column for New Mobility. She's also a C6 quad from a diving accident that occurred when she was 14 years old. A lifelong resident of Minneapolis, Tiffiny has been a writer in the disability community for over 10 years and writes for several publications and blogs, as well as her personal blog BeautyAbility. Her work has also appeared in mainstream publications such as Nerve.com and Playgirl.