We are rolling up our sleeves and prepping for a week of activity. Here are two big maker events in the US that we’ll be a part of.

NOMCON (June 9 - 10)

This weekend, Chad Leaman and Harry Lew will be at the first-ever Nation of Makers Conference (NOMCON) down in Santa Fe. NOMCON is an unconference, meaning it focuses more on dialogue and connections than one-way presentations.

Makers from all over the United States will be attending NOMCON. In fact, Harry and Chad will probably be the only Canadians there. So if you’re curious to meet some living, breathing Canadians, just watch out for Chad; he'll be the only person in a Team Canada jersey.

On June 9th, Chad will be facilitating a conversation between brilliant makers who are focused on and interested in creating open assistive devices. Their discussion will also touch on intentional inclusion, which is the theme of the conference.

When: June 9th, 11am

Where: Room Nambe, Santa Fe Convention Center

NOMCON has an all-star lineup of maker leaders and there's a lot to learn. We are looking forward to it! Here is some more info on NOMCON.

AT Makers' Fair (September 29)

Makers Making Change is on the planning committee for the Assistive Technology Makers’ Fair coming up on September 29th, 2018 in Concord, New Hampshire. The Fair will bring together over 200 makers, people with disabilities, and educators in the community.

The keynote presenters are Therese Willkomm and Bill Binko, two front-runners in the AT maker movement. The Fair is currently looking for sponsors, booths, and attendees, so we hope to see you there! Register here for the AT Makers' Fair.

PS: On May 30th in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reinforced the Government of Canada’s commitment to help more Canadians with disabilities participate in the global economy, saying:

“… As the world becomes increasingly digital, we want to ensure all Canadians are set up for success. In Vancouver, we announced $3 million for the Neil Squire Society to develop an open-source assistive technology model across Canada that will greatly reduce costs for persons with disabilities. This is part of our $22.3 million accessible technology program, which will help overcome barriers and give all Canadians an equal opportunity to obtain good jobs for today and tomorrow.” Read the full transcript here.