Small devices supported everyday independence.
Recipients used simple tools such as jar openers, bag carriers, and page holders in daily routines, work, and community life.
First author · Lead researcher · ASSETS 2025
Small Devices, Large Changes: Investigating the Impact of a University-Government 3D-Printed Assistive Technology Program on Residents with Disabilities
How a public agency and university makerspace built the infrastructure to distribute free, practical 3D-printed assistive devices—and how recipients experienced the program.
- Timeline
- Sep 2023–Mar 2025
- Participants
- 10 program users
- Methods
- Interviews, program records, thematic analysis
- Program reach
- 473 devices · 302 recipients
Challenge
Access depended on more than making a device.
Low-cost assistive devices can address everyday needs that commercial products and insurance do not cover. Scaling them required coordinated production, fulfillment, quality control, outreach, and trust across university and government partners.
My roleLed the follow-up study as first author: recruited and interviewed recipients, prepared transcripts, led inductive coding and thematic analysis, synthesized program implications, and wrote the paper.
Study focus
Two questions connected service delivery with user experience.
How did recipients use and experience these devices in everyday life?
Which program touchpoints helped—or prevented—people from discovering, requesting, and trusting the service?
Research approach
Following the program from request to lived experience
Interviews captured experiences that administrative records could not: how devices fit daily routines, how people found the service, and where the request-to-delivery journey broke down.
RequestResidents selected free devices through a public catalogue and form.
ProduceUniversity and state teams printed, tracked, and quality-checked devices.
Deliver + learnDevices were shipped; ten recipients later joined 18–34 minute interviews.
Key insights
Trust turned recipients into advocates.
Positive experiences encouraged people to recommend the program and help others request devices independently.
Visibility remained a major access barrier.
People struggled to relocate the request form or misunderstood eligibility, showing that outreach is part of service design.
Outcome
Research translated into infrastructure guidance.
During the documented period, the university produced 210 devices to extend state capacity; follow-up survey data showed 90.51% high satisfaction.
Make access visibleUse multimodal outreach and a request path people can easily find again.
Build shared infrastructureCoordinate tracking, quality assurance, fulfillment, and dedicated capacity.
Support community advocatesEquip trusted recipients and partners to help others discover and navigate the service.