To help us put all this into action, you can make us a donation here. Thank you in advance !

But first and foremost, what is all this? My Human Kit, what do you do ?

The year 2019 is coming to an end, bringing forward the opportunity to recall our missions, why we act and what we work for every single day. My Human Kit, in 3 points, is :

  1. To make a workshop available in order to collectively make technical aids for people with disabilities because these aids are sometimes quite costly, non-existent or unattractive. Therefore, we must change all that ! That is why the Humanlab, a digital fabrication laboratory dedicated to disabilities, is open free of charge every Thursday and without appointment. The outcomes and solutions are subsequently shared on the internet to be replicated.
  2. To involve people with disabilities in the conception of their solution to give meaning to research and development. By acting this way they demonstrate that they are capable. They transform their difference into a source of technical inspiration and make the perception of disability evolve in society. We call this “handicapowerment”. It is a witty fusion of handicap and empowerment.
  3. To promote our practices and our way of doing things wherever possible, from Saint Didier (35) to Saint Petersburg in Russia. This means expanding our network so that everyone can benefit from a Humanlab close to their home.

All right, and was 2019 a good year then ?

If we look back, 2019 is :

  • An association that will celebrate its 6th year of existence and a Humanlab that has been open for 3 years, fiesta !

  • A team more determined than ever that has grown with the arrival of Lucie, Pauline and Charlie (we are currently eight) and about forty volunteers full of ideas and motivation. A big thank you to them ! Fortunately, the lab has been upgraded. We now have more room to host everyone, the lab is great and full of good vibes (this is not an alexandrine).

  • 20 project leaders within the Humanlab : 40 objects imagined and manufactured, including the third electric wheel for a manual wheelchair, adapted video game controllers, a gauntlet for people with agenesis, an electronic white cane…
TrottiTrotti
Adapted controllersAdapted controllers
Wi-caneWi-cane
  • 10 days in Tokyo via the French embassy to attend a conference, exchanges with associations, fablabs, maker spaces, universities… with the idea of going back in 2021 !

  •  Fairs : “Play as you are” during the Paris Games Week, the Stunfest (video game convention in Rennes), SEIS (Solidarity Experiments and Innovations Fair), Maker Campus in Nantes…

  •  15 experimental digital workshops including 470 schoolchildren and young people with disabilities in 3 schools in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine.
  • 35 workshops with young autistic people within the Humanlab : use of the internet, computer drawing, 3D printing of objects.
  • 1 Fabrikarium in partnership with ArianeGroup : 3 days of rapid prototyping to boost the production of technical aids and change the perception of disability in companies.

  •  1 Solidarity race in partnership with the Collège de la Petite Lande in Rezé (44) to support the development of 3 Humanlabs in Burkina-Faso, Ivory Coast and Senegal.

 

  •  1 new Humanlab, the APAJH44 (Association for Adults and Young People with Disabilities or “ Association Pour Adultes et Jeunes Handicapés “ in French), joined the network, which now consists of 9 structures.

Therefore, yes, 2019 is a very good year.

Very well, now what is the plan for next year ?

Similar but even better 😉 We remain open on Thursdays for the Openlab to welcome you with a smile and a coffee. Access and training to digital manufacturing tools remain free. We plan to organize several Fabrikariums, showcase our work during fairs, participate in a solidarity race with a high school and to be taken aback by chance encounters. The search for new financial partners also remains a priority because the association, fuelled by its duty of general interest, is not self-financed. We depend on foundations or private actors who pledge their financial support to our cause for up to 3 years. For this reason, we have set in motion the possibility of making an online donation to help us achieve our objectives :

  • Accelerate the manufacturing of technical aids for people with disabilities,
  • Develop an open source documentation platform to share tutorials,
  • Moving to a new, larger and more open facility to further increase accessibility,
  • Support the development of the Humanlab model in France and worldwide.

A donation to My Human Kit entitles you to a tax reduction because the association meets the general conditions set out by articles 200 and 238 bis of the French General Tax Code.

With these words in mind, we wish you a happy end of the year, you can follow us on our social media @myhumankit (and @bionicohand for Nico, the co-founder and bionic drummer).

We will see you at the beginning of next year for new adventures !