About Us

Husky Adapt

You may be wondering what is HuskyADAPT? HuskyADAPT is a student organization at the University of Washington, Seattle, that works on making more accessible design and inclusivity in technology. Within this organization, Design Teams work on a project year-round dedicated to research, design, prototype, and test a specific design problem from community members.

We are a group of six undergraduate students forming a multidisciplinary team focused on building an informational website about accessible switches, including cheaper alternatives to buying a switch. The switches we build during testing will be provided to our partner, ODMF. ODMF is helping us create a platform we know will be helpful for the community. We are also working with with a few accessibility experts from CREATE.

See more information on the Husky Adapt Website or on Instragram

Open Doors for Multicultural Families (ODMF)

ODMF is the community member that we are working with to help build more affordable switches for minority kids in Washington schools who have disabilities. With the provided information that we present on building switches and affordable DIY switches, ODMF can support more families and hopefully create a better learning environment for children.

More information on ODMF

Create

CREATE is the center for research and technology in the University of Washington in also striving to make technology be more accessible for people who have disabilities. CREATE works alongside with HuskyADAPT to help as an extra resource for projects. We’ve worked with CREATE to provide more feedback on our work on building switches and also a lot of feedback on building the website to be able to meet the needs of families while using it to learn more about switches.

More information on Create

Switch Systems Team

Laura Oliveira
I’m a junior studying Electrical and Computer Engineering at UW. I’ve been leading the Switch System team this academic year, and this is my third year in HuskyADAPT. Over that time, I’ve gained hands-on experience working with accessible switches and designing tools that support inclusive technology.

Katherine Escoto Licona
I’m a junior majoring in Geography Data Science with a minor in Leadership & Informatics. This is my first year in HuskyADAPT.I’ve been working on structuring and styling the website for the project and handling how to best to cordinate the needs of users to serve the best use of our website to show about acessible switches that can be built or how to make them at home.

Katelyn Doan
I am currently a junior majoring in Industrial and Systems Engineering with a minor in Business Administration at the University of Washington. This is my second year with HuskyADAPT. For this project in particular, I have been assisting in the research and development of various switches for the website. With so many switches available, it is my goal to test the feasibility and effectiveness of them to ensure that user needs are met.

Omar Ahmad
I’m a senior majoring in Geography Data Science with a minor in Informatics at UW. This is my first year with HuskyADAPT and I focused on researching proximity-based switches and evaluating their cost, usability, and accessibility. I also contributed to writing technical content for the website and helping ensure that the information is clear and user-friendly.

Catherine Ton
I am a junior majoring in Bioengineering with a minor in Data Science at the University of Washington. This is my second year on the HuskyADAPT design team, where I have been involved in researching, developing, and testing accessible switches. Through this project, I have gained valuable experience in accessible switch design and have learned to prioritize user needs throughout the development process.

Catherine Darma
I’m a junior studying Industrial and Systems Engineering with a minor in Informatics at UW. This is my first year in HuskyADAPT and I’ve been working on researching and building accessible switches.