Inclusive Manufacturing Advances Society

National Disability Employment Awareness Month is intended to draw attention to employment barriers across all industries as well as acknowledging the accomplishments of workers with disabilities.

This year we are recognizing the contributions that people with disabilities have had on the workplace and our economy. SME highlights some outstanding manufacturing moments that focused on the disabled community and ways to be more inclusive for

Manufacturing Hope

University students manufacture devices to help people with disabilities. The world is filled with people willing to help others in need and Joseph Mollendrof has made this a way of life.

A Purposeful Life

David Johnson is a stroke survivor. Through a Minnesota Vocational Rehabilitation Services counselor, Johnson found a job and a new purpose in life through manufacturing.

The Power of Design

Professor Frankie Flood uses 3D printing to help children. 3D printing has allowed him to change what would otherwise be seen as a disability into a positive attribute.

Empowering Workers With Handicaps

Manual workstations are still indispensable because automation is not always profitable with small batch quantities or complex processes.

Inclusive Manufacturing Can Improve Productivity

Three words are ever-present in business right now: diversity, equity and inclusion. For businesses across industries, there is pressing customer demand for companies and leaders to take a stand on these issues and act on their promises. Chelsea Stein from MSUToday discusses how Disability diversity in the workplace can improve productivity.

“When you consider the fact that there are talent shortages and at the same time there are people with disabilities who are underemployed, it seems logical that employing these individuals would be a win-win…there is a need for organizations to broaden and diversify the pool of individuals that they’re hiring.”

Sriram Narayanan, Kesseler Family Endowed Faculty Fellow and professor of Supply Chain Management at Michigan State University

Skills USA 2018 Adaptive Device Competition

For the 2018 Additive Manufacturing Competition, students were challenged to solve a real-life medical problem for a veteran who endured a traumatic thumb amputation on his left hand. It is projects like this that showcase creativity and foster out of the box thinking of young manufacturing talent. Partnering and participating in programs like SkillsUSA help show the next generation of creators the endless possibilities manufacturing has to offer. The winning devices this year consisted of 3D-printed parts designed to allow the veteran to comfortably use a PlayStation 3 controller, without his current silicone prosthetic.

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