Joystick Repair Party GOAT Space, behind Bookmark Bookstore, 10th & Broadway, Oakland How Many Joysticks Can We Resurrect? Promise and Pitfalls of Inclusive Design and Disability Technology (Jutta Trevinus and Liz Henry) University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley Monday, October 19, 2026 Tune Up Tuesday - SF Disability Cultural Center and Ed Roberts Campus Double feature event! Both are happening simultaneously 1:30pm - 4:30pm Tune up your mobility device, get a fixit kit, learn more about community repair initiatives! GOAT Learning Lab: Power Chair Batteries 101 What powers a power wheelchair? We'll open up a chair, find its batteries, look at how they're connected and discuss common battery problems. Participants will practice documenting connections, disconnecting/reconnecting batteries and doing basic voltage checks. No experience needed, questions are welcome. Physical location: GOAT space (behind Bookmark Bookstore in Oakland) GOAT Learning Lab: Wheels, Casters & Hairballs Wheelchair wheels collect an astonishing amount of hair and debris. We'll learn how common wheel and caster assemblies fit together, remove selected wheels, clean them, inspect the hardware and put everything back together. Physical location: GOAT space (behind Bookmark Bookstore in Oakland) GOAT Learning Lab: Power Wheelchair Checkup Learn a simple visual and hands-on inspection of a wheelchair. We’ll look for loose hardware, worn parts, damaged cables, caster problems, tire issues and other signs that something may need maintenance - plus when to stop and get additional help. Physical location: GOAT space (behind Bookmark Bookstore in Oakland) GOAT Learning Lab: Meet the Power Wheelchair Ever wondered what’s actually inside a power wheelchair—or why two chairs can feel completely different? We’ll explore several power wheelchairs, identify their major components and features, compare drive systems, and talk about how design choices affect everyday life. Physical location: GOAT space (behind Bookmark Bookstore in Oakland) Tune Up Tuesday Archer Bicycle free Wheelchair repair clinic Building Open Source Wheelchairs! Tune Up TuesdayUpcoming events
Details of Joystick Repair Party
We have 12 broken power wheelchair joysticks, repair tools, soldering equipment, and test power chairs ready to see what we can bring back to life.
Repairs range from simple button/contact fixes and cracked housings to cable splicing, mystery electrical faults, and PCB-level troubleshooting. None of these joysticks are in active use, so they’re safe to experiment on.
Come party with us 11 am–3 pm to diagnose, repair, solder, experiment, and learn together. Experience not required!
We’ll provide: joysticks, tools, repair materials, soldering equipment, and test chairs. Also snacks and sodas!
Location: GOAT Space, behind Bookmark Bookstore in Oakland
Zoom, 11 am–12 pm: You can join remotely during the first hour for the initial teardown, diagnosis, and discussion.
Join on ZoomDetails of Promise and Pitfalls of Inclusive Design and Disability Technology (Jutta Trevinus and Liz Henry)
5:00 — 6:30 PM
Eugene Jarvis Auditorium,
Grimes Engineering Center
RSVP here!
Save the event to your bCal here!
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Inclusive design and disability technology — whether it uses AI or not — aims to make life easier and more fulfilling for people with disabilities. In this moderated discussion, two experts share their perspectives on the possibilities and perils of contemporary advances in the field of assistive technology.
Jutta Treviranus, Director and Professor at the Inclusive Design Research Centre, within the Ontario College of Art & Design University, will speak to the ever-expanding role of AI. As a statistical replicator feeding on available data, AI inexorably favours the average, popular, or profitable. Disability means you are an outlier in population data and the things you need have no economies of scale. The only common data characteristic of disability is sufficient distance from the majority that common things are not designed for you. While AI is uncannily good at helping achieve the average, AI eliminates difference. When decisions are made about people who are not average, this can lead to mechanized digital eugenics. This has grave implications for disabled people and minority communities but also for human survival.
Liz Henry, Executive Director of Grassroots Open Assistive Tech, will speak to the notion of designing ourselves as “sustainable cyborgs.” There exist many efforts to create assistive technology, often with fabulous cutting-edge engineering. People also love to create custom tools and materials for a particular disabled person, at hackathons and so on. What does designing for repairability and maintenance mean? What’s the experience like for someone to get their wheelchair repaired? What happens to the miracle devices when they break? And how can we save ourselves from the mountains of garbage and e-waste that overwhelm us? Henry will discuss repairability, design, and the promises of open source and open culture!
Past events
Details of Tune Up Tuesday - SF Disability Cultural Center and Ed Roberts Campus
Details of GOAT Learning Lab: Power Chair Batteries 101
Remote participation: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88496547258?pwd=yQCP6uwPLrO2vzcFZAdqDK0TXQ3jaJ.1
Lesson plan: 2026-09 Learning Lab NotesDetails of GOAT Learning Lab: Wheels, Casters & Hairballs
No experience needed, questions are welcome.
Remote participation: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88496547258?pwd=yQCP6uwPLrO2vzcFZAdqDK0TXQ3jaJ.1
Lesson plan: 2026-09 Learning Lab NotesDetails of GOAT Learning Lab: Power Wheelchair Checkup
No experience needed, questions are welcome.
Remote participation: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88496547258?pwd=yQCP6uwPLrO2vzcFZAdqDK0TXQ3jaJ.1
Lesson plan: 2026-09 Learning Lab NotesDetails of GOAT Learning Lab: Meet the Power Wheelchair
No experience needed, questions are welcome.
Remote participation: https://meet.google.com/uwx-bbzy-axk
Lesson plan: 2026-09 Learning Lab Notes