CREATE

NYSID strives to be flexible with each school's engineering program. The guidelines are to benefit to the NYSID Member Agency and the school, as well as the CREATE program.

• NYSID facilitates relationships between student teams and NYSID Member Agencies, and then the Member works directly with the teams to develop assistive technologies.
• The academic year is divided into planning and construction phases.*
• Student teams visit the sites of their perspective Member Agency to identify problems they can resolve.
• Once the school and Member have approved a clearly defined project, student teams must draft a project proposal and submit it to NYSID before the end of the first semester*.
• Each team must submit a cost estimate to produce their prototype and proposal, after which NYSID will provide each team with funds up to $1,000.
• NYSID will provide a Summary of Purchases spreadsheet that the team must use to report their purchases.
• Student teams are expected to submit a working prototype to the Member Agency partner, a final report, and a 3-6-minute video demonstration of their work to NYSID upon completion of the spring semester.
• The device should be tested at the Member’s site to ensure it functions in the workplace.
• Students will participate in the CREATE Symposium in Albany in the spring to demonstrate their inventions to the public and state legislators. NYSID will cover all expenses for two team representatives, their professor, and a representative of their NYSID Member partner.

*Accommodations can be made for single-semester programs.
 
If you are interested or have any questions, please contact Megan Tatro at mtatro@nysid.org or CREATE@nysid.org.

CREATE typically takes place for a full academic year* and is divided into a planning and construction phase. NYSID will be available to both the school and agency throughout the year to provide guidance and assistance as needed and will expect progress reports from each student team on a monthly basis. These updates should be emailed to CREATE@nysid.org.

Fall Semester* - Planning Phase

1. NYSID will meet with schools and Member Agencies interested in participating in CREATE.
2. Each school will designate a faculty member as the project coordinator. Each participating student team should elect one student as the group's representative and point of contact. The school must notify NYSID of the number of student teams participating and the number of projects they anticipate completing.
3. The primary contact information of each entity must be established and shared between the student teams, Member Agency partner, and NYSID.
4. The professor and students should consult with the NYSID Member Agency to determine a need that the student team can meet. The NYSID Member Agency must approve a project that will benefit the vocational lives of the people with disabilities that they employ.
5. Students and professors should look at previous CREATE projects to help prepare their projects. They should also perform the research necessary to ensure that there is no existing patent for their idea.
6. NYSID Member Agencies will work directly with the student teams to begin collaboration. This means they will agree to give the students access to their facilities and to work with individual staff to assess their needs and workplace operations. Communication between the Member and the students should be open, and they will determine how many times they need to meet during this period to discuss possible projects. They may consult through visits, phone calls, virtual meetings, and email discussions.
7. The student teams should advise NYSID early on of their device concepts to receive feedback and design suggestions for development.
8. Once a clearly defined project has been determined and approved by the school and the Member, each student team must draft a project proposal and submit it to NYSID (mtatro@nysid.org) before the end of the fall semester. The program coordinator will set a date for submissions. The proposal should briefly describe the project under the following headings: Background, Statement of the Problem, Rationale, and Design. NYSID will review this draft, and based on feedback, the school will make any necessary changes or clarifications and submit a final proposal to NYSID by the end of the fall semester.
9. Each team will submit a cost estimate to NYSID (mtatro@nysid.org) with their project proposal, and NYSID will provide funds to the team for that amount. If a team exceeds their estimate, they may request additional funds up to the $1,000 limit. The maximum amount NYSID will provide per project is $1,000.
10. Each team should receive their funds in time to purchase materials before the end of the fall semester/beginning of the spring semester.

Spring Semester* - Construction Phase

1. Student teams should have purchased all materials necessary to build their prototypes at the start of the semester. 
2. Member Agency partners will continue to work directly with the students and will be available for site visits to test prototypes.
3. Each student team is expected to complete a working prototype, make a video demonstration, and write a final report on their findings (an extension of their initial proposal). All must be completed and submitted to NYSID by the end of the semester.
4. NYSID will sponsor a symposium at the end of the spring semester. NYSID will pay for two representatives from each team, their professor, and a participating NYSID Member Agency representative to travel to Albany, where the symposium will be located. Each team will display their invention to the public, or if that is impractical, they will display a video and display boards demonstrating their invention.

Note: All projects should be completed by the end of the Spring Semester and can be carried over into the next academic year with NYSID approval

 * Accommodations can be made for single-semester programs

Final Report: This will be a discussion of the work completed on the assistive technology invention that the student teams have worked on. We suggest the following order of headings: Background, Statement of the Problem, Rationale, Design, Development, Evaluation, Discussion, References, and Acknowledgements. 

Video: Your video should be 3-6 minutes long and demonstrate the device.  All videos must be uploaded to YouTube, and the link must be sent to Megan Tatro (mtatro@nysid.org).  The link to the video should also be referenced in the report or a separate document.  Videos will be showcased on the CREATE website. 

Working Invention: Students will deliver a functional invention to their Member Agency partner at the end of the Spring semester. The outcome of the students' year-long project should be a creation that will directly benefit workers with disabilities.

Final Presentation and Interactive Symposium: NYSID and the Member Agency should be included in any final presentations the student teams make. Student teams will participate in a symposium in Albany, where they will present their inventions.

Note: NYSID will pay for transportation, food, and lodging for two team members, their professor, and a representative of their Member Agency partner. 

Role of NYSID Member Agencies:

Participating Member Agencies will connect with CREATE student teams to collaborate in developing assistive technology devices. They will help students assess operations and look for opportunities to customize work processes. NYSID Members will provide insight into technology that is relevant and responsive to workforce needs to ensure devices are built to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities. Student teams will visit and work directly with the NYSID Member Agency. If the NYSID Member Agency is not in the immediate area, students may consult through virtual, phone, and e-mail discussions.

Member agencies that have participated in CREATE:

Assignment: Upon submission of a device to CREATE, the student teams and schools shall retain all rights to their devices, except as provided by the limited license agreement. 

In consideration for their participation in the competition, student teams and schools, hereby provide to NYSID and NYSID’s affiliated nonprofit agencies a limited license to use such devices to enable and/or further the employment of individuals with disabilities.

In further consideration for their participation in CREATE, all student teams hereby grant permission to NYSID and NYSID’s affiliated not-for-profit agencies to use students’, or mentor’s names, photographs, quotes, likenesses, reports, graphics, images, PowerPoint presentations, or video for informational, educational, publicity and promotional purposes.

Liability: Submission of every report, graphic, photo, and video warrants that each individual featured in the graphic, image, and/or video has provided permission for its use.  The principal author also certifies that on the date of submission of this report, all listed authors are currently enrolled as full-time or part-time students in an undergraduate or graduate-level degree program.

Stipend: NYSID will provide funds for each project, for up to four projects per campus, at the beginning of the spring semester. The amount of the distributed funds will be based on the cost estimate each team submits with their proposal, which is up to $1,000. NYSID will mail the cards to the faculty member serving as the project coordinator, along with the program guidelines, which will need to be signed by the school and returned to NYSID. Each team must document all materials purchased with receipts and invoices. NYSID will provide a Summary of Purchases spreadsheet that the team must use to report their purchases. 

Schools must use the funds to purchase all materials; any out-of-pocket expenses incurred are subject to NYSID approval for reimbursement, and there is no guaranteed reimbursement.

Schools must keep track of all materials and costs of supplies used to create prototypes.
All receipts, the Summary of Purchases spreadsheet, and the source of the funds must be completed and mailed to NYSID at the end of the spring semester.

Note: If student teams do not return the source of/remaining funds and all necessary documentation, the school will be billed for any unaccounted funds.