Project STEMpathy logoProject STEMpathy

A program for kids, by kids

Where STEM meets empathy.

Project STEMpathy brings hands-on workshops to elementary/middle school students where they learn engineering, teamwork, and empathy through building real adaptive technologies for children with neuromuscular disabilities.

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Students posing with two custom-built adaptive ride-on cars in a classroom
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Students engaged
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Adaptive cars built
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Kid-driven joy
This is just the beginning

Our Mission

Engineering with heart.

Project STEMpathy is committed to creating adaptive technologies that foster independence and joy for children with neuromuscular disabilities. At the same time, we teach students that engineering is most powerful when it is rooted in empathy.

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Core Initiative

Adaptive Ride-On Cars.

Powered mobility devices build confidence and independence for young children with neuromuscular disabilities. Our program encourages students to transform ride-on cars into custom adaptive vehicles, tailored to each child's unique abilities and needs.

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A young child smiling in a colorful adaptive ride-on car built by students
Students working together in a classroom workshop to build adaptive technologies

Core Initiative

Adaptive Technologies.

Adaptive technologies for young children are often expensive and out of reach for many families. Through our program, students design and transform adaptive technologies ranging from sensory toys to walkers, to create solutions tailored to each child's unique ability and needs.

Some examples of adaptive technologies include:

  • Adaptive toys
  • Walkers and gait trainers
  • Communication device mounts
  • Adaptive gaming controllers
  • Wheelchair accessories
  • Writing and classroom aids
  • Feeding and eating adaptations
  • Positioning supports
  • Sensory tools
  • Door openers or simple home adaptations
  • Customized seating supports
  • And many more!
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Gallery

Our Favorite Moments

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Students posing proudly with two finished adaptive ride-on carsA young child enjoying a ride in a custom pink adaptive JeepA young child smiling from the seat of a finished red adaptive JeepFinished red adaptive Jeep with light bar, ready for deliveryTwo completed adaptive ride-on cars, red and pink, with a family in the classroomStudents working together to wire the dashboard of a pink adaptive carTwo young students assembling wheels on an upside-down pink ride-on carStudent lying on the floor to install adaptive supports inside a pink JeepMentor standing on a chair to demonstrate an egg-drop STEM challengeStudent-built egg-drop parachute prototypes displayed on a classroom tableYoung student experimenting with a small LED circuit on cardboardWooden board clamped to a table with pilot holes drilled for a build projectTwo families with their children in newly gifted red and pink adaptive ride-on carsStudents assembling the frame of a red adaptive ride-on carA mentor and students working together on wheels of a red ride-on carCo-founders Claudia and Kevin presenting Project STEMpathy Day #1 to a classroomStudents gathered around a smartboard during a Project STEMpathy workshopElementary students working on the floor to assemble pink and red ride-on carsWide view of students disassembling ride-on cars in a science classroomFour students carefully attaching panels to a pink adaptive ride-on carMentor guiding students as they inspect parts of a pink ride-on carMentor and students assembling wheels on a red adaptive JeepMentor demonstrating power-drill use on wood for a young studentThree students adding adaptive foam supports to a pink ride-on carGroup photo of students with a completed red adaptive ride-on carStudents installing wheels on the chassis of a red ride-on carA mentor and student using clamps and a drill on a wooden projectKids seated in finished pink and red adaptive ride-on cars with classmatesStudents and mentors celebrating with finished ride-on carsMentor teaching students how electricity and circuits workStudents posing playfully with two ride-on cars covered by sheets for a big revealStudents gathered around a smartboard learning about the children who will receive adaptive carsA young child seated in a finished pink adaptive Jeep decorated with stickersA young child smiling from the seat of a completed red adaptive JeepClose-up of a finished red adaptive Jeep with custom foam supports and a large yellow go-buttonFinished pink and red adaptive ride-on cars parked side by side in the classroomRear view of a completed pink adaptive Jeep with foam supports and Abigail's license plateA young child buckled safely into a finished red adaptive JeepTop-down view of a completed pink adaptive Jeep with 'Abby' embroidered on the seatStudents decorating a pink adaptive Jeep with colorful alphabet stickersProject STEMpathy event table with cupcakes, cookies, and an informational display boardClose-up of a Project STEMpathy display sign beside gift bags at an event tableTwo ride-on cars covered with white sheets before a classroom revealTeam members and a family standing beside a finished pink adaptive ride-on car outdoorsStudents gathered around a child seated in a finished red adaptive ride-on car outside the schoolProject STEMpathy team presenting adaptive car plans to a classroom of studentsStudents using screwdrivers to take apart a red ride-on car during a workshopVolunteer guiding students as they work together on an upside-down red ride-on carStudents assembling a red ride-on car while a volunteer helps in the classroom
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Help us put more kids in the driver's seat.

Every donation funds materials, every volunteer mentors a student, and each technology changes a family's life.

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