ETEC 565M CLT #8: Ableism in Makerspaces
Designing an Inclusive Makerspace in Minecraft for Individuals with Autism
A Virtual Environment for Accessibility, Creativity and Inclusion
tzu hsu chu
dr. keri ewart
INDEX
Intro
Why minecraft?
Case study #1 - Autcraft
Case study #2 - MC Kids Academy
applying liberatory design thinking
designing a minecraft makerspace
Introduction
Maker culture is often associated with physical world makerspaces. However, physical makerspaces can often be inaccessible in many ways, including geographical barriers, socioeconomic status, and physical/cognitive abilities. Virtual worlds offer an opportunity for those with disabilites to experience social interactions virtually that might not otherwise be available to them, without the limitations found in the physical world (Ringland et al., 2017).
Why Minecraft?
The act of collaboration and working on projects together in Minecraft aligns with the idea of "critical making" where "the act of shared construction" is emphasized rather than the final product of the endeavor (Fernandez, 2021). In addition, MInecraft's adaptability and community-driven nature makes it a powerful tool for creating inclusive and equitable virtual makerspaces.
Key features of Minecraft that support inclusivity:
- Low barrier to entry and relatively affordable
- Creative freedom and sensory control
- Structured social interaction and predictability
- Customizable mods and tools for accessibility
Case study #1 Autcraft
Description
AutCraft is a Minecraft server created specifically for autistic players and their families. It is designed to be a safe, sensory-friendly and inclusive virtual community. AutCraft empowers players to explore, create and socialize at their own pace, fostering a supportive environment with the help of moderators and community guidelines.
Features
- Community guidelines for chat, game play, and consequences of misdemeanor
- Moderators to provide mediation and conflict resolution
- Structured activities like building competitions, social hangouts, etc.
+INFO
Case study #2
Description
MC Kids Academy offers structured programs that turn Minecraft into a powerful tool for STEM education, problem-solving and teamwork. With accessibility at its core, the academy fosters a safe and inclusive virtual environment that encourages neruodiverse learners.
Features
- Structured programs to inspire creativity, critical thinking and social-emotional learning skills
- Focuses on digital literacy and netiquette
- Custom built private Minecraft server with mods adjusted for learning community
+INFO
Video Example
This video is made by Momibelle, moderator of the MCKids Academy server. She is streaming with KK, who was one of the youths I used to work with as tutor. He is on the autism spectrum and has a keen interest to the Vancouver metro system. We often take the skytrain together in his Minecraft build.
lIBERATORY DESIGN THINKING
- Community and Collaboration: Collaborative building projects enables users to work together, share ideas and learn from each other, while fostering a safe and supportive community as seen in the case studies
- Empowerment through Making: Allows users to take control of learning and creative processes, encourages complex problem-solving and critical thinking, fostering sense of ownership and empowerment.
- Inclusivity and Representation: users can create avatars and worlds that reflect diverse cultures and identities, with the flexibility to cater to the needs of each individual
- Critical Reflection and Iteration: With Liberatory Design Thinking emphasizing on the importance of reflection, Minecraft players can continuously iterate on their designs and improve their creations. The collaborative nature also allows users to provide feedback to help with refining their designs
dESIGNING A MINECRAFT MAKERSPACE
- Accomodations for Access: utilization of mods (modifications), creating "sensory safe zones", adjustment of chat settings for easier use, etc.
- Bounded Freedom: boundaries within the virtual world and social boundaries imposed by the community, can help enhance the creativity of the users and ensure that one's creative self-expression does not infringe on another's.
- Opportunity-Rich Environment: The Minecraft world being rich of objects creates a foundation for allowing for inclusivity. Disabilities are diverse and the diversity was accomodated by the richness of the environment.
- Social Support: The presence of moderators and mentors support the community of users to ensure that the environment is safe and inclusive, and comes with the expectation that members support each other similarly as well.
- Social Conventions: Community guidelines and explicit statements made by moderators help with making sure that the community is respectful towards each other
Social Support: The pre
rEFERENCES
AutCraft: AutCraft. (n.d.). AutCraft - A Minecraft server for children with autism. Retrieved November 17, 2024, from https://www.autcraft.com/
Fernandez, S. (2021). Making space in higher education: disability, digital technology, and the inclusive prospect Links to an external site.of digital collaborative making.Links to an external site. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 25(12), 1375-1390. MineCamp Kids: MineCamp Kids. (n.d.). MineCamp Kids - Minecraft summer camp for kids. Retrieved November 17, 2024, from https://www.minecampkids.com/ Minecraft. (2021, June 1). Minecraft Live 2021: Full Show [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXkInPsj350&list=PLYuC8436tJXJHsuZuUXs8SIGQRJl8_zL5 Nieminen, J.H., & Pesonen, H.V. (2022). Politicising inclusive learning environments: How to foster belonging Links to an external site.and challenge ableism?Links to an external site. Higher Education Research & Development, (41(6), 2020-2033. DOI: 10.1080/07294360.2021.1945547Links to an external site. Ringland, K., Boyd, L., Faucett, H., Cullen, A., & Hayes, G. (2017). Making in Minecraft: A means of self-expression for youth with autism. In Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 340-345). https://doi.org/10.1145/3078072.3079749 Ringland, K. E., Wolf, C. T., Faucett, H., Dombrowski, L., & Hayes, G. R. (2016). “Will I always be not social?”: Re-conceptualizing sociality in the context of a Minecraft community for autism. In Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1256-1269). https://doi.org/10.1145/2858036.2858038
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Transcript
ETEC 565M CLT #8: Ableism in Makerspaces
Designing an Inclusive Makerspace in Minecraft for Individuals with Autism
A Virtual Environment for Accessibility, Creativity and Inclusion
tzu hsu chu
dr. keri ewart
INDEX
Intro
Why minecraft?
Case study #1 - Autcraft
Case study #2 - MC Kids Academy
applying liberatory design thinking
designing a minecraft makerspace
Introduction
Maker culture is often associated with physical world makerspaces. However, physical makerspaces can often be inaccessible in many ways, including geographical barriers, socioeconomic status, and physical/cognitive abilities. Virtual worlds offer an opportunity for those with disabilites to experience social interactions virtually that might not otherwise be available to them, without the limitations found in the physical world (Ringland et al., 2017).
Why Minecraft?
The act of collaboration and working on projects together in Minecraft aligns with the idea of "critical making" where "the act of shared construction" is emphasized rather than the final product of the endeavor (Fernandez, 2021). In addition, MInecraft's adaptability and community-driven nature makes it a powerful tool for creating inclusive and equitable virtual makerspaces.
Key features of Minecraft that support inclusivity:
Case study #1 Autcraft
Description
AutCraft is a Minecraft server created specifically for autistic players and their families. It is designed to be a safe, sensory-friendly and inclusive virtual community. AutCraft empowers players to explore, create and socialize at their own pace, fostering a supportive environment with the help of moderators and community guidelines.
Features
+INFO
Case study #2
Description
MC Kids Academy offers structured programs that turn Minecraft into a powerful tool for STEM education, problem-solving and teamwork. With accessibility at its core, the academy fosters a safe and inclusive virtual environment that encourages neruodiverse learners.
Features
+INFO
Video Example
This video is made by Momibelle, moderator of the MCKids Academy server. She is streaming with KK, who was one of the youths I used to work with as tutor. He is on the autism spectrum and has a keen interest to the Vancouver metro system. We often take the skytrain together in his Minecraft build.
lIBERATORY DESIGN THINKING
dESIGNING A MINECRAFT MAKERSPACE
- Accomodations for Access: utilization of mods (modifications), creating "sensory safe zones", adjustment of chat settings for easier use, etc.
- Bounded Freedom: boundaries within the virtual world and social boundaries imposed by the community, can help enhance the creativity of the users and ensure that one's creative self-expression does not infringe on another's.
- Opportunity-Rich Environment: The Minecraft world being rich of objects creates a foundation for allowing for inclusivity. Disabilities are diverse and the diversity was accomodated by the richness of the environment.
- Social Support: The presence of moderators and mentors support the community of users to ensure that the environment is safe and inclusive, and comes with the expectation that members support each other similarly as well.
- Social Conventions: Community guidelines and explicit statements made by moderators help with making sure that the community is respectful towards each other
Social Support: The prerEFERENCES
AutCraft: AutCraft. (n.d.). AutCraft - A Minecraft server for children with autism. Retrieved November 17, 2024, from https://www.autcraft.com/ Fernandez, S. (2021). Making space in higher education: disability, digital technology, and the inclusive prospect Links to an external site.of digital collaborative making.Links to an external site. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 25(12), 1375-1390. MineCamp Kids: MineCamp Kids. (n.d.). MineCamp Kids - Minecraft summer camp for kids. Retrieved November 17, 2024, from https://www.minecampkids.com/ Minecraft. (2021, June 1). Minecraft Live 2021: Full Show [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXkInPsj350&list=PLYuC8436tJXJHsuZuUXs8SIGQRJl8_zL5 Nieminen, J.H., & Pesonen, H.V. (2022). Politicising inclusive learning environments: How to foster belonging Links to an external site.and challenge ableism?Links to an external site. Higher Education Research & Development, (41(6), 2020-2033. DOI: 10.1080/07294360.2021.1945547Links to an external site. Ringland, K., Boyd, L., Faucett, H., Cullen, A., & Hayes, G. (2017). Making in Minecraft: A means of self-expression for youth with autism. In Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 340-345). https://doi.org/10.1145/3078072.3079749 Ringland, K. E., Wolf, C. T., Faucett, H., Dombrowski, L., & Hayes, G. R. (2016). “Will I always be not social?”: Re-conceptualizing sociality in the context of a Minecraft community for autism. In Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1256-1269). https://doi.org/10.1145/2858036.2858038