ITEEA Announces 2022 REACH Challenge Winning Teams

STUDENTS ACROSS U.S. USE THEIR STEM SKILLS TO CHANGE LIVES, HELP PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, THROUGH IMPACTFUL DESIGN PROJECT

Award Recipients Announced in ITEEA’s REACH Challenge – A Nationwide Adaptive & Assistive Technology Competition

WATCH HEARTWARMING HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TEAMS' SUBMISSIONS

RESTON, VA, February 27, 2023 – Students from across the United States discovered today that their REACH Challenge projects, which changed the lives of people with different abilities in their communities, have earned awards through the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA).

REACH Challenge is an impactful Adaptive & Assistive Technology (AT) design-thinking project for middle school, high school, and college level STEM programs. Teachers are provided with lesson plans and activities on Empathy, User-Centered Design, Prototyping and more, to lead their students in using their STEM skills to REACH a member of their community who has a challenge to overcome. This innovative project shows students that they can use their STEM skills for social good, making a real-world difference in the lives of those around them.

his year’s award winners hail from nine states: North Carolina, Washington, New York, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Delaware, Florida, and New Jersey. The students and teachers have described their experience as “heart-warming,” “profound,” and “invaluable.”

“This project really is life changing, not only for the person receiving the adaptive technology, but for the students and their teachers as well,” said Gavin Wood, an award-winning STEM educator who partnered with ITEEA to develop REACH Challenge. “It’s a win-win for everyone involved.”

In this fourth year of REACH Challenge, teams created a wide variety of AT solutions, including an “easyREACH” modified school desk for a five-year-old with spinal muscular atrophy, a pneumatic bumper system that provides children in wheelchairs the opportunity to play soccer, and a closet rod attached to a lead screw mechanism that allows a teenager with dwarfism to reach clothes in her closet. “Every year, I am amazed by the students’ innovations,” said Kelly Dooley, ITEEA Executive Director. “We couldn’t be more excited to honor these teams for their accomplishments.”

REACH Challenge Team leads are invited to receive their award at ITEEA's 85th Annual Conference, to be held April 12-15, 2023, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. All the award-winning teams listed below will receive a commemorative school banner, $100 Harbor Freight Gift Card, and Maker Maven STEM Supplies. ITEEA would like to thank the MO Better Foundation, Harbor Freight, and Maker Maven for their support for the 2022 REACH Challenge. For 2023, ITEEA is looking for additional sponsors to increase awareness of REACH Challenge, and to provide more opportunities for teams to earn awards for their STEM programs. For more information, contact ITEEA at reach@iteea.org. 

REACH Challenge Winner ($1,000 STEM Grant and one free 2023 ITEEA Conference Registration)

easyREACH – John F. Kennedy High School, New York

REACH Challenge Finalists ($500 STEM Grant and 20% Off 2023 ITEEA Conference Registration)  

Seventeen Energy Booster Closet Rod – Kalani High School, Hawaii

Soccer Ball Bumper - Skyview High School, Washington

REACH Challenge Semi-Finalists ($100 STEM Grant and 20% Off 2023 ITEEA Conference Registration)

Assisted Nails - Northern Burlington County Regional - New Jersey

Bella Chair – Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, Florida

Coin Calculator – John F. Kennedy High School, New York

Maytik: Blind-Friendly Makeup Palette – South Fayette High School, Pennsylvania

REACH Challenge Special Recognition (20% Off 2023 ITEEA Conference Registration)

 Dressinator – Palmer Trinity School, Florida

 Leg Helper – Palmer Trinity School, Florida

 Oto-Aids – MOT Charter High School, Delaware

 Shoematic – Upper St Clair High School, Pennsylvania

 Skywalker – West Iredell Middle School, North Carolina

 Type-Tastic – Methodist University, North Carolina

 Wheelchair Baby Carrier – Olathe Northwest High School, Kansas