Hackability’s project to improve the accessibility of the mountains and their communities

Professionals, citizens, and people with specific needs will have the opportunity to co-design innovative solutions to make the Val Pellice mountains more inclusive for everyone.

Hackability is launching IDEM – Inclusive Design Empowerment Mountain, a project aimed at making mountain communities more accessible and inclusive for all. This initiative, developed in collaboration with the University of Turin and supported by GAL Escartons e Valli Valdesi within the NODES project (Digital and Sustainable Northwest), invites residents and professionals to actively contribute to creating practical and innovative solutions to improve accessibility in everyday mountain life.

Objectives

Through co-design, IDEM aims to make spaces, urban furnishings, and services more accessible in the towns of Torre Pellice and Luserna San Giovanni, located in the heart of the Waldensian Valleys.

The project is open to anyone who wishes to contribute with creative ideas or professional expertise. This includes designers, makers, artisans, accessibility experts, as well as people with various disabilities, the elderly, and caregivers.

Hackability, with over a decade of experience in innovation for autonomy and inclusion, will guide the project using its Hackability Thinking method. This approach promotes the creation of accessible and scalable solutions while fostering social and cultural inclusion. IDEM offers an important opportunity to make a difference in your community through innovative ideas that can enhance the accessibility of an entire region.

An Opportunity for Everyone

Participation is open to working groups of up to three people, with the chance to make a significant impact by presenting proposals aimed at improving the accessibility of the area.

The project is divided into several phases, including site visits to the selected locations, co-design workshops, prototype development, and a final presentation. Each team will have a budget of €2,000, to be equally allocated between products/specialist consultations and prototyping services at Hackability’s InclusiveLab.

Calls

To bring IDEM to life, two calls have been launched:

  • Call for Skills: For professionals and creatives willing to contribute their expertise in design and accessibility.
  • Call for Proposals: For residents and individuals who wish to propose creative solutions to make mountain spaces more inclusive.
    Find all the details here: http://www.hackability.it/

Timeline

  • December 10, 2024: Call opens
  • February 16, 2025: Call closes
  • March 15–16, 2025: Site visits to Torre Pellice and Luserna San Giovanni
  • April 5, 2025: Start of co-design phase
  • May 24, 2025: Presentation of ideas and prototypes

About Hackability

Hackability is Italy’s leading nonprofit organization in developing innovative solutions for autonomy and inclusion. Hackability promotes co-design and collaboration among professionals, users, and communities to create accessible and low-cost solutions. With its expertise, Hackability has created over 400 accessibility solutions and annually distributes around 1,000 devices to people with disabilities, the elderly, and caregivers.

Recognized for its social impact, Hackability’s inclusive approach has been adopted by companies and institutions in Italy and abroad. The organization received an honorable mention at the XXVI Compasso d’Oro ADI Award in 2020.