A-hoy-hoy. I’m Mike Hansen, an industrial designer and artist living in the Twin Cities. I’m currently a member of the acute renal research and development team at Baxter, working on the PrisMax medical device.
When I’m not workin’ 9 to 5 (what a way to make a livin’) I’m probably brushing up on my Python skills, working on my silly cartoons, catching up on pro wrestling, or watching Sci-Fi movies that include robots and/or aliens with my lovely wife. Otherwise if somehow you caught me outside of the home there’s a good chance I’m at some kind of live show. It’s more often than not pro wrestling.
I have a disability called spinal muscular atrophy Which makes it severely difficult to move. This motivates me to work continuously on my personal projects while I still can but also on investigating and modifying different peripherals to interact with computers, gaming consoles, and various handheld devices. Sometimes a solution exists, sometimes it doesn’t, and that’s the exciting part. It’s a personal goal of mine to continue working, creating, and contributing as long as possible so I am always interested in sharing whatever it is I’ve created or learned to get around my disability. Especially if it can help anyone in a similar situation. If you’re seeking some type of guidance on any form of an accessibility solution, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
A couple of times I’ve been lucky enough to do speaking events for various organizations like Disability: IN Minnesota where I’ve discussed inclusivity and disabilities in the workplace as well as the Muscular Dystrophy Association on behalf of the organization to thank fundraisers donating their time and money to find solutions and treatments for muscular dystrophy.
If you have any questions you can contact me through Twitter or email me at mike@barbaricmelons.com.