Designing Accessibility: Aaron's Form 5 Journey
Innovation Through Lived Experience: How Form 5 is Revolutionizing Adaptive Technology
When Aaron Westbrook was born without his right hand, he couldn't have known that his personal experience would one day fuel an organization helping countless others with limb differences. As founder of Form 5, Aaron has transformed from a tech-savvy teenager into a visionary entrepreneur whose mission centers on a simple yet profound principle: listen to the people you're trying to help.
The genesis of Form 5 traces back to Aaron's high school years at New Albany, where a fabrication lab and 3D printer opened a world of possibilities. With remarkable initiative, Aaron approached a teacher he didn't know, asking for access to the school's new 3D printer. "I knocked on his door and said, 'Hey, you have no idea who I am, I'm not in any of your classes, but I know you're the dude with the key to the printer.'" That bold move set him on a path that would change his life—and many others.
The turning point came when Aaron created his first 3D-printed prosthetic arm. "It completely changed the trajectory of my life," he explains. What began as a personal solution quickly evolved into something bigger as Aaron recognized a fundamental gap in the prosthetics industry. The standard approach was developing high-tech, expensive devices that looked impressive but often failed to address users' actual needs. "The industry is not listening to what people need," Aaron notes. "They're pushing high-tech, high-cost solutions... that actually don't help those people do much at all in their daily life."
This revelation led to Form 5's innovative approach: creating purpose-specific adaptive products based on direct input from users. The organization developed COFAB (Collaboration and Fabrication) workshops, where individuals with limb differences collaborate with college students and industry mentors to create customized solutions. The results have been transformative—from helping a marching band member hold a trumpet to enabling a woman to ride a bike for a cancer fundraiser.
Perhaps Form 5's most significant innovation is the Bike Arm Adapter, which represents a paradigm shift in adaptive technology. Unlike traditional prosthetics that attach to the person, the adapter connects to the bicycle handlebar. It's designed with a sizing system similar to shoes rather than being fully customized to an individual's anatomy. This approach makes the product more affordable, adaptable, and remarkably sustainable—outgrown adapters can be returned and repurposed for other users.
What sets Form 5 apart is their expansive vision of who they can help. "We are broadening our definition of limb difference," Aaron emphasizes. Their work extends beyond those missing limbs to include people with neuromuscular diseases, stroke patients, and individuals with arthritis or Parkinson's. This inclusive approach has revealed that solutions designed for one group often benefit many others—a powerful reminder that universal design serves everyone.
As Form 5 prepares to scale nationwide, Aaron remains focused on the organization's core mission: creating practical solutions that enhance independence and quality of life. Their journey exemplifies how lived experience combined with technological innovation can transform challenges into opportunities—not just for the innovator but for an entire community. Through Form 5, Aaron has become "the person I needed growing up," creating the representation and tools that were missing from his own childhood.
The impact of Form 5 extends beyond their products to the students and interns who discover their own passions through meaningful work. As they raise funds to expand their reach, Aaron's remarkable journey from "tech support kid" to visionary entrepreneur reminds us that sometimes the most powerful innovations come from those who intimately understand the problem they're solving.
