Dana Shwachman
Dana Yichye Shwachman is an industrial designer, educator, and social innovator who believes deeply in the power of design to improve quality of life. As Director of MakeGood INC West, she leads the development of open-source assistive technology designed to help people with disabilities live more independently. Her work is rooted in human-centered design and focuses on creating practical, meaningful solutions for children, parents, and families, including toddler mobility trainers, accessible baby cribs, and stroller-wheelchair connections for parents who use wheelchairs. Dana views design as a bridge to independence and is passionate about making inclusive products accessible to everyone, regardless of financial means.
Originally from Israel, Dana brings more than 20 years of experience in industrial and inclusive design. Before relocating to California, she spent 12 years as a faculty member at Holon Institute of Technology, where she taught industrial design and co-developed hands-on courses centered on designing for people with disabilities. She also served as Product Design Lead for TOM Tikkun Olam Makers, where she led the development of impactful assistive products such as the wooden version of the Toddler Mobility Trainer. Her work has demonstrated that open-source design and distributed manufacturing can create scalable, life-changing solutions for families around the world.
Today, Dana is continuing her mission in California as both a design leader and a Design Fellow at Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation at UC Berkeley. Inspired by growing up with a father who used a wheelchair, she has built her career around the belief that disability is often created by the environment rather than the individual. Through her work, teaching, and advocacy, Dana is helping to shape a more inclusive future—one where people of all abilities have the tools and opportunities to participate fully and independently in everyday life.
• AI x Design Thinking Workshop Series
• Reichman University- M.A.
• Holon Institute of Technology- B.A.Sc.
• Honored Listee-
Marquis Who's Who
• Provides mobility trainers and accessible products to families at no cost through Make Good West nonprofit
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to both of my parents and my dear grandpa. My dad was my inspiration - he was paraplegic and used a wheelchair, and growing up with him in the 80s made me realize that people are not disabled, the surrounding of the society disables people. My dad was able to do everything, the only difference between him and other people was that he used a wheelchair. My grandpa was a professor at Harvard and was the head of cystic fibrosis research. That's the reason I saved my family name Schwachman. I just knew he was a great doctor and he was really working with children and people, so I was always inspired that I want to work with people and do good for people. The connection between my grandpa from my dad's side and my dad is what drives me. What makes me happy every time I work with people is to see their joy. That fulfills me. All the hard work is worth those tiny children that are happy when I give them a wheelchair.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve ever received is to stay curious, keep learning new things, and always focus on where I want to grow in the future.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Never give up. Try, and try, and try. The amount of times that I applied to competitions and to things when I was younger - you apply for a lot of things, but people only know about the ones you succeed in. You just have to try and try and try a lot until you get to your goal. Don't give up. Don't let anyone make you give up. It's okay to fail. You're allowed to fail. You're supposed to fail. You cannot succeed without trying and learning from the process. Failing is part of the process, and I think that's very important. Don't be scared from it. Just go on and do it. Those are my main tips.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
My biggest challenge or opportunity right now is to get to know everyone here, because I just moved to California a year and two months ago from out of the country. I think my biggest challenge is to get to know the local community and to understand really how to serve them, because I want to serve the local community. I came from a place that I knew everyone and I knew the ecosystem. I've been doing this for 20 years as a designer in this field, so that's my main challenge. I'm actually happy to be featured because that's the way to get to know people and for people to hear about us. Our second challenge is because we're a nonprofit, so we're always challenging with donations. We serve families and with the toddler mobility trainers that we print and serve, families get them with no cost. I give to every child or family that needs to be independent, but we're getting donations from communities to support all the process. That's also another new challenge that we're learning how to manage.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that are most important to me in both my work and personal life are promoting independence for people with disabilities, serving the community, and creating inclusive designs that adapt environments and everyday objects to people’s abilities.