Tech and Disability News from Around the World - 2024-02-24
Last Updated: Sun Feb 18 2024
Almost didn't get this one out today but managed to sit down for a few minutes and get it sorted.
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Man with Cerebral Palsy paints 35 foot Mural
So at first glance this doesn't look like a tech and disability story, except it is.
Connor Fogal was born with Cerebral Palsy and has very limited control over his limbs. Instead he uses things like eye tracking and head tracking interfaces to interact with devices such as his Apple computer. To paint (a life long passion of his) he uses a frame strapped to his head upon which a brush is mounted.
Tech doesn't have to be high tech to help people with disabilities to achieve their dreams
Engineering, OT Students work with patients to design assistive tech
Continuing the theme of low tech not being no tech, the St Louis Campus of Washington University, held an inaugeral Makeathon, where Engineering and OT Students worked together to solve the needs of people with a wide range of needs.
People with disabilities were included in every step of the way as Co-designers. It was a diverse group, from a six month child with motor development delays who needed belly support while learning to crawl, to a man with severe facial pain who needed a hood to help protect him from the cold.
Design Age Institute at the Royal College of Art reveals Pathfinder Innovation projects
Based at the Royal College of Art’s Battersea campus, Design Age Institute was set up to provide design support for Pathfinder Projects, accelerating an innovative idea for healthy ageing from a prototype towards market. The institute provides and facilitates seed funding for design, user research, opportunity scoping and mentoring, as well as connecting projects with design experts.
This is one of the Remarkable Launcher cohort I mentioned in the last post, but I thought I would point it out specifically.
Talk for Me is an app developed by Dr Matthew Berryman with the aim to allow people to better communicate post stroke. Built on his own experiences after a stroke left him unable to communicate, he hopes to further develop and refine the app to allow not just stroke patients, but others who have trouble communicating to better talk to the world. (Dr Berryman is the feature image for this post)