NEW YORK, July 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Marking the
25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act,
Senator Charles Schumer joined
AT&T* and New York University's
ABILITY Lab Monday to announce more than $100,000 in prizes awarded to developers of
high-tech solutions to improve the lives of people living with
disabilities.
The Connect Ability Challenge is a three month long technology
challenge to spur innovation for people with physical, social,
emotional and cognitive disabilities. 63 software, wearable
and other technology solutions aimed at enhancing the lives of
people with disabilities were submitted by developers from 16
states and 15 countries. The $25,000
grand prize went to Kinesic Mouse, a software solution that uses a
3D camera to detect facial expressions and head rotations, allowing
users to operate their personal computers hands-free. Kinesic
Mouse was also awarded the "Best Mobility Solution" category,
bringing their total cash winnings to $35,000.
To best engage the user community, the Connect Ability Challenge
used an innovative Exemplar model. Developers had the opportunity
throughout the competition to interface directly with people with
diverse disabilities who shared the challenges they face and helped
guide innovators to find solutions. Developers were also
encouraged to include people with disabilities in the design,
development and testing of their entries.
"The promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act was to
remove barriers that people with disabilities face – it's clear
from these extraordinary submissions that technology can play an
important role in fulfilling the law's mission," said
Marissa Shorenstein, President,
AT&T New York. "The winning solutions address specific
challenges that prevent people with disabilities from participating
fully in our society. We hope that this unique competition spurs
further innovation in this area and highlights how much mobile
technology can improve people's daily experiences."
"As our technology continues to evolve, we are finding new ways
to improve the lives of the disabled, increase their access to
technology, and allow them to more fully enjoy the benefits of
modern life. That's what this challenge is all about," said U.S
Senator Charles Schumer, "When
President George H.W. Bush signed
the Americans with Disabilities Act after Sen. Ted Kennedy championed the bill through
Congress, he hoped it would 'tear down the shameful walls of
exclusion' that kept disabled Americans from achieving their
potential. What better way to honor the 25th Anniversary of the ADA
than with this competition to remove, via technology, what barriers
remain."
"NYU was founded on the concept
of In and of the City. It is still a major theme within
the University. Over this past summer we have been proud to partner
with AT&T to make the City a bit more friendly and livable for
its residents," said Katepalli Sreenivasan, Dean of the NYU
Polytechnic School of Engineering. "The Connect Ability
Challenge has been a platform for us to bring
together some bright minds to create Apps that will
enable those with disabilities to have better access. This use
of technology to enhance people's lives is a pursuit worthy of
praise and celebration."
"Too often people with disabilities are left out of
the equation when it comes to technology -- but the ADA
mandates that access be incorporated into everything that is
offered" said, Victor Calise,
Commissioner of the Mayor's Office for People
with Disabilities. "From the start, this challenge
incorporated people with disabilities into the process, which
fostered full inclusion, taught developers how to design
specifically for people with disabilities, and built acceptance and
tolerance. It's refreshing to see apps that are connecting people
with disabilities to the world in an inclusive way.
Congrats to the developers and end users. This is a perfect way to
celebrate the ADA!"
A panel of experts from the engineering, technology and
disability community judged the competition and awarded
$100,000 in prize money that was made
available by AT&T and the Rehabilitation Engineering &
Assistive Technology Society of North
America (RESNA).
The winners are:
- Grand Prize ($25,000):
Kinesic Mouse is software that allows users to control a PC
completely hands-free, using a 3D camera that detects facial
expressions and head rotations to control the PC, joystick or
keyboard.
- Best Solution for People with Sensory Disabilities
($10,000): Ava (Transcense) is a
mobile solution that helps the people who have hearing disabilities
by tracking conversations in the surrounding area and translating
the sound into text for mobile and tablet use in real time.
- Best Mobility Solution ($10,000): Kinesic Mouse is software that
allows users to control a PC completely hands-free, using a 3D
camera that detects facial expressions and head rotations to
control the PC, joystick or keyboard.
- Best Social/Emotional Solution ($10,000): LOLA is a digital tool that helps
users train their brains, by using humor and personal challenges to
strengthen their social and daily living skills.
- Best Solution for people with Communicative and Cognitive
Disabilities ($10,000): Drumpants
(Taps) is a wearable device that provides users with limited
mobility or difficulty speaking with a voice. The user simply taps
the soft wearable buttons that act as triggers for speaking
customizable phrases through an application on their phone, which
can also be used as a hands-free interface for controlling
applications and surroundings.
- Best Solution Impacting Policy and Society ($10,000): Enlight uses iBeacon technology to
allow people with vision disabilities to scan surrounding locations
with their smartphone and be notified of the area, aiding with
overall navigation challenges.
- Best Practices Collaboration Award ($5,000): MySupport, a platform that offers
people with disabilities tools to make their lives easier and more
independent.
- Best Practices Caregiver Award ($5,000): InstaAid is an app that allows
people to call for help quickly regardless of limitations.
- Best Practices Universal Design Award ($5,000): Braci is a software and app
solution that detects sounds and pushes notifications to users'
smart devices.
- Large Organization Recognition Award (Non-Monetary):
AccessiblePeakMeter is a plug-in that allows audio engineers with
visual disabilities to access peak level meters using real-time
sonification, and deliver information to support core activities in
audio production.
- Connect Ability Hackathon ($10,000 awarded in April
2015):
- First prize ($5,000):
alt_text_bot, an app that uses image recognition
technology to quickly describe images on Twitter so that people
with vision impairment can participate more fully in social
media.
- Second prize ($3,500):
StenoSpeak, a mobile app that improves upon
open-source stenography technology to speed up text translation to
a conversational pace for those who cannot use their voices to
communicate.
- Third prize ($1,500):
Tranquil Tracker, a biosensing system that can
predict and prevent anxiety attacks.
The Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology
Society of North America (RESNA)
awarded an additional $2,500 to the
winner of the Popular Choice Award. This was given based on public
voting of submissions in early July. The Popular Choice
Winner was LOLA.
"LOLA is a digital tool that sends the user reminders about
social and daily living skills, such as saying please and thank
you, and rewards them with funny images," explained Michael Brogioli, RESNA Executive Director.
"The brainchild of a student with Asperger's and his father, it
exemplifies what RESNA is all about – technology created by and
with the input of people with disabilities of all ages. It's funny
and charming, and it's also important: LOLA will help people
utilize social skills that are vital for daily living. We're
delighted it won the People's Choice Award, and congratulate
TechKidsUnlimited.org on winning this prize."
The judges for the competition were:
- Marissa Shorenstein – President
of AT&T New York
- Zach Suchin – Co-founder/CEO,
Brand Knew
- Anita Perr – Clinical Associate
Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, NYU and RESNA fellow
- Jason DaSilva – Challenge
Exemplar, Producer/Director of AXS Lab. Jason has multiple
sclerosis.
- Paul Kotler – Challenge
Exemplar, Student, Blogger, Lecturer, Advocate. Paul has
autism.
- Gus Chalkias – Challenge
Exemplar, Assistive Technology Specialist in Blindness, Career
Counselor and College Student. Gus has a visual disability.
- Xian Horn – Challenge Exemplar, Teacher, Speaker, Blogger,
Beauty Advocate. Xian has cerebral
palsy.
- Jerry Weisman – Principal,
Rehabilitation Technology Services/President Assistive Technology
Solutions Inc. and RESNA fellow
- Aaron W. Bangor – AT&T Lead Accessible Technology
Architect
- Paul Schwartz – Assistive
Technology Services Manager, Stout Vocational Rehabilitation
Institution (SVR), University of
Wisconsin-Stout and RESNA fellow
- Victor Calise – Commissioner of
the New York City Mayor's Office
for People with Disabilities
For more information on the winners visit
http://connectability.challengepost.com/ . Find the latest news on
Twitter using the hashtag #ConnectAbility.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by
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brand and not by AT&T Inc.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) helps millions of people and businesses
around the globe stay connected through leading wireless,
high-speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. We're helping
people mobilize their worlds with state-of-the-art communications,
entertainment services and amazing innovations like connected cars
and devices for homes, offices and points in between. Our U.S.
wireless network offers customers the nation's strongest LTE signal
and the nation's most reliable 4G LTE network. We offer the best
global wireless coverage*. We're improving how our customers stay
entertained and informed with AT&T U-verse® TV and
High Speed Internet services. And businesses worldwide are serving
their customers better with AT&T's mobility and highly secure
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Additional information about AT&T products and services is
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About the NYU ABILITY Lab
The New York University ABILITY Lab
is an interdisciplinary research space dedicated to the development
of adaptive and assistive technologies. Students and faculty of all
fields work together to create inclusive systems, design
human-centered projects, and further intellectual and clinical
research around areas of ability. Located in Downtown Brooklyn, the ABILITY Lab is a
collaboration of three NYU colleges—the
Polytechnic School of Engineering; the Steinhardt School of
Culture, Education, and Human Development; and the Tisch School of
the Arts—and supports research and education across NYU. The ABILITY Lab incubates long-term projects
that are client-facing and often developed in partnership with
New York City advocacy groups and
agencies. It is dedicated to open-source practices and provides
service learning opportunities to students across NYU. For more information, visit:
abilitylab.nyu.edu.
About ChallengePost
At ChallengePost, software developers share their latest
projects, explore new technologies, and compete in software
competitions. Our global community has participated in over 650
online and in-person hackathons. Past competition sponsors
include government agencies, universities, corporations, and
non-profits.
About the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities
The Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD), in
operation since 1972, works to ensure that New Yorkers with
disabilities can lead happy, healthy and productive lives. The MOPD
staff work hand-in-hand with other City offices and over 50
agencies to ensure that the voice of the disabled community is
represented and that City programs and policies address the needs
of people with disabilities. The Office provides information on
accessible programs, accessible transportation, employment, health
services, activities and other resources to the over 800,000 New
Yorkers with disabilities and the millions of people with
disabilities visiting New York
City every year. In addition, the Mayor's Office for People
with Disabilities works with organizations on specific issues
affecting people with disabilities, and aims to bring about
dialogue that leads to meaningful outcomes for those living with
disabilities. The dedicated staff of the Mayor's Office for People
with Disabilities works hard every day to make New York City the most accessible city in the
world. For more information of the Mayor's Office for People with
Disabilities, visit www.nyc.gov/mopd.
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