AT&T has partnered with NYU and RESNA to design a technology contest titled “Connect Ability Challenge”. AT&T will be awarding prizes to individual developers and small business that deliver software or apps to the Challenge review board before June 24, 2015.
The ConnectAbility Challenge is a three-month global competition for developers, engineers and makers to win more than $100,000 in prizes to design software, wearable devices and other technology solutions aimed at enhancing the lives of people with disabilities at work, home and play.
The competition directs developers to solve challenges facing people living withdisabilities in for four functional categories:
People with sensory disabilities
People in need of mobility solutions
People in need of social and emotional solutions
People with communicative and cognitive disabilities
Throughout the competition, developers will have the opportunity to interact directly with volunteers with diverse disabilities who will share the challenges they face and help guide competitors to find solutions. AT&T produced short videos available on the ConnectAbility website featuring four volunteers from New York:
Xian Horn— a teacher, speaker and writer from Manhattan who has cerebral palsy, whichimpacts her mobility.
Gus Chalkias—an assistive technology specialist, career counselor and college student from Queens who is blind.
Paul Kolter—a student, blogger, lecturer and advocate from Philadelphia who hasautism. He communicates using computer-assisted technology and struggles with anxiety and impulse control.
Jason DaSilva—a filmmaker from Brooklyn who has Multiple Sclerosis. DaSilva uses a powered wheelchair and has limited upper- and lower-limb use.
AT&T is joining the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America(RESNA) to facilitate team formation workshops in several markets across the country. These workshops are designed to give aspiring teams context for creating assistive technology solutions, live feedback from persons with disabilities and direction on competing in the contest.
The participants’ final projects will be judged by a panel of experts from the engineering, technology and disability communities and winners will be announced on July 26th. Deadline for submissions is 5 PM Eastern June 24th.
For More Information Visit
http://connectability.challengepost.com/ #ConnectAbility© 2015
The prize money will be given in honor of the ADA 25th Anniversary.
To learn more about the Challenge, visit http://connectability.challengepost.com/ . All the rules and guidelines are listed on the website.
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