Using tech to improve the lives of disabled

Titled ‘Co-creATe’19’, the project begins with a three-day, cross-disciplinary workshop, that will train studentsin the humanistic co-design process and prepare them to apply their technical skills in collaboration with people who have disabilitiesto produce assertive technology.

The initiative is curated by Chennai-based forum Fnplus, a collective of geeks and tech enthusiasts in the city, and organised by SPI Cinemas and MIT India (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

Abishek Uniyal, co-founder of Fnplus, said, “The main aim of our group is to bridge the skill gap using an informal learning system. Several young students these days lack the motivation to take up online courses, and we wish to bringthe offline and online worlds closer.”

Co-creATe ‘19 will be held at the Freshworks office in Perungudi from January 11 to 13.

He added that this upcoming project has been created with a motive to use design thinking asa means to solve problems for people with disabilities.

“Anyone, students or professionals, can sign up to be a part ofthis. This year’s workshop is led by Dr Kyle Keane who is a Lecturer and Research Scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the staff adviser for MIT’s assistive technology hackathon. Over the course of the program, they will interact and understand from those with disabilities, and create a tech solution that canbe made feasible too,” said Abishek.

The team is called Fnplus after the ‘function key’ on the keyboard, which are frequently used in combination with other keys. “We wish to be known as a collective that can collaborate with other platformsto solve problems,” quipped Abishek.