...
The IDRC does not have to pay the above cost.
Conference Goals
The aim of this conference is to create a foundation for the three partner
organizations, Bet Issie Shapiro, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehab Centre, and
the Inclusive Design Resource Centre at OCAD U, to collaborate on efforts
concerning adaptive technology for people with disabilities. These three
partner organizations are each separately doing amazing work. By sharing
what each other is doing, we can build the possibility of future shared
efforts and can learn from each other. By doing this with an audience in
Israel and Toronto in the room, and an audience on line, we can get ideas
from others that can help the efforts of these partner organizations. Future
joint action could include collaborating on a specific project, or just
sharing information and past experiences that will help each partner
organization progress more effectively in the future.
Format
Panel 1:
2 hours, but I may stretch it. Speakers from OCAD U, Beit Issie and Bloorview will compare notes on access tech they have developed, access tech they are working on, and access tech they would like to work on or collaborate with others on.
Panel #1: Present and Future Projects at Bet Issie, Bloorview and the IDRC,
Where Might We Collaborate?
In my panel intro, I will explain that our three partner organizations have
each worked on intriguing ideas, are now working on interesting ones, and
are each thinking of what they might wish to work on in the future. In this
panel, representatives of each of the three partner organizations will get a
chance to sum up some key areas where they are now developing new devices,
strategies or services, and future ones they'd like to explore if they can.
From this, we hope we might identify areas where two or three of our partner
organizations might collaborate in the future.
The questions I will ask each organization are:
1. Give us some examples of new adaptive technologies or strategies or tools
your organization has been involved in developing in the past, either alone
or with others.
2. What impact has this innovation had for people with disabilities?
3. Give us some examples of things you either have under development now, or
that your organization would like to work on in the future, either alone or
with others.
Panel 2:
30-45 minutes: Using the law to promote the creation of more access tech.
...
I will reach out to Osgoode for other speakers here and in Israel, and ask Beit Issie to explore possible speakers in Israel. Please don't make any offers to anyone. Can Beit Issie get ideas for this by the end of October.
Panel #2: Getting An Adaptive Technology from conception to the Hands of
End-Users
My intro will explain that once a great new idea for some sort of new
adaptive technology is invented or designed, it can be a huge challenge to
get it manufactured, and placed in the hands of people with disabilities who
can benefit from it, accompanied by the proper training for rehabilitation
professionals who may be needed. If people with disabilities or
rehabilitation professionals don't know about this new creation, or don't
know how to get it, or if no one is marketing it, or if the rehabilitation
professionals don't know how to use it and teach its use, the best of ideas
will not live up to their potential.
This panel will discuss how to address the challenges presented when trying
to get a new innovation from the design stage through manufacture,
marketing, delivery to people with disabilities, and training rehabilitation
professionals to know how to work with it.
The questions I would like to ask on this panel include:
1. What challenges has your organization faced when trying to take a
brilliant idea from the caption stage, to getting it on the market, and how
have you addressed these?
2. What challenges has your organization faced, and how have you addressed
these, in trying to get rehabilitation professionals and people with
disabilities themselves to learn about your innovation, and to want to use
it?
3. What challenges has your organization faced, and how have you addressed
these challenges, when it comes to training rehabilitation professionals and
people with disabilities on how to use your new creation or innovation?
Panel 3:
Effective Advocacy to get organizations, especially the private sector, to create new access technology. 20-30 minutes.
I David will speak on this, along with Jean. If anyone has ideas on a third speaker, let me know.
Panel #3: Using the Law to Spur More Innovations in Adaptive Technology for
People with Disabilities
(Presenters will be me and one or more people from the Osgoode Hall Law
School with a specialty in intellectual property)
The questions to be addressed include:
1. How can equal rights laws serve to spur on more innovation in the area of
adaptive technology for people with disabilities?
2. How can intellectual property law serve as a barrier to, or a liberator
of innovation in the area of adaptive technology for people with
disabilities?
^Key Administrative Actions Needed to Get this Conference to Happen
I am happy to lead the substantive content of the conference, but as
previously discussed, I am leaving it to our 3 partner organizations to do
all the administrative work to set it up, arrange the venue and disability
accommodation services, and publicize it.
Can I ask you 3 organizations to connect now, and cc me, on what will be
done to publicize it, ensure the needed disability accommodation services
are in place, receive and track RSVPs, and ensure the tech etc. are all in
place.
As for Panel #3, the law panel, I have 2 speakers in Canada and would like
to know if BIS has anyone in Israel they want to include in tis panel e.g.
from any Israeli law school. If not, no worries. I want Panel #3 to be very
short, and am happy to do it with just the Canadian presenters.
Topic | Research Lab | Speaker(s) |
Autism technologies | Autism Research Centre | To be announced |
Mixed Reality Therapy Games | PEARL lab | Stephanie Cheung, PhD student |
Paediatric Rehabilitation | CONNECT lab | Dr. Deryk Beal; CONNECT Lab lead; Quinn De Launay, Graduate student |
Lower Limb Rehabilitation Robotics | SPARK lab | Dr. Virginia Wright; SPARK Lab lead; Alicia Hilderley, PhD student; Jennifer Ryan, Graduate student |
Brain-machine interfacing | PRISM lab | To be announced |
Wearable Biofeedback System for Prosthetic Limbs | PROPEL lab | Dr. Jan PROPEL Lab lead; Dr. , Postdoctoral Fellow |
Topic | Speaker |
About Beit Issie Shapiro | Jean Judas, Executive Director of Beit Issie Shapiro |
Technology for promoting participation in everyday life | Noa Nitzan,B.O.T, M.A, Professional manager at the Technology Center Dana Cappel, B. O.T, The Special Education School and in the Technology Center |
Building a fertile ecosystem for the development of affordable and accessible assistive technology | Shira Gal, Head of entrepreneurship programs Yael Elstein, Director of Technology Center |
Technology for promoting participation in everyday life
Use of Assistive Technology in the Day Programs at Beit Issie Shapiro and the Advancement of Developing Benefiting Children and Adults with Disabilities
We will present a general overview of the use of assistive technology in the day programs at Beit Issie Shapiro in various areas (communication, learning, leisure, and more) while considering programs and apps, accessibility features, and assistive devices. We will address the rationale for developing technological solutions that we are involved with and products that we are developing.
Noa Nitzan
Occupational Therapist, professional manager at the Technology Center at Beit Issie Shapiro. Noa has a Bachelor’s Degree in Occupational Therapy and a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Studies. She has been working at Beit Issie Shapiro since 2005 supervising over the occupational therapy and technology departments in the School for Special Education at Beit Issie Shapiro. She has had a major role in developing the implementation model for the use of tablets at Beit Issie Shapiro, and has many years of experience adapting and integrating the use of technology for therapy and rehabilitation.
Dana Cappel
Dana is an Occupational Therapist, she has a Bachelor’s Degree in Physiology and a second Bachelor’s Degree in Occupational Therapy from McGill University, Canada. She is currently working as an occupational therapist at The Special Education School of Beit Issie Shapiro and plays a central role in the Technology Center. She has considerable experience using assistive technology with children with complex disabilities.
Building a fertile ecosystem for the development ofaffordable and accessible assistive technology:
Over the past years we have been witness to the rapid development of technology and its ability to make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities and the elderly. Nevertheless, our experience in the AT field made us realize that most AT startups fail to realize their goals. Unfamiliarity with AT challenges, lack of market understanding, lack of familiarity with the key players in the field (locally and worldwide), lack of seed funds and lack of a developed ecosystem are the main factors. As part of our mission to promote affordable and accessible assistive technology, Beit Issie Shapiro (BIS) has co-founded A3I, the first and leading accelerator program in the AT field with Present Tense. Together with our Assistive Technology Center here in BIS, we offer consultation and guidance to start-ups, Beta-site for testing products and Apps, research and evaluation.
In this panel, we will explore the main challenges for developing affordable and accessible assistive technology, we will present our vision and activities in building a fertile ecosystem, we will present A3i accelerator and general work with entrepreneurs in the AT field and share our new and innovative program - AT incubator with an acceleration model that would be beneficial to entrepreneurs, investors and society, both socially and financially.
Jean Judas, Executive Director of Beit Issie Shapiro
Shira Gal, Head of entrepreneurship programs
Yael Elstein, Director of Technology Center
Director of the Assistive Technology Center at Beit Issie Shapiro. Yael has a Masters degree in in Technology and Education from Tel Aviv University and more than 15 years’ experience in senior marketing roles in the hi-tech industry, mostly with companies that integrate content and technology, including the development and implementation of educational technologies and interactive content. In the last three years, Yael is driving the business develop.
David's email:
I write to reach out for us to take action on key items for ourfast-approaching March 23, 2017 video Canada-Israel adaptive tech
conference. This is a detailed email that you should go over carefully and
plan action based on it, please
Below at the end of this email I set out my September 23, 2016 email with
action items, along with Jess Mitchell's inserted remarks on OCAD U's
follow-up. I had a good call with Bet Issie folks, that these ideas reflect.
I need everyone's help with points listed below:
Conference Goals
The aim of this conference is to create a foundation for the three partner
organizations, Bet Issie Shapiro, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehab Centre, and
the Inclusive Design Resource Centre at OCAD U, to collaborate on efforts
concerning adaptive technology for people with disabilities. These three
partner organizations are each separately doing amazing work. By sharing
what each other is doing, we can build the possibility of future shared
efforts and can learn from each other. By doing this with an audience in
Israel and Toronto in the room, and an audience on line, we can get ideas
from others that can help the efforts of these partner organizations. Future
joint action could include collaborating on a specific project, or just
sharing information and past experiences that will help each partner
organization progress more effectively in the future.
Let me know if you are okay with those objectives, or if you want to modify
or add to them. Where I list questions I propose to ask on each panel, let
me know if you are okay with them or if you want to change or add to them.
Plans for the Conference Panels
I need each of our three partner organizations to now designate who will be
on each panel, so we can arrange a separate skype call for each panel, to do
a run-through. I need administrative help to keep track of who will be on
each panel, and to set up skype conference calls for each panel. I can
moderate each of those conference calls, as long as someone does all the
organizing and connecting to each of us on skype.
As for Panel #3, the law panel, I have 2 speakers in Canada and would like
to know if BIS has anyone in Israel they want to include in tis panel e.g.
from any Israeli law school. If not, no worries. I want Panel #3 to be very
short, and am happy to do it with just the Canadian presenters.
Once you know who is on each panel, I suggest that even before any skype
calls, the panelists prepare a short list of points they would make in
answer to each question, and share them with the other panelists, so you all
know where you are coming from.
Based on the conference objectives I spelled out above, I am proposing to
adjust the panels, as follows. I am proposing to drop a parents panel, as we
will have a tough time just fitting these 3 into the time we have together.
Panel #1: Present and Future Projects at Bet Issie, Bloorview and the IDRC,
Where Might We Collaborate?
In my panel intro, I will explain that our three partner organizations have
each worked on intriguing ideas, are now working on interesting ones, and
are each thinking of what they might wish to work on in the future. In this
panel, representatives of each of the three partner organizations will get a
chance to sum up some key areas where they are now developing new devices,
strategies or services, and future ones they'd like to explore if they can.
From this, we hope we might identify areas where two or three of our partner
organizations might collaborate in the future.
The questions I will ask each organization are:
1. Give us some examples of new adaptive technologies or strategies or tools
your organization has been involved in developing in the past, either alone
or with others.
2. What impact has this innovation had for people with disabilities?
3. Give us some examples of things you either have under development now, or
that your organization would like to work on in the future, either alone or
with others.
Panel #2: Getting An Adaptive Technology from conception to the Hands of
End-Users
My intro will explain that once a great new idea for some sort of new
adaptive technology is invented or designed, it can be a huge challenge to
get it manufactured, and placed in the hands of people with disabilities who
can benefit from it, accompanied by the proper training for rehabilitation
professionals who may be needed. If people with disabilities or
rehabilitation professionals don't know about this new creation, or don't
know how to get it, or if no one is marketing it, or if the rehabilitation
professionals don't know how to use it and teach its use, the best of ideas
will not live up to their potential.
This panel will discuss how to address the challenges presented when trying
to get a new innovation from the design stage through manufacture,
marketing, delivery to people with disabilities, and training rehabilitation
professionals to know how to work with it.
The questions I would like to ask on this panel include:
1. What challenges has your organization faced when trying to take a
brilliant idea from the caption stage, to getting it on the market, and how
have you addressed these?
2. What challenges has your organization faced, and how have you addressed
these, in trying to get rehabilitation professionals and people with
disabilities themselves to learn about your innovation, and to want to use
it?
3. What challenges has your organization faced, and how have you addressed
these challenges, when it comes to training rehabilitation professionals and
people with disabilities on how to use your new creation or innovation?
Panel #3: Using the Law to Spur More Innovations in Adaptive Technology for
People with Disabilities
(Presenters will be me and one or more people from the Osgoode Hall Law
School with a specialty in intellectual property)
The questions to be addressed include:
1. How can equal rights laws serve to spur on more innovation in the area of
adaptive technology for people with disabilities?
2. How can intellectual property law serve as a barrier to, or a liberator
of innovation in the area of adaptive technology for people with
disabilities?
^Key Administrative Actions Needed to Get this Conference to Happen
I am happy to lead the substantive content of the conference, but as
previously discussed, I am leaving it to our 3 partner organizations to do
all the administrative work to set it up, arrange the venue and disability
accommodation services, and publicize it.
Can I ask you 3 organizations to connect now, and cc me, on what will be
done to publicize it, ensure the needed disability accommodation services
are in place, receive and track RSVPs, and ensure the tech etc. are all in
place.
Action Items (March 6, 2017): (March 8)
B - save the date creating
- email Michelle logo in JPG
Michelle – rework speakers
Michelle – iterated on STD –
- key people we want to make sure are in the room or know about the event
hashtag for the event – on Twitter and on Facebook suggestions for
an event title – circulate in email ASAP
agenda – BIS to draft
– what that will look like; fact sheet
- B- can create the English
- Annie & Iris/BIS can create the Hebrew
pitch – create a press release for the event too for media
Iris to check on budget and get back to Jess