Beit Issie, Bloorview, IDRC collaboration and showcase launch; summit?

When

Do we still feel comfortable with the March 23rd date? 9a - 1p EDT; 3p - 7p IST Israel-time 6 hrs.

Who & Marketing

the goal? 

meet each other and learn what each other is doing – main goal is to explore how we can collaborate and share – technology and innovation

commercializing products?

open so others can benefit from the conversations 

RSVPs?

come for the whole thing or just one of the panels?

What will people get out of this??

IDRC – can invite the larger community

B – access technology and accessing technology – could invite, families w/ kids who use the technologies, minister of research and innovation, ministry CTO (they would want speaking roles)

create the technology – showcase impact, how it's making a difference.

BIS – just for the team working with ATs, OTs from school and daycare, leads in AT, Israeli startups in the field of AT, not invite people from outside; if there is streaming we can have more people...

• Who do we want to invite?
• Do we want them to attend the event in-person, or online? Do we have an invite list?
• Where are we at with an event agenda with all organizational logos? Do we need support creating this?
• How can we use social media to engage multiple audiences? Should we consider a live-tweet throughout the day? Do we have a hashtag?
• Can we create a speaker handout with bios of all speakers that can be circulated in advance?
• How can we ensure the agenda and bios are accessible and if needed, translated? Do we only need an English version?
• Media pitching – are we open to media interviews/filming at this event, to celebrate the innovation and unlocked opportunities?

Where

The location on the Toronto end — 205 Richmond St. W., 2nd floor; we will use the Web Conferencing solution at the IDRC

What

We can easily create a wiki page for attendees to get basic information. We can use the existing accounts @idrc_ocadu to promote the event and ask attendees to send questions to us there. Any attachments or additional materials can be loaded and linked to from the wiki page.

Live streaming is not easy -- do we really need it?

3. We will have captioning and American Sign language. Jutta will book these. The three sponsoring organizations will cover the cost, if Jutta cannot find another funding source.

ASL is $600.00 per day plus HST.

Captioning rates are:

$130.00/ (minimum of 2-hours)

$35.00 administrative fee (per session)

The above quotes are for ASL and Captioning in Toronto. Those connecting remotely will be able to see the ASL interpreter and will be able to watch the captioning (though we need to sort out how we’ll handle that technically). It would be easier to have captioning per site — i.e. Beit Issie would have their own locally.

Catering?

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.

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.