Winners of Special Olympics Innovation Challenge dedicated to People of Determination announced

The Abu Dhabi Department of Community Development and the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019, in collaboration with EY, Mubadala and Softbank Investment Advisors, have announced the final winners of the Special Olympics Innovation Challenge.

The five winners are: Key2enable, a project consisting of a smart keyboard, as well as a software solution for audiovisual activities and two applications that write and vocalize phrases; OTTAA Project, which uses artificial intelligence to gather information about the environment and enhances communication; Pasitos, a healthcare software solution that enables caretakers and people of determination to plan and fulfill activities of daily living (ADLs); SignLab, a fully digital educational platform that allows families to utilize alternate modes of communications through using sign-assisted communication; and YNMO, a digital solution that allows service providers such as schools and clinics to design, monitor, and archive individualized treatment plans for people of determination.

As part of its commitment to building an inclusive future by harnessing the power of technology, EY used Cognistreamer, an open innovation and collaboration platform, to identify and evaluate over 170+ solution submissions, bringing together start-ups from around the globe and tasking them with the mission to develop deployable solutions for people of determination across five aspects of everyday life: health, education, transport, community and sports.

Mubadala and Softbank Investment Advisors, partners of the innovation challenge, presented the five winners of the challenge with US$30,000 each for their innovative approach to solving real-world problems for people of determination at a special awards ceremony.

Dr. Yousef Al Hammadi, Chief Intelligence Officer, Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019, said: “Around 200 million people worldwide have an intellectual disability and it is important to create technologies to help them experience a better quality of life by promoting independence and decreasing the need for other support.

“It has been an enlightening experience seeing so many strong entries for the Innovation Challenge and we would like to thank every single start-up that has entered. Technology is a fundamental part of all of our lives, but for a person of determination, it can have a far more substantial impact on a long-term basis.”

The Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019 took place from 14 – 21 March – the Games were the world’s largest sports and humanitarian event of the year. Special Olympics is a global movement that focuses on the empowerment of people of determination with intellectual abilities. The Abu Dhabi edition of the World Games saw the participation of more than 7,500 athletes of determination from over 190 nations and attracted over 20,000 volunteers and 500,000 spectators.