The Innovation Booster Technology & Special Needs aims to support projects that provide innovative solutions for people living with a disability.
In order to ensure that the innovations developed are adapted to the reality of people with disabilities, it is necessary for them to be involved in the whole innovation process.
We therefore organise ideation workshops, so that participants with and without disabilities can exchange and reflect together on innovative solutions to meet the needs of people with disabilities.
In 2022, the Innovation Booster Technology & Special Needs organised three ideation workshops in three different cantons.
This year, the focus was on mental disability on the one hand and visual disability on the other.
Mental disability and multiple disabilities
An ideation workshop on mental disability and multiple disabilities was held in the canton of Geneva, in collaboration with the Clair Bois Foundation.
Further ideation workshops on these topics will be held in 2023.
The discussions focused on three topics:
- Mobility: People in electric wheelchairs want to be able to move around safely and independently both indoors and outdoors.
- Social relations: People living with a mental disability want to be able to meet other people independently and freely.
- Public space and access to buildings: People living with a disability want to have independent access to all buildings and public spaces. Access is one of the keys to socialisation.
A written summary brings together the main elements of the discussions. The document is available below.
Download the summary of the workshops related to mental disability: EN_Synthesis_Ideation_Workshops_Mental_Disability_2022
Visual disability
Two ideation workshops were carried out on visual disability:
- In Lucerne, in collaboration with the Swiss Federation of the Blind and Visually Impaired and the FabLab Luzern
- In Lugano, in collaboration with Unitas and USI
The discussions focused on six topics:
- Living: People living with a visual impairment want to be able to use all household appliances independently.
- Autonomy, mobility: People living with a visual impairment want to be able to find their way around independently and use buses and trams in any city.
- Leisure, games: People with a visual impairment want to be able to enjoy their hobbies and, when playing computer games, to be able to do so independently.
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Internet : People living with a visual impairment want to be independent in their use of the Internet and to have access to all websites.
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Public space: People with vision impairments want to have access to all visual information in public space.
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Administration: Visually impaired people want to manage their own personal administration and fulfil their duties and rights as citizens in an autonomous and anonymous way.
A written summary brings together the main elements of the discussions. The document is available below.
Download the summary of the workshops related to visual impairment: EN_Synthesis_Ideation_Workshop_Visual_Disability_2022