By Amelia Tan
MALAY self-help group Mendaki wants to reach out to more members of the community and change the perception that it serves only the lower-income group.
It hopes to do this with a new campaign - Bersama Mendaki, or Together with Mendaki - that will use a mix of traditional and new media platforms to raise awareness, engage and garner feedback on its programmes from the community and other stakeholders, such as employers and government agencies.
The campaign, which will run from now till August next year, features television commercials, YouTube videos and Facebook pages. Mendaki may extend its duration based on public response.
Launching the campaign yesterday at Geylang Serai, Mendaki chairman Yaacob Ibrahim said in his speech in Malay that it seeks to understand and meet the changing needs of the community through the campaign.
Dr Yaacob, who is also Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, added that Mendaki has already been gathering feedback on its programmes and services from various segments of the community and stakeholders, through focus group sessions held late last year.
Mendaki chief executive Moliah Hashim told reporters yesterday that the group used the feedback to set the objectives of the campaign.
'We found out that many think we are here only for the lower-income group...
'Our programmes are focused on helping the lower-income, but we want those from the middle- and upper-income to be involved too. They can serve as volunteers in our mentoring programmes, for example,' she said.
'We also want to tell the community that we are not begging for people to help us. Rather, we are offering them a way to be part of our efforts to help the community to move forward. So there needs to be a twist in the perception.'
When asked what type of feedback she hopes to get from the new campaign, she said: 'We are looking for people who will want to challenge us, who will want to question us, people who will want to stretch our imagination on what Bersama Mendaki means.'
Dr Yaacob, Madam Moliah, volunteers and staff of Mendaki also distributed gift packs containing items such as Hari Raya money envelopes and fridge magnets to the public at the Geylang Serai bazaar yesterday.
The gift packs will also be distributed over the next two Saturdays at Hari Raya bazaars in Woodlands and Jurong West.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ROLE FOR ALL
'Our programmes are focused on helping the lower-income, but we want those from the middle- and upper-income to be involved too. They can serve as volunteers in our mentoring programmes, for example.'
- Mendaki chief executive Moliah Hashim
Monday, August 16, 2010
SOUTH ASIA: Digital Divide Sharpens Rich-Poor Gap - Jul 21st, 2010
NEW DELHI -- South Asia has emerged as the most promising region for sourcing information technology (IT) expertise, but this is an achievement that is of use only to the rich nations, say critics.
The so-called digital divide between industrialised and developing nations is being replicated within the region, widening the already big gulf between the majority poor and an English language-speaking, Internet-savvy elite, they point out.
On average, less than one out of every 10 of the 1.3 billion people in the subcontinent have access to computers and only a small fraction of these use the Internet.
The region's emerging prominence as an IT 'superpower', best seen in the case of India, is said to be accentuating the sharp contrast between an educated white-collar 'elite' and the rest.
Increasingly, the new sub-continental Internet-using elite identifies less with their digitally-deprived compatriots than with what Kenneth Keniston, expert on South Asian software at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), calls the global 'digirati.'
In the past half century, South Asian nations have done little to raise living standards of the majority poor who are a world apart from a microscopic, English language-speaking elite that is close to the centres of political and economic decision making.
The big Indian names in the global IT industry such as Sabeer Bhatia, creator of Hotmail and Azim Premji, rated by Forbes magazine among the world's five richest people, belong to this class.
Says New Delhi-based education expert, Kirti Jayaraman: ''The Internet is very much a big-city phenomenon and confined to the elite classes who may as well be living on a different planet with access to the Internet from their homes, offices and schools.''
According to Jayaraman, the digital divide can be seen quite clearly in schools in India's big cities. Here, the children of rich and middle class families go to English language-medium schools stacked with computers linked to the Internet.
On the other hand, the urban poor send their children to government schools that instruct in the vernacular language and lack tables, chairs and even roofs.
The situation is worse in India's vast rural hinterland. Barely 25 km from New Delhi is India's most populous state Uttar Pradesh which according to U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) estimates will take all of this century to make all its 170 million people literate......view more
The so-called digital divide between industrialised and developing nations is being replicated within the region, widening the already big gulf between the majority poor and an English language-speaking, Internet-savvy elite, they point out.
On average, less than one out of every 10 of the 1.3 billion people in the subcontinent have access to computers and only a small fraction of these use the Internet.
The region's emerging prominence as an IT 'superpower', best seen in the case of India, is said to be accentuating the sharp contrast between an educated white-collar 'elite' and the rest.
Increasingly, the new sub-continental Internet-using elite identifies less with their digitally-deprived compatriots than with what Kenneth Keniston, expert on South Asian software at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), calls the global 'digirati.'
In the past half century, South Asian nations have done little to raise living standards of the majority poor who are a world apart from a microscopic, English language-speaking elite that is close to the centres of political and economic decision making.
The big Indian names in the global IT industry such as Sabeer Bhatia, creator of Hotmail and Azim Premji, rated by Forbes magazine among the world's five richest people, belong to this class.
Says New Delhi-based education expert, Kirti Jayaraman: ''The Internet is very much a big-city phenomenon and confined to the elite classes who may as well be living on a different planet with access to the Internet from their homes, offices and schools.''
According to Jayaraman, the digital divide can be seen quite clearly in schools in India's big cities. Here, the children of rich and middle class families go to English language-medium schools stacked with computers linked to the Internet.
On the other hand, the urban poor send their children to government schools that instruct in the vernacular language and lack tables, chairs and even roofs.
The situation is worse in India's vast rural hinterland. Barely 25 km from New Delhi is India's most populous state Uttar Pradesh which according to U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) estimates will take all of this century to make all its 170 million people literate......view more
'Low-Income Students and the Perpetuation of Inequality - July 7, 2010
With a lingering recession sending Americans (back) to college in record numbers, and an administration determined to improve the country's record on degree attainment, higher education, more than ever, has plenty of public attention. But a new book argues that higher education in the United States is falling ever more short on a variety of fronts -- particularly when it comes to those students who, theoretically, should stand to gain the most from it.
In Low-Income Students and the Perpetuation of Inequality: Higher Education in America (Ashgate), author Gary Berg uses both quantitative data and information gleaned from personal interviews with students and professors to show how students from poor families are shortchanged at every stage of their postsecondary education, from admissions practices that discriminate against them, to the numerous obstacles they face getting through college, to the lesser benefits they reap after graduation. There is a great deal to be done on each of these fronts, Berg argues, if higher education is ever to live up to its promise -- to disadvantaged students, and to society at large.
Click here for more.......
In Low-Income Students and the Perpetuation of Inequality: Higher Education in America (Ashgate), author Gary Berg uses both quantitative data and information gleaned from personal interviews with students and professors to show how students from poor families are shortchanged at every stage of their postsecondary education, from admissions practices that discriminate against them, to the numerous obstacles they face getting through college, to the lesser benefits they reap after graduation. There is a great deal to be done on each of these fronts, Berg argues, if higher education is ever to live up to its promise -- to disadvantaged students, and to society at large.
Click here for more.......
New Youth Guidance Office set up to reduce trend of youth offences - CNA - 3 Aug 2010
SINGAPORE: A new central Youth Guidance Office has been set up to address the issue of youth offenders.
Announcing this at the Home Affairs Ministry's National Day Observance Ceremony on Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said the office will coordinate different programmes run by the government and community partners.
Mr Wong said this was a key recommendation of an Inter-Ministry Committee set up last year to address the challenge of preventing youths from offending and re-offending.
The Home Affairs Ministry said Singapore has one of the lowest re-offending rates in the world, and there has been good progress to lower school attrition rates and reduce the spate of re-offending.
However, there is still the need to intervene early before students drop out of school, become youth offenders and subsequently develop a criminal lifestyle.
The Deputy Prime Minister explained that enforcement is only one part of the long term solution to bring down Singapore's crime rates to a low level. He said the enforcement agencies must also ensure that the trend of re-offending is closely monitored.
So the new Central Youth Guidance Office, under the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, will look into early intervention strategies to prevent youth-at-risk from committing crimes.
Mr Wong said: "Breaking the cycle of offending and re-offending early can help to prevent the situation of a growing social underclass and increasing numbers trapped at the margins of society over time.
"If left unaddressed, the social costs can be high. The repeated imprisonment not only alienates the offender from society, it also puts his family and children in a crisis and raises the risk of inter-generational crime."
Mr Wong said the Education Ministry has several initiatives to keep children in school engaged in their studies and it will continue refining the system.
In the pipeline is a befriender service for inmates, where volunteers take part in a mentoring relationship that begins in prison and continues after their release.
Mr Wong said: "We recognise that for offenders, the real life challenges and temptations to re-offend happen when they are released from the controlled prison environment.
"Hence, community support networks for offenders, such as peer support, family and professional aftercare support will need to be strengthened to prevent re-offending."
The Singapore Aftercare Association will be co-ordinating this programme and will provide training for the volunteer be-frienders.
Grassroots organisations will also be encouraged to provide support for families of offenders in their neighbourhood.
One such programme already available is the We Care @ Admiralty pioneered by MP for the area, Maliki Osman. Several more will be modelled along the lines of the Admiralty division's programme.
The Home Affairs Ministry's National Day celebrations also saw several awards being given out.
Among them was a special award to the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) for its efforts to help counter the threat of extremist ideology.
Co-chairman of RRG, Ustaz Ali, said: "Our belief is - we are doing the right way to protect our religion and also our country. So this is a small role that we are playing to safeguard our country and people of Singapore, and to meet with all those who are radicals.
"Radicalisation should be cured and remedied. So the rehabilitation we are doing is (to) try to remedy them and bring them to the right path and bring them to be as Singaporean."
The Inter Agency Aftercare Group, which represented the Association of Muslim Professionals, Khadijah Mosque Management Board, Taman Bacaan and Mendaki, were also commended for their efforts to provide holistic aftercare programmes to help counter the threat of extremist terrorism.
Singapore's Casino Regulatory Authority was also awarded the "Minister for Home Affairs National Day Award" for leadership and excellence in developing and operationalising a comprehensive regime for regulating the casino industry in Singapore.
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1073003/1/.html
Announcing this at the Home Affairs Ministry's National Day Observance Ceremony on Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said the office will coordinate different programmes run by the government and community partners.
Mr Wong said this was a key recommendation of an Inter-Ministry Committee set up last year to address the challenge of preventing youths from offending and re-offending.
The Home Affairs Ministry said Singapore has one of the lowest re-offending rates in the world, and there has been good progress to lower school attrition rates and reduce the spate of re-offending.
However, there is still the need to intervene early before students drop out of school, become youth offenders and subsequently develop a criminal lifestyle.
The Deputy Prime Minister explained that enforcement is only one part of the long term solution to bring down Singapore's crime rates to a low level. He said the enforcement agencies must also ensure that the trend of re-offending is closely monitored.
So the new Central Youth Guidance Office, under the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, will look into early intervention strategies to prevent youth-at-risk from committing crimes.
Mr Wong said: "Breaking the cycle of offending and re-offending early can help to prevent the situation of a growing social underclass and increasing numbers trapped at the margins of society over time.
"If left unaddressed, the social costs can be high. The repeated imprisonment not only alienates the offender from society, it also puts his family and children in a crisis and raises the risk of inter-generational crime."
Mr Wong said the Education Ministry has several initiatives to keep children in school engaged in their studies and it will continue refining the system.
In the pipeline is a befriender service for inmates, where volunteers take part in a mentoring relationship that begins in prison and continues after their release.
Mr Wong said: "We recognise that for offenders, the real life challenges and temptations to re-offend happen when they are released from the controlled prison environment.
"Hence, community support networks for offenders, such as peer support, family and professional aftercare support will need to be strengthened to prevent re-offending."
The Singapore Aftercare Association will be co-ordinating this programme and will provide training for the volunteer be-frienders.
Grassroots organisations will also be encouraged to provide support for families of offenders in their neighbourhood.
One such programme already available is the We Care @ Admiralty pioneered by MP for the area, Maliki Osman. Several more will be modelled along the lines of the Admiralty division's programme.
The Home Affairs Ministry's National Day celebrations also saw several awards being given out.
Among them was a special award to the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) for its efforts to help counter the threat of extremist ideology.
Co-chairman of RRG, Ustaz Ali, said: "Our belief is - we are doing the right way to protect our religion and also our country. So this is a small role that we are playing to safeguard our country and people of Singapore, and to meet with all those who are radicals.
"Radicalisation should be cured and remedied. So the rehabilitation we are doing is (to) try to remedy them and bring them to the right path and bring them to be as Singaporean."
The Inter Agency Aftercare Group, which represented the Association of Muslim Professionals, Khadijah Mosque Management Board, Taman Bacaan and Mendaki, were also commended for their efforts to provide holistic aftercare programmes to help counter the threat of extremist terrorism.
Singapore's Casino Regulatory Authority was also awarded the "Minister for Home Affairs National Day Award" for leadership and excellence in developing and operationalising a comprehensive regime for regulating the casino industry in Singapore.
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1073003/1/.html
Sunday, August 15, 2010
U.S. Department of Commerce, White House and FCC Highlight Groundbreaking, Empowering Technologies to Recognize 20th Anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, July 19, 2010
CONTACT OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
202-482-4883
U.S. Department of Commerce, White House and FCC Highlight Groundbreaking, Empowering Technologies to Recognize 20th Anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act
Department of Commerce awards nearly $15 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Grant to improve communications for people with disabilities nationwide
The U.S. Department of Commerce, in partnership with the White House and the Federal Communications Commission, hosted an event today celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The program highlighted innovative technologies that have been developed to empower the daily lives of Americans with disabilities.
“On the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we are reminded of legislation that wasn't just a great civil rights achievement, but also a catalyst for innovation and opportunity throughout our country,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “Because of this Act, millions of talented Americans who had previously been denied full career opportunities, flowed into the U.S. workforce and made immeasurable contributions to businesses nationwide. Meanwhile, the Act helped catalyze the development of technologies so people with disabilities would have a fair and equal opportunity to excel in their jobs. The Americans with Disabilities Act is an achievement that remains just as relevant and just as important today as it was when it was signed into law 20 years ago.”
Announced at the event was a nearly $15 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act investment to help bridge the technological divide, boost economic growth, and improve communications for people with disabilities nationwide. The grant to Communication Service for the Deaf, Inc. (CSD) intends to expand broadband adoption among people who are deaf and hard of hearing and provide them with tools to more fully participate in the digital economy.
The event provided an opportunity to demonstrate various technologies designed to level the playing field for people with disabilities, and affirmed the Obama administration’s commitment to getting all Americans back to work. New and innovative technology helps create opportunities for people with disabilities, and critically increases options for employment. Nearly 60 percent of individuals with visual impairments are unable to find work, and 40 percent of individuals with hearing loss remain unemployed.
The ADA celebration included a technology fair where various corporations demonstrated their products, encompassing both assistive technologies and mainstream accessibility technologies. It also included speakers from the White House, the Commerce Department, and the FCC, as well as performances by students from Gallaudet University.
Source: http://www.commerce.gov/print/news/press-releases/2010/07/19/us-department-commerce-white-house-and-fcc-highlight-groundbreaking-e
Monday, July 19, 2010
CONTACT OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
202-482-4883
U.S. Department of Commerce, White House and FCC Highlight Groundbreaking, Empowering Technologies to Recognize 20th Anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act
Department of Commerce awards nearly $15 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Grant to improve communications for people with disabilities nationwide
The U.S. Department of Commerce, in partnership with the White House and the Federal Communications Commission, hosted an event today celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The program highlighted innovative technologies that have been developed to empower the daily lives of Americans with disabilities.
“On the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we are reminded of legislation that wasn't just a great civil rights achievement, but also a catalyst for innovation and opportunity throughout our country,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “Because of this Act, millions of talented Americans who had previously been denied full career opportunities, flowed into the U.S. workforce and made immeasurable contributions to businesses nationwide. Meanwhile, the Act helped catalyze the development of technologies so people with disabilities would have a fair and equal opportunity to excel in their jobs. The Americans with Disabilities Act is an achievement that remains just as relevant and just as important today as it was when it was signed into law 20 years ago.”
Announced at the event was a nearly $15 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act investment to help bridge the technological divide, boost economic growth, and improve communications for people with disabilities nationwide. The grant to Communication Service for the Deaf, Inc. (CSD) intends to expand broadband adoption among people who are deaf and hard of hearing and provide them with tools to more fully participate in the digital economy.
The event provided an opportunity to demonstrate various technologies designed to level the playing field for people with disabilities, and affirmed the Obama administration’s commitment to getting all Americans back to work. New and innovative technology helps create opportunities for people with disabilities, and critically increases options for employment. Nearly 60 percent of individuals with visual impairments are unable to find work, and 40 percent of individuals with hearing loss remain unemployed.
The ADA celebration included a technology fair where various corporations demonstrated their products, encompassing both assistive technologies and mainstream accessibility technologies. It also included speakers from the White House, the Commerce Department, and the FCC, as well as performances by students from Gallaudet University.
Source: http://www.commerce.gov/print/news/press-releases/2010/07/19/us-department-commerce-white-house-and-fcc-highlight-groundbreaking-e
US agency announces $1.2 billion in broadband subsidies - Networkworld - 4 Aug 2010
The new awards will fund 126 projects across the U.S., the USDA says
By Grant Gross, IDG News Service
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) has announced US$1.2 billion in grants and loans for 126 broadband deployment projects in 38 states and tribal areas.
The new awards, announced Wednesday, include grants for WiMax deployments, for fiber deployments and for DSL deployments. The RUS has now distributed more than $2.6 billion in broadband grants and loans through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), a huge economic stimulus package passed by the U.S. Congress in early 2009.
The grants and loans will enable telemedicine and distance learning and allow farmers and ranchers to get up-to-the-minute information on weather and commodity prices, said Tom Vilsack, U.S. secretary of agriculture. About 5 percent of all U.S. schools will benefit from broadband projects funded by his agency, he said.
"This investment will allow the United States ... to become more competitive in the global economy," Vilsack said during a press conference.
Windstream, a broadband provider based in Little Rock, Arkansas, was among the companies receiving awards. Windstream received about $66.4 million, mostly grants, for high-speed DSL, fixed wireless and other broadband projects in seven states, including Georgia, Texas and Missouri. Windstream will match the grants with $21.7 million in private funding.
The largest Windstream project is in Florida, where the company will get a $38.3 million grant from RUS, with an additional $12.7 million in private investment, to bring fixed wireless service to areas of the state. The project will bring service to about 120,000 people and 4,750 businesses, the USDA said.
The West Kentucky Rural Telephone Cooperative will receive $123.8 million, half of it a grant and half a loan, to build a fiber network in parts of western Kentucky and Tennessee.
Another recipient is Montana Opticom, which received $64.1 million, with half being a grant and half a loan, to build a fiber-to-the-premises network in rural communities in Gallatin County, Montana. The company estimates that the project will immediately support 650 jobs, the USDA said.
The new grants and loans also support several WiMax projects. Utopian Wireless, based in Bethesda, Maryland, received about $7.9 million for 10 WiMax projects in seven states, including Alabama, Ohio and Illinois.
Crystal Automation Systems received a $26.5 million award, with $7.9 million of it in loans, to build a hybrid fiber and WiMax network in rural Michigan. The project is expected to bring broadband to more than 140,000 people and 5,000 business, the USDA said.
The RUS and the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration received $7.2 billion for broadband projects in the ARRA. The two agencies have until the end of September to distribute the funds.
More info: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/08/04/usda-and-commerce-department-supporting-broadband-access-and-economic-opportunity-ac
Source: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/080410-us-agency-announces-12-billion.html?hpg1=bn
By Grant Gross, IDG News Service
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) has announced US$1.2 billion in grants and loans for 126 broadband deployment projects in 38 states and tribal areas.
The new awards, announced Wednesday, include grants for WiMax deployments, for fiber deployments and for DSL deployments. The RUS has now distributed more than $2.6 billion in broadband grants and loans through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), a huge economic stimulus package passed by the U.S. Congress in early 2009.
The grants and loans will enable telemedicine and distance learning and allow farmers and ranchers to get up-to-the-minute information on weather and commodity prices, said Tom Vilsack, U.S. secretary of agriculture. About 5 percent of all U.S. schools will benefit from broadband projects funded by his agency, he said.
"This investment will allow the United States ... to become more competitive in the global economy," Vilsack said during a press conference.
Windstream, a broadband provider based in Little Rock, Arkansas, was among the companies receiving awards. Windstream received about $66.4 million, mostly grants, for high-speed DSL, fixed wireless and other broadband projects in seven states, including Georgia, Texas and Missouri. Windstream will match the grants with $21.7 million in private funding.
The largest Windstream project is in Florida, where the company will get a $38.3 million grant from RUS, with an additional $12.7 million in private investment, to bring fixed wireless service to areas of the state. The project will bring service to about 120,000 people and 4,750 businesses, the USDA said.
The West Kentucky Rural Telephone Cooperative will receive $123.8 million, half of it a grant and half a loan, to build a fiber network in parts of western Kentucky and Tennessee.
Another recipient is Montana Opticom, which received $64.1 million, with half being a grant and half a loan, to build a fiber-to-the-premises network in rural communities in Gallatin County, Montana. The company estimates that the project will immediately support 650 jobs, the USDA said.
The new grants and loans also support several WiMax projects. Utopian Wireless, based in Bethesda, Maryland, received about $7.9 million for 10 WiMax projects in seven states, including Alabama, Ohio and Illinois.
Crystal Automation Systems received a $26.5 million award, with $7.9 million of it in loans, to build a hybrid fiber and WiMax network in rural Michigan. The project is expected to bring broadband to more than 140,000 people and 5,000 business, the USDA said.
The RUS and the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration received $7.2 billion for broadband projects in the ARRA. The two agencies have until the end of September to distribute the funds.
More info: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/08/04/usda-and-commerce-department-supporting-broadband-access-and-economic-opportunity-ac
Source: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/080410-us-agency-announces-12-billion.html?hpg1=bn
Robots to Help Children With Autism - TMCnet - 12 Aug 2010
PITTSBURGH, Aug 12, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Interbots, Inc., a high-tech spin-off company associated with the Carnegie Mellon University Entertainment Technology Center has teamed up with the Autism Center of Pittsburgh to provide innovative robot-based therapy for children with autism.The program, "Character Therapy," through the use of the Interbot robot "Popchilla" will test the ability of children with autism with limited or no verbal skills.
According to Seema Patel, CEO and co-founder of Interbots, "We've had numerous individuals tell us our robots could be tremendous tools for Autism therapy. We're excited to be working with the Autism Center of Pittsburgh and the Sprout Foundation to take this first step. We're going to learn a lot from the next few months." "The premise behind the program is that children with autism are sometimes more likely to communicate with a non-human entity," said Cindy Waeltermann, Founder and Director of the Autism Centers of Pittsburgh. "When you have a child with autism, you use whatever interests them to gain access into their world. The idea is to bridge the gap between their word and ours.
Popchilla will be used in the first phase of the program with a trained therapist. Programmers and developers at Interbots have created an iPad application that will allow the therapist to direct sessions, which will eventually be transitioned to allow the child to control the robot through an iPad application to identify emotions.
According to Waeltermann, "By using Popchilla as an intermediary, we hope to increase the understanding of the child's internal feelings, thus reducing behavioral frustrations. If they are able to identify that they are 'angry' and what 'angry' means, it can significantly help them understand what they are feeling, reducing behavioral ramifications." The program is funded by Spark. Spark is an initiative of The Sprout Fund catalyzing projects and programs that engage children ages birth to eight through the creative use of technology and media. Spark challenges individuals, organizations, and communities to generate inventive technology-based solutions to the issues and opportunities facing today's young child. Through its funding opportunities and extensive network of support, Spark is unleashing the innovative potential of Southwestern Pennsylvania and transforming our region into one of the best places on earth to be a kid.
"Our emphasis has always been making the use and control of our robots as simple and flexible as possible. You don't need to have a technical background to control our characters. You can control them with a variety of other familiar devices. So that opens a lot of interesting applications - like having a therapist or a parent use our robots as a tool to interact with children - even the possibility of kids using the robot to express themselves and explore emotions on their own," according to Sabrina Haskell, Interbots, Designer & Co-Founder.
The iPad application is currently in production and the program is slated to begin this fall.
"Nobody is more excited than the parents of the children with autism who have the potential to gain great strides from this program," said Cindy Waeltermann. "That's what this is all about -- thinking outside the box to reach these kids." SOURCE Autism Centers of Pittsburgh
According to Seema Patel, CEO and co-founder of Interbots, "We've had numerous individuals tell us our robots could be tremendous tools for Autism therapy. We're excited to be working with the Autism Center of Pittsburgh and the Sprout Foundation to take this first step. We're going to learn a lot from the next few months." "The premise behind the program is that children with autism are sometimes more likely to communicate with a non-human entity," said Cindy Waeltermann, Founder and Director of the Autism Centers of Pittsburgh. "When you have a child with autism, you use whatever interests them to gain access into their world. The idea is to bridge the gap between their word and ours.
Popchilla will be used in the first phase of the program with a trained therapist. Programmers and developers at Interbots have created an iPad application that will allow the therapist to direct sessions, which will eventually be transitioned to allow the child to control the robot through an iPad application to identify emotions.
According to Waeltermann, "By using Popchilla as an intermediary, we hope to increase the understanding of the child's internal feelings, thus reducing behavioral frustrations. If they are able to identify that they are 'angry' and what 'angry' means, it can significantly help them understand what they are feeling, reducing behavioral ramifications." The program is funded by Spark. Spark is an initiative of The Sprout Fund catalyzing projects and programs that engage children ages birth to eight through the creative use of technology and media. Spark challenges individuals, organizations, and communities to generate inventive technology-based solutions to the issues and opportunities facing today's young child. Through its funding opportunities and extensive network of support, Spark is unleashing the innovative potential of Southwestern Pennsylvania and transforming our region into one of the best places on earth to be a kid.
"Our emphasis has always been making the use and control of our robots as simple and flexible as possible. You don't need to have a technical background to control our characters. You can control them with a variety of other familiar devices. So that opens a lot of interesting applications - like having a therapist or a parent use our robots as a tool to interact with children - even the possibility of kids using the robot to express themselves and explore emotions on their own," according to Sabrina Haskell, Interbots, Designer & Co-Founder.
The iPad application is currently in production and the program is slated to begin this fall.
"Nobody is more excited than the parents of the children with autism who have the potential to gain great strides from this program," said Cindy Waeltermann. "That's what this is all about -- thinking outside the box to reach these kids." SOURCE Autism Centers of Pittsburgh
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