Digital innovations for people with disabilities
- The Zero Project Technology Forum at the UniCredit Center am Kaiserwasser acts as a growth driver for digital innovations for people with disabilities
- 27 invited tech companies present their new products
- UniCredit Bank Austria is a pioneer in the area of accessibility and services for people with disabilities.
On 24 February, the Zero Project Conference, together with UniCredit Bank Austria, hosted the first ever Zero Project Technology Forum at UniCredit Center am Kaiserwasser. The event is designed as a growth driver for innovations that aim to improve the lives of people with disabilities. The goal is to make the most promising innovations accessible to investors and companies at an early stage, even before they become relevant for Silicon Valley, and to create partnerships that provide financing and scaling.
The 27 invited tech innovators had the opportunity to present their latest products to 50 key decision-makers from business and international organisations. Among others an invention from the Arab Emirates, a keyboard with only 10 keys for people with motoric difficulties, an app from Kenya that translates spoken language directly into sign language, and an app from the USA that describes the surrounding for people with visual impairments. There was also an Austrian invention, an avatar that sits in the classroom and connects a child who cannot go to school for a long time with the lessons and his classmates, including chatting. On the other side, the entrepreneurs reported which developments they urgently needed from research in order to create accessibility for their customers and employees.
Closing ranks with the business community
Martin Essl, founder of the Zero Project Conference: "We have taken up the strong desire of the business community for such a platform and would like to make our worldwide network available to decisively accelerate the implementation of innovations for people with disabilities. And they are not the only ones who benefit. Many of these innovations make life easier for everyone."
"The Zero Project Technology Forum is an innovative laboratory and an important source of inspiration for companies, organisations and policymakers to access the latest innovations for people with disabilities at a very early stage. As a pioneer in accessibility and services for people with disabilities across Europe, it is very important for us to co-host the Zero Project Technology Forum in order to remain at the forefront of technological developments as an innovation leader," emphasises Robert Zadrazil, CEO of UniCredit Bank Austria.
The decision-makers of the tech companies present also welcomed this initiative. Hermann Erlach, CEO of Microsoft Austria, co-sponsor of the Technology Forum, affirmed: "We are in a time of exciting new technological advances. The field of artificial intelligence in particular plays a decisive role in enabling the participation of people with disabilities in the professional and social environment. We see ourselves as having a special responsibility to offer the highest possible level of accessibility and inclusion."
Christopher Patnoe, Head of Accessibility at Google was pleased about the award received for the app "Google Lookout", an app that describes the environment in which the person is located. "We are using artificial intelligence here to make a visual world experienceable for blind people. The important thing is that we developed this app together with visually impaired people. That is crucial."
Charlotte V. McClain-Nhlapo, Global Disability Advisor at the World Bank, pointed out the need to include all people in the development of the planet, because otherwise the common goal of the community of nations to eliminate poverty, hunger and low schooling could never be achieved.
Enquiries:
UniCredit Bank Austria Media Relations
Matthias Raftl, Phone: +43 (0) 50505 - 52809
E-mail: matthias.raftl@unicreditgroup.at