Last week, the board of the Israel Innovation Authority convened to discuss a variety of projects for developing technological solutions for populations with special needs, allocating NIS 3 million (about $842,000) for the projects. This initiative promotes unique assistive technological solutions for people with special needs as part of its Societal Challenges Division.

Among the approved projects are two applications aimed at children on the autistic spectrum. The first application aims to facilitate more effective communication with autistic children, and the second focuses on helping the children develop their social skills.

The Authority also approved the development of a technologically innovative system for the benefit of the visually-impaired. The system will enable the visually-impaired to receive information that will help them orientate in public spaces and carry out various daily activities.

Another approved project is for the development of an electro-mechanical device intended for offices open to the public. The device will enable people in wheelchairs to open doors using their cellphones. And yet another project is working on developing affordable but accurate communications devices that would enable disabled with severe physical limitations, such as ALS patients, to communicate through the movement of their pupils alone.

Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry Eli Cohen said, “These funds have been allocated to develop technologies designed to help people with disabilities meet daily challenges, to increase awareness and to support businesses integrating people with special needs into the economy and society. As a society, we must promote equal opportunity, and I commend the use of one of our greatest resources, Israeli innovation, to meet these particular challenges. These projects can affect real change in the lives of real people.”

Nachum Itzkovich, Acting Chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority, said, “One of the key missions of the Israel Innovation Authority is to leverage groundbreaking Israeli innovation in order to help those with special needs. Israeli technology can help improve the lives of those facing daily challenges.”

The Societal Challenges Department in the Israel Innovation Authority is in charge of research and social development intended to cope with social and environmental challenges such as increasing and diversifying the number of people employed in the hi-tech industry and creating technological solutions for different sectors coping with unique challenges, in Israel and around the world.