To celebrate International Day for Persons with Disabilities, Africa Prize and LIF alumni Brian Mwenda (CEO of Hope Tech Plus), Abeer Albashiti (Founder of Larimar) and Enzo Romero (General Manager of Lat Bionics), participated in an insightful and thought-provoking panel discussion on the role of engineering in this space.
Brian Mwenda, CEO of Hope Tech Plus
In your experience, how did engineering help you address a challenge associated with a disability?
Building Assistive Technology for people with disabilities can be very expensive since it requires building hardware products. There is not yet enough infrastructure in the world which people can build new products off, so having an engineering background helped me in the early bootstrapping period of the business. Building initial proof of concept devices was something I had to do by myself before I could get others to join in the mission. I believe we need to teach inclusive innovation to engineers so that all engineering products are accessible to all and encourage more innovation in the Assistive Technology space.
How does your innovation or business contribute towards the inclusion of persons with disabilities?
We have built The Sixth Sense, a wearable mobility assistance device, to help visually impaired people move unaided and participate fully in society. Visually impaired people no longer need a caregiver to accompany them wherever they need to go. Our devices help them perform tasks independently and facilitate their pursuit of a holistic and full life. It is through complete independence that we can achieve an integrated society.
What one piece of advice would you give fellow entrepreneurs in your field?
I would encourage all entrepreneurs out there to think about how accessible their products and services are to persons with disabilities. This should not come as an afterthought but be integrated into the creation process. For those building assistive technology, user involvement is absolutely critical, and should be worked into the development process. This is a growing space, and I would encourage more innovators to join it.
Enzo Romero, General Manager of Lat Bionic
In your experience, how did engineering help you address a challenge associated to a disability?
My career in Mechatronics Engineering has been the means for my team and I to apply our design methodology. To use it to identify and understand the problems as well as the subsequent development of assistive technologies. It was thanks to engineering that we were able to find bespoke solutions based on the needs of our upper limb amputee users.
How does your innovation or business contribute towards the inclusion of persons with disabilities?
LAT Bionics develops custom upper limb prostheses using digital fabrication technology which allows us to develop highly functional prostheses at affordable prices for those in Latin America. Our prostheses are personalised to the size of the user regardless of the complexity or level of amputation. We focus on the prosthesis allowing the user to perform the activities of daily living.
What one piece of advice would you give fellow entrepreneurs in your field?
Never stop working on your technology. When it comes to assistive technologies, it is extremely important to be aware of the state of the art because our work is based on the usability and comfort of our users. Mechanical, electronic or control innovations - however small they may seem - may significantly impact the lives of those who use our equipment or services.
Abeer Albashiti, Founder of Larimar
In your experience, how did engineering help you address a challenge associated with a disability?
For me, engineering is a lifestyle which enables us to think critically and to embrace life challenges as opportunities to innovate and contribute to the greater good. I studied electrical engineering, where I learned how vital signals are represented, correlated, and most importantly, modelled. Being able to understand probabilistic issues opened my eyes to working on one of the most intangible human traits - the emotional status, and its impact on our life experiences. Engineering started cognitive behavioural therapy, heart-brain coherence, and mental health.
My innovation Larimar, has many use cases across education, customer development, and security threat detection, but it is healthcare and wellbeing that are the areas we are working on most. We have developed the WellShift app, a coach in your pocket for those with post-traumatic stress disorder, borderline patients, and trauma survivors as our early adopters.
How does your innovation or business contribute towards the inclusion of persons with disabilities?
Connecting directly with them through coaching, mentoring, customer journey testing, and delivering a product that satisfies their needs, are our contributions to including persons with disabilities.
What one piece of advice would you give fellow entrepreneurs in your field?
Purpose, Patience, Persistence are musts in your journey, so equip yourself with these traits. Have a support system that is there for you. Connect with mentors who have navigated similar journeys and are willing to support, and always look for the impact you are providing; other rewards are j