Manawanui, Self-Directed Support for people with disabilities

Ferran Benito on 12 June 2024

Project aimed at enhancing the autonomy and freedom of choice for people with disabilities

Manawanui is an initiative that promotes Self-Directed Support, a system of assistance that encourages people with disabilities to choose, through a personal budget, how, when, and with whom they manage the care services they receive.

Through these personalized budgets, “agents” (mostly volunteers) guide and accompany users in decision-making and self-management of these services. The main goal is to place the person at the center and promote their autonomy.

Users develop a personal life plan and are responsible for managing home care services, hiring necessary personnel, and setting their own goals. In this way, people with disabilities gain independence and freedom of choice in their daily lives.

Característiques de la innovació

Disability, Independent living, Innovative organization, New model of intervention, Personalization of the service, Self-management and participation, User empowerment

Localització

New Zeland

Col·laboradors / Finançadors

–

Gènesi

Manawanui was created in 2004 and has become a leading and pioneering initiative in self-managed funding for people with disabilities in New Zealand.

Nivell d’implantació

According to Manawanui, 26% of the population under 65 in New Zealand eligible for the program is enrolled in the project. The organization has more than 3,500 users in total, 68% of whom are under 35 years old.

More information

Propose your innovation

See our selection of innovations

Banc d’innovacions

Journeys App, guiding children safely through the Barnahus process

An interactive digital tool to help children understand and navigate…

Ithaca Laundry, Mobile laundry services and social reintegration for people experiencing homelessness

Europe’s first mobile laundry unit for people experiencing homelessness

VERA app, A Digital Tool for Diagnosing Housing Vulnerability in Spain

An online diagnostic platform to assess and prevent housing vulnerability…

Balance Phone, a minimalist phone created for digital well-being

A minimalist phone platform designed to offer essential connectivity while…

Lokaal Signaal, Enhancing Local Social Policy through Fieldworker Insights

A digital platform enabling first-line professionals to report and address…

Expert by Experience, professionalization of peer-support for seniors

A peer‐support initiative enabling older residents to receive support on…

NaviLens, a code system that guides individuals with visual impairments in public spaces

Ferran Benito on 24 April 2024

A code system with relevant information about public spaces to increase the autonomy of people with visual impairments

Individuals with visual impairments face difficulties in performing everyday tasks, such as locating restrooms, recognizing which bus is in front of them, or reading a street sign. To address this issue, NaviLens has been created, a system of labels with codes, similar to barcodes or QR codes, that provides useful information to facilitate the mobility of people with visual impairments in public spaces.

To read the information contained in the signs, all that is needed is to download an application and move the mobile device around the area where the code is located. Without the need to approach closely, NaviLens labels can be read from a distance, while in motion, and with the camera unfocused. These are some of the main differences compared to QR codes, which are of little use to people with visual impairments as they require proximity to be interpreted with a mobile device. This implies that users must know beforehand where they are located.

Once the code is detected, a “click” is heard, and the application vocalizes the information. For example, the stop number where the user is located, the transportation schedule, the position relative to the space, etc. It can also be used in cultural events such as museums or exhibitions, with informative labels about the route or artistic works.

Additionally, some product brands are using NaviLens on the labels of their items to provide information about the components or usage. The application also allows for the identification of personal use objects, as the codes can be printed and stuck onto any surface.

Characteristics of innovation

New technological tool, Disability, Fully inclusive cities, Independent living, Personalization of the service, Self-management and participation, User empowerment

Localization

Murcia, Spain

Partners / Funders

Mobile Vision Research Lab (University of Alicante) and CIDAT

Genesis

NaviLens is a project by Neostistec that was created in 2017, after five years of development, with the aim of helping people with visual impairments navigate unfamiliar spaces and obtain information about products or services in a more accessible manner.

Level of implementation

Since 2017, NaviLens has been implemented in urban transport, museums, and cultural spaces in more than 130 countries across five continents. Furthermore, the application is available in 36 different languages. Among other organizations, Transportes Metropolitanos de Barcelona (TMB) incorporated NaviLens labels throughout the bus and metro network in 2019. The project won the Connecting for Good award from the Vodafone Foundation.

More information

Propose your innovation

See our selection of innovations

Banc d’innovacions

Journeys App, guiding children safely through the Barnahus process

An interactive digital tool to help children understand and navigate…

Ithaca Laundry, Mobile laundry services and social reintegration for people experiencing homelessness

Europe’s first mobile laundry unit for people experiencing homelessness

VERA app, A Digital Tool for Diagnosing Housing Vulnerability in Spain

An online diagnostic platform to assess and prevent housing vulnerability…

Balance Phone, a minimalist phone created for digital well-being

A minimalist phone platform designed to offer essential connectivity while…

Lokaal Signaal, Enhancing Local Social Policy through Fieldworker Insights

A digital platform enabling first-line professionals to report and address…

Expert by Experience, professionalization of peer-support for seniors

A peer‐support initiative enabling older residents to receive support on…

AutisMIND, an application to stimulate the social cognition of children with ASD

Ferran Benito on 27 March 2024

The tool enhances the ability to empathize with others in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

There are more and more experiences and studies endorsing that technology is a particularly useful resource to support therapeutic and learning processes in children with ASD. Whether through robotics or specialized computer programs, research is showing the benefits of this approach.

AutisMIND is a mobile application that supports families and professionals in working on the development of social thinking and theory of mind in children with ASD, that is, the ability of individuals to be aware of the feelings, desires, and beliefs of others when acting.

The AutisMIND application addresses ten different aspects of socio-cognitive development with six levels of difficulty and a total of over a thousand interactive and playful exercises. Some of the topics it covers include interpreting emotions in context, anticipating actions, physical sensations, and symbolism.

The platform presents learning in a simple and dynamic way. On one hand, it uses sharp images with simple outlines that avoid overstimulating the child. On the other hand, it includes visual reinforcements that enhance the interest, attention, and motivation of the user. The functions are adaptable to the needs of each person, and statistics allow evaluating progress and achieved milestones.