Simplon, bringing out the technological talent of vulnerable people

Publications Bank of innovations

Simplon, bringing out the technological talent of vulnerable people

Simplon.co

Foto: Simplon.co

Simplon is a French, social, solidarity-based, innovative organization company that works to transform the digital sector into a more inclusive sector by discovering people with hidden talent among vulnerable social groups,  and forming them professionally  so that they can find a qualified occupation in the sector.

Since its creation in 2013, Simplon has trained in digital technologies, free of charge, more than 5,600 people with this profile, mainly refugees, adolescents at risk of exclusion and long-term unemployed people. These people with technological talent which remained hidden or which they had never had the opportunity to develop, have learned to develop their skills and abilities in this field to be able to work in the sector: programming mobile applications and web pages, management of digital projects, entrepreneurship of innovative projects, or technology training.

Simplon.co

ELPIDA, a learning community to improve the quality of life of persons with intellectual disabilities

Publications Bank of innovations

ELPIDA, a learning community to improve the quality of life of persons with intellectual disabilities

Foundation of Research and Technology, Greece

Foto: ELPIDA Project

Open e-learning platform to provide the necessary knowledge and skills on how better to support the needs of children of all ages with intellectual disabilities. It contains six interactive educational modules providing more training, awareness raising and/or attitude change on key areas that have been identified with the active engagement of family members of PWID. These topics / areas are: Human rights, Communication, Ageing, Stress management, Transition to adulthood, and Sexual health.

The main objective of ELPIDA project is to improve the quality of life of persons with intellectual disabilities by empowering family members and especially parents. Project partners believe that knowledge to be gained by parents of persons with intellectual disability through this educational platform will have a positive impact their children and will contribute to a better transition to adulthood, social inclusion, and better quality of life in general.

Also the project aims to create a large community of well informed and adequately equipped participants who will feel competent to support the needs of their family member with intellectual disabilities.

ELPIDA

ValuAble, tools for work inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in the hospitality sector

Publications Bank of innovations

ValuAble, tools for work inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in the hospitality sector

ValuAble

Foto: ValuAble

Valueable is a group of disability associations and foundations, and hotels which provides an international certification to socially responsible companies of the hospitality sector which offer opprtunities of professional advancement to people with intellectual disabilities.

ValuAble has designed, developed three tools to facilitate the integration of the people in the workplace: the app On my own at work customized for every individual and provides tools and resources useful in the workplace; videos addressed to employers and employees which provide examples about the correct relationships and behaviours between people with an intellectual disability and their co-workers; and finally, and e-learning course addressed to hospitality managers which is designed to help them to obtain the certification.

ValuAble

B·MINCOME, looking for the best way out of poverty

Publications Bank of innovations

B·MINCOME, looking for the best way out of poverty

Barcelona City Council

Foto: Barcelona City Council

B·MINCOME is a pilot project for the establishment of a municipal inclusion salary in the city of Barcelona, which is testing with one thousand vulnerable families in the ten most deprived Barcelona neighborhoods, the efficacy and efficiency of combining a stable financial help with active social-employment policies.

B·MINCOME is a project pilot to fight against poverty and inequality based in the development of an integral policy which combines a public passive policy (a Municipal Inclusive Support, a financial help that supplements the income of the selected people and families) with four active social-employment policies: a combined education and employment plan; actions for the encouragement of the socio-collaborative economy; grants for the rehabilitation of homes which may allow room rentals; and a program for participation in community networks.

B-Mincome

Buurtzorg, autonomous teams of community healthcare

Publications Bank of innovations

Buurtzorg, autonomous teams of community healthcare

Buurtzorg

Foto: Buurtzorg

Home care organization that works through teams that have professional freedom and are responsible for their own operation. Each team is made up of 12 people and works in a neighborhood taking care of people who need support and managing the team’s work. Each new team looks for their own office in the neighborhood, dedicates time to introduce themselves to the local community and to get to know the GPs, therapists and other social and health professionals. The team decides how to organize the work, share responsibilities and make decisions.

As a KMPG study states: “Essentially, the program allows nurses (rather than nursing assistants or caregivers) to provide all the care the patient needs. And while this has meant higher costs per hour, the total number of hours has been lower. In fact, by changing the care model, Buurtzorg achieved a 50 percent reduction in hours of care, improved the quality of care and increased employee job satisfaction. ”

An Ernst and Young study estimated that the new system allowed a 40% savings on home care in the Netherlands.

Buurtzorg

Mobile Laundry Services for people experiencing homelessness

Publications Bank of innovations

Mobile Laundry Services for people experiencing homelessness

Orange Sky

Foto: Orange Sky

Orange Sky provides a platform for every day Australians to connect through a regular laundry and shower service. The focus is on creating a safe, positive and supportive environment for people who are too often ignored or who feel disconnected from the community. Their volunteers are not social workers or experts on homelessness – they are empathetic listeners and great conversationalists.

Orange Sky volunteers have participated to date in more than 144,000 hours of conversation and have helped to change the perception of the homeless and connect communities throughout Australia.

Orange Sky

Vincles BCN, service to strengthen social ties of the lonesome elderly

Publications Bank of innovations

Vincles BCN, service to strengthen social ties of the lonesome elderly

Ajuntament de Barcelona

Foto: Ajuntament de Barcelona

In Barcelona, more than 300.000 people aged 65 or older live alone, of which 100.000 are over 80. Vincles BCN is a social innovation project that wants to strengthen the social relationships of older people who feel lonely and improve their well-being through new technologies.

The project has the following main objectives:

  1. Reduce the feeling of loneliness of the elderly,
  2. Maintain and strengthen existing social relationships,
  3. Expand the social relationships of people and create new spaces for the relationship,
  4. Use of IT (Information Technologies) as a communication tool to relate to their environment their environment.

The service uses an app installed on a tablet as a communication tool, which will serve to put people in contact and strengthen their relationships, while creating new ones. Online communication is promoted through the app, while face-to-face meetings are organized. The app allows the user to communicate with his/her family and friends, and with the people who form app-specific user groups.

Vincles BCN

ELDCARE, prevention of loneliness and the social and health risks associated with aging

Publications Bank of innovations

ELDCARE, prevention of loneliness and the social and health risks associated with aging

ABD Associació Benestar Desenvolupament

Foto: ABD

Eldcare is a personalized reminder tool equipped with a screen and a speaker, developed for people living alone in their homes and need support to improve their autonomy. It is a smart device developed and enhanced by ABD, an innovative technological tool to prevent unwanted loneliness and the social and health risks associated with aging.

The device offers personalized daily reminders in audiovisual format, with the aim of improving safety, preventing accidents at home, reducing the feeling of loneliness in the elderly and improving digital literacy. Without Wi-Fi, Eldcare launches short videos recorded by professionals and / or people close to the user, such as: “remember you have an appointment with your doctor today at 10 a.m.” or “remember to turn off heating before going to bed ”or“ remember to drink water and use the walker’s help at home ”, or the steps to follow to use your smartphone and make a video call.

This tool is not invasive or intrusive with the privacy of people and is very intuitive to use, respecting the preferences and needs of older people, because they always agree with them the type of message and the time when videos are playing. Also, it doesn’t play a random robot voice, but the image and voice of someone they know and trust.

Therefore, it is a person-centered care solution, based and developed on the verbal needs of the person, following the path to e-health and integrating new avenues of collaboration between social and health services. , preventing risky situations that could have a major social and economic impact in the field of health and social services.

Due to the pandemic of COVID-19, in which the digital divide has become even more visible, the use of Eldcare has been rethought, bringing it to the homes of people with a very low level of digital literacy in order to accompany them in the learning process about using their smartphone from a distance.

ADB Associació Benestar i Desenvolupament

La Casa de Carlota, a design studio that promotes diversity and inclusion

Publications Bank of innovations

La Casa de Carlota, a design studio that promotes diversity and inclusion

1000Friends

Design studio that promotes the employment inclusion of people with Down syndrome and autism, and young people

Unlike other initiatives, La Casa de Carlota it is not an occupational center or an aid service, but an art company that seeks to incorporate diverse profiles in order to explore creativity without limitations. In the different projects, professional designers, students from design schools, illustrators, and creatives participate, as well as people with diverse abilities. The members define themselves as “creative activists”.

App&Town Compagnon, people with disability can travel independently on public transport

Publications Bank of innovations

App&Town Compagnon, people with disability can travel independently on public transport

AMPANS and Mass Factory

Foto: Unsplash

The technological company Mass Factory in collaboration with the Foundation AMPANS and the Foundation Saint Pere Claver has developed App&Town Compagnon, a transport-assisted system for people with intellectual disability, mental illness, or memory dysfunctions, that allows them to safely use public transportation, with precise guidance provided by a mobile app, and continuous monitoring by means of a Web App in the cloud. App&Town Compagnon conforms to the Smart City Concept, improvement citizens’ quality of life through use of technology.

App&Town Compagnon is a customized transport assisted system which is adaptable to the abilities of each user. The system includes: route-planning, guidance, and remote monitoring. App&Town Compagnon is a tool that improves social inclusion, mobility, and self-esteem of its users.

In 2018 Apps&Town Compagnon won the Technology Innovation Red Cross Humanitarian Award.

App&Town