【Shenzhen】Technology Product Planning for the Support of Disabled Communities

Technology Product Planning for the Support of Disabled Communities

Using innovative technology products and solutions, we aim to create a gateway of convenience for the disabled community, breaking down the world's "barriers"!

In China alone, there are over tens of millions of disabled individuals who aspire to travel smoothly, use internet products, and access barrier-free services. However, whether it's the physical accessibility of environments, the level of accessibility in internet products, or the availability of barrier-free services, they are all far from ideal and cannot fully meet the needs of various disabled groups, causing them to be involuntarily "isolated" from mainstream society. In addition to this, there are everyday situations where ordinary people may encounter various obstacles. They may be asking for directions in a non-native language, struggling with heavy luggage, or riding an elevator with multiple packages, yet they may not realize they are facing situational barriers.

ASDAN Initiative, in collaboration with the Shenzhen Information Accessibility Research Association, has launched this project. Volunteers enhance public awareness of disabled groups and obstacle scenarios through inclusive experiences. They adopt an inclusive perspective to consider how to respect the differences in the situations of different people and treat people with different abilities, preferences, and needs fairly. Under the guidance of professional mentors, volunteers learn to design information products and submit their proposals to charitable organizations. They use their initiative and creativity to help the disabled community enjoy barrier-free experiences!

Public Service Mentorship Team

1. Mentor Profiles: Experts from the Accessibility Research Association responsible for user research and industry studies for disabled user groups. They have led multiple specialized user demand research projects for disabled user groups, providing reference material for accessible design in various products.
2. Professional Workshops: Workshops covering topics such as empathy, needs assessment, user analysis, competitor analysis, technology product design solutions, ASDAN simulated interviews, and expressive skills.
3. Ongoing Guidance: Comprehensive guidance throughout, including pre-trip academic training and 1-on-1 guidance in charitable research during the trip.

Core Project Highlights

1. Engaging with Stakeholders: Engaging with stakeholders relevant to the research topics, including technology product engineers, visually impaired/disabled communities, and technology company executives.
2. Unique Experiences: In-depth research and learning from leading enterprises in the disabled technology sector, leading disabled communities on museum visits, and exploring cities with a focus on information accessibility themes.
3. Visualized Outcomes: Delivering results through ASDAN online reports, technology product solutions, or research reports submitted to relevant charitable platforms.

Click to know more about "Volunteering + Research" >

"Volunteering + Research", exclusively designed by ASDAN China, is an academic growth model that combines research-oriented learning and voluntary service. We refer to the authoritative theory of education, admission requirements of universities, 10 years of project experience, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to design our programs. ASDAN "Volunteering + Research" Programs cover four categories: Teach for Rural Areas, Community Support, Wildlife & Environment Conservation, and Cultural Heritage Conservation. Volunteers will experience rich and unique service scenarios and learn from different topics of research workshops concerning real social problems. We aim to guide volunteers to discover problems, propose solutions and report to the public, improve volunteers' research learning ability, meet the requirements of volunteers' personal growth and further education, and enhance their sense of social responsibility.

When it comes to voluntary services, admission officers of universities think highly of sincerely caring about society and comprehensive qualities and skills, such as proposers of innovative solutions, leaders of public welfare projects, and the continuity and depth of voluntary services. 62.1% of colleges would like to see applicants show a record report reflecting the whole process of volunteering. The world's top universities emphasize community commitment with problem-solving ability. Every high school student needs volunteering service experience that combines public welfare emotion and social problem-solving ability.