Inclusion is a big umbrella, under which there are many concepts. Inclusion and diversity can be discussed through the lens of race, gender, age, class and many other points. But today we are choosing to focus on how technology can help promote inclusion for children, and how digital applications can be used to improve children’s social, emotional and mental health and therefore help them feel included and embraced in their society.
Ensuring technology is inclusive through development, application and access.
Creating inclusive technology does not only mean creating tools that can be used by different people. Inclusivity in tech must be embraced from the early stages of development, throughout the application process and all the way to ensuring your tech is accessible to as many people as possible.
During development, the team behind the tech must be representative of what the tech is trying to achieve. In Autsera’s case, we always make sure we co-design with autism consultants, teachers, speech therapists, parents of autistic children and the children themselves!
The second stage, in which inclusion must be sought after, is application. The technology must be built to accommodate the needs of all possible users. It shouldn’t just be useful but it should be accommodating, comfortable and personalised to every specific need technically and visually. In this stage, we also make sure that our team includes experts in the field we are working in so that our product is as useful and authentic as it can be.
Last but not least, inclusive technology must be accessible to as many people as possible. Users are incredibly diverse in their physical abilities, their mental abilities, their financial situation, and their access to education among other factors and for technology to be called inclusive and accessible, it must take all those factors into account.
Inclusion and social-communication skills
Social and communication skills are the backbone of social interaction and inclusion can be hindered by the lack of social-communication skills. A child who struggles with their social or communication skills is very likely to feel excluded and disconnected from the people around them. These feelings can affect the child’s mental health and cause great damage to their confidence and ability to connect with others.
How Autsera promotes inclusivity through technology.
At Autsera, we build game apps that aim to help children who struggle with their social and communication skills, therefore, promoting their sense of inclusivity among their peers. Our first game, EmoGami, is built specifically for autistic children to help them recognise facial expressions and understand social cues. EmoGami was built with the help of autism experts and communication specialists to prove that an inclusive team and process is the only way to build an inclusive tool that truly helps its target audience. By providing autistic children with a fun and educational tool that helps them overcome social barriers, Austera hopes to encourage them to be more confident within their community and therefore promote their sense of belonging and inclusivity.
