MyChoicePad featured in Huffington Post: Transforming The iPad Into An Education Revolution For Children With Disabilities
The Wayra Academy in London is one of Europe’s newest and most-exciting start-up labs. The space houses 16 new businesses chosen from a pool of more than 1,000 applicants, and is just the latest local outpost of the Wayra brand, which also has incubators in South America and Spain.
Recently we visited the O2/Telefonica-sponsored Academy and chatted to the founders – but now it’s time to learn about the businesses which are being built inside its walls.
Take a look at the latest interview, below, and follow the rest here.
Insane Logic is a start-up who have created, MyChoicePad – an iPad app designed to turn the tablet into a vital education tool for children with learning or communication difficulties.
What’s your idea? (In less than 100 words)
Insane Logic has created MyChoicePad. It is an educational iPad app that uses photos, Makaton symbols and sign language video with synthesised speech to enable choice and communication for children and adults with learning or communication difficulties.
MyChoicePad is being used across the UK in homes, schools and hospitals to help with language acquisition and development and also to help people express themselves who are unable to do so.
How will it change Huffington Post UK’s readers’ lives?
One in 10 children in the UK enter school with a speech and language communication need and there are over 250,000 adults every year who struggle with communication post stroke.
Until now the solutions for teaching and learning communication skills were limited to at one end to expensive medical devices costing over £5,000 and at the opposite end it was time consuming laminating symbols and using velcro strips. Using the iPad, MyChoicePad offers an accessible, convenient and cost effective alternative.
What’s the biggest challenge you face?
Moving perception of the iPad being a ‘toy’ to an affordable and inclusive device that can have a real impact on changing lives.
What does success look like to your company?
That every person who struggles to communicate effectively has access to the tools to do so. Big ambition.
Do you fear failure?
From a personal perspective no, as there are far worse things in life than a business failing. When you come from nothing there’s no fear of failure as you do not have that much to lose and you know you can always build something again.
Running a tech start-up you are always two months from failure with cash burn and the need to move fast; it keeps you on your toes!
Away from tech, what inspires you?
The self sacrifice of mums. It’s very grounding. We would not have got this far without the support and encouragement from the mums who helped us create MyChoicePad and have become our customers. Mum Power Rocks!
How do you stay creative?
Get out of the building. Being chained to a desk is a creative landslide. Wine, good conversation, good music. All our best ideas have stemmed from a glass or two of wine and talking to lots of people. Of course – once the ideas have flowed you need to balance it with some desk time.
The post MyChoicePad featured in Huffington Post: Transforming The iPad Into An Education Revolution For Children With Disabilities appeared first on UnLtd.
