Innovative app boosts literacy and social inclusion @ Hablando con Julis 2.0
It is often said that necessity is the mother
of invention. This was the case for Daniela Galindo, a young social
entrepreneur from Colombia.
About the software
Hablando con Julis is a software program that
makes it easier for people living with a variety of disabilities to communicate
with the world around them. It is also being used as an online education tool
to support literacy programs. “Our software makes it possible for anyone between
the ages of 3 and 85 to learn to read and write and to express their wishes,
thoughts and needs in an easy and simple way,” Ms. Galindo explains.
The application draws on a database of over
65,000 words, each of which is supported by an image to make it easily
recognizable and a voice for pronunciation. “We have created a universal
language based on images that everyone recognizes,” Ms. Galindo notes. “Each
word is enhanced with written and spoken descriptions and a video to show the
expression of a word using sign language. The software allows users to
construct a sentence using a variety of images which the program converts into
written, spoken and/or signed speech depending on what is required.”
Uptake and use
Hablando con Julis 2.0 is already being using
by some 8,000 people across Latin America and impacting the lives of many more
families and friends. “The technology works for all disabilities except blind
people,” explains Ms. Galindo, noting that people living with autism, cerebral
palsy, Down syndrome, deafness and even stroke patients all benefit from the
software. “Within three months all users see a significant improvement,” she
notes. And when it is used in literacy programs, users “start to read and write
as soon as they start using the technology, and within four months they can
read and write by themselves.”
Next steps
Looking to the future, Ms. Galindo has her
sights set on global markets. “We are committed to meeting the needs of a
potential market of more than 600 million around the world,” she says. “The
English version of our app launched in November 2017, and we hope to develop
other language versions in the future. This will help us change more lives and
make social inclusion a reality around the world.”
“In 10 years we want Hablando con Julis to be
a communications solution for everyone, with or without a disability. We want
it to be used in schools and in companies so that people with disabilities and
those who are free of them can work together. We need to show that a person
with a disability is not disabled but someone who does things in another way.”
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With
an expanding network of international distributers and growing interest in
the technology from schools as a means of promoting education and social
inclusion, Hablando con Julis looks set to transform the lives of millions in
the years ahead.
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Full Article | http://www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine/en/2017/06/article_0004.html
Regards
Pralhad
Jadhav
Senior Manager @
Knowledge Repository
Khaitan &
Co
Twitter Handle | @Pralhad161978
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