Science for You – SciFY invites you to the SciFY Academy event “Assistive Technologies and Disability”. It will take place on Thursday, 3 October 2024, at 19:00, at INNOVATHENS of Technopolis City of Athens (100 Pireos Street, Gazi). Professors, researchers, and experienced professionals in the field of occupational therapy and neuro-rehabilitation will talk to us about Assistive Technologies and their role in disability today!

Participation is free and open to everyone!
Registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis, as space is limited. A Certificate of Attendance will be provided to those who wish to attend.

We invite you to discuss :

• What is Assistive Technology?
• How does it affect the quality of life of people with disabilities and beyond?
• What “tools” exist, and for what disabilities?
• Where are we in Greece in this area?
• What new technologies does IT offer for people with disabilities?
• What is Digital Accessibility, and how does it relate to Assistive Technologies?
• What is the future of Assistive Technologies, and how does AI contribute?

Book your free ticket here

SciFY, through the SciFY Academy initiative, aims to create a platform for discussion by bringing together representatives from the field of scientific research, the development of Assistive Technologies, and their exploitation with citizens, students, and related professionals. The goal is to inform, inspire, and shed more light on the field of disability, learn about new technologies, as well as existing ones, and learn what is happening in Greece today from experts!

See the event program here

A few words about the speakers and the content:

Section A: Assistive Technologies: the context, applications, and the future.

Initially, Professor Georgios Kouroupetroglou, Professor Emeritus and Director of the Speech and Accessibility Laboratory at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), will refer to Assistive Computing Technology and Digital Accessibility, answering the following questions:

• What information technologies are currently available for people with disabilities?
  Their categorization and ways of making them available.
• What does Digital Accessibility deal with, and what are its four dimensions?
• What is the necessary symbiotic relationship between Assistive Information Technology and Digital Accessibility?

Then, Katerina Chorafas, MSc OTR/L, Professor at Metropolitan College – Marousi, Occupational Therapy Department and owner & director of the Artimelia Model Occupational Therapy Center, will discuss Assistive Technology as an ally in independence and quality of life. More specifically, she will answer the following questions:

• What is Assistive Technology?
• How does it contribute to the quality of life of people with disabilities and beyond?
• How can it help us become independent with activities of daily living (e.g., feeding, personal hygiene, driving, work, etc.)?

Dr. Alexandros-Stathis Pino (PhD, MSc, EE), a member of the Laboratory Faculty of the School of Sciences at the Laboratory of Speech and Accessibility, with the subject “Assistive Technology, Accessibility, and Real-Time Signal Processing”, will inform us about the future of Assistive Technologies. More specifically, it will focus on the contribution of:

• Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and the Internet of Things.
• Natural Language Processing and Voice Technologies.
• Robotics, Exoskeletons, and Neuro-implants.

Section B: Assistive Technologies in Greece: Practical utilization, free tools, challenges and perspectives.

Kalliopi (Kelly) Lappa, MSc Occupational Therapist, Head of Paramedic Staff – Assistive Technology Manager of the National Rehabilitation Centre (EKA), President of the Hellenic Scientific Society of Assistive Technology (HSEYT), will talk about Assistive Technologies in Greece. More specifically:

• Where, how, and by whom is the assessment and implementation of Assistive technologies carried out?
• Ways of financing Assistive Technologies.
• Dilemmas and suggestions.

In closing, Vassilis Giannakopoulos, Chief Marketing Officer of Science for You – SciFY, will talk to us about:

• the free Assistive Technologies that the organization has created for various forms of disability,
• the social impact created,
• the role of the participatory process in the creation of Assistive Technologies.

SciFY Academy is a series of educational activities open to all interested, organized by the non-profit organization Science For You – SciFY, for the free diffusion of knowledge. Already, there are more than 10,000 beneficiaries, and the actions continue!

We are waiting for you to discuss the present and the future of Assistive Technologies in Greece today! Free Participation Registration: http://go.scify.gr/sfacIN46Tickets Short Speaker Bios: https://go.scify.gr/sfacIN46Speakers

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Organizer:
Nazeli Papadakis: academy[at] scify [dot] org
More information about SciFY: www.scify.org