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, Municipality of Athens(100 Pireos Street, Gazi). Professors, researchers and experienced professionals in the field of occupational therapy and neuro-rehabilitation will talk to us in simple terms 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 which 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

Through the SciFY Academy initiative, SciFY aims to create a discussion platform by bringing together representatives from the field of scientific research, the area of Assistive Technologies development and exploitation, citizens, students, and related professionals. The aim is to be informed, inspired, and shed more light on the field of disability, as well as learn about new and existing technologies and what is going on in Greece today from the experts!

See the event program here

A few words about the speakers and the content:

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

Initially, Professor Georgios Kouroupetroglou, Emeritus Professor and Director of the Speech and Accessibility Laboratory at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), will speak about Assistive Information Technology and Digital Accessibility while answering the questions:

• What technologies does Information Technology currently have to offer to 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 Chorafa MSc OTR/L, Enabling occupational performance through Assistive Technology, Module leader at Metropolitan College – Marousi, Occupational Therapy Department and owner & director of the Artimelia Occupational Therapy Center, will talk about 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 Teaching Faculty at the NKUA at the School of Sciences at the Speech and Accessibility Laboratory, with expertise in “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 (NRC), President of the Hellenic Association 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, the beneficiaries are more than 10,000, and the actions continue! We are waiting for you to discuss the present and future of Assistive Technologies in Greece today!

Free Participation Registration: http://go.scify.gr/sfacIN46Tickets
Short Speaker Bios: https://go.scify.gr/sfacIN46Speakers
–
Organizer: Nazeli Papadaki: academy[at] scify [dot] org
More information about SciFY: www.scify.org