Leading the tech arena of the TechAbility community
Community · Innovation · Disability
Technology built with people with disabilities, not just for them
TechAbility is a tech innovation community established to advance the independence and quality of life of people with disabilities and their families. It is a joint initiative of Israel's Ministry of Economy (Innovation Communities Directorate), the National Insurance Institute funds and JDC Israel, operated by HaKaveret, Israel's center for entrepreneurship and innovation.
As the lead of the tech arena, my work includes mapping and getting to know the startups in the ecosystem, and creating meaningful connections between the solutions they offer and the challenges raised by field organizations working for people with disabilities. The principle guiding me here is the one that guides all my work: getting everyone into the room, from the very first stage of planning.
AI: opportunities and biases
Artificial intelligence brings huge opportunities to improve functioning, accessibility and wellbeing, especially for people with disabilities. But when systems are built without representation, without listening and without testing for bias, they can widen gaps.
Getting Everyone into the Room
What if we invited the people who need technology most to design it with us, right from the start? Not as "end users," and not as people we'll "check in with along the way," but as true partners.…
When AI's Sentence Completions Reveal Our Biases
Imagine you write a simple sentence: "The child is ____" and ask an AI language model to complete it. You'll usually get words like "happy," "smart" or "healthy." But what happens if the sentence to…
AI Bias, or: When the Algorithm Looks at Us
When we think about artificial intelligence, or algorithms in general, it's easy to picture a cold, logical, completely objective computer. After all, a machine doesn't wake up in a bad mood or with…
Want to connect your organization or venture to the tech arena?
I'd be glad to hear about your venture, partnership or question, and think together about the right connection.