Communications of the ACM
Poseidon: Information Technology For People With Down’s Syndrome
A new project named for the Greek god Poseidon aims to use information technology to help people with Down's syndrome achieve greater independence in their lives.
Credit: mythology.wikia.com
European researchers are working on the PersOnalized Smart Environments to increase Inclusion of people with DOwn's syndrome (POSEIDON) project, a three-year initiative that will use information technology to help people with Down's syndrome (DS) achieve a greater level of independence in their lives.
The POSEIDON project aims to help people with DS gain greater autonomy as well as improve their opportunities for socializing. POSEIDON includes the development of apps for tablets and smartphones, virtual reality programs, and interactive tables. One app is a calendar that presents the events of the day in a simple way, and links to school schedules, weather information, and instructional videos.
"We want to give people with Down's syndrome additional support in comparison to that provided by standard smartphones and tablets," says POSEIDON coordinator Terje Grimstad.
One of the early conclusions of the project is the apps need to facilitate a high degree of personalization. "People with DS and their carers need to be able to load in, for example, their own timetables, instruction videos, and transport information and photographs," Grimstad says.
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