Success Story: Activating Young Changemakers to Socially Innovate for the Needs of Disabled People in Central Asia

The event brought together teams of inventors, students, technologists, medical technicians, and engineers to develop and test innovative solutions to increase accessibility for persons with disabilities in Central Asia. The region, comprising Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan, struggles with inaccessible services and environments for people with disabilities, despite laws prohibiting discrimination. The Central Asia Hub and its partners aimed to address this issue through the TOM project, a global social project that seeks to improve the lives of people with disabilities by developing life-changing innovations. The Innovation Fest provided a platform for participants to collaborate and develop solutions to practical needs of people with disabilities. The event featured a 72-hour Make-a-thon, during which winning teams invented innovative devices, including an electric-powered exoskeleton for walking and rehabilitation, a Braille translation device application, a programmable, vibration-emitting audio device for the deaf, and glasses that read the numbers on incoming buses aloud. The Central Asia Hub activated a network of changemakers to address the needs of people with disabilities by bringing together diverse groups, including participants as young as fourteen years old. The created inventions have attracted strong interest from governmental agencies and the private sector, with this year's winners receiving more than $1,000 USD to continue developing their prototypes. The Innovation Fest has been recognized as an opportunity to break out of the civil society bubble and partner with groups like TOM to build innovations that change people's lives in a tangible way. The CSII Central Asia Hub has been instrumental in promoting social innovation for the needs of disabled people in Central Asia. Through its partnership with Tel-Aviv University Friend's Association and the TOM project, the hub has created a platform for young changemakers to develop and test innovative solutions to increase accessibility for persons with disabilities. The hub's efforts have been recognized as a success story in promoting social innovation and improving the lives of people with disabilities in Central Asia. The Innovation Fest has set a precedent for future events, providing a model for collaboration and innovation in addressing the needs of people with disabilities. The event's focus on practical solutions and its ability to attract diverse groups of participants have made it a valuable platform for promoting social innovation in Central Asia. The CSII Central Asia Hub's continued efforts to promote social innovation and accessibility for people with disabilities are expected to have a lasting impact on the region.