佳作奖:An Empathy Bridge for Autism 1
Though autism affects 1 in 70 people in the world, most people never know difficulties in life that come from such condition. An Empathy Bridge for Autism is a toolkit that allows people to experience the visual, auditory and speech differences that come with autism, advocating greater understanding and empathy for people with Autism. Three different components together emulate the struggles and evokes a similar sensation felt by a sufferer. Bridge for vision reproduces autistic vision of surrounding view by using augmented reality. Bridge for hearing evokes oversensitive hearing often accompanied by autism. Lastly, Bridge for Speaking is a set of six uniquely shaped candies that impede tongue movements in several different ways. The project aims to take as many people for a walk in an ASD individual’s shoes as possible. For this purpose, this kit is made of low-cost materials, making it easy to produce and to share with a wider audience. Colors favored by people with autism comfort users including people with spectrum themselves. While autism is a complex condition, the toolkit is a remarkable first step in understanding the problems faced with verbal and non-verbal communication on a very human scale. It aims to improve relation between people with autism and people without autism in various ways. For example, school students may use it and understand autism first-hand, promoting compassion for children with autism, thereby, reducing bullying. The empathy and understanding of others mean the world to people who have autism. This kit brings an important value that 'A minute of your time can bring remarkable changes to the lives of people with autism.'