CREATOR OF FINGERSPELLING WINS 1M
By Ednah Kiarie
InABLE Awards Kshs 1 Million prize money at
the inaugural Digital Accessibility Innovations
Award.
Hudson Asiema from Kenya developed the
Fingerspelling Pro for Kids mobile application,
an alphabet game in sign language for hearing
impaired, deaf children and their families to
learn, play and practice handshapes of letters
won a cool one million Kenya shillings.
This innovation made him the first-ever winner
of the Inclusive Africa Conference Digital
Accessibility Innovations Award. Asiema won
the Kshs 1 million prize contributed by
inABLE.org.
The award was announced during the closing
ceremony of the virtual Inclusive Africa
Conference 2020 organized by inABLE to
promote digital accessibility in Africa.
While announcing the winner, the Founder and
Executive Director of inABLE, Irene Mbari-Kirika
said, “The launch of the Digital Accessibility
Innovations Award is meant to encourage more
African software developers and technology
experts to create more accessible solutions
that have persons with disability at the center
of design.
Irene also added that, “I am excited about the
future of this innovations award and the
potential of African developers, like Hudson
Asiema and Oluwatomisin Kolawole, who are
leading the way for more accessible solutions
for people with disabilities, who need it the
most”.
Asiema is a self-taught developer and the co-
founder/CEO of Deaf eLimu Plus Limited, a
Kenyan startup company that provides
innovative educational products and tutorial
services in sign language. He has created web
apps, mobile apps and bots using Facebook
Messenger and he also has a vast experience in
Google App Engine. Asiema is also a graduate
from the California State University, Northridge,
California USA, where he earned his Bachelor of
Science in Computer Science degree.
The Fingerspelling Pro games include: Learn,
Quiz, Handshape Sorting and Puzzles.
In the long run, this app not only helps the
hearing impaired and deaf kids to learn and
play games at home with minimal disruptions.
It also enables these kids to communicate with
other deaf and hearing-impaired people, as well
as communicate with their parents or siblings.
This digital accessibility innovations award is
meant to celebrate and recognize the best
inclusive African innovations. Out of the 20
submissions received from across Africa, the
judges recognized the top two finalists.
The first Runner up was Mr. Oluwatomisin
Kolawole from Nigeria, who created the Visis by
Vinsighte mobile application that uses Visis
Artificial Intelligence to aid the visually
impaired.
The Visis project involves the use of Visis
artificial intelligence mobile application and
other assistive technology device to aid the
visually impaired to read printed books and
educational materials, thereby giving them
access to convenient, inclusive and sound
education like their sighted peers.
Approximately 2,000 delegates, from 43
countries in Africa and globally, registered to
attend the two-day inaugural online Inclusive
Africa Conference. The purpose of the event
was to increase awareness of the needs and
rights of people with disabilities to access
digital information.
This virtual event was sponsored by
MasterCard Foundation, Safaricom PLC,
Facebook, Ford Foundation, Uber, Google, FSD
Kenya, and Eclectics International.
CREATOR OF FINGERSPELLING WINS 1M
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CREATOR OF FINGERSPELLING WINS 1M
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