Proposal Resources

Resources

Proposal Development Resources​

The Technology Translation Readiness Tool

This tool will help to assess the market readiness of a proposed product (a device, freeware, instrument/tool, engineering standard or clinical guideline).  This tool was initially developed by the National Institute for Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) Initiative to Mobilize Partnerships for Successful Assistive Technology Transfer (IMPACT) Center to evaluate the market readiness of Assistive Technologies (ATs). ATs include devices, software, instruments, standards, and clinical guidelines that are designed for the purpose of increasing, maintaining, or improving the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.

DisabilityTech Market Analysis

DisabilityTech is a market that encompasses technology solutions built for people with disabilities, including assistive technology, medical devices, and tools for social, educational, and economic access. The Howe Innovation Center at the Perkins School for the Blind has been researching the DisabilityTech market, including assessments of companies, investors, geographic reach, and more. Their initial database has over 750+ companies building products or services specifically for people with disabilities.

idea 2 IMPACT: An Intro to Translating Assistive Health Technologies

idea 2 IMPACT (i2I) is an online, 6-week course that will guide you step by step through the experience of developing an innovative and entrepreneurial idea in the area of assistive technology (AT). Each week, you will focus on a stage of the translational process as you work in teams to identify a problem, analyze stakeholders, define a solution, describe its benefits, research the competition, articulate differentiators, and create an action plan.   Enroll Today!!

Bridging Apps Database

The Bridging Apps Database is a custom-built App Search Tool from Easter Seals that allows users to shortcut the process for finding mobile apps and some web-based tools that help people with disabilities, caregivers, older adults and others. Reviews include short how-to’s, main functions, reviewer experience using the app, benefits, helpful features, and more.

M-Health Index and Navigation Database (MINDApps)

The MINDApps Database as a creation of the Division of Digital Psychiatry, a collaborative research group at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard Medical School affiliate in Boston, MA. There are an estimated ten thousand mental health apps available today, offering a range of possibilities from connection with a clinician to symptom monitoring. Apps can be useful in care, but it’s important to be cautious about choosing a suitable app. This database compares apps across 149 different categories.

“Mobile accessibility” refers to making websites and applications more accessible to people with disabilities when they are using mobile phones and other devices. WAI’s work in this area addresses accessibility issues of people using a broad range of devices to interact with the web, including:

  • phones and tablets
  • digital TVs
  • wearables such as smart watches
  • devices in car dashboards and airplane seatbacks
  • devices in household appliances
  • other “Internet of Things”

It addresses a wide range of issues, including:

  • touchscreens
  • small screen sizes
  • different input modalities, including speech and 3D touch enabled by pressure sensors
  • device use in different settings, such as bright sunlight

You can learn more about WCAG and mobile app accessibility at the links below:

These are tools to help you think through and test your apps accessibility and usability

The success of your application depends on many factors beyond the technical including business, marketing, and more.   These tools will help you think through and evaluate the larger business / commercial translation questions.