Autism Project Shortlisted for Nesta Inclusive Technology Prize
A digital support tool to help improve the lives of adults with autism, designed by Katie Gaudion of the RCA’s Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, has been named as one of 25 semi-finalists for the Nesta Inclusive Technology Prize.
Nesta asked for new ideas for innovative products, technologies and systems to give disabled people, their families, friends and carers, equal access to life’s opportunities. It received more than 200 applications from across the UK and selected 25 entrants for the Prize’s shortlist, who now have the chance of winning the £50,000 prize contract.Â
Picture-it is a new, secure digital tool developed by designer, researcher and PhD candidate Katie Gaudion in collaboration with autistic adults with learning disabilities and their support staff at the Kingwood Trust. Autism is a lifelong and complex neurodevelopmental condition that affects the way a person communicates and relates to other people and the environment around them. With an estimated prevalence rate of 1 in 100 (according to the National Autism Society), autism is by no means rare.
The aim of the Picture-it tool is to capture positive practice in supporting and caring for adults with autism, and to enhance the relationship between autistic people, family members and support staff. Katie Gaudion’s research won the Autism Professionals’ Award for Best New Technological Innovation (2014).