• In the IV edition of the Talentos Inclusivos project, presented today at the Domus in A Coruña, a total of 15 educational centers are participating.
• An accessible camera, wireless doorbells, an electronic lock, console controller adapters, or a holographic fan are some of the challenges identified by ASPACE Coruña that students will need to find a technological solution for.

 A Coruña, January 31, 2024.- The Talentos Inclusivos program, promoted by the Center for Research in Information and Communication Technologies (CITIC) of the University of A Coruña and the Association of Parents of People with Cerebral Palsy (ASPACE) Coruña to facilitate the inclusion of people with functional diversity, extends to secondary, high school, and vocational training centers throughout Galicia. In fact, the IV edition of this project, presented this morning at the Domus in A Coruña, includes the participation of 15 educational centers from across the community. This was highlighted by the director of CITIC, Manuel G. Penedo, who emphasized that “it is a project we are very proud of and that already has a long history. We are very pleased to be able to scale now, with the fundamental support of institutions, at the regional level”.

For her part, Mª Carmen Barreiro Santos, president of ASPACE Coruña, highlighted that: “for us, Talentos Inclusivos brings together all the characteristics of a great project. It is innovative, generates shared knowledge, puts technology at the service of people, and, above all, it is a project that promotes values such as respect, equality, and inclusion and brings cerebral palsy closer to society”.

Similarly, the Councilor for Innovation, Mobility, and Infrastructure of the City Council of A Coruña, Nereida Canosa, described Talentos Inclusivos as “an initiative that brings science closer to society, allowing teaching and raising awareness about functional diversity. It is a program that combines technological leadership with a people-centered approach.” An idea also emphasized by the Deputy Director general of Educational Organization and Innovation of the Xunta de Galicia, Inmaculada Fernández, who noted that “we must educate boys and girls that the only way to exercise responsible citizenship is with the permanent perspective of inclusion. That is the most important goal of the Talentos Inclusivos program”.

A unique project in Spain that also received recognition from the director of the FECYT of the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, Imma Aguilar, who congratulated the work of the teams participating in the project, “as their efforts manage to awaken students’ curiosity for science and foster a diverse, inclusive, and supportive society”.

For her part, the Director general of People with Disabilities of the Xunta, Begoña Abeijón, agreed in highlighting the “innovative nature of Talentos Inclusivos, which goes beyond an initiative to awaken scientific vocations” and noted in this regard that the “alliance between the Xunta, UDC, and entities is essential to advance towards a fairer and more inclusive society”.

From the University of A Coruña, the president of the Social Council of UDC, Antonio Abril, highlighted the fact that Talentos Inclusivos responds to one of the main objectives of UDC, which is to “look after the concerns of society” and added that “technologies must be at the service of people and the human being must always be at the center of technological projects”.

Similarly, the rector of UDC, Ricardo Cao, emphasized that “beyond the numbers of this project (the number of centers, students, and teachers involved, participants or teachers) the important thing is the people” and wanted to express gratitude to ASPACE and its users “for allowing us to participate in this project” and also to the students “who have a great learning opportunity in Talentos Inclusivos,” as well as to the involved administrations because through the project “the advances of UDC benefit people, which is really important, the transfer of knowledge to society”.

ICT solutions to everyday problems of people with cerebral palsy

Through Talentos Inclusivos, secondary, high school, and vocational training students will have to find ICT solutions to the challenges identified by ASPACE Coruña, and also by Amanecer-ASPACE and APAMP, two associations that are joining this year as collaborators. The aim is to fulfill the dual objective of the program: to awaken STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) vocations among the youngest and to raise awareness of the reality of disability through cooperative work teams to solve the challenges proposed by people with functional diversity.

Among the challenges identified for this course are the development of 3D printing supports for bike handlebars, an accessible camera, wireless doorbells, electronic locks, a table for art therapy and rehabilitation, console controller adapters, game adapters like “Simon Says,” or a holographic fan.

The technological challenges aim to respond to different everyday problems faced by people with cerebral palsy in various personal and professional areas, through assistive products and 3D printing, such as accessibility to electronic devices, home environment control, and other living spaces, augmentative and alternative communication systems, accessibility to education and the workplace, or leisure and recreation.

In the presentation of the project, in addition to the promoting entities, CITIC and ASPACE Coruña, and teaching staff from the educational centers, representatives of the institutions supporting the program, such as the City Council of A Coruña, the FECYT of the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, the University of A Coruña, the Social Council of UDC, and the Xunta de Galicia, participated.

To conclude the day, ASPACE Coruña users, representatives of IES Arroyo de Viga, and the deputy director of CITIC, Javier Pereira, reviewed the work done in previous years and delved into the proposals and challenges to be addressed in the 2023-24 academic year.

Talentos Inclusivos

The project has the dual objective of promoting ICT vocations among secondary and high school students and, in turn, raising awareness of functional diversity. To this end, in each edition, collaborative work groups are created, formed by ASPACE Coruña users and students from educational centers in the province, supported by their teachers and CITIC researchers. ASPACE Coruña users propose different technological challenges, addressing the priority needs they identify, to be solved by the students.

Assistive products with 3D printing, computer and mobile access, communication, smart home, rehabilitation, and leisure are the areas of work in which students will develop specific ICT tools and solutions.

Awards

Throughout its trajectory, Talentos Inclusivos has received various recognitions for the scope, dimension, and objectives of the project. Notable awards include those granted by COETG-AETG in the category of ICT with social benefits awarded at the reference event Galician Night of Telecommunications, the one from the General Council of Professional Associations of Computer Engineers of Spain, or the one awarded by CPEIG for Technological Innovation in Teaching and by the Provincial Council of A Coruña for Good Practices in Social Services, among others.