App inventor presents to class, teams up with OTD student for Experiential Component
Students in the Occupational Therapy Doctoral (OTD) Program and the O’More School of Design spoke with 14-year-old inventor, Alex Knoll, about a new tool called Ability App during a class earlier this week. OTD instructors Dr. Teresa Plummer and Dr. Missy Bryan and O’More instructor Jayme Jacobson joined students for the presentation as part of the OT/Interior Design collaboration. The students had the opportunity to discuss specific details regarding the app via Skype. The meeting came two years after Knoll first debuted his app to the world on the Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Ability App’s mission is to promote accessibility and inclusiveness around the world. The app will help people with disabilities and their caregivers search for specific accessibility features, services and employment. Accessibility features such as wheelchair ramps, Braille signs and menus, assistive technology for people with hearing impairments and wheelchair seating at businesses and locations throughout the world will be listed. The app is continuously seeking Ability App Ambassadors who can assist in populating it with data regarding specific accessibility features of businesses in their community.
Knoll has teamed up with Belmont Occupational Therapy Doctorate Student Hannah Munro who has taken on the role of Ability Ambassador Coordinator for her Experimental Component, a requirement of Belmont’s Occupational Therapy program that allows students to enter the industry and gain invaluable experience. In her role, Munro has completed “accessibility tours” at numerous locations throughout Nashville such as Ryman Auditorium, Schermerhorn Symphony Center and Frothy Monkey. The overall accessibility of these businesses will be featured on the app once it’s available to the public.
Munro has also helped the young inventor get connected with the field of occupational therapy. OTs’ expansive knowledge regarding accessibility for individuals with disabilities makes these professionals ideal ambassadors. Knoll and Munro also anticipate the app to become a useful tool within OT settings to assist clients with community reintegration after experiencing a debilitating illness or event.
Ability App is projected to be available to Ability Ambassadors within the next year. To learn more, click here.
