Our pioneering Disability Detect App has been awarded the Education Innovation Award from Theirworld.
The award was given for the app’s novel approach to screening children for disabilities and additional needs. Having screened over 25,500 children across three countries so far (Rwanda, Ghana and Uganda), the app is changing how we identify and support children with disabilities in the countries where we work.
The app’s straightforward interface is designed to be used by teachers day-to-day in their classrooms, giving them a short set of questions on their phone or tablet to help determine if a child might need further support. Children that are identified are referred to local hospitals or health centres for follow-ups and a formal diagnosis if needed.
In almost 100% of cases where the app has detected a condition, the child has gone on to receive some form of medical care or treatment. With early detection and support, children can get the adjustments they need to learn and thrive at school and beyond.
Children like seven-year-old Addae have had their lives transformed with the help of the app. Living in Ghana, Addae was one of the thousands of children missing out on a full education because of undetected learning difficulties. Addae would struggle to see in class, and told us:
“Because of my problem, I couldn’t see what was written on the board and in my book well. I had to move the book very close to my eyes or move close to the board to see what was written. I couldn’t write straight on lines and identify numbers and letters well. I always wanted to sleep when Madam was teaching and didn’t want to come to school.”
By screening Addae using the app, her teacher immediately identified an issue with Addae’s sight. She was referred to a sight clinic and Chance for Childhood provided her with glasses.
Addae is just one of the 25,500 children who have been screened by the app so far. The award from Theirworld will help us to scale up the app and use it to change thousands more young lives.
The app can be downloaded for free from the Google Play store here.
We are extremely grateful to Theirworld for this award!