AbleLink Named an Inclusive Design Challenge Semi-Finalist
The Inclusive Design Challenge focuses on innovative solutions to enable people with physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities to use automated vehicles to access jobs, healthcare, and other critical destinations.

As a national leader in cognitively accessible technology, AbleLink submitted a proposal titled “WayFinder ADS – Enabling Independent Use of Autonomous Vehicles by Individuals with Cognitive Disabilities and others with Special Needs.”
 
During Stage II of the Challenge, AbleLink receives $300,000 in funding to create the WayFinder Automated Driving System (ADS) prototype. As part of the WayFinder ADS, a cloud-based Dashboard will be developed to enable individuals with disabilities and, where needed, their family members, staff, travel trainers, teachers, or other care givers to set up accounts with one or more companies providing reservation access to autonomous vehicles (AVs).
  
AbleLink’s initial efforts will culminate with a prototype demonstration including a software simulation that illustrates how users will interact with an AV. This demonstration, which will be scheduled at USDOT headquarters in Washington, DC, in June 2022, will provide the opportunity to illustrate how the WayFinder ADS will enable travelers with disabilities to summon the vehicle, successfully identify the correct arriving vehicle, communicate travel destinations to the vehicle through the WayFinder ADS, and respond to vehicle events safely. The simulation will also illustrate how the prototype will be used to interact with the vehicle’s emergency controls (such as stopping the vehicle), entertainment options, locking or unlocking mechanisms, and comfort control system, etc., all portrayed via universally-designed interface strategies to support access.
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Inclusive Design Challenge seeks solutions to improve passenger vehicle accessibility, encourage cross-disciplinary collaborations, incentivize development of new designs and technologies, and tap into the creativity and knowledge of the disability community, researchers, advocates, and entrepreneurs.
AbleLink Smart Living Technologies | www.ablelinktech.com