Ask & Hack final hackathon in Turin. Social innovation stems from co-design
A day dedicated to collaboration and inclusive innovation. Tomorrow, Friday 20 February, the final hackathon of Ask & Hack will take place at the CNA Turin headquarters: visually impaired or blind young people, together with high school and university students, will work side by side to design digital solutions that meet the concrete needs for autonomy in everyday life.
The second edition of the project focuses on the theme of mobility and accessible driving, summarised in the payoff “See-licio”, a play on words between “see” and “silicon”, the heart of digital technology. It is a way of expressing the idea of “seeing together”: not a technology that replaces, but one that connects different experiences to overcome physical and cultural barriers.
During the hackathon, mixed teams develop prototypes of applications and digital solutions to facilitate autonomy, orientation and interaction in urban spaces. It is not just about programming, but about listening, understanding and empathising.
The course was preceded by training sessions on app development with Thunkable, principles of visual design and design focused on visually impaired people, with particular attention to the adaptation of applications. The project is recognised as valid for the achievement of school-work training hours (formerly Pcto) and represents a concrete experience of education in digital citizenship and social responsibility.
Once again, the Zoom Foundation, the research body of the Zoom Turin biopark and an organisation committed to protecting biodiversity and promoting a new balance between humans and nature, is supporting the initiative and rewarding the winning team with a visit to the biopark to discover the wonders of nature up close. The Buio in Pista association is offering participants the chance to drive a car blindfolded, using senses other than sight. On a real motor racing circuit, participants can try their hand at driving dual-control cars, accompanied by professional instructors.
The project is synergistically integrated with the national Coding Girls & Women programme, supported by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies with Notice 2/2024.
Some testimonials
Alessia, Sofia and Letizia, students at the Convitto Umberto I boarding school, emphasise how the project has allowed them to identify with lives different from their own, directly understanding what it means to design for inclusion. Nicolas and Vittoria talk about the awareness they gained during the course: the world is often designed for able-bodied people, and breaking down these barriers is a collective responsibility. A particularly appreciated element was the opportunity to make personal skills available, from drawing to IT, which are rarely valued in ordinary teaching, in order to respond to real needs. Andrea, 23, who is visually impaired, highlights the importance of the human dimension of technology: the goal is to develop tools that raise awareness and humanise, without losing the relational and emotional component of mutual support.
