“Really, Really Like Me” - A children's book about accepting disabilities

Written by Gretchen Leary and illustrated by Dani Bowman, “Really, Really Like Me” is an interactive children's book that helps children to understand the differences and promote a healthy interaction between children with and without disabilities.

 Maybe with this book, children can start teaching adults on how to deal with differences and not to be afraid of them.
Afterall, if it weren't the differences between men and women, you wouldn't be reading this.

 Both Gretchen Leary and Dani (Danielle) Bowman are on the autism spectrum.

ColorADD available for iPhone and iPad

 Created by Miguel Neiva, ColorADD® COLOR IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM FOR COLOR BLIND PEOPLE, is an intuitive and inclusive tool that adds to the concept of colour through the addition of a system of symbols.

 Based on a monochromatic system language, the colorADD code allows a  fast and easy colour identification by colour blind people, as well as unique, inclusive, universal and transversal.

 Programmed by Rui Seica, ColorADD® is now available for iPhone and iPad, with versions for Android and Windows Mobile following soon.

 After downloading the app, which has a price of only €0,89, the user only needs to point the camera to the surface and its colour will be imediately identified on the screen, with a caption containing the colour's name and its symbol.

 With a double touch on the screen, the user can freeze the image and slide a chromatic ring to a specific area, allowing a more precise result if needed. The results can be automatically shared on social networks.
It's also possible to analize the images saved on the mobile device.

 ColorADD has numberless applications, including in the industry, education and healthcare. Several official institutions and private owned companies, have already adapted it.

 Teacher-librarian Sílvio Maltez is the author on an ebook (only in Portuguese) about how the ColorADD system works. The preface is by Miguel Neiva.

ColorADD® - A tool for colour blind individuals

About 8 years ago, Portuguese designer Miguel Neiva started working on a project to improve the life of colour blind individual. His objective was to create a universal and intuitive tool that could be applied to several sectors, including design, industry, education, transports, hospitals, etc.

During the development of his project, Miguel did some exaustive research, contacted several doctors and ran a study with colour blind individuals. He realized that he was dealing with a limitation that wasn't - still isn't - fully understood by society, thus lacking support and causing many embarrasing situations to daltonics.

According to his research, 90% of communication is made through colour; 41.5% of daltonics senses social integration issues; 48.8% has felt embarraced for not choosing the best colour; 37% of colour blind do not know which type of colour blindness they have; among other relevant data.

To help colour blind individuals to surpass their dificulties, Miguel Neiva created ColorADD® COLOR IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM FOR COLOR BLIND PEOPLE, an intuitive and inclusive tool that adds to the concept of colour through the addition of a system of symbols easy to understand, not only by daltonics but by everyone.
A system like this one, not only improves the life of colour blind people, but also enables a better communication between them and those who aren't.

Based on a monochromatic system language (five simple symbols, represent the Primary Colors - Blue (Cyan), Yellow and Red (Magenta), plus Black and White) the ColorADD Code enhances its own logic and allows rapid and easy color identification by colour blind people. Sustained by “the Color Theory” – secondary colours are obtained by mixing / adding two primary colours, and so long, offers a graphic code that is unique, inclusive, universal and transversal to society and markets.

ColorADD® is already been used by several sectors and has gain recognition worldwide. Its author has been invited to seminars about daltonism and has speached at Co-Lab (a social inovation co-laboratory) and at TEDxTalks.



Did you know that 10% of the male population has a specific degree of colorblindness ?

How Art Can Help People With Disabilities

Proclaimed in 1992, the annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons takes place on the 3rd of Decemmber.
The theme for 2011 is “Together for a better world for all:
Including persons with disabilities in development.”

We live in a society where laws and benefits fall far behind the needs of disable people and their families, and in many countries those laws are constantly disrespected without any sanction. Moreover there's a gap in terms of educating people in their relation with each other, especially between the so-called normal and those with disabilities - People with disabilities make up an estimated 15 per cent of the world’s population. Almost one-fifth of the estimated global total of people living with disabilities, or between 110-190 million, encounter significant difficulties. Furthermore, a quarter of the global population is directly affected by disability, as care-givers or family members.

One of the most successful methods of providing disabled people with personal development and social integration is through the arts, especially in the case of children.
Art enables dexterity development, a better perception of space (including negative space and relation), colour, form and many other things. It is also a great opportunity to end individual isolation, as art projects can be completed in group.
Several resources for those working with special needs students in the arts, can be found online or by contacting official and private institutions.

Several art projects for children can be found at Julie Voigt's blog Art for Small Hands.