Fostering technological innovation for individuals with disabilities: exploring the potential impact of a national...

Hackathons are a promising methodology for fostering creativity, collaboration, and the development of user-centered solutions. This case study analysed project and individual outcomes of a multidisciplinary hackathon held to foster innovation in disability and rehabilitation.

A multidisciplinary steering committee provided collective guidance and project-specific team support around programmatic, needs and technical domains before and during the two-day event. Project maturity was assessed by two independent experts using health CMLs across these three domains (scores from 1 to 9 per domain; total = 27) before and immediately after the event. Participants completed questionnaires assessing satisfaction with event organisation and self-perceived changes in their skills across the programmatic, needs and technical domains (7-point Likert scale) before and immediately after the event. Post-event evaluations at 3 months included continuation status of the projects and project progress.

Ten projects emerged from the 64 participants (healthcare professionals, engineers, entrepreneurs, individuals with disabilities), covering themes such as mobile platforms, serious games, smart orthoses, and robotics. Overall median maturity project gains were +3 (IQR 3-4.75). Three months after the hackathon, nine of the ten projects remained active, with several having secured grants or joined accelerators. Participants reported high satisfaction (mean 6.5/7, SD 0.9) and enhanced skills in the programmatic, needs and technical domains (respectively mean progress +0.75 (SD = 1.4), +1.2 (SD = 1.5), +0.6 (SD = 1.7)).

This study highlights the potential of the Réadapt'athon to foster innovation by educating participants and supporting projects.