Announcing the 2023 Financial Services Autism Hackathon

Mission Statement

Bring developers from the Financial Services industry together to demonstrate how innovative Microsoft technologies can transform autism treatment by tackling real world use cases provided by families and creating lasting open-source projects for the community.

What does the Hackathon entail? It is:

  • 2 days
  • 70+ developers
  • 5 use cases
    • And infinity possibility to help people with using your technology skills!

Background

The first Financial Services Autism Hackathon was held in 2018 founded by Leo Junquera, working at Microsoft at the time, and Peter Smulovics from Morgan Stanley, as a grass roots effort to combine the unique value proposition of Microsoft (technology innovation) with the technology talent which exists in Financial Services, and direct it towards an industry in dire need of technology innovation.

Dates and Location

The date of the event is April 19-20th. It is a hybrid event, with the in-person venue in New York City at the EY Wavespace.

Who should sign up?

It is a combination of roles that are filled by participants like yourself who make the hackathon successful each year. 

  • Developers Work for the digital transformation to demonstrate the power how new technologies can be applied to the issues facing the autism community.
  • UX Designers People with Autism see the world differently – help them see the world! Design interfaces, interaction patterns, both in the digital and in the physical world, that enables them to overcome the differences and to participate in the digital transformation of the autism community!
  • Business Analysts Translate the use cases gathered from families with autistic children, behaviorists in the field, experts in the community, and service providers to enable better interaction between the parties, provide hallway test cases, helping finding the voice, to make the results presentable.

Registration information

If you are among the companies or individuals already pre-registered by domain/name, just visit the registration URL and log in with existing account or apply for a new account. If you are not, please do drop a note to Michelle.Ng@ey.com to add your company’s domain to the list 🙂 You can sign up as an individual or as a group. You will be aligned with a use case and a team and provided training resources if you need to prepare you for the event.

How should I prepare?

We will provide training sessions so that you are armed with the skills needed for success! The training will cover key technologies (Cloud, GitHub, IoT, Machine Learning, AI, etc.). We will also arrange Autism Awareness sessions relating to each of the use cases.

Use Cases

Use Case 1: IOT Data Collection

Dynamic programs require adaptations to data collection which are not supported by these systems. In the end teams frequently resort back to pen, paper, and mechanical devices such as hand tally counters. Can we take a different approach to this problem using an IoT pattern? Can we find a way to simplify data collection using simple mechanisms and use the cloud to store the data and classify it after the fact using modern tools and technologies? Can there be a repository of patterns to match the individual needs of learners and care providers?

Use Case 2: Transform Learner Analysis with Video and AI

Data collection is essential to successful outcomes for learners, but analysts are missing one of the most critical pieces of data when they are reviewing progress and creating programs, video of the learner. Social Media knows how important and compelling this information is but it is not being used to help people with Autism more effectively. This use case looks to develop a platform to capture this information, integrate it with data from other sources, and enrich the analysis with AI. This is an ambitious use case to transform the industry using a vital form of information which is currently missing.

Use Case 3: Using ML To Transform Learner Outcomes

There is a long-held belief that each individual case of autism is so unique that comparisons cannot be drawn to other cases, but marketing companies are able to use data to target the right message to us at the right time to sell their product. The therapies used to help learners with autism are data intensive. Can we use this data to transform outcomes for learners using modern technology and methods?

Use Case 4: HoloLens Skills Training

This use case will focus on the use of HoloLens for helping to teach job skills to people with autism, particularly those aging out of the supports provided in the school environment. Unemployment for those with autism is significant and the supports in the work environment are limited. The use case will use HoloLens augmented reality to help with basic job skills by presenting a visual cues on how to complete task such as stocking shelves or preparing food. This scenario should also address the issue of moving away from 1:1 support to a 1:n as an a student becomes an adult.

Use Case 5: Metaverse Social Practice

Developing social relationships with peers can be one of the biggest challenges for people with autism, despite a strong desire to form them. Social programs can be hard to practice due to limited opportunities, which can lead to disappointing outcomes in the few interactions, and stress can and frustration. The Metaverse offers an opportunity to practice social interactions in a fully immersive environment and the ability to formulate successful programs which can replicated at scale. This use case will lay the groundwork for a social interaction in the Metaverse between a subject and an AI generated peer.

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