Innovation for Inclusion – Socius XR & Disability Assistive Technology

Over 70 million people are on the Autism spectrum globally, and over 93,000 in New Zealand. Autistic people can often find social interaction extremely challenging, specifically, understanding verbal and non-verbal cues and contexts. Obstacles of engaging in social settings significantly impact opportunities to obtain employment which Autistic people have a strong desire to have. 

Socius XR are leading change in using emerging technologies to mitigate these barriers. They've developed immersive VR experiences for Autistic people to prepare and practice different skills and interactions for work and other situations, which they intend to feature in their upcoming app. Along with experiences designed for employers to better understand neurodivergent people's perspectives.

The start-up has three co-founders, Anzel Singh, Sarah Mwashomah, and Weilian Du, who will be sharing their start-up journey, insights into assistive technology, and their vision for inclusion in NZ.

Brought to you by the Westpac NZ Government Innovation Fund - We provide funding and expertise that support innovative ideas and opportunities that make a difference for New Zealand.