According to the United Nations, 80% of adults on the autism spectrum are unemployed or underemployed. Difficulties begin at the school stage because the educational system is often inaccessible and non-inclusive and carries over into other areas of daily life.
Therefore, on World Autism Awareness Day, Globant seeks to raise our voices against this gap and use technology to impact society positively. For more than 10 years, we have been promoting Be Kind, the commitment we share with our community and each Glober to improve reality in an accessible way. We place tools and knowledge at the service of the most vulnerable populations to achieve equity. This is how Globant Labs was born, an initiative supported by volunteer Globers who invest their time in creating technological solutions at the service of humanity.
The exploration and subsequent transformation of Globers’ ideas into tangible projects has made Globant Labs a true representative of technology for good and a powerful engine in support of vulnerable communities. In recent years, Globant Labs has developed two outstanding applications in favor of including people on the autism spectrum.
Emocionalmente, the app where technology and emotions meet
Emocionalmente is an app that emerged in 2022 and focuses on people of all ages learning emotions, recognizing them in others, associating them in everyday life situations, and putting into practice ways to manage them. Users on the autism spectrum, their families, and professionals report that it helps them to relate interpersonally through recognizing and learning about their emotions. This facilitates the development of social relationships, positively impacting their lives. Within the app, users can recognize the six primary emotions: joy, fear, sadness, disgust, surprise, and anger, and perform activities for each of them.
When choosing an emotion, users are presented with its description, the main related physical manifestation, and the facial expressions that characterize it. Emocionalmente differs from other applications because it has photos of real people that convey each emotion to the user, allowing them to acquire the ability to process them from each image, thus facilitating their communication and better understanding of body language.
Thanks to the joint efforts to promote the application, Emocionalmente has more than 6400 downloads from all over Latin America and Spain, helping more people on the autism spectrum recognize their emotions and obtain a more appropriate approach. In addition, we have positive comments from users in Argentina, Spain, Mexico, and Chile, and we received a score of 4.86/5.
AutismoRed, the first social network for people on the autism spectrum
To reduce the gap between opportunities for people on the autism spectrum and their access to essential resources, a pioneering initiative has been developed. In collaboration with the Rotary Club of Montserrat, Fundación Brincar, the Argentine Association of Autistic Parents (APADEA), and the Argentine Program for Children, Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Condition (PANAACEA), AutismoRed was born. It is the first digital platform, global and free, focused on Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) that, through a geolocation system, connects families with professionals, resources, and support in one place.
The idea behind AutismoRed is to facilitate the lives of people on the autism spectrum and directly address the problem of the lack of professionals and services for families to access early diagnosis or appropriate schooling. By logging on to the web platform, thousands can register as providers or users and access a pool of trusted resources near their locations. Due to the communication campaign created to maximize the impact of AutismoRed, today we have more than 88 million impacts, more than 5000 registered users, 482 professionals, and 262 organizations working for an inclusive future.
Be Kind to Your Peers and Be Kind to Humanity, a culture of empowerment and belonging
Both Emocionalmente and AutismoRed are part of the valuable contributions Globant Labs is making to the service of humanity. Their encouraging results demonstrate the potential of technology in the drive to empower people to develop their full potential. Specifically, by recognizing and supporting people on the autism spectrum, we are building a more just and equitable world and richer in experiences and perspectives. Technology is a powerful tool for positive change in this journey toward inclusion, but our willingness and commitment to diversity make a difference.
Globant Labs is currently working on several projects; check them out here.
