orbiTouch

Project Mercury Overview

Dec 30, 2011

Filed under: Adaptive Technology,  Assistive Technology,  assistive technology,  Disability,  disabled,  National Science Foundation,  Service Disabled Veteran,  Special Needs,  Veterans,  Wounded Veteran,  Wounded Warrior

Project Mercury is an initiative started by Blue Orb, parent company of orbiTouch Keyless Keyboard, and the Central Florida Disability Chamber of Commerce. It is funded by a multi-year grant from National Science Foundation and designed to help persons with special needs and wounded veterans become entrepreneurs.

The goal of Project Mercury is to eradicate many of the opportunity barriers experienced by persons with disabilities by plugging them into a network of seasoned professionals who can guide and mentor as they bring their idea to fruition through a custom-made curriculum.

Persons with disabilities tend to be underrepresented in the workforce despite the fact they are often incredible problem solvers. However, in our experience, persons with special needs have ideas for products that can help both disabled and abled-bodied consumers. It's time to bring these great ideas to market.

Look for Project Mercury applications in January 2012.

Overview:

We have named this endeavor Project Mercury after Mercury, the Roman God of overcoming barriers.

  • The first goal of Project Mercury is to develop a curriculum to teach persons with disabilities to participate more fully in the process of being and becoming an entrepreneur. Service-disabled veterans fall within the scope of this project. Blue Orb, together with other organizations, will provide training, orientation, and an orbiTouch Keyless Keyboard as needed at no cost to the participating special needs individual.
  • The second goal is to provide a research environment in which hypotheses on the cognitive and interpersonal communications of entrepreneurship on persons with disabilities will be tested.

Structure:

Blue Orb has assembled a group of prestigious local and national organizations for Project Mercury whose goal will be to provide collaborative support for the project.

Some organizations already engaged and their roles:

  • The National Science Foundation has awarded Blue Orb a grant spanning three years to help disabled persons become entrepreneurs. This will help to fund the training and research portion of the project.
  • The Central Florida Disability Chamber of Commerce will help participants grow their business by incorporating them into a thriving network of  organizations specifically designed for the needs of persons with disabilities and facillitate the establishment of relationships in the community.
  • The Orlando VA Medical Center will provide participants and promote the program internally and externally to help grow project interest and give the program a viable structure.
  • Graduate students from Rollins College will help develop and research Project Mercury, with particular focus on entrepreneurship.
  • Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation and Veteran Corps have donated 50 units collectively that will be used for the program and permanent usage for the recipient.  This initial donation has helped to get the program started.

Again, thank you so much for your interest as we develop this exciting new program. Please spread the word to your friends and family.For a little more on Blue Orb and Central Florida Disability Chamber of Commerce's partnership with National Science Foundation, please read the press release.

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