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Kagawa University and Fujitsu Launch Mobile Phone Application Test for Children with Special Needs

Fujitsu Limited

Tokyo and Takamatsu, April 07, 2010

Fujitsu and Kagawa University today announced the launch of a jointly-conducted test, which demonstrates the application of mobile phone technologies in lifestyle and educational support for children with special needs and their caretakers and guardians.

The School for Children with Special Needs and Classroom "Subaru" for Children with Special Needs, which are both affiliated with Kagawa University's Faculty of Education, provide education and support for children with special needs. In particular, the school is implementing programs using ICT for children with intellectual or developmental disabilities. At the same time, Fujitsu is pursuing initiatives in universal design with the aim of fostering a society in which ICT is accessible by everyone. As part of this endeavor, the company is developing and offering an array of mobile phone software applications, such as the ColorAttendant, a program that helps people with color blindness.

Fujitsu and Kagawa University launched a jointly-conducted test to demonstrate the effectiveness of lifestyle and educational support using mobile phones, a central ICT device in people's lives, for children with special needs (such as intellectual disabilities, developmental disabilities, and autism) and their caretakers and guardians.

The following Fujitsu mobile phone software will be used in the joint test:

  • Software to help users understand time
  • Software to help users communicate and make inferences
  • Software to help users understand the stroke order of kanji characters

Upon completion of the test, Kagawa University plans to publish the study results and introduce the sample mobile phone applications and their effectiveness to educational institutions, support centers and guardians of children with special needs. Furthermore, Fujitsu intends to improve the functionality and user-friendliness of these software packages based on the study results and to encourage broader use of such software in society in the future.

Fujitsu and Kagawa University will continue to pursue research on how ICT can effectively assist children with special needs.

Project Overview

1. Purpose
The project aims to improve the QOL (Quality of Life) for children with special needs through the use of mobile phones, a central ICT device in people's lives.

2. Intended Users
- Children with intellectual disabilities, developmental disabilities, or autism, who are enrolled in elementary, middle, or special-needs schools
- Caretakers and teachers of these children
- Guardians of these children

3. Methods
Fujitsu will loan mobile phones equipped with the three support software packages introduce above to teachers, caretakers, and guardians for a number of months. The company will then examine and analyze the effectiveness of the software based on observations of its use, surveys and interviews.

4. Test Period
May 2010 - End of September 2010

About Fujitsu

Fujitsu is a leading provider of IT-based business solutions for the global marketplace. With approximately 175,000 employees supporting customers in 70 countries, Fujitsu combines a worldwide corps of systems and services experts with highly reliable computing and communications products and advanced microelectronics to deliver added value to customers. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.6 trillion yen (US$47 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009. For more information, please see: www.fujitsu.com.

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Company:Fujitsu Limited


All other company or product names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Information provided in this press release is accurate at time of publication and is subject to change without advance notice.

This press release has been revised as of December 17, 2018.

Date: 07 April, 2010
City: Tokyo and Takamatsu
Company: Fujitsu Limited, , , , ,