“On behalf of the United States Congress, we say congratulations!”
Congresswoman Hilary Scholten of Grand Rapids was on hand to deliver the proclamation recognizing Special Olympics Michigan’s leadership in inclusive design and adaptive technologies for their Unified Sports & Inclusion Center, or USIC.
The center, which occupies the former South Christian High School campus, has steadily become a state-of-the-art facility for Special Olympics programs and is now recognized as the world’s largest Special Olympics training complex.
“We’ve done everything from conference room technology to a learn-lab kitchen in trying to make these accessible for everyone.”
Wesley Richards is Director of AV Technology for CS Erickson, the company installing the new tech, called HOLOPLOT, in the USIC’s auditorium, which will accommodate individuals with audio sensitivities.
“And HOLOPLOT is the same audio technology used in the Las Vegas Sphere. What HOLOPLOT enables us to do is to create zones in an auditorium that are so targeted with audio energy that we can create loud zones, soft zones, multiple languages in different zones and really allows everyone to have a seat in the same auditorium.”
Richards hopes this new technology will broaden the discussion of ways tech can be used to make events more inclusive for everyone.
