Special Enterprise Scheme - Sheffield

I was asked to sit on a panel recently by Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind and Sheffield Hallam University, and help judge a special enterprise scheme where children aged 10 to 11 had to come up with a new device that could help visually impaired people of any age. This was an exciting prospect for me as I had never done anything like this before and I really was out of my comfort zone to say the least! The school children where from all over South Yorkshire and seemed very excited about the task they had been given and quickly wanted  to make a start.

But firstly the children were asked to wear some simulation glasses that have been specially adapted to give the user the chance to see what it is like to be visually impaired. These glasses can show what you could see if you have diabetic retinopathy or glaucoma for example and can be quite a shock for a fully sighted to use. As I spoke to the children and asked them what they thought it was like to be blind now they had tried the glasses on for a while, one turned to me and said "It's easy being blind!"... Nothing like a cutting remark from a 10 year old is there?

The first task they had to complete was to come up with a name and a design for their inventions. Some of the ideas they came up with where both brilliant and funny as one of the groups had the idea of a robotic guide dog. When I quizzed them on what differences it would have to a more traditional dog, the reply was quick and simple - "This one doesn't need to go to the toilet".

Then these children had to work out where and how they would advertise their creations so that visually impaired people would get to know about them. The University staff where really tough on the group and gave them little time to come up with any marketing ideas, before they had to get both their ideas and advertising ready to be judged after lunch. Again when I saw the speed and standard of work they where showing I really was impressed.

So then it was the hard bit for myself, Jane and Joanne from the SRSB as we where sent off to a mock board room so we could be presented to by the 12 groups. Each group only had 3 minutes to show what device they had created and a further 2 minutes to present their marketing ideas. As you can imagine the children's presenting skills went from really shy to theatrics that would grace London's West end! It was so tough to pick a winner and I felt so guilty not being able to let them all win. 

For me though, the best idea of them all was the group that came up with a talking version of the Monopoly game. It was very simple in some respects but how often are these ideas the best? You played the game as normal, but every time you moved onto a new square the board read out the new position. The money also had the figures on it raised so it was easy to tell what the amounts where. The most fantastic idea for me though was to have the chance and community chance cards smelling of different fruits so people can easily tell the difference!  

It really was a great day and I was amazed just how good the children's work was. To say they were only 10 and 11, it really was amazing to see the thought and execution of their work.