Watching you learn, and it has never been so true as for #MirrorAble. This is an interactive platform designed to "restore" certain skills to children affected by serious brain damage, thanks to the use of #neurons mirror. The project was born from the Fight the Stroke association, and is one of the many projects born from the Digital for Social call announced by the Vodafone Foundation. The purpose is to offer rehabilitation therapy at home for children with motor disabilities caused by stroke or infantile cerebral palsy.
The association was created in Milan by Francesca Fedeli and Roberto D'Angelo, parents of Mario, who suffered a stroke at birth: “Following Mario in his rehabilitation process – explains Francesca – we realized how the healthcare sector #rehabilitation was missing many elements that we believe are important. For example, families were excluded from some decisions regarding the rehabilitation of children, the methods adopted were of an empirical type tested by therapists, sometimes very old and without scientific validation". Hence the idea of creating an association.
The two then developed a system based on mirror neurons and video stories, through which children regain their skills by observing and "imitating” what they see. Each child is then "connected" to another child with similar problems but who has already passed some steps previously. “It is a way to also stimulate the empathy of children who thus continue the therapy with greater stimulation”. In short, the child affected by illness sees another child who shows the exercises he must practice, in a playful and fun context. A simple idea but one that can help many children and families in recovering a certain level of mobility.
