We need your help to make Ottobock’s four panel submissions a reality at SXSW 2019!

The SXSW 2019 panel submissions are in, and it’s time to cast your votes and help shape the schedule for next year’s conference. We need your help to make Ottobock’s four panel submissions a reality at SXSW 2019! From August 6th to August 30th, visit the PanelPicker website to vote for our panels and help us share our mission with other innovators and advocates to create a better world for people with mobility challenges.

SXSW 2019 Panel Submissions

• Making Space for Disability in the Media
  Actress Angel Giuffria discusses the media’s responsibility of representing disability equitably and honestly. She analyzes Hollywood’s role in influencing people’s perspective on disability, and how brands should portray disability in their advertising.
• How Adaptive Design is Transforming Brands
  Representatives will moderate a discussion about the adaptive clothing fashion movement, and how companies can incorporate inclusion and accessibility into their mission and culture. Network with brands serving marginalized communities to build awareness, increase access, and foster a culture of inclusion.
• Adaptive Athletics: The Rise of the Super Athlete
  The ongoing advancements in prosthetic technology have given Paralympic athletes access to sports-specific prostheses, which enable competitors to run faster, jump farther, and lift more weight than ever before. Paralympic athletes will discuss the controversy of whether this technology yields more access to people with disabilities or provides athletes with an unfair advantage.
• From Medtech Marvel to Mainstream Accessibility
  Medtech marvels of today have improved the lives of many people with disabilities, yet some medtech is still largely considered experimental. Leaders from pioneering medtech companies discuss the future of medical innovative technology and the difference between “breakthrough” innovation and “disruptive” innovation.

How to Vote

Visit the PanelPicker voting website and log in or create an account. Once you’re logged in, click on the Search/Vote tab and search for the Ottobock panel submissions. To vote, simply click on the “Vote Up” button on the panel submission page. You can also comment at the bottom of the page to share why you believe this panel should be selected. Community voting is open from August 6 to August 30, 2018.

Ottobock at SXSW

Since 2016, we’ve participated in the SXSW annual conference, sharing our mission of helping people with mobility challenges maintain or regain their freedom of movement.

• SXSW 2016: Making A Difference With Prosthetic Legs
  Heather Abbott and Aaron Holm shared how technology has affected their daily mobility and discussed the need for functionality versus the want of cosmetic appeal when considering prosthetic devices. link
• SXSW 2017: How Wounded Warriors Are Transforming Biotech
  Three wounded warriors described how the power of advanced prosthetic technology and their “will to move” pushed them to go beyond their physical limitations and conquer feats beyond their initial expectations. link
• SXSW 2018: Extreme Bionics: The Future Of Human Ability
  At this year’s SXSW, Ottobock CEO Prof. Hans Georg Naeder and other speakers discussed the future of biotechnology, and the possibilities of extending and transcending human physicality, cognition, creativity, and sensory abilities. link