The two organizations partnered to celebrate Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation’s 35 Years of Community Impact by Showcasing DisabilityTech Innovations

On October 7, the Howe Innovation Center at Perkins School for the Blind hosted a DisabilityTech Pitch Challenge featuring nine start-up companies showcasing their assistive and adaptive technologies to create a more accessible world. Tatum Robotics won the grand prize of $5,000 for its robotic system that translates English into tactile fingerspelling, HapWare won $2,500 for its communication system using computer vision and haptic technology for people who are blind, low-vision, or Deafblind, and the people’s choice award of $2,500 went to Cami Health for its personal assistant software application for caregivers of disabled children.

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Samantha Johnson, founder and CEO of Tatum Robotics, accepts first place prize.

Tatum Robotics is an innovative robotic system that translates English into tactile fingerspelling, enabling deafblind individuals to accurately and comfortably access communication in real-time. Tatum Robotics envisions a world where deafblind individuals can access media, explore news, and importantly, interact in their preferred language while maintaining autonomy and control of their experience.

The event was sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) in celebration of its 35^th anniversary of empowering youth with disabilities to lead productive lives. Those in attendance for the competition included MEAF board members, advisors and grant recipients; volunteer leaders and executives from Mitsubishi Electric Group companies in the U.S. and Japan; Perkins Trustees and staff; and local leaders and venture capitalists.

“Accelerating accessibility requires convening the full DisabilityTech ecosystem—entrepreneurs, people with disabilities, investors, and forward-thinking organizations like Mitsubishi Electric,” said Sandy K. Lacey, Executive Director of the Howe Innovation Center at Perkins School for the Blind. “Breakthrough innovation happens when lived experience and entrepreneurial ingenuity come together to tackle real-world challenges. That’s how we drive solutions that scale and systems that change.”

“Our goal is to transform into an innovative company with technologies and solutions that make life better for everyone,” says Mike Corbo, president of MEAF and executive officer and chief representative of the Americas region for Mitsubishi Electric Corporation. “In the spring, we launched the Mitsubishi Electric Innovation Center in Cambridge, and this fall, we are excited to extend our focus on inclusive technology through our philanthropic collaboration with Perkins.”

Michah Kotch, a partner with Blackhorn Ventures provided coaching in advance of the pitch event, and the distinguished panel of judges were:

• Vicki Wu Davis, Investor and Ecosystem Builder, YouthCITIES
• Kerry Jordan, Chief of Staff, City of Boston Innovation and Technology
• Phil Orlik, Vice President, Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories
• Brittany Palmer, Managing Partner, Adaptation Ventures
• Zafer Sahinoglu, Vice President, Innovation, Mitsubishi Electric U.S., Inc.

This is the second pitch event MEAF has supported. MEAF provided funding to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) Foundation to support its Digital HealthTech Challenge during CES2025 in January, in partnership with the WITH Foundation.

“As we celebrate 35 years of helping youth with disabilities successfully transition from school to work, we are thrilled to support Perkins and the development of new technologies, like Tatum Robotics, to facilitate inclusion and independence for people with disabilities in the years ahead,” said Kevin R. Webb, executive director, MEAF and head of sustainability and social impact at Mitsubishi Electric U.S., Inc.

Perkins School for the Blind

Perkins School for the Blind helps children with disabilities find their place in the world. For nearly 200 years, Perkins has been the global leader in education services for children and young adults with disabilities and visual impairments. From its renowned Massachusetts-based school, Perkins develops best-in-class teaching practices and shares them worldwide—through teacher training, sustainable education programs, and accelerating innovation for people with disabilities. With a mission to make quality learning accessible to the 240 million children with disabilities globally, Perkins is continually innovating to meet the evolving needs of children, families, and educators—breaking down barriers and building brighter futures, one student at a time.

Learn more at www.Perkins.org.

The Howe Innovation Center at Perkins School for the Blind

The Howe Innovation Center at Perkins School for the Blind, recognized on the Forbes Accessibility 100 as one of “the biggest innovators and impact-makers in the field of accessibility for people with disabilities,” is designed to solve real accessibility problems. Howe connects the disability community with DisabilityTech inventors and investors to create purpose-built solutions for a more accessible world. Amplifying the lived experience of disability, creating community in the DisabilityTech space, and convening like-minded leaders, Howe shines a light on the everyday accessibility challenges people with disabilities face to lay the foundation for a more accessible world.

Learn more at Perkins.org/Innovation.

Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation

The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, based in the Washington, D.C. area, was established in 1990 by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and the Mitsubishi Electric U.S. group companies, which produce, sell, and distribute a wide range of consumer, industrial, commercial, and professional electronics products. The Foundation has contributed more than $27.5 million to organizations that are empowering young people with disabilities to lead more inclusive and productive lives.

To learn more, visit www.MEAF.org.

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