Pathways to Zero Barriers

Pathways to Zero Barriers

Episode: When healthcare adapts to the individual with Dr. Shalhav Malamud

How can person-centered care transform access to healthcare for persons with disabilities?

In this episode of Pathways to Zero Barriers, host Tom Butcher speaks with Dr. Shalhav Malamud, Medical Director of the Dental Clinic at Beit Issie Shapiro in Israel. Dr. Malamud shares how adapting healthcare environments, communication, and clinical practices to individual needs can improve access to dental care for persons with disabilities.

Drawing on her experience developing a person-centered, sensory-informed dental care model, Dr. Malamud discusses how trust-building, multidisciplinary approaches, and professional education can reduce reliance on general anesthesia and support patients to build confidence in receiving routine care. The conversation also explores systemic barriers within healthcare training and service delivery, the importance of integrating disability-focused competencies into medical education, and the responsible use of AI as a supportive tool in professional training and service improvement.

Dr. Malamud’s call to action highlights the importance of ensuring that patients feel seen, safe, and respected, and encourages academic institutions and professional organizations to embed disability-focused training as a core component of healthcare curricula.

In this episode:

Adapting healthcare systems, environments, and communication to individual needs

Reducing reliance on general anesthesia through person-centered care models

Addressing systemic barriers through education and professional training

Resources & Links

🔗 Programme website: scaling-solutions.zeroproject.org

📄 Transcript: Download Transcript

✅ Key Takeaways Checklist: Download

🌐 Guest: Dr Shalhav Malamud / Beit Issie Shapiro: link

📩 Contact: [email protected]

Brought to you by

The Zero Project with the support of the Essl Foundation, Fundación Descúbreme, GIZ on behalf of BMZ, and Access to Success.

Credits

Host: Thomas Butcher

Production: Małgorzata Grobelna, Alessandro Gobello, and Judith Hermetter

Audio Engineering: Antina Zlatkova / Mediengarten

Episode: Making neurodivergent lives visible with Melissa Muñoz-Flández

How can technology support autistic people across their entire lifespan, without excluding those who cannot afford it?

In this episode, host Thomas Butcher speaks with Melissa Muñoz-Flández, Founder and CEO of Prisma Neurodivergente and creator of Autistapp. Launched in June 2024, Autistapp is a free mobile application designed for pre-teens, teenagers, and adults – an age group often overlooked in autism-related technologies.

The app offers ten integrated tools, including pictograms, relaxation resources, an emotions diary addressing alexithymia, autism-related information, and a curated services marketplace. It is financed through ethical advertising and certifications via Prisma Neurodivergente, ensuring users are not required to pay for support.

Melissa shares the challenges of scaling a social technology initiative in Chile, reflects on the importance of building a team, and describes how being named among the 35 Innovators Under 35 in LATAM by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology became a turning point in her journey.

In this episode:

• Autism inclusion must extend across the lifespan, not focus only on children

• Business models must reflect the economic realities of autistic adults

• Inclusion must be designed with neurodivergent people, not without them

Resources & Links

🔗 Programme website: scaling-solutions.zeroproject.org

📄 Transcript

✅ Key Takeaways Checklist

🌐 Guest: Melissa Muñoz-Flández / Autistapp

📩 Contact: [email protected]

Brought to you by

The Zero Project with the support of the Essl Foundation, Fundación Descúbreme, GIZ on behalf of BMZ, and Access to Success.

Credits

Host: Thomas Butcher

Production: Małgorzata Grobelna, Alessandro Gobello, and Judith Hermetter

Audio Engineering: Antina Zlatkova / Mediengarten

Pathways to Zero Barriers

Episode: From personal barriers to systemic change with Prateek Khandelwal

How can lived experience of disability drive scalable, city-level accessibility?

In this episode of Pathways to Zero Barriers, host Tom Butcher speaks with Prateek Khandelwal, Founder and Managing Director of RampMyCity, an Indian accessibility startup advancing inclusion in public spaces for persons with disabilities and older people.

Prateek reflects on how a spinal cord injury revealed the scale of inaccessibility in Indian cities and led him to found RampMyCity. He discusses the personal, social, and structural barriers he faced, including stigma, weak enforcement of accessibility standards, and the practical challenges of auditing inaccessible spaces as a wheelchair user.

The conversation explores how RampMyCity has scaled modular, pragmatic infrastructure solutions, starting with ramps, across more than 700 locations in 10 cities with a small core team. Topics include regional differences within India, the opportunities of Tier 2 cities, the use of AI-enabled accessibility audits, and the importance of starting small, validating deeply, and staying mission-driven while building financial sustainability.

Prateek’s call to action is clear: inclusion starts with individual responsibility and concrete action in the spaces we influence.

Resources & Links

🔗 Programme website: scaling-solutions.zeroproject.org

📄 Transcript

✅ Key Takeaways Checklist

🌐 Guest: Prateek Khandelwal / RampMyCity

📩 Contact: [email protected]

Brought to you by the Zero Project with the support of the Essl Foundation, Fundación Descúbreme, GIZ on behalf of BMZ, and Access to Success.

Credits

Host: Thomas Butcher

Production: Małgorzata Grobelna, Alessandro Gobello, and Judith Hermetter

Audio Engineering: Antina Zlatkova / Mediengarten

 Making the most of conferences with  Michael Fembek   

How can you turn conferences into meaningful opportunities for impact, networking, and scaling your work?

In this episode of Pathways to Zero Barriers, Dr. Michael Fembek, CEO of the Zero Project and Tom Butcher, the host and a Zero Project Ambassador, will share their tips on making the most of conferences. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience organising and attending global events, Michael and Tom share practical advice on preparation, networking strategies, and follow-up that help participants move beyond passive attendance. 

Michael reflects on the evolution of the Zero Project Conference over the past 13 years and explains why conferences are central to the organisation’s mission of identifying and scaling innovations that support persons with disabilities worldwide. The discussion explores how technology – including AI, matchmaking platforms, and live captioning – is improving accessibility and enabling more inclusive participation.

Together, Tom and Michael outline concrete “dos and don’ts” for conference-goers, from researching participants in advance and crafting an elevator pitch to approaching speakers, joining group conversations, and building a focused “hit list” of priority contacts. They also highlight the importance of meaningful follow-up and maintaining quality connections rather than collecting business cards.

The episode concludes with tailored advice for innovators attending the Zero Project Conference, including how to use the conference platform strategically and identify sessions on scaling, impact investment, and replication. Michael also introduces the Zero Project’s Equitable AI initiative, which addresses the risks of bias and discrimination in AI systems.

In this episode:

Practical strategies to prepare for conferences, approach speakers, and build meaningful professional connections

How digital tools and AI are improving accessibility, matchmaking, and multilingual participation at events

Targeted advice for innovators on using conferences to scale solutions and maximise impact

Resources & Links

🔗 Programme website

📄 Transcript

✅ Key Takeaways

🌐 Guest: Michael Fembek / Essl Foundation – Zero Project: [Guest Website]

📩 Contact: [email protected]

Brought to you by

The Zero Project with the support of the Essl Foundation, Fundación Descúbreme, GIZ on behalf of BMZ, and Access to Success.

Credits

Host: Thomas Butcher

Production: Małgorzata Grobelna, Alessandro Gobello, and Judith Hermetter

Audio Engineering: Antina Zlatkova / Mediengarten

How can innovation in prosthetics be driven by local talent, affordability, and human connection—not just by technology?

In this episode of Pathways to Zero Barriers, host Tom Butcher speaks with Enzo Romero, Founder and CEO of LAT Bionics in Peru. Enzo shares how growing up without a right hand—and seeing fictional bionics on screen—sparked a lifelong commitment to engineering accessible prosthetic solutions. He explains how LAT Bionics emerged from university research, transforming high-cost prototypes into affordable, high-quality devices designed for workers in real-life conditions across Latin America.

The conversation explores the lack of regulatory pathways for assistive technology in Peru, the need to create local manufacturing capacity, and the role of AI in advancing prosthetic control. Enzo highlights how involving occupational therapists, designers, engineers, and users at every stage has shaped solutions that respond directly to functional and emotional needs. He also reflects on the power of storytelling to build trust—shifting narratives from pity to possibility.

Resources & Links   

🔗 Programme website: scaling-solutions.zeroproject.org   

📄 Transcript: [Download Transcript]   

✅ Key Takeaways Checklist: [Download]   

🌐 Guest: Enzo Romero: [LAT Bionics] 

👉 Referenced article about Mark Hamill: [https://andina.pe/agencia/noticia-mark-hamill-impactado-peruano-creador-protesis-inspirada-luke-skywalker-779734.aspx]   

📩 Contact: [email protected]   

Brought to you by   

The Zero Project with the support of the Essl Foundation, Fundación Descúbreme, GIZ on behalf of BMZ, and Access to Success. 

Credits   

Host: Thomas Butcher   

Production: Małgorzata Grobelna, Alessandro Gobello, and Judith Hermetter   

Audio Engineering: Antina Zlatkova / Mediengarten 

How can companies turn accessibility from a perceived burden into a practical driver of inclusion and business value?

In this episode of Pathways to Zero Barriers, host Tom Butcher speaks with Guilherme Braga, Founder and CEO of Egalité, a Brazilian social business supporting the employment of persons with disabilities for over 15 years. Guilherme reflects on how early exposure to accessible environments shaped his approach and contrasts this with the persistent invisibility of people with disabilities in workplaces in Brazil.

He discusses Egalité’s three pillars—accessible recruitment, inclusive culture, and accessibility—and the challenges of scaling a social business while balancing impact and financial sustainability. The conversation highlights common misconceptions about accessibility, the risks of treating inclusion as a short-term trend, and the importance of involving people with disabilities directly, including in the design of AI-driven solutions.

Resources & Links

🔗 Programme website: scaling-solutions.zeroproject.org

📄 Transcript

✅ Key Takeaways

🌐 Guest: Guilherme Braga / Egalite: Website

📩 Contact: [email protected]

Brought to you by 

The Zero Project with the support of the Essl Foundation, Fundación Descúbreme, GIZ on behalf of BMZ, and Access to Success. 

Credits

Host: Thomas Butcher 
Production: Małgorzata Grobelna, Alessandro Gobello, and Judith Hermetter 
Audio Engineering: Antina Zlatkova - Mediengarten

How do innovators stay motivated, balanced, and resilient when building solutions for inclusion in high-stakes environments?

In this episode, host Tom Butcher speaks with Rebecca “Becca” Hume, Founder and CEO of Inclutech and developer of the TapSOS app. Becca shares the ten-year journey behind building an inclusive, accessible way for people to contact emergency services, especially those who are deaf, non-verbal, or otherwise face communication barriers.

From a formative moment with a deaf colleague at age 16 to UK government accreditation and global scale-up ambitions, Rebecca reflects on the personal and professional milestones that shaped her path.

Resources & Links 

🔗 Programme website: scaling-solutions.zeroproject.org
📄Transcript
✅ Key takeaways
🌐 Guest: Becca Hume
📩 Contact: Tapsos.com

Brought to you by 

The Zero Project with the support of the Essl Foundation, Fundación Descúbreme, GIZ on behalf of BMZ, and Access to Success. 

Credits

Host: Thomas Butcher 
Production: Małgorzata Grobelna, Alessandro Gobello, and Judith Hermetter 
Audio Engineering: Antina Zlatkova - Mediengarten

How do innovators stay motivated, focused, and resilient while bringing a deeply human-centred solution to life? In this episode, host Tom Butcher reconnects with Rob van de Ven, Co-Founder of HappyBots and Zero Project Scaling Solutions alumnus, to explore the milestones—both strategic and emotional—that have shaped the journey of Felix, the social robot helping children communicate their feelings.

Rob shares the challenges of scaling a social enterprise in a niche disability-innovation market, the importance of partnerships, the power of celebrating small wins, and why staying focused on the core problem—rather than adding endless features—is essential for impact.

Resources & Links 

🔗 Programme website: scaling-solutions.zeroproject.org 
📄 Transcript
✅ Key Takeaways
🌐 Guest: Rob Van de Ven - HappyBots
📩 Contact: [email protected]

Brought to you by 

The Zero Project with the support of the Essl Foundation, Fundación Descúbreme, GIZ on behalf of BMZ, and Access to Success. 

Credits

Host: Thomas Butcher 
Production: Małgorzata Grobelna, Alessandro Gobello, and Judith Hermetter 
Audio Engineering: Antina Zlatkova - Mediengarten

How do you know when your innovation is ready to scale? In this episode, host Thomas Butcher speaks with Varun Chandak, Founder and Executive Director of Access to Success and the new implementation partner of the Zero Project Scaling Solutions Programme. 

Varun shares his personal journey into disability innovation, what “readiness to scale” really means, and the key factors that influence whether a solution can grow—across countries, markets, and communities. 

Resources & Links 

🔗 Programme website: scaling-solutions.zeroproject.org 
📄 Transcript
✅ Key Takeaways
🌐 Guest: Varun Chandak – Access to Success
📩 Contact: [email protected] 

Brought to you by 

The Zero Project with the support of the Essl Foundation, Fundación Descúbreme, GIZ on behalf of BMZ, and Access to Success. 

Credits: 

Host: Thomas Butcher 
Production: Małgorzata Grobelna, Alessandro Gobello, and Judith Hermetter 
Audio Engineering: Antina Zlatkova / Mediengarten 

Brief Summary 

In today's episode, Ana Yolanda from PanQAyuda shares how they pivoted during the COVID pandemic, creating a cricket-based superfood and landing a deal with an airline, all while staying true to their mission of dignified employment for persons with disabilities. Joined by Maria Ignacia from Fundación Descúbreme, they will explore what role do regional partnerships and local knowledge play when supporting inclusive innovations like PanQAyuda across Latin America.

Download Transcript

PDF: [https://zeroproject.org/fileadmin/root_zeroproject/ZPSCALE/podcasts/Pathways_transcripts/Pathways_E17_PanQAyuda_Descubreme_Transcript.pdf]

Word: [https://zeroproject.org/fileadmin/root_zeroproject/ZPSCALE/podcasts/Pathways_transcripts/Pathways_E17_PanQAyuda_Descubreme_Transcript.docx]

Guest information 

• Ana Yolanda Lopez Dominguez, Director General, PanQAyuda
• Maria Ignacia Rodriguez, Deputy Manager, International Cooperation at Fundación Descúbreme

The key questions addressed in this episode are:

1. What challenges PanQAyuda faced during expansion — and how they overcame them?
2. What are the success stories from one of the regional expansions — and how they measured its impact?
3. What to do when something doesn’t go as planned?

Call to Action 

Subscribe today for more insights into scaling disability-inclusive innovations.

Links to Mentioned Resources 

• PanQAyuda Website [https://panqayuda.com.mx]
• Fundación Descúbreme Website [https://www.descubreme.cl] 

• Zero Project Scaling Solutions website: [scaling-solutions.zeroproject.org]

Contact Information 

For questions or feedback, reach out to us at: [email protected] 

Sponsor/Partner Info 

This episode is brought to you by the Zero Project with the support of the Essl Foundation, Fundación Descúbreme, GIZ on behalf of BMZ, Atos, EnAble India, and Inclusive Creation.