Bright Bwayla, a 30-year-old Zambian software engineer and champion for epilepsy and mental health, created the Seizure Assistant smartphone application, which won the 2022 Inclusive Africa Digital Accessibility & Assistive Innovations Award. The mobile health management and experience-sharing platform Seizure Assistant enables individuals with epilepsy to seek assistance when they need it.

In his acceptance speech for the award, Bright revealed that an epilepsy diagnosis in 2016 led to a lot of stigma and rejection so much so the university administration delayed his graduation because they believed he was lying about his health.

The apparent general ignorance surrounding the condition inspired him to begin advocacy work in Kitwe, Zambia, while still in school. He then extended it to Lusaka, and it is currently being carried out remotely and in hospitals throughout the country. His own experiences and journey served as inspiration for the creation of the Seizure Assistant App.

In order to inspire more African software developers, like Bright, to produce more accessible solutions that put people with disabilities at the heart of design, Digital Accessibility & Assistive Innovations Award promotes and honors the finest inclusive African inventions. InABLE presented Bright with a trophy and $10,000.

The following functionalities are present in this app:

• The App recognizes or senses when someone is having a seizure through a synchronized smart seizure detector.
• The App then calls for help by sending a pre-set SOS Message to pre-set Emergency Contacts, alerting them that the patient has just had a seizure.
• The patient’s live location is included in the message for easier tracking.
• The patient’s phone also plays an SOS Sound to gain the attention of the people around
• Whoever picks up the noisy phone will find a series of instructions on how to provide First Aid care to the patient.
• Users can learn about seizures, what causes them, what types exist and the myths around them.
• Patient interaction, publicly or anonymously, allows those who are not yet comfortable to speak about their condition.
• They further can book sessions with counselors and learn condition management.

Written By: Esther Mwangi, Public Relations Officer, inABLE
Photo 1 caption: BRIGHT BWAYLA, WINNER, DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY & ASSISTIVE INNOVATIONS AWARD 2022 (CENTER) RECEIVING HIS TROPHY FROM IRENE MBARI-KIRIKA, FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INABLE (LEFT), AND CHRISTOPHER PATNOE, EMEA LEAD FOR ACCESSIBILITY AND DISABILITY INCLUSION, GOOGLE (RIGHT) DURING THE 3RD ANNUAL INCLUSIVE AFRICA CONFERENCE IN NAIROBI, KENYA.

Photo 2 caption: BRIGHT BWAYLA POSING WITH HIS TROPHY AT THE 3RD ANNUAL INCLUSIVE AFRICA CONFERENCE IN NAIROBI, KENYA.