What is the name of your organization?
Social Optics Inc.
What is the name of your solution?
Social Optics
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Social Optics changes lives by improving social connectedness.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Bozeman, MT, USA
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
United States
What type of organization is your solution team?
For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
We are solving for new ways to improve social communication and social connectedness (SC) especially in populations with disabilities. Understanding and creating tools that support SC is a priority of the Department of Health and Human Services (2023) as SC is recognized as one of the greatest predictors of mental and physical health. Students themselves are also reporting decreased social connections at school, down from 62% reporting strong connections in 2021 to 55% in 2023. This also correlates with higher absenteeism and disruptive social behaviors (Education Week 10/8/2024). Also, since the pandemic, 84% of educators report a greater need for incorporating social skills programming into general education curriculums (McGraw Hill, 2021), a need likely even higher for students with learning differences, anxiety, ADHD, dyslexia, autism, and trauma. We need ways to engage with students respectfully and that promote autonomy (Yeager 2024) and a growth mindset (Dweck 2008) while building foundational social skills in an engaging, accessible and inclusive way so that current and future generations remain rooted in our shared humanity.
What is your solution?
Our solution is an educational platform for K-12 that blends a new approach to teaching SEL and building social connectedness based on social critical thinking skills with neuroinclusive software. The program was developed in a high school special education classroom with direct student input beginning in 2015. Students login, personalize their learning environment by choosing a learning partner they identify with, adjust accessibility features and move through a series of lessons. Students can also engage with a graphic novel and journal. Teachers login to their dashboard, can view and teach lessons, evaluate quantitative and qualitative data, and create progress reports. The program can be used 100% independently by students online, hybrid or fully in-person. Future components include moving from accessibility to socially connected and inclusive software by leveraging Universal Design for Learning frameworks and AI.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Our solution is currently focused on students with disabilities including autism, ADHD, emotional health needs, dyslexia, and trauma. This represents approximately 20% of the student population (over 11 million students in K-12) and over 56 million adults who have learning and attention issues in the United States (Learning Disabilities Association of America 2023) with the potential to impact 15% of the world's population also impacted by learning disabilities. The program has already impacted students by opening pathways to higher education and career due to improved soft skills, improving family relationships, building meaningful social groups and offering teachers neurodiverse affirming social communication strategies to support students with disabilities. Social Optics will continue to work to improve social connectedness in school to decrease suicidal ideations and attempts, and absenteeism while increasing post-secondary options and meaningful sustained employment.
