News
News and events
Prof. Dr. Tanja Sappok at Antenne Bethel
On 3 December, AI*IM spokesperson Prof. Dr Tanja Sappok had the opportunity to talk to local radio station Antenne Bethel about her work at Mara Hospital and the general work with people with disabilities in the medical sector, a core topic of AI*IM.
In the interview, Prof Sappok emphasised that the focus of her medical work is not on treating the disability at hand, but on the illness of the person concerned. The aim is to "turn sick people with disabilities into healthy people with disabilities". According to Prof Sappok, around one in three people with cognitive disabilities will also suffer from a mental illness in the course of their lives and "99%" have an average of 10 physical illnesses. For this reason, Mara Hospital works with a well-trained network of different professional groups and specialists to provide the most effective treatment possible for those affected. Specialised approaches such as a higher degree of involvement of the living environment and caregivers are implemented here.
However, it is clear to Prof Sappok that this should not be a concern of "special treatment". After all, people with disabilities usually have the same needs and treatment principles as people without disabilities and, due to the fact that the number of people with disabilities in our society is so high, they should be given the opportunity to receive standard treatment that caters to their needs and requirements. The aim of Mara Hospital and AI*IM is therefore not only to make progress in medical treatment but also to overcome social and societal barriers in the long term.
If you would like to listen to Prof Sappok's interview with Antenne Bethel in full, you can do so here!
Inclusive Showroom Tour
As part of GENIALE and Bielefeld University's Campus Day, AI*IM organised the opening of the Interactive Assistance Technology Showroom and invited visitors to gain an insight into current research projects together with Wissenswerkstadt Bielefeld.
Inclusive teaching assistants Silke Bleckert and Dominik Urbanczyk from Bethel Hospital joined our team to present various assistance systems from the fields of everyday assistance, therapy and rehabilitation. These included Nao, a robot that encourages people to exercise, Paro, the robotic seal, and VR glasses that patients can use to (re)learn everyday activities.
Many guests, young and old, took the opportunity to try out for themselves how technology can support medicine and care. We are delighted with the great interest and the many curious questions!
AI*IM at the GENIALE 2025
From September to November 2025 Wissenswerkstadt Bielefeld invites you to the GENIALE under the motto "AI and us" - with interactive workshops, exhibitions, shows and exciting programme items for all age groups.
AI*IM is also taking part in the GENIALE on two dates!
On 27 September 2025 there was a guided tour of our showroom on the topic of "Interactive assistance technology - how can machines help?". Together with and from the inclusive teaching assistants we learned more about the various systems in the areas of everyday assistance, diagnosis, therapy and rehabilitation and discused interesting questions.
In addition, a panel discussion with members of AIIM took place on 19 November! Those affected and experts from the fields of medicine, technology and Philosophy discused the topic "Between support and paternalism - How can AI support and preserve self-determination?"
Thank you for your participation and the interesting talks!
Symposium at the EAMHID Congress 2025
From 18 to 20 September 2025, the 15th Congress of the European Association for Mental Health in Intellectual Disability (EAMHID) took place in Ghent, Belgium.
We were represented with our own solicited symposium - a great opportunity to present our research in the field of inclusive AI on an international stage! Antonia von Reden, Mareike Müller-Cleve, Britta Wrede, Rebecca Lätzsch, Peer Keller, Sarah Krieg and Tanja Sappok were able to present the work of AI*IM in four lectures.
Under the title "Artificial Intelligence for Inclusive Medicine (AI*IM): Innovations in Assistive Technology for People with Intellectual Disabilities", our focus was on how AI and digital assistance systems - such as eye-tracking, augmented reality or participatory apps - can help to support and empower people with intellectual disabilities in everyday life, education and healthcare.
The EAMHID congress brought together international experts from science, practice and politics to discuss current developments in mental health and disability. The focus was on providing insights regarding these topics and building bridges between research, application and everyday life.
You can find out more about the event at: https://eamhid2025.eu/
Symposium at the EAMHID Congress 2025
From 18 to 20 September 2025, the 15th Congress of the European Association for Mental Health in Intellectual Disability (EAMHID) will take place in Ghent, Belgium.
We are very pleased to be represented with our own solicited symposium - a great opportunity to present our research in the field of inclusive AI on an international stage!
Under the title "Artificial Intelligence for Inclusive Medicine (AI*IM): Innovations in Assistive Technology for People with Intellectual Disabilities", we will show in four presentations how AI and digital assistance systems - such as eye-tracking, augmented reality or participatively developed apps - can contribute to supporting and empowering people with intellectual disabilities in everyday life, education and healthcare.
The focus is on innovative approaches that promote inclusion and enable self-determination. The symposium aims to provide new impetus for inclusive technological developments and build bridges between research, application and everyday life.
The EAMHID Congress brings together international experts from science, practice and politics to discuss current developments in mental health and disability.
More about the congress programme and registration:
https://eamhid2025.eu/
Session at the BI.research Conference
At the BI.Research Conference, we were able to present some of the diverse projects in the focus area in a session and engage in a joint dialogue.
The topics and projects presented were SEED Diagnostics, AI-supported ICF classification and reporting, VR*IM, AI-supported diagnostics for people with autism spectrum disorders and AI*IM Consent - thanks to all those involved who presented the projects, commented on them or enriched the event with their presence!
The diverse ideas and comments that we collected live were particularly inspiring and motivating - we will take them with us into the next phase. Together, for example, we are considering what a logo for the focus area could look like and look forward to receiving further ideas in this regard. We are also looking forward to our next collegial exchange at our plenary session on 9 October!
Kick-off event
The kick-off event for the new AI*IM focus area took place at Bielefeld University on 9 May 2025!
Researchers from numerous disciplines came together at the kick-off event to present their projects and initiate initial interdisciplinary collaborations. During discussions, it became clear how important it is to develop AI applications together with those affected and specialised personnel - in a participatory, inclusive and everyday way.
The event marks the starting point for further collaboration in the focus area, which aims to set new standards in the development of human-centred AI by closely linking research and practice!