It was a deceptively simple question, the kind that lands on the right person at the right time, inspiring them to create a product that can improve the lives of those who need it most.
During the last year of Najma Omar’s doctoral program in occupational therapy at the University of Minnesota, a professor asked students to think about tools that hadn’t yet been invented to help people — but should exist.
It prompted Najma, a 28-year-old Minneapolis woman, to start thinking about her own family. Among the 10 children, three are autistic, each with somewhat different communications styles and support needs…