Difference Partners

Marker Learning operates an online platform that offers assessments and services for learning disabilities, aiming to make these resources accessible to schools and families. The platform provides diagnostic assessments for various learning disabilities, along with individualized learning plans tailored to each student's needs. Additionally, it offers tutoring and coaching services, helping students with learning disabilities to achieve their full potential. Through its telepsychology capabilities, Marker Learning seeks to support both educators and families in addressing the challenges faced by students with learning disabilities.

AnswersNow, Inc. offers a mobile platform designed to assist parents and caregivers of autistic children. Founded in 2016 and based in Richmond, Virginia, the platform provides a range of educational resources, behavioral learning tools, and on-call expert support, facilitating a step-by-step learning process tailored to the child's needs. The app is notable for its utilization of technology to enhance autism support. All clinicians associated with AnswersNow are board-certified behavioral analysts, ensuring high-quality guidance through extensive training and ongoing certifications. The platform also allows users to save, store, and monitor their child's progress, making it a comprehensive resource for families navigating autism.

Fable Tech Labs Inc. is a Toronto-based software company founded in 2018 that specializes in enhancing digital accessibility for individuals with disabilities. Its platform connects researchers, designers, and developers with users who have disabilities, allowing businesses to test and refine their online products. By leveraging feedback from individuals using assistive technology, Fable helps clients gain insights into the user experience and create customized reports aimed at improving digital accessibility. The platform offers flexible monthly plans, enabling product developers to receive consistent feedback across various assistive technologies, browsers, and devices. Fable's mission is to support the creation of accessible digital products, addressing the needs of over one billion people living with disabilities.

Valence Vibrations is a developer of a sensory augmentation application that enhances emotional communication across diverse populations. The company's innovative application translates the emotional sentiment of speech into vibrations on a haptic wristband, allowing users to receive real-time emotional feedback during conversations. This self-guided emotional translation toolkit is designed to accommodate various neurotypes, languages, communication styles, and cultural contexts, enabling individuals to customize their experience by specifying vibrational intensity according to their sensory preferences. By facilitating better interpretation of emotions, Valence Vibrations aims to improve interpersonal relationships and emotional connections, particularly for neurodiverse individuals.

AnswersNow, Inc. offers a mobile platform designed to assist parents and caregivers of autistic children. Founded in 2016 and based in Richmond, Virginia, the platform provides a range of educational resources, behavioral learning tools, and on-call expert support, facilitating a step-by-step learning process tailored to the child's needs. The app is notable for its utilization of technology to enhance autism support. All clinicians associated with AnswersNow are board-certified behavioral analysts, ensuring high-quality guidance through extensive training and ongoing certifications. The platform also allows users to save, store, and monitor their child's progress, making it a comprehensive resource for families navigating autism.

Social Cipher is a social enterprise and video game studio focused on promoting neurodiverse inclusion and empowerment through interactive storytelling. The company develops a social-emotional learning platform that engages neurodiverse communities in the creation and testing of story-driven video games. These games provide children, particularly those on the autism spectrum, with a safe and accessible environment to practice social skills and find relief from challenges associated with their conditions. By leveraging the insights and experiences of neurodiverse individuals, Social Cipher aims to create engaging experiences that foster understanding and representation in the gaming industry.

Goally, Inc. is a company based in Boulder, Colorado, that focuses on supporting children with developmental disabilities, such as ADHD and autism, in developing essential executive functioning skills. Founded in 2015, Goally offers a smart device designed to assist parents and children in establishing routines and rewards through an intuitive app. The platform employs a science-based approach, providing customized progression plans and data-driven expert advice, while utilizing visual icons and gentle musical cues to guide children through activities. The device includes features like parental controls and educational apps, creating a safe and structured learning environment that allows for better management of screen time and daily routines. Goally aims to empower children with the skills they need to thrive academically and socially.

Daivergent Inc. is a technology platform that connects companies with adults on the autism spectrum to fulfill various data-related tasks. Founded in 2018 and based in New York, the company offers services such as data entry, data enrichment, quality assurance, and training data generation. By leveraging the skills of autistic individuals, Daivergent enables them to enter the remote workforce for the first time, supporting a range of industries including artificial intelligence and healthcare. The platform not only enhances access to employment for autistic workers but also assists businesses in efficiently managing their data-labeling needs at scale.

Positive Development is a company dedicated to enhancing the lives of children with developmental challenges and their families by providing mental and physical health services. Founded in 2019 and based in Washington, DC, it emphasizes the importance of relationships among parents, caregivers, therapists, and children. The organization offers autism therapy aimed at fostering natural and meaningful connections within families and communities. Its research-validated approach is rooted in understanding how children naturally develop social-emotional skills, promoting growth, independence, and joy in their lives. Through its focused efforts, Positive Development seeks to shape a brighter future for children facing developmental differences.