Mobilizing employees to drive social impact

The Disability Hackathon is a space where FORVIA employees from all roles and areas of expertise collaborate with people with disabilities to create accessibility solutions. Each hackathon is guided by the same core principle: solutions are most effective when co‑designed with those who experience barriers every day.
In its standard format, over three days, three teams tackle three challenges by applying design thinking principles and rapid prototyping techniques to develop practical, tailor‑made solutions.

This year, across France and the Czech Republic, FORVIA employees from diverse functions and backgrounds joined forces with partner organizations, healthcare professionals and families to address real‑life challenges related to mobility, autonomy and accessibility.

France: turning everyday challenges into tangible solutions

Paris – June 2025

Hosted in partnership with the Learning Planet Institute, the Paris edition brought together more than 40 FORVIA employees in a hybrid format. Participants worked on challenges submitted by colleagues and their families, leading to the development of three functional prototypes:

• SoF’un, an adjustable support structure enabling a young girl to play and stand independently
• A wheelchair reversing camera, a compact rear‑view system connected to a smartphone
• A voice‑controlled medical bed, using voice assistance to allow independent adjustments

Several of these solutions have since been refined and tested with families. The voice‑controlled medical bed was further developed in Bavans in collaboration with APF France Handicap and engineering students, and received local media coverage.

Montpellier – December 2025

Near Montpellier, the FORVIA Foundation partnered with Fondation Saint‑Pierre to focus on solutions for children with disabilities. After online insight‑sharing and ideation phases, participants gathered at the HumanLab Saint Pierre to prototype three new concepts:

• A tool supporting autonomy during a teenager’s morning routine
• A device enabling independent opening of food packaging
• A wheelchair adaptation allowing a child to play football during school recess

Czech Republic: community‑driven innovation with a personal dimension

On December 2, 2025, FORVIA teams in the Czech Republic organized a local Disability Hackathon to support the 9‑year‑old son of a colleague.
In a single day of intense collaboration, employees designed an adapted bicycle enabling safe and independent riding, illustrating how local engagement and technical know‑how can deliver meaningful, immediate impact.

From hackathons to a long‑term movement

More than isolated events, the Disability Hackathon is becoming a bi‑annual, FORVIA‑wide initiative embedded in the Foundation’s broader mission to promote inclusive mobility and social innovation.

“Our employees have the creativity and skills to make a real difference. This program shows the positive impact we can achieve when we work together.”
— Martin Fischer, FORVIA CEO and Chairman of the FORVIA Foundation

“These are not just projects. They are solutions crafted with care, backed by expertise, and designed to be shared.”
— Isabelle Cornu, General Delegate, FORVIA Foundation

Scaling impact beyond FORVIA

The prototypes developed during the 2025 Disability Hackathons are now entering further testing and refinement phases. Several solutions are expected to be released as open‑source projects, enabling FabLabs, associations and communities worldwide to replicate and adapt them to local needs.

By combining employee engagement, engineering excellence and social commitment, the FORVIA Foundation continues to turn innovation into action, helping build a more inclusive and accessible future.