Debbie Lesko U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 8th district | Official U.S. House Headshot
Debbie Lesko U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 8th district | Official U.S. House Headshot
U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Lesko has announced the winners of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District. Suhana Chand, a student from BASIS Peoria, secured first place with her app ArtiVision. This wearable assistive device aims to aid visually impaired individuals by incorporating facial and emotional recognition alongside text-to-speech functionality.
Congresswoman Lesko expressed her admiration for the winning entry: “I am so pleased to congratulate Suhana Chand for winning this year’s Congressional App Challenge for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District,” she stated. “ArtiVision is a commonsense app that is designed to help people of all ages with their challenges from visual impairments. It is an honor to represent so many bright students, and it is wonderful to see them using their talents and creativity through these apps to help others!”
Suhana Chand shared her motivation behind creating ArtiVision: “My goal wasn’t just to create something for the sake of it. I wanted to make it affordable and easy to use, so people wouldn’t have to bounce between different apps or spend money on multiple devices. ArtiVision grew out of that desire to simplify things and create something that could make a difference in the life of a visually challenged individual, and help them navigate their world a bit more independently.”
The second-place app was Safe Scan by Tahlia Mak, a student at McClintock High School. This application allows users to scan ingredient labels for allergens.
Ana Shrivastava from BASIS Peoria took third place with Sight Beyond Seeing, an app designed to help users understand their environment better by offering practical navigation solutions.
ArtiVision was chosen from several submissions by middle and high school students across the district. The competition encouraged entries in any programming language for any platform. As part of her victory, Suhana Chand's app will be featured on CongressionalAppChallenge.us and displayed in the U.S. Capitol along with other national winners.
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