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Wordly works with hundreds of organizations around the world to bridge the language gap at meetings and events. This is a case study reviewing work we have done with IFOPA.
Organization Challenge
As the international support organization for the FOP community, IFOPA provides education and support resources for community members from around the world. The organization runs a variety of large and small virtual sessions throughout the year including: Annual FOP Family Gatherings; Ongoing Educational Programs; and Family Welcome Calls. The events are primarily presented in English and attract a diverse and global audience with approximately 50% of the attendees speaking another primary language (non-English).
What is FOP?
FOP is one of the rarest, most disabling genetic conditions known to medicine. It causes bone to form in muscles, tendons, ligaments and other connective tissues. Bridges of extra bone develop across joints, progressively restricting movement and forming a second skeleton that imprisons the body in bone. There are no other known examples in medicine of one normal organ system turning into another.
Wordly Solution
Wordly provided live translation and captions with their AI-powered platform to support a wide range of virtual events. The platform does not require human interpreters or special equipment which makes it easy to implement and use - as well as very affordable to offer multiple languages at the same time. Each attendee can select their preferred language - join using their phone or computer - and listen to audio or read translated captions in real time.
IFOPA members have used 17 translation languages, including:
Chinese (Simplified), Dutch, English (AU), English (UK), English (US), French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Polish, Portuguese (PT), Portuguese (BR), Spanish (MX), Spanish (ES), Swedish Tamil, Turkish.
“We love that Wordly offers such a wide variety of language options for our large and diverse global community and that it has an audio and text option for attendees to be able to absorb information in a way that works best for their learning style. “
Hope Newport, Family Services Manager - IFOPA
Wordly has been used alongside multiple video conferencing and event management platforms at IFOPA meetings and events.
The Annual Family Gatherings events usually draw 450-500 people with 200 using Wordly for translation and captions.
In addition there are usually 5-10 attendees at the Educational Programs held throughout the year and additional users joining the 10-15 New Family Welcome Calls per year. The additional webinars and video meetings using Wordly focus on topics including advocacy, mental health, and how to manage symptoms associated with FOP. Wordly is also used to welcome newly diagnosed non-English speaking families to the community in 1-to-1 Zoom video calls.
During some of the more interactive Zoom meetings Wordly is also used to translate from a non-English language back to English. This is often the only way to communicate face-to-face with newly diagnosed families who do not speak English. This opportunity to connect face-to-face with staff dedicated to supporting their young child with a rare disease is a great benefit to families facing an uncertain future.
Event Spotlight
The FOP Family Gathering is an annual conference for individuals living with FOP and their family. The primary goals are to provide the latest updates on research, clinical trials, disease and care management while also providing opportunities for individuals to connect and learn from one another. The event also includes community social activities which create a fun-focused opportunity for support and connection within the community. Wordly has provided translation services for the past 3 events.
For the 2022 Family Gathering Event IFOPA took advantage of the new Wordly integration with Cvent Attendee Hub. The integration enables attendees to access translation via one click on the “translation tab” followed by the ability to select from 26 languages and the option of reading translated subtitles and / or listening to live audio.
The Family Gathering event drew close to 500 people and approximately 200 non-english speaking attendees used Wordly at the event.
“In partnering with CVENT to host our third virtual Family Gathering since COVID we were able to provide stress-free viewing experiences for our non-English speaking attendees. The Cvent integration with Wordly made it as easy as possible for attendees to join sessions and be able to listen or read captions in their native language from the options available on the presentation window. Not only does the streamlined process make it easy for attendees but it made it convenient for me as the planner to ensure everyone would be able to easily see and access this support.”
Hope Newport, Family Services Manager - IFOPA
Benefits and Results
Over the past 3 years (2020, 2021, 2022) IFOPA has used Wordly translation at over 200 sessions and 3,500 hours for their Annual FOP Family Gatherings, Ongoing Educational Programs, and Family Welcome Calls.
The annual Family Gatherings average 450-500 attendees and the non-english speaking attendees have shared their appreciation for the opportunity to learn from FOP medical and dental experts, researchers, fellow community members, and subject-matter experts and participate in a global FOP community event for the first time ever.
“I greatly appreciated working with Wordly. The team was responsive, supportive and always went above and beyond to find a way to integrate Wordly into our event/program needs.”
“The ease of use, affordable pricing and opportunity Wordly offers is unparalleled and greatly appreciated by our small non-profit which operates with a few employees who all juggle a variety of responsibilities.”
Hope Newport, Family Services Manager - IFOPA
IFOPA Overview
The International FOP Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization supporting medical research, education and communication for those afflicted by the rare genetic condition Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP).
Founded in 1988 by Jeannie Peeper, a woman with FOP, the IFOPA was originally established because Ms. Peeper wanted to bring people with FOP together. Today, the organization has grown to include members across the globe, supports FOP research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine at a rate of approximately $500,000 annually and is a life-support to those who suffer from FOP.
Learn more about FOP and the IFOPA and how you can donate to support families living with FOP.
IFOPA has been working with Wordly since 2020. The partnership is led by Hope Newport, Family Services Manager. Hope began her role as the IFOPA Family Services Manager in April 2018. She holds a Master's Degree in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Missouri and is also a Certified Child Life Specialist. She has close to a decade of experience working with families dealing with chronic conditions from her tenure at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp and the Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City. In her role as Family Services Manager with the IFOPA, she collaborates with families affected by FOP to create programs, services and educational opportunities for the FOP community. Hope is based in Kansas City, Missouri.
Wordly Overview
Wordly works with hundreds of organizations to help bridge the language gap by providing live translation of speakers into audio and captions for 25+ languages at in-person and virtual meetings and events. Wordly is powered by AI versus human interpreters, making it fast, easy and affordable to collaborate across multiple languages at once. To learn more, visit www.wordly.ai.
