Summary
Between April 18 and May 15, 2026, the ECAIR team advanced Project SABAY on three fronts. It validated the tool with the Philippine Association of Speech-Language Pathologists (PASP), progressed a new set of illustrated assets, and presented SABAY at the UK-SEA Digital Health Symposium. SABAY (Screening using AI-Based Assistance for Young Children) is an AI-driven tool for screening learners with disabilities.
Validation Session with PASP
The ECAIR team held a validation session with the PASP, joined by Dr. Ferdiliza Garcia and Ms. Rosemarie Tubilla. The specialists shared what they expect from the tool after screening and once it reaches the field, and endorsed the project. Based on the demo, they see SABAY giving specialists a clear starting point for the further assessment and intervention that follow a screening.
New Assets for SABAY
Working with BLD-SID, ECAIR helped shape a new set of illustrated assets built around a revised SABAY narrative. The illustrations are being produced by the Bureau of Learning Resources (BLR), with ECAIR providing technical direction so the assets fit the desktop and mobile applications. The first assets arrived in late April, and the next set is on the way.
SABAY at the UK-SEA Digital Health Symposium
ECAIR presented SABAY at the UK-SEA Digital Health Symposium on April 10, 2026, to government officials, researchers, scientists, and policy-makers. The session opened new avenues for collaboration, particularly on access to additional open-source data.
The ECAIR Team
SABAY is led by Paulo Medina with James Verdan.