{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases/davids-announces-2024-congressional-app-challenge-winner", "Davids Announces 2024 Congressional App Challenge Winner", "2024-12-18", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "KS", "Sharice Davids", "D000629", "davids.house.gov", "davids", "https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Today, Representative Sharice Davids announced the winner of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge for Kansas' Third District: Rafan Shah. Shah is an eighth grader at Aubrey Bend Middle School in Overland Park. His app, NOVA, assists blind or visually impaired individuals in navigating their surroundings through object detection and text-to-speech capabilities.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m incredibly proud of Rafan Shah for using his skills to create an app that makes the world more accessible and inclusive,\u201d said Davids. \u201cNOVA is a great example of how innovation can improve lives, and I\u2019m excited to see it showcased in the U.S. Capitol. I can\u2019t wait to see what Rafan accomplishes next.\u201d\n\n\"NOVA is an application designed to help people who are visually impaired navigate their surroundings with accessible technology,\u201d said Rafan Shah, 2024 Congressional App Challenge Winner. \u201cMost technology that can help the visually impaired is very expensive, so I wanted to make a free and more accessible alternative. After an initial setup, visually impaired people can use my mobile app independently to improve their mobility. I am thankful for the Congressional App challenge and Representative Sharice Davids to select me as the winner and help support me and my mission to make independence more accessible for the visually impaired.\"\n\nShah was inspired to create NOVA after reflecting on the challenges faced by visually impaired individuals and how different their daily experiences must be. His own experience of spraining his ankle and relying on others for assistance gave him a deeper understanding of the importance of independence. NOVA is a solution that empowers visually impaired people to navigate their lives with greater independence, without the burden of costly technology.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases/davids-announces-2024-congressional-app-challenge-winner"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9326220024377108, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}