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1ST YEAR ON THE LIST
Accessibility Tech
BlindSquare helps people with visual impairments navigate using audio-based information about their surroundings. Photo Credit: BlindSquare
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KEY INSIGHT
EXAMPLES
DISRUPTIVE IMPACT
EMERGING PLAYERS
Much of our technologyenabled world leaves behind people with disabilities. The World Health Organization estimates that by 2030, more than 2 billion people will need assistive products, but only 10% will have access to such technology. This field is largely growing through small startups solving very specific problems.
Finland-based BlindSquare helps people with visual impairments navigate their surroundings using OpenStreetMap and Foursquare data. The app provides audio-based information about nearby locations such as stores or points of interest and has integrated ride-hailing functionality to create seamless navigation and mobility. Ecuadorian startup Talov offers two accessibility apps. SpeakLiz transforms sound to text and alerts people with hearing impairments about important sounds such as nearby ambulances, motorcycles, or crying babies. The app recently incorporated American Sign Language recognition via the smartphone’s camera. Vision was built to translate surroundings for visually impaired people. Using AI, the app verbally describes what it sees through the phone camera or in pictures. It can read text on a menu or street sign or describe an approaching person. Some AI-based tools such as AccessiBe have been criticized for failing to comply with accessibility standards.
Startups have been leading the way in developing accessible technology, though big tech players have started rolling out more accessibility features including sound notifications, sign language recognition, assistive touch, and voice control that uses sounds in lieu of phrases.
• eSSENTIAL Accessibility • BlindSquare • Talov • AccessiBe • Evinced
While some companies have started using AI-based solutions to assist in making their sites and products more accessible, the algorithms don’t appear to be up to the task just yet. Over 600 accessibility experts, including tech-company employees, signed a document requesting that website operators not use automation tools given known reliability issues. Another issue is funding, especially outside the U.S. For these tools to proliferate, investors will need to reconsider a strategy that has largely ignored this field.
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