Hearsee Mobility

Assistive technology has moved quickly from something that once felt futuristic to tools that are being tested, used, and improved in everyday life.

This article highlights several examples of enabling technology for people who are blind or visually impaired, including tactile learning tools, illuminated canes, haptic navigation, smart canes, and mobility-focused devices.

That kind of innovation is exciting.

But the most important part is not just the technology itself. It is how that technology is designed, tested, and improved with the people who will actually use it.

For blind and low vision users, access depends on real-world details: safety, reliability, feedback, comfort, navigation support, training, and whether the tool truly makes daily life easier.

The future of accessible technology should be built with community input from the beginning.

Enabling Technology Companies
Enabling Technology for People who are blind or visually-impaired

I am a huge fan of any enabling technology company. If you’re not familiar with the expression, these companies seek to make the world more accessible for people who are blind or visually-impaired. These products may also be classified as assistive technology. I am thrilled to be personally involved with some of the companies listed below. Some of their solutions would have been impossible even a few short years ago. You can read about other enabling technology at Evolutionary Technology and Revolutionary Technology.

Feelif has developed a tactile tablet, designed for children but with future potential for older users. Its technology platform assists with learning Braille, learning shapes and graphical functions, and accessible games.

SeeMe Cane is a blind or white cane which is illuminated along its entire length. This provides better visibility of the user to drivers, especially in reduced lighting situations.

Stridelight is a fall protection cane, designed for people with low vision. Its military grade LED illuminates dark areas, highlighting surface features such as curbs and steps.

Wayband is a haptic wristband that creates a virtual corridor helping someone who is blind, walk and run outside. In other words, this wristband can make navigation hands-free. And that’s a benefit to someone who is blind, or sighted.

WeWALK is a smartcane which provides audio and haptic feedback for obstacle detection (waist height to ~ 7′). It also provides navigational guidance, and a seamless interface to the Alexa technology (no Alexa required).

Enabling technology was science fiction just a few years ago
Science Fiction Key Showing Sci Fi Books And Movies
Enabling Technology Levels the Playing Field
Technology can offset a sensory deficit. Enabling technology may eventually make someone with disabilities super-capable. In this case, I am thinking about some of the research into sending visual signals directly to the brain. And then, someone who is blind might be able to see infrared and ultraviolet light in the future. It’s the blind leading the sighted…

Are You an Entrepreneur Developing Novel Technology for the Blind?
You may want to connect with me for assistance with market testing of your device. I am sighted but have a trusted network of individuals who are blind and are always open to testing novel technology. Most of them are iPhone users which seems to remain the predominant solution in the US. But I do have one or two individuals who can test on Android.

If my tester network loves your innovation, then I am also happy to help with marketing and business development via my blog.

https://theblindguide.com/enabling-technology-companies/

Imagine walking into any building and knowing there is a navigation system waiting for you.

Not a sign on the wall. Not a staff member you have to find. A system built into the space itself. Mapped routes. Location points. Audio guidance connected to the tool you already use.

For most people that is hard to imagine because they have never needed it.

For blind and low-vision people it is not hard to imagine at all. It is just not the reality yet.

That is what Hearsee is working toward. Not a workaround. Not an app that describes a space. Navigation infrastructure that makes every mapped building as navigable for blind and low-vision visitors as it is for everyone else.

What would that world look like to you?



Alt Text:
Blue Hearsee Mobility graphic with a mapped floor plan in the background. Text reads: “What Would It Mean If Every Building Had a Map? Not a visual map on the wall. Navigation infrastructure built in from the start.” Hearsee logo appears in the upper left corner.