May 16 is Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). As the founder of iBraille, this day resonates with me personally and professionally. My company is all about advancing global accessibility so that more than one billion disabled people can live with equality and dignity.
In celebration of GAAD, I dedicate this post to two of the most innovative products that will have a major impact on the lives of deafblind people. Of course, highlighting these life-changing innovations here does not mean there aren’t others out there. But this year, they stand out for me as a deafblind person.
The power of touch in a robotic hand
IMAGE: A black, five finger robotic hand on top of a box with a white top and black buttons for control
Touch is powerful. It nourishes the soul. It allows us to express ourselves and to understand another’s feelings. For deafblind people, touch is a way of life, of perceiving things and communicating needs.
The Tatum T1 is a true revolution in touch. It represents a big leap in the quest to find a solution that empowers deafblind people to communicate and access information. For those who can hear or see, there are many more ways to communicate than there are if one is both deaf and blind.
The robotic hand produces human-like tactile sign. This means that a deafblind person who prefers to communicate through sign language is left behind no more. Although it seems to be promoted as a representation of “signing culture,” I think this revolutionizes communication and information access in the digital landscape regardless of whether one uses sign language or not.
But society needs to do much more to empower deafblind people to communicate in today’s world. We need to invest more in products like the Tatum T1. With the days of analog-based Braille phones behind us, many deafblind people do not have access to video phones, and those who do find them to be ineffective. As far as I know, T-Mobile IP Relay is the only existing Internet-based option for making and receiving calls, and it is very difficult for the average person to use.
Glide: The transformation of independent travel
IMAGE: A side view of the Glide with a black vertical pole and a white handle with a black grip.
I first encountered the Glide at this year’s CES. It is a marvelous piece of innovation. Something that truly represents the future of safe and independent travel for blind and deafblind people.
I first test Glided my way through a crowded setting at CES. I did another test drive during the CSUN Conference. It continued to amaze me. I navigated effortlessly through different obstacles, with the smart cane turning smoothly left or right.
Glide is not just a smart cane. It is an incredible mobility device that contains advanced cameras and sensors. It is powered by AI and robotics to empower the blind and deafblind to travel with confidence. Simply put, Glide is a next-level mobility solution that breaks down barriers to exploring one’s world.
Although Glide utilizes voice output to provide navigational information, haptic is incorporated into the product. Just like my iPhone uses vibration to alert me to a variety of events, Glide provides haptic feedback to help the user safely navigate around. To me, Glide is really like a guide dog, because the user is ultimately responsible for determining direction and making other travel decisions.
Let’s give a big shout-out to Samantha Johnson and her Tatum Robotics team and Amos Miller and the Glidance crew for helping to advance global accessibility. AI and robotics are transforming disabled people’s lives like never before. Their respective products also embody genuine freedom and the height of creativity.