Imagine getting lost so often that you are constantly late to things and missing scheduled events. This was Idan Meir, co-founder of RightHear. Founders of RightHear, Gil, and Idan were originally working on a shopping-related start-up when they realized there was space for a technology that successfully assists people with orientation difficulties or vision impairments.
Israeli start-up, RightHear has adopted the role of equalizing society. The start-up uses a Bluetooth beacon that scans its surroundings and then delivers auditory descriptions as notifications on an app. The beacon is self-sufficient as the app automatically delivers audio notifications, even if the smartphone is in a discreet place. RightHear’s principles endorse equal accessibility to the world and ensure that an individual is not just accurately navigated through a place but also orientated amongst their surroundings. This start-up is imperative for visually impaired people to have an equally immersive experience as a non-visually impaired person.
Marketing director at RightHear, Nicole Afek pinpointed that “only 10% of blind people know braille”, thus the majority of signs and outdoor spaces are actually inaccessible. The talented marketer also brought attention to RightHear being the solution to lots of problems posed by the COVID-19 pandemic for visually impaired people who use braille. Post pandemic, people are warier of touching surfaces, illuminating the dependence on auditory notifications for an individual to comprehend their surroundings. With RightHear’s approach, individuals can equally and intrinsically experience a journey from A to B purely based on auditory descriptions.
A myriad of companies has chosen RightHear’s platform to provide an equal experience for all users. Each company is able to program specific audio descriptions in accordance with their space. “In a nutshell, the platform produces talking signage”, Nicole added. RightHear has partnered with Gett Taxi and Moovit to enable visually impaired users to use public transport independently. Information that would usually be missed such as what bus line is approaching is recognized and delivered to the user. The app is free of charge as Afek stated, “there should not be a price to have an equal and equitable experience of knowing what is going on in your surroundings”.
RightHear gives people the confidence to experience places by themselves as there is limited responsibility placed on the user. The director of marketing pinpointed the lack of accessibility to safety information that visually impaired people experience. She explained, “if you are visiting a space for the first time and you do not know what the emergency information is, RightHear would give you that information”. Vital aspects of spaces ranging from university campuses to museums are often missed by people with visual impairments.
This app provides true accessibility to users. Individuals with disabilities have historically been marginalized, demonstrating the importance of this app to include all people in society.
