INTRODUCING: Visualfy – Winner of Category 1: Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing
Around 80 million people experience some form of disability in the EU, the European Parliament estimates this number will rise to 120 million by 2024. Persons with disabilities are at risk of various barriers to social and economic inclusion, which could hinder their active participation in society.
The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Agenda pledges that no one is left behind, including persons with disabilities. It reinforces the vital role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a barrier remover for persons with disabilities. Therefore, it is crucial to join efforts at an institutional and international level to identify and promote innovative solutions that leverage the opportunities of ICT to foster equal inclusion of all and bridge the digital divide, particularly for Persons with Disabilities, enabling them to participate in and benefit from the Information and Knowledge Society.
In 2021, ITU held the 3rd edition of the Regional Competition of Innovative Digital Solutions for Accessible Europe. This competition promotes the goals and objectives of ITU, as well as the SDGs, in the specific context of Europe. The competition aims at fostering the research and development of new digital solutions which seek to bring more social inclusion and interaction as well as comfort and quality of life to the daily routine of persons with disabilities, in line with SDG 10 (reduced inequality). Simultaneously, it aims at fostering the innovation ecosystem with a focus on ICT Accessibility, in line with SDG 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure). From the call for the Regional Competition, we had received 97 submissions from 29 countries across Europe.
Manel Alcaide, CEO & Co-Founder of Visualfy
This “Meet the Accessible Europe winners" series introduces 5 awarded winners of the Regional Competition for Accessible Europe which stepped up to develop innovative solutions that empower and make meaningful impact for all people, in particular persons with disabilities. Manel Alcaide, CEO & Co-Founder of Visualfy, shared more with us about Visualfy's story and goals.
Could you tell us more about Visualfy and how did the idea first come about?
Visualfy is a sound recognition system that allows the adaptation of spaces for people with hearing loss. It is based on an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that recognizes sounds from the environment and transforms them into light alerts, shown in alert points distributed in space or user personal devices.
The idea was born 8 years ago when in a meeting in which I was the only non-deaf person, my phone rang vibrated on the table and the other deaf participants said "hey, they are calling you" and I explained that listeners have different types of notifications with different sounds (Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc.) and so from then on we realized that technology could really make a difference to cover countless needs for the deaf community.
How does Visualfy impact the lives of persons with disabilities?
Technically, Visualfy transforms the sounds at home or in a building into visual or sensory signals that the user receives on their mobile phone or any other device. However, the real benefit is to dignify disability. What we achieve by making the buildings accessible through our technology, is to eliminate barriers for deaf people and people with hearing loss.
Visualfy launched Visualfy Places at the end of 2019 and due to COVID, the expansion was slowed down. Therefore, this year means that we will be relaunching our current main product, with the goal and focus in Spain, so that in 2022 we will start internationalization.
What aspects related to the human-centric approach would you like to highlight about Visualfy?
For us, we consider our company as a company of deaf and hearing people. In other words, deaf and hearing people are involved in the whole process, both in the creation of the device, as well as the testing part, and also they provide services to the end-user. We even have investors with hearing loss. This definitely helps us look after our mission.
What are your plans for 2021?
Visualfy plans for 2021 are to establish and expand in our local market, Spain, and specifically in the commercialization of Visualfy Places, with a double impact in public buildings and those of private companies.
How can the international community help innovators like you in achieving further digital inclusion and accessibility?
The international community can impact the improving of digital inclusion and accessibility by being aware of it. That is the first step, something that even though we think we have internalized, we still struggle with.
With regards to digital inclusion, the democratization of ICT is key, so that everyone can access, digitally or in person, the same information, no matter their condition. Last, but not least, we need public institutions to set an example of not generating inequalities in access.
We will be working with the winners and finalists over the next months through the newly launched ITU-Zero Project Partnership, supporting innovators in various domains to leverage their full potential. Please refer to our website and social media channels for upcoming updates of our work. Learn more about the Regional Competition for Accessible Europe and check the shortlisted winners and finalists here: https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Regional-Presence/Europe/Pages/Events/2020/AE21/Regional-Competition.aspx.
