Kelvin Crosby: 0:06

Welcome to Investing in Accessibility, a Samaritan Partners podcast. We're not waiting for change, we're investing in it. Join us as we speak with entrepreneurs and thought leaders that are focused on creating a more accessible world. Hey, so good to see you, even though I can't see you. It's another beautiful day in the neighborhood, and I'm so excited that you're here at Investing in Accessibility. I'm your host, Kelvin Crosby, and this is CES All-Stars. And Chris Maher and I went to Las Vegas together, and I have to say, because it was still stinky and smelly in Las Vegas, I didn't really get a good whiff of Chris Maher. So we're just gonna talk about all the All-Stars, but a little bit about my being guided by Chris Maher throughout this show today. So let's dive into our first guest today. You ready to go on this journey with me? Let's do this. We got somebody that we we need to introduce you all to, and this would never have started unless it was for this guy. So go ahead and introduce us to our guests real fast.

Chris Maher: 1:20

Hey, so super special treat. And as Kelvin said, the re the only reason that Kelvin and I got to know each, got introduced, became friends, and started this podcast is because of our mutual friend Troy, who is the CEO at a wonderful company called AIRA. Troy, good to see you, buddy.

Troy Otillio: 1:37

Thanks, great to be here. And I was so surprised to see you, Kelvin, but I shouldn't be because you are everywhere, and I can see you with your cane. Like I can see you from across the room.

Kelvin Crosby: 1:47

Well, I think what's amazing is Aira, you got you, Aira as a company has been with me through all of my innovations of the See Me Cane, as well, my pottery business and the partners that we've done together, different projects and so forth. And it's been amazing to see. And then now I'm here working with Chris doing this podcast, I'm just blown away on how the world just kind of pulls us together, and it's just fun to be able to just recelebrate this opportunity.

Chris Maher: 2:18

Well, as I like to say, the universe has a way of conspiring to bring people together, and the universe. I'm very thankful that the universe Troy got had you connect us. But while we've got you, because there's some pretty cool new stuff going on with AIRA, so tell our listeners what's what's what's the latest with AIRA?

Troy Otillio: 2:36

What's the latest with AIRA? Well, what probably isn't as important for people who are blind is to know that we launched ASL, so this is providing on-demand access to interpreters, professional interpreters. But the beauty of it is we now have two products to sell to organizations like airports, and I think that's a real testament to where we started in blind low vision, and we're taking what we learned about building with, and like building with like with you, Kelvin, like spending the time to get to know people and really deeply listen. So that's new. But of course, the thing that I think everyone's excited about, surprise, is AI. Like, and everyone's using AI, and that's that is that is the future, whether it's for accessibility or for me to write proposals, you know, or to check up on how my my teams are doing. But what is unique is we're working with DeepMind over a year ago. We all know we started building AI, and all those sessions created ground truth to build an interactive, proactive AI that we're now testing. And so the trusted tester pool is growing. I can't say how many people are in it, and that AI is getting better. And I do see a future where you're gonna have a choice between using an interactive, proactive, AI-powered agent and a trusted, proactive, you know, real living, breathing, warm, warm to the touch agent. And our job is to build that experience together and synthesize it while always correcting when it's making mistakes and of giving folks choice. And so I'm very excited to be at that forefront and to be working. There are other companies out there developing AI, and it's gonna be our same strategy, whether that's on ASL, whether that's visual interpreting, to combine the two, to have a hybrid approach and really listen to the customer. But I'm excited because one of the barriers to AIRA, let's face it, is cost. So as an individual, there's a you know a high cost relative to all things. And while we're building the network, it's still a brick at a time. But I think AI is gonna be an a new player that's gonna change the the equation. Yeah.

Kelvin Crosby: 4:39

Well, I think the other thing is that as like being a an explorer from literally the Google Glasses era before it was even on the market, and then to where we are today, it it is still mind-blowing to see how we are able to use IR it AIRA as well as use AI to do some of this stuff, and then now you're bringing in interpreting. I think this is one of the key things about this. Having access to the interpreting for free in real time using high quality streaming at at a fast rate, you're the only one that does that for visit or people with who are deaf that need interpreting. And so I think that's one of the key distinctions on what's on the market right now, would you say?

Troy Otillio: 5:25

I would say so, and I think we're at the dawn of something that the founder, remember Simon, when he started AIRA, his unique vision was he never contemplated we'd use AIRA on the phone. It was only on the glasses. And he only contemplated navigation, right? Which is all like if anyone's out there innovating, that the truth is you get started somewhere, and if you're successful enough, you get a foothold. And once you have a foothold and an armhold, then then you can you can do more things. But here we are in 2026, and there's at least three major platforms that are producing wearables. So a giga is a very small but mighty company, they've got their wearable glasses designed for the blind. You've got Meta, which announced that they opened up the SDK, and therefore you can assume and imagine that all companies are gonna have access to the platform natively, and then you got Google XR. And I don't think we're ever putting this genie back in the box, right? I think and I think it's interesting because I think AI was the unlock. Like there had to be enough value beyond listening to Spotify, which is great, beyond just taking pictures, and I think having AI very conveniently, you know, be able to access makes it a wider you know product, wider use. But who knows where it's gonna go, right? Like this is just the beginning, and I think our job is to put AIRA wherever folks want us to be, and sometimes we just need the voice of a customer to move it a little further down the line. But I think you're gonna see us on all major platforms in 26.

Chris Maher: 6:55

Well, I love I love so many things about the recap you just gave is one from the beginning, and you continue to include the community in the products and services you're developing. So that whole idea of inclusive or universal design, which is so critical, you're providing optionality for the community. Some are more comfortable with, you know, an agent, a certified person, versus some people like, you know what, I'm cool with the AI, and so there's convenience, there's flexibility, optionality, which is great. And now you're also going horizontal, and so thank you, Troy, for the work you and your team are doing to support not just the blind low vision community, but now the deaf and hard of hearing community. It's just awesome.

Troy Otillio: 7:33

I'm gonna bring it back to Kelvin. So the truth is, it's hard to run and grow an accessibility company. It's it's hard. You know, the funding levels, it's not the same if I had a data company. I'm a Silicon Valley guy and I got into the space and I love it. But it's a lot harder. And you know what keeps me going is literally meeting people, not because you're blind, but you're an entrepreneur and you don't give up. And that's why I love working at startups. You get people who are just so passionate and can see around the walls and they can break through the walls. And Kelvin, you're someone who like anytime I'm feeling like, oh, this is hard. I think of you and I think of like your focus, your vision, your cane, and then you just give it all. Like I don't care if it's a podcast or meeting you in person. If anyone were to look at you right now, you've got like this harness on, you've got two mics, you've got some kind of mixer like strapped to you, and you've got headphones on and you're cruising around with your Simi cane, it's like there's Kelvin. Like, I think I think you inspire me as the CEO and and everyone out there in this space, like when I can see, and anyone can see, when someone can overcome obstacles, I think that's what keeps us all going. And despite you know the news and the ebb and flow of the politics and all environments, it's really these people like you, Kelvin, that that keep us all going. Thank you.

Speaker 8: 8:49

I think that hey, that was perfectly said, and Troy, thank you for all the work you're doing. Kelvin, he's right. You're an inspiration, my friend. And Troy, once again, thank you so much for connecting the two of us because he's become a dear, dear friend and an important part of my life. So thank you very much.

Kelvin Crosby: 9:06

So as Chris and I went through CES, we went to the first mixer, and this is where we met Troy, and we met a couple other people. We end up meeting this guy named PK, and I tell you we'll find we'll you'll hear more about him later in this episode. How PK became part of m my inner circle of support, but I have to say, what I was realizing is that Chris, we had an agenda, and our agenda was to get as many interviews as we possibly can, me wearing a mixer on my chest, having my two microphones on me, and holding on for dear life to Chris Marher's backpack. Because honestly, there were so many people in this environment, and I was just holding on for my deafl/blind life. So, here's PK.

Paul Kent: 9:59

Hey, we got a special treat here. We're with Paul Kent, who is the founder and CEO at Disabled Life Alliance. Paul, how are you, pal? I'm doing great.

Speaker 6: 10:07

It's nice to be here with all you guys.

Chris Maher: 10:09

So, Paul, give everybody a thumbnail on quickly your background, because your personal story is absolutely bonkers and amazing and inspiring, and then what you're doing at Disabled Life Alliance and why you're here this week.

Speaker 6: 10:21

All right, sounds good. The personal story was that I'm part of the disabled community as of uh four years ago when I underwent an experimental clinical surgical study called the Ewing Amputation, which solved a 12-year chronic health crisis that was trying to kill me. So I'm a happy member of the disabled community. It's also the same time that I were aware of all the unmet needs in the community and all the tremendous innovation that's going on in the community that's not getting the resources necessary to make it change in the community. So Disable Life Alliance, short and sweet, is right at the intersection of that discovery, meets commercialization, meets impact. So we bridge the gap between resources and those that need the resources of the innovators doing it. Awesome.

Speaker 8: 11:07

So I had the good fortune of, Paul, we met through our mutual friend John Parker, who runs a pediatric. Thank you. I'm gonna say that again. So our friend John Parker runs a venture fund that's focused on pediatric healthcare. Great guy, amazing work that he's doing. He's got a great thing going with MIT as well, driving innovation in that area. But he introduced Paul and I, and we became fast friends. And Paul, talk about, for lack of a better term, kind of the the the hub that you're you're building and the marketplace and just some of the innovation that's coming in from a startup perspective.

Paul Kent: 11:40

Yeah, so we're doing it as a broker or as an agent. We're trying to be a broker of all the resources that are required, strategic, capital, you name it. And we're trying to support the asset managers like you, Chris, and Samaritan that are doing things by finding LPs, but also doing the singles and doubles in terms of success stories so we can bring more capital into the space. And because of that, and because we are an access point to resources, predominantly capital, I was inundated with a bunch of inbound, like a fund manager of really amazing opportunities that had real promise and lacked the resources to get it across the finish line or even to the starting line. So I created the Disabled Life Innovation Gateway, and that is nothing more than Zillow for disability innovation, meaning it's not a marketplace, it's an awareness, it's a marketing tool. It's it's a way that when I go out and talk to private funders of all sorts, that I can point them to some of the just the tip of the iceberg of the possibilities. And that really has launched us in 2025 in terms of our funding and our transactional activity, uh the growth in it, the community, the community itself working with itself to introduce resources to each other. It's it's been really awesome.

Chris Maher: 12:53

And a lot of those companies that are part of the gateway are actually here at CES.

Paul Kent: 12:58

Yes, yes, and that's a big reason I'm here. But I also, Steve at CTA, was a big supporter of what we were trying to do a couple years ago, so much so that he introduced me to Alan from the Accessibility 100 list, the inaugural one, that led to some great conversations and again raising awareness. And I think there are eight of our Innovation Gateway members here showcasing their great stuff, and I'm just here to learn and listen and and and try to make a difference.

Speaker 8: 13:25

Awesome. Well, I think that's a great, a great note to end. Paul, good to see you as always, my friend. And uh, we're gonna have you back for a longer conversation about all the great work you're doing.

Kelvin Crosby: 13:33

So, as we're navigating this mixer, there have been a few people that had a little too much to drink at this mixer, and Chris Maher trying to help them out, and he ended running into this lady, and they had a very interesting conversation, and I end up having a living beyond the challenge conversation with this individual as well. So let's see what Teresa has to say.

Chris Maher: 14:02

Our next guest is a special one. It's a good friend, Teresa Reno Weber, who is the CEO of a company called Good Maps, that is one of the leaders in the navigation and wayfinding space. Teresa, welcome.

Theresa Reno-Weber: 14:14

Well, thank you so much. I'm excited to be here with you both.

Chris Maher: 14:17

So tell us a little bit about where Good Maps is today. I know that your technology and the business has advanced a ton in the last 12 to 18 months. So give us an update on where you're at.

Theresa Reno-Weber: 14:28

Oh my gosh, we have so many exciting things that have come forward in the just like you said, the last 12 months or so. So we started with a purpose helping blind and low-vision individuals be able to navigate the indoors independently and confidently. So we do indoor wayfinding that now, because of our technology, can seamlessly direct anybody, regardless of their ability, to their indoor or outdoor destination. And we do that to within 25 centimeters of accuracy without the building needing to install or maintain anything. No beacons, no sensors, no nothing. And our system is available as an app or also on a web map that can be integrated into kiosk, and we've seen hundreds of thousands of users over the last year use the technology.

Chris Maher: 15:12

I know one of the things with your technology, and if you can share with us, please do. But originally it was like a very labor-intensive LIDAR camera type thing, but that's evolved dramatically, which has been transformational basically. Can you share any insight into that?

Theresa Reno-Weber: 15:27

Absolutely. So it used to be that we only could take a professional survey of a huge indoor space or even a small space using a LIDAR device that our team had to bring on site. In the last year, we launched the ability to use an iPhone or an iPad so that anybody could actually survey their indoor space, send us the information, and we can create a high fidelity digital map and then train our positioning system without ever having to go on site.

Kelvin Crosby: 15:54

That's awesome. That's phenomenal. So I'm a site in. We're gonna try this at CES. You got Excalibur figured out, that's where we're staying. I can't navigate that hotel.

Chris Maher: 16:08

Yeah, that's that's kind of a nightmare, that hotel. So, but that speaks to tell us like the use cases, or I guess who are like the typical clients that are starting to use your technology and your platform.

Theresa Reno-Weber: 16:20

So we always say that this is ideal for any complex indoor environment or a complex space. So we are in airports across the US, the UK, and now emerging into Europe and Canada. We have 39 airports right now, everybody from PDX or Portland International Airport to Austin, to Louisville, to Nashville, to Cincinnati, and we're got some other really big ones on the horizon. So we're really excited about that. We are fully deployed in Calgary, Milan, a couple of other international ones. College campuses for that indoor-outdoor wayfinding experience for students, for parents, for visitors, metro and train stations, and what we're really excited about are conference and hotel venues. You just mentioned Xcaliber? Yep. Is that where you're at? Yeah, that's where we're staying. Yeah, so we are talking to several casinos and hotels here this week while we're in Vegas. So maybe next year you'll be able to use good maps to navigate more spaces here in the future.

Kelvin Crosby: 17:16

Well, I don't have a plan to go stay at Excalibur next next year.

Chris Maher: 17:19

So one thing you one thing you mentioned earlier, and then we're gonna let you go. You you mentioned that you're starting to see that it's not just the blind, low vision community using your app and the technology. And so one of the things that I've seen is that like people who have neurodiversity, they want to like check, like kind of map things out before they go there. I would imagine the aging population that's just wary of going into new spaces. Can you share any data with other areas of the population that are using Good Maps?

Theresa Reno-Weber: 17:49

We don't have any individualized information about the users, right? We don't keep or capture that, but we have done over 200 individual user acceptance tests with individuals across different spectrums. So folks who are neurodiverse, folks who are of different ages or generations, individuals who are mobility impaired, deaf, deaf blind. We've got folks who are on that spectrum, and we're working every day to try to figure out how to make that more accessible for more people. We just launched, as I mentioned, Nashville International Airport in September. And in the month of September alone, we had over 15,000 uses of the GoodMeath platform at Nashville. That is not just blind or low-vision individuals using the platform. So we know that just like you said, all of us struggle when we get into unfamiliar spaces or even spaces that maybe we once were familiar with, but they become intimidating as we age or as they change the indoor environment, which many places are doing often. So we're really excited that this is truly what we all know to be true about accessible technology. You develop it for a specific group and a need, and then it serves all of us.

Chris Maher: 18:53

Hopefully Good Maps could become the next curb cut, the next caption. So congratulations, Teresa. Amazing the progress you folks have made, and hope you have a fantastic 2026.

Theresa Reno-Weber: 19:04

Thank you, you guys too.

Kelvin Crosby: 19:06

As we look at Aira and we look at Good Maps, and I'm really a deaf, blind individual. Things in the world are starting to come together, and I'm super excited. But the thing is, is I still have to run around and CES the next day after these three interviews that we just heard. And we're gonna find that I'm gonna be holding for my dear life with Chris. And he's gonna be pulling me through crowds, and we're we eventually will start doing the cha-cha dance. I mean, we do the cha-cha-cha-cha-cha, you know? And honestly, we kind of kinda working together as a good team. Get to point A to point B as we possibly could. And I always like to say, I'm just a good luggage that just kind of lugs on lugs around with all the equipment. And we're getting these interviews. So the first guest that we interviewed. In the Exhibit Hall.

Chris Maher: 20:02

Well, we're here with uh Alex Russamanno, who's the CEO of New Haptics, and he's going to tell us about his company.

Alex Russamanno: 20:08

Yeah, so a pleasure to meet you, and I have with me as well my co-founder, Sile O'Modhrain, and we are building a multi-line refreshable Braille display. So this is a way that blind people, particularly those that read and use Braille, can interact with computers. So on the surface of our device, we instead of a visual screen, we have these dots that are raised on the surface, and we can use those to render Braille so that someone when they're using the computer can read and interact with Braille.

Chris Maher: 20:34

Awesome. And are you guys in market yet?

Alex Russamanno: 20:37

Yeah, so we're releasing our first product here at CES. So this is Codex. It's a four-line by 32 cell refreshable braille display. So yeah.

Speaker 8: 20:44

That's super. Sile, anything you'd like to add?

Sile O'Modhrain: 20:47

Yeah, I think for me, what's important about this device is that we've really focused on high quality Braille and an interactive surface so that you can touch the surface anywhere and kind of edit the text that you're writing just underneath your fingertips. So trying to make it as seamless as we possibly can for people to work with Braille reading, with math, with computer code, with anything that they need to be able to write in a really interactive and intuitive way.

Chris Maher: 21:16

Amazing, thank you. And Alex, how can people learn more about new haptics?

Alex Russamanno: 21:20

Yeah, of course, you can just go to our website at newhaptics.com. That's N E W H A P T I C S dot com. Hear a little bit more about codecs and the specs that are, yeah. Feel free to reach out to us uh through the contact page there too if you have any questions.

Chris Maher: 21:34

Awesome. Thanks, guys, good to see you.

Kelvin Crosby: 21:36

So as I experienced the Braille, I'm realizing this is pretty cool. And I know a lot of my Braille reader friends, you're gonna be amazed by this. So you're gonna have to wait until CSUN to get more experience on that. But as we started navigating, I started getting into a groove. I have my water on my backpack, and I'm like, I I got this. But then I'm standing there waiting, being patient with Chris, you know. And then next thing you know, he disappears. And I'm thinking, wait, did I just get left behind? Man, I'm all alone. No nobody there to help me. And then somebody comes up to me and says, Are you needing help? I said, No, I think I'm okay. I I I had my my partner, but he's not here. And the the person says, Who are you looking for? I said, I'm looking for a guy named Chris. And then lo and behold, like two minutes later, Chris shows up, like, hey Kelvin, let's keep going. I'm like, hey, at least I've been found. So we go on to the next booth and let's check that out.

Chris Maher: 22:57

We're here with a really cool company, and we're with the co-founders, Arman and Anthony, and their company is called Good Trouble, and they're in the accessibility intelligence space, but I'm gonna let Arman tell you what that means.

Arman Nobari: 23:10

Hey there, my name is Armand Nobari, co-founder of Good Trouble. So in the world today, there's over 600 million gamers with disabilities. That's one in three gamers worldwide who can't just pick up any old game and trust that it meets their needs. Incredible gaps of access prevent games from becoming someone's favorite game because they don't anticipate and provide support for their accessibility-related needs. We partner with major game studios from award-winning indies all the way up to Triple A Giants to ensure that every game made is made for every gamer.

Chris Maher: 23:39

That's awesome. Well done, my friend. Anthony, anything you'd like to add or did Armand get it all?

Anthony Gibson: 23:43

Armand did a pretty great job. It's just that I would just like to add that we really unlock the ROI potential for game studios and publishers of all sizes. We're really democratizing access to the intelligence products to make better games.

Chris Maher: 23:57

Love it. I love it. And then how can people find out more about you guys?

Arman Nobari: 24:00

Head on over to goodtrouble.games. You can check out a product we make called AbleToPlay, which matches gamers to games based on accessibility preferences, or our new product we've just announced called Lighthouse, which is for the people who produce games, the game studios and the publishers, to ensure that the games they're making are made for every gamer.

Kelvin Crosby: 24:17

Awesome. Thanks guys. We'll see you soon. See, I'm really excited about this. Being able to have more accessible games for people with disabilities. You know, that's awesome. So Chris and I keep on going. We end up getting some lunch. I got some burgers and the fries, and Chris got a a biscuit that was a little too dry with some sausage and egg and cheese. And we were just like, Alright, we got this. We're moving along. And Chris over here, he's like, Man, I'm starting to get worn out. I'm like, I'm doing just fine. I'm just moving along. Going to one interview to the next. And at least I got my water. I'm still holding on to Chris's backpack for my dear life while we move. Because if I lose track of Chris, I might get left behind again. And then he will never be able to find me. You know? Hey, at least I got my See Me Cane, so maybe I could just throw that in the sky. But let's go on to our next guest.

Chris Maher: 25:12

We are over here at the Glidance booth with our good friend Amos Miller, who is the founder and CEO, and they are revolutionizing or creating revolutionary technology for the blind community. So, Amos, good to see you, pal, and tell us a little bit more about Glidance.

Amos Miller: 25:26

Chris and Kelvin, it's great to see you both. Yeah, so Glidance is a company that we've been around for a few years now, and my focus as a founder, I'm I'm blind myself. I've always looked for ways that we can use advancements in technology to really make a difference to independent mobility. Started some, did a lot of work over the years at Microsoft. You developed Soundscape, which is one of the navigation apps, but I really reached the conclusion that there's so many blind people out there that just either don't are not confident cane user or are looking for some other options in their life as well as a mobile from for mobility. And what we need is a new kind of mobility aid that is physically connected to the ground and physically guides the person that uses all the amazing things that the advancements that we get from AI and robotics and technology and packages it into a mobility aid that is super easy to use. You hold the handle, you just walk and Glide gear leads the way.

Chris Maher: 26:21

That's amazing, Amos. And are you guys now offering this to the market and people can purchase this?

Amos Miller: 26:28

So we'll start sales in the summer.

Chris Maher: 26:30

Awesome. And can people pre-order or are you already booked up on pre-orders?

Amos Miller: 26:33

We are booked up on pre-orders right now, and we'll start rolling out pre-orders very soon and uh re reopen for sales in the summer. Yeah, it's a new mobility aid, autonomous mobility aid. You hold the handle, you just walk and it guides the way, two little wheels on the ground. It's a great experience.

Chris Maher: 26:49

Amazing. It sounds like Kevin, we're gonna have to have Amos back for a longer conversation.

Kelvin Crosby: 26:52

I'm looking forward to it.

Chris Maher: 26:53

Alright, thanks, Amos.

Kelvin Crosby: 26:55

As a deaf blind individual, I'm super excited about Glidance. I'm excited to see how it it does over the next few months and when they come to market here in the in a coup a few more months. And honestly, it it can be a massive game changer for us visually impaired people to get to point A to point B. And honestly, there's just times where this tool could be really beneficial for really good long distance walking. It's not too hard on your arms, not too hard on your legs, and it's not too hard on your wrists. It's just a simple machine that moves forward. So Chris are Chris and I are just moving along. We go to the next booth, and I I'm realizing, you know, I think I'm gonna be Robin and Chris is gonna be Batman. And we're gonna call ourselves Batman and Robin. Because honestly, I'm riding his backpack to make sure I stay connected to him at all ti all times and I don't get lost in this massive conference. Because again, as a deaf blind person, if I get lost, it's gonna be a mess of a situation. So I just started saying, We're the Batman and Robin team, and I'm holding I'm connected to the sidecar by connecting to his backpack. So, hey, at least I was always there and he was able to keep me moving forward. So let's check out our next booth.

Chris Maher: 28:20

We're catching up with a very good friend of the podcast and a dear friend of my own, Miss Molly Lazarus, who runs the Remarkable Accelerator, who we have an entire podcast episode with coming up. But they've got an awesome presence at CES with a number of fantastic companies and Molly, tell us what's going on here.

Molly Lazarus: 28:38

So we brought four of our startups from the Remarkable Accelerator, the four that were in our program this year, and we said, why do demo day in the traditional way? We should actually just bring them to CES, which is increasingly, as I'm sure you're noticing, becoming the accessibility and disability hub. Get them a booth, get them to meet everyone and anyone, and let the magic happen.

Chris Maher: 29:00

Awesome. And quickly, Molly, for people who want to learn more about Remarkable, where do they go?

Speaker 1: 29:04

Find me on LinkedIn, Molly Lazarus. You can go to remarkable.org, and we are funded by the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation, and you can learn more at cparf.org.

Chris Maher: 29:17

Awesome. Great to see you, Molly.

Kelvin Crosby: 29:19

So I'm super excited for about Molly Podcast that's gonna be coming out. I'm gonna tell you, CEO and founder health is and mental health, it's such an important thing. And that's something that we're gonna be addressing in that podcast. So as Chris and I keep moving along Chris keeps looking at his phone and then walking and not telling me that he's moving, and I keep getting left behind. I'm like Chris? Chris Chris Chris No response. And he'd come back oh I'm so sorry, Kelvin. So sorry. I was so we're going to six hundred some odd booths and I'm like, alright, let's do that. And I lock back on w with to the dash pack and we get moving again. And I'm realizing I just gotta just roll with the punches. It's just be a good luggage. Just hold on, be there, be ready to keep going. Be ready to press record. Well, this next one. I I was ready, but I found out you know, you needed to be a certain weight for this one.

Chris Maher: 30:37

This one is a fascinating product around mobility. Alek Melachenko and Kyra Chester -Paul of ReviMo. Alek, we're gonna start with you as the founder and CEO. This mobility device that you folks are have built and is now going to market.

Alek Malashchenko: 30:51

So we created a special robotic transfer device for people who currently require one or two caregivers and a whore lift just to get out of bed and go to the bathroom. With our device, they can do it completely independently. It's inspired by my personal experience with my grandfather who was paralyzed after a stroke, and he always wanted to be more independent. So I used my technical background to create this new robotic transfer device.

Chris Maher: 31:15

It's it's amazing, and that lived experience, which is infused in so much of the work that we do and the entrepreneurs that we meet and try to support. Kyra, what what would you add to that?

Kyra Chester-Paul: 31:26

Yeah, absolutely. So I'm the medical liaison here at ReviMo. I joined after having worked in the EMS, so ambulance service industry, and just seeing how hard it is for patients to transfer at home and hospitals and facilities, and how we're really able to bring some dignity and independence to the end user is really something that inspires us every day to keep going here at ReviMo.

Chris Maher: 31:46

That's awesome. And I and folks, listeners, I tried it. It's pretty amazing. So, how can people learn more about it? There was a there's a little bit of a weight limit with this version of it, but that is gonna here, here's Alek.

Alek Malashchenko: 32:03

The current version is up to 250 pounds, but we are already working on the bigger version up to 400 pounds.

Chris Maher: 32:08

And then how can people learn more about it and and even try to pre-purchase?

Alek Malashchenko: 32:12

I think the best way is to go to our website. It's revimo.care r-evimo.care.

Chris Maher: 32:20

Awesome, guys, congratulations and we'll see you soon.

Kelvin Crosby: 32:23

Well, besides being a little too heavy for this one, it is a pretty awesome piece of equipment that's gonna help people with getting out of bed and going to the restroom and doing the simple tasks of everyday life. A lot easier. And I I I'm realizing something here. CES is really becoming a place to give access for all people with disabilities and without disabilities. And one of the things that was really starting to become evident in all the conversation we were having was accessibility becoming part of the mainstream conversation. It's not quite there yet, but it was getting there. And as Chris and I started really diving into other conversations and navigating the conference in different ways, we ran into a booth that honestly I became a really big fan, and it really focused around services for people with disabilities so that they can get better access to things to be able to do simple things in life. And so let's check out this booth.

Chris Maher: 33:30

Because we're here with another exciting company, it's called PathAble AI. We are here with the founder, Burt Brooks. And Burt, tell us about what you guys are building here at PathAble AI.

Burt Brooks: 33:39

So we're building an AI platform for people with disabilities and the staff who support them. We're hoping to scale vocational supports. We've seen this system, people are stretched, overstretched. They have caseloads of anywhere from 25 to 100 or more people. So while one person is being served, 99 or more are not getting the support they deserve. And workers with disabilities, studies have shown again and again, provide value to companies, but the systems we have to support them are not cutting the mustard, in my opinion.

Chris Maher: 34:13

No, I listen, I'm living this right now. Our family, my youngest daughter, who's 19, she's in a transition program right now, and then is gonna age out at 22, and then we hit the cliff and have to figure out all this stuff that you guys, it sounds like are building a playbook for. So, where are you in the evolution of the company? Are you in market? Are you like providing your services? Tell us more about that and where people can learn more.

Burt Brooks: 34:34

We are so early morning bird bacon and breakfast, we're just there. We're about 70% through our MVP. I left my position about six months ago, brought on my technical co-founder about four months ago. But we've been very happy to see some great traction with organizations and schools, transition programs, even colleges that really want to see the value in what we're building, and we're gonna be running pilots this year because we want to co-design with the people who know what they're doing and do it best.

Chris Maher: 35:04

Super smart. So, where can people go to find find out more about Pathable AI?

Burt Brooks: 35:08

PathableAI.com, certainly.

Chris Maher: 35:11

Alright, awesome. Thank you so much, Bert. Good luck and we'll talk to you soon.

Kelvin Crosby: 35:14

After interviewing this booth, I started realizing how important this service and the software that they're building is gonna be for people with disabilities to gain access to the services that they need. And honestly, I became a big fan really, really quick. And I think as we build out more AI and more access for all, we we're gonna be able to create more speedy services, we're gonna be able to give access to all people with disabilities, to be able to have a more even playing field. And I just became very, very exciting. But here's the thing Chris keeps looking at his phone and walking away, and I'm like, Chris, Chris, where you be? And he eventually come back, but it might be five minutes later, but hey, at least I didn't get left behind. He he just got distracted and would just walk away. Let's check out our next booth.

Chris Maher: 36:14

We got a really exciting company here. We're with the co-founders Patrick and Brian, and their company is InnoSearch, and they're doing some amazing stuff in accessibility. And so, Patrick, let's start with you. Tell us about InnoSearch.

Patrick Long: 36:25

Yeah, absolutely. InnoSearch is the shopping platform for the blind and low vision. We make it very simple and easy for them to shop. Ryan, right here, will talk a bit about the technologies we've been building behind InnoSearch.

Bryan Vuong: 36:36

Yeah, absolutely. Thank you, Chris, and thank you, Patrick. So when we be with InnoSearch, we have to develop a lot of technologies to support the blind low vision communities. And now we are opening those technologies to the businesses. So we have to be with the voice AI agent on the phone line. We have every business to put together a customer service using AI in just a few minutes. Um that is fully accessible by the phone line, by web, people can speak, people can talk to the AI agents and can take the actions on behalf of the users. Like putting in an order, booking a reservation, uh looking for certain information.

Chris Maher: 37:15

That's fantastic, guys. So if I'm a consumer, how do I find InnoSearch?

Patrick Long: 37:20

You can find InnoSearch at InnoSearch.ai. And all the B2B functionality Brian's been talking about you can find that at Accessta.ai. That's A C C E S S T A dot AI.

Chris Maher: 37:36

Awesome guys. Congratulations on the work you're doing, and we'll talk to you soon.

Kelvin Crosby: 37:39

Thanks. As we get towards the end of the day, PK ends up coming around and we him and I started heading off making jokes and making fun of Chris all at the same time. It was great. And I I'm realizing to survive CES as a deaf blind individual, you just gotta just keep going forward. Keep walking and just keep enjoying yourself because it's gonna be a lot of walking. And you're gonna be coming back pretty sore. But the most important about what happened this year in CES is that this is the biggest accessibility spotlight that CES has ever had. And I remember when I went back in 2019 and 2018, it it wasn't nearly this big. But super exciting to see how far it's come in uh really focusing on accessibility for people with disabilities. Well, as we land onto the last interview we did, and yes, there was a lot more that we did at CES. And but this one was my favorite because if you don't know my story, me as a deaf blind individual, but I've always wanted to sing. I sang one song and I was for my w my wedding, and to sing that song required me feeling the piano. And I had to feel the vibration to match my voice so that way I can be somewhat on tune. But this next product that we found literally changed everything for me. And I started realizing that this product could be the key to possibly teaching me how to sing. And man, let's check it out. And I tell you, I became Michael Jackson in the day, man. So Chris Maher to do this to this guy.

Chris Maher: 39:49

This was perfect because we were definitely running out of gas, it's getting late in the day, and this company infused you with a bolt of energy I have never seen with you, Kelvin. You were cutting a rug, as you say, like Michael Jackson, but we are we are here with the found with the founder and CEO of a company called Tactus. It's Jeremy Chow. Jeremy, tell us what you're doing here at Tactus.

Jeremy Chow: 40:11

Thank you so much, guys. So here at Tactus, we're making a wearable device that translates music into vibrations, and our whole goal is to make music more inclusive for the deaf community, more inclusive and accessible, giving them the joy of music.

Kelvin Crosby: 40:26

Well, I think one of the things about me, and as a deafblind individual, when I put this on, I came alive. It was like I was able to take because it okay. So for people to understand, my hearing loss is pretty severe. But with hearing aids, I can hear. I can do basic tasks. But there's something that I miss all the time in music. And when I put this on, I was like, oh, it's there. That's what I've been missing. And I was like, ah, I'm alive.

Chris Maher: 40:56

For our listeners, as I said, Kelvin, I mean it was instantaneous. When you put on the vest and Jeremy started the music, I it was it was like a bolt of energy went through your body. It was it was awesome to see. And and and you got some good moves there, my friend. Yeah.

Kelvin Crosby: 41:16

Hey, I might be white but I got some moves.

Chris Maher: 41:17

You do. So, Jeremy, where are you guys in the commercialization of this? Can people actually purchase it now or is it pre-orders? Tell us more about that.

Jeremy Chow: 41:24

Yeah, so we just launched our product actually two months ago in November in Tokyo. We were official partners of the Tokyo 2025 Deaf Lympics. We were exhibiting there, we're engaging and meeting folks from all around the world, deaf individuals, deaf athletes, attendees from all around the world, everyone just sharing music, everyone dancing like Kelvin did, grooving to Michael Jackson, to Japanese pop music, all kinds of music. We did some events while we're there, and yes, we launched there, we got some buyers, and yeah, we are selling these on our website now. Go to Tactusmusic.com and you can purchase one and take one home.

Chris Maher: 42:04

That's awesome. And you spell that T-A-C-T-U-S, and we'll put links in the show notes. But Kelvin, should we fire up the vest and get you dancing as we sign off?

Kelvin Crosby: 42:13

Hey, I'm I'm I'm down. I'm down. I tell you, I'm not sure how we why we want me to sing at the moment.

Chris Maher: 42:18

Maybe not. But Jeremy, thank you so much and congrats, and uh, we'll see you soon.

Kelvin Crosby: 42:23

So as our last full day wrapped up at CES, we're getting ready to leave. And PK and I and Chris are going to go get an Uber and go to really cool mixer that we're gonna be going to. And I'm like, alright, I think this is gonna be cool. So we go to the bathroom and we order the the Uber. Chris orders the Uber and both PK and Chris just start walking. And I'm just standing there. I'm like, where did they go? Where do they go? They're gonna make me walk back to the hotel? I don't really wanna do that. And next thing you know they realized they didn't have me. And thankfully they came back for me. That was kind of the story of CES. It's just getting left behind and then them having to come back for me. I mean it wasn't the worst thing. But hey, we we learned a lot. And I tell ya, I'm so thankful for Chris. Just not fully he he would forget for a second, but he always came back for me. And I think what's so amazing through this whole experience, uh Chris and I w working together at CES is that Chris allowed me to be able to do what I do best, is getting interviews, but also introduce me to people that I've never meet ever in my life. And helping me work through my deaf blindness. Because that is one thing that I struggle with as a deaf blind individual is meeting people. Because people don't really know how to handle somebody like myself that can't see and can't really hear at all. And how do you work with somebody like that? And what was cool is Chris was really good at helping bridging that gap for me. So Chris, as you're gonna be editing this and putting in the final caption for this, I thank you for bringing me along and allowing me to be a good peek of piece of luggage, and we became Batman and Robin. So as we all look at this, what was CES? CES was groundbreaking in a whole different way than it ever has before, because they had front stage of every half hour a new thing related to accessibility. They also had people talking about AI and how that's gonna impact the disability community, and the amount of people talking about accessibility with AI got even bigger. And you're gonna need to pay attention to next week, the next episode with Joe, and how his results on the accessibility of AI, because honestly, that those numbers are gonna be shocking, and I tell you, it's already been edited, it's already been uploaded, and I'm gonna tell you right now, you're gonna be surprised. And what's nice, we're ahead of the game. So, as we wrap up, as I always say, go live, beyond the challenge, and I'll see you in two weeks. Thank you for listening to Investing in Accessibility, a Samaritan Partners podcast, where we invest in change for accessibility, not wait for change. If you want to follow us, you can find us on YouTube or LinkedIn at @Samaritan Partners. If you would like to invest in Samaritan Partners, email Chris at chris@samaritanpartners.com. If you'd like to learn more about us, go to www.samaritanpartners.com. You can take the first step in investing in change by giving us five stars and sharing this podcast with everybody that you know so we can spread the word so that we can give access to all by Investing in Accessibility.