Vinsighte

Short Solution Description: 

Vinsighte is building an inclusive world for the visually impaired through the development of an assistive reading software called Visis. Visis uses artificial intelligence technology to aid the visually impaired and blind so they can read printed books and educational materials independently and conveniently. It works by using OCR and text to speech technologies to capture and read printed books aloud. The Visis app also has special features that use computer vision to aid the visually impaired in identifying environments, objects, and colors. 

Visis is integrated into digital devices and distributed to schools for the visually impaired, organizations, and communities of the visually impaired via our partners, community workers, and technology experts. Units of our technology are installed in these institutions with one unit costing $250. Vinsighte also offers a subscription model where visually impaired persons and other students can access the software for an affordable fee of $3 monthly.

The Problem:

Vinsighte is addressing the poor quality and low access to education that affects visually impaired individuals, especially those in Africa where visual impairment is often overlooked. According to WHO’s 2010 global data report, 26.2 million people suffer from visual impairment in Africa. Most of them are unable to read books and educational materials independently, which has further limited their access to inclusive education and job opportunities. Additionally, the World Blind Union estimates that 90% of visually impaired persons are unable to access education through published materials and that rate is higher in developing countries. 

Vinsighte has a mission to alleviate the challenges people with visual impairment face with reading printed books and published materials by giving them access to Visis.

What barriers currently exist for you to accomplish your goals in the next year? 

Some of the challenges Vinsighte might have with accomplishing its goals in the next year is accessing partnerships that would help Vinsighte scale its solution to foreign markets. There may also be a slow adoption of the technology in some foreign countries.