Ona AI

Ona AI – "Ona" is the Swahili word for "See"

Ona AI

Ona AI enables blind, physically disabled and deaf students to navigate learning and productivity tools using AI-driven speech and motion commands.

Nairobi, Kenya

KEN

Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit

Around the world, over 1.3 billion people live with disabilities, yet most digital tools remain out of reach. In low-income regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, the problem is even more severe—where only 10% of children with disabilities attend school, and fewer than 5% of blind students ever graduate from university. The root issue? Today’s learning tools are not designed with accessibility in mind. Over 90% of educational platforms are incompatible with assistive needs, requiring vision, touch, or fine motor control. Only 1% of learning content exists in formats like Braille or audio. In Kenya, accessible assistive technology is either unavailable or unaffordable, especially in rural communities. This digital exclusion locks millions of learners out of opportunity—limiting literacy, skills development, and long-term independence. Ona AI solves this by building a voice- and motion-enabled learning assistant tailored for learners with visual and physical impairments. By replacing keyboards, screens, and expensive assistive devices with intuitive interaction, we’re helping marginalized learners access education, complete coursework, and build skills for the future—on their own terms. In a world that’s going digital, no one should be left behind.

Ona AI is an intelligent, voice- and motion-controlled digital assistant designed to help learners with disabilities access and navigate digital education tools without needing to use a keyboard, mouse, or touchscreen. Through voice commands and simple hand or head gestures, users can perform tasks like writing essays, browsing the internet, attending virtual classes, conducting research, and even designing presentations or coding—entirely hands-free. Ona AI integrates seamlessly with platforms like Google Docs, Canvas, YouTube, and Adobe Creative Suite, allowing users to work across various learning and creative environments. The system leverages Google’s Universal Speech Model for accurate, multilingual voice recognition, TensorFlow for natural language processing, and MediaPipe for gesture and motion tracking. Its machine learning engine continuously adapts to individual users, accommodating different accents, speech patterns, disabilities, and environments. It can also function offline, making it accessible even in low-connectivity settings. Ona AI works across devices—desktops, smartphones, and tablets—and requires no specialized hardware. By transforming complex digital tasks into natural, intuitive interactions, Ona AI gives disabled learners the independence to learn, work, and create on their own terms. Demo: https://youtube.com/shorts/K7m98H_T3vQ?si=c0D9i9HNhCzP64Th

Ona AI serves learners with a wide range of disabilities—visual impairments, physical disabilities (including limb differences and paralysis), hearing impairments, learning disabilities (e.g., dyslexia), neurodivergence (autism, ADHD), low literacy, and temporary impairments—who are routinely excluded from quality education. In Kenya alone, 11.4% of children aged 3–21 have special needs, mostly in rural areas with scarce resources. Globally, over 1.3 billion people live with disabilities, including 150 million children—80% of whom are in developing countries (WHO). Only 5% of students with disabilities complete primary school (Peters, 2003), and 90% of digital learning platforms lack basic accessibility (WebAIM). These learners struggle with inaccessible textbooks, non-adaptive curricula, and digital platforms that demand vision, touch, or fine motor skills. Teachers often lack training in Braille or sign language, and assistive technologies are unaffordable. Ona AI addresses these gaps by providing AI-powered voice and motion navigation, allowing users to access online courses, write assignments, conduct research, and use design tools without traditional inputs. By integrating with platforms like Canvas, Google Docs, and Canva, Ona AI offers real-time sign language interpretation, text-to-speech, and gesture controls, tailored through community feedback. We will partner with schools and organizations to extend inclusive, technology-driven education as we scale globally.