Changing What's Possible: The Disability Innovation Podcast

Walking difficulties can lead to dangerous falls and limit mobility for people with many different conditions. While devices like ankle foot orthoses (AFOs), complex robotics, and walking aids like canes or walkers can help, they have their downsides. Usually, they're not made with aesthetics in mind, often cost too much, and they can attract unwanted stares and questions from strangers.    In thi...

Imagine being able to play a game, create an important presentation, or engage in a virtual class with just a series of simple words, gestures, and face expressions. This kind of freedom and flexibility to control technology can open doors and create opportunities for many people around the world who can't easily use game consoles, computers, or other devices. With a free app from Cephable (former...

Technology can accelerate learning at school, enhance productivity at work, and create fun ways to play and engage with friends and family. But if you're someone who has difficulty using traditional technology controls like a keyboard, mouse, or game controller, you might feel like you're being left behind. Cephable, formerly known as Enabled Play, is dedicated to leveling the playing field when i...

Planning each day around going to the bathroom can make it difficult to do everything you want in life, and reusing a typical intermittent catheter can put you at high risk for potentially deadly urinary tract infections. For stroke survivors, people with spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and other conditions, intermittent catheterization is the most common way to empty the...

From simple straps to complex robots, many products have been developed over the years to help people with hand disabilities. But most of them aren't suitable for daily use because they're too cumbersome, feel uncomfortable, require frequent charging, or are highly specialized to help with just one kind of task. In the second episode of our two-part interview, you'll hear more about how Hominid X...

Limited hand function can make everyday tasks like cooking, cleaning, or writing difficult for people around the world with cerebral palsy, stroke, and many other conditions. To address these challenges, Hominid X is developing and delivering wearable assistive products that can help people increase their independence and enhance their lives. In this episode, you'll meet Thane Hunt, Founder and CE...

"Disability is the essence of diversity." In this episode, Jonathan Kaufman shares valuable insights on how disabled perspectives enrich our culture, enhance businesses, and spark innovation. We also discuss challenges, changes, and opportunities for the future of disability innovation. Jonathan draws from his own personal experiences as an adult with cerebral palsy, as well as from decades of eng...

Traditional navigation solutions just don't meet the needs of people with limited or no vision, but new innovations are making it easier for this community to access geographic information. Brandon Biggs, CEO of XR Navigation, joins us again for part two of our conversation about his company. XR Navigation is a startup in the 2023 Remarkable US Accelerator Program that is working to improve the ac...

For people with limited or no vision, getting to a new destination can be difficult and frustrating. XR Navigation, a startup in the 2023 Remarkable US Accelerator Program, is working to change this. In our two-part interview, Brandon Biggs, CEO of XR Navigation, talks about how they are using tactile 3D interactive maps, digital auditory maps, and turn-by-turn wayfinding to make navigation more a...

Getting dressed shouldn't have to be difficult or painful for anyone. In this episode, Nicole Cuervo, CEO of Springrose, shares how their adaptive intimates are transforming the way women get dressed. Springrose is one of the startups participating in the 2023 Remarkable US Accelerator Program. Listen to learn more about Springrose and their first product, a bra designed with a variety of features...

Innovation can change millions of lives around the world, and disability innovation often paves the way for new technology that can benefit both people with and without disabilities. In this episode, Remarkable US Director Molly Levitt kicks off season two of our show by highlighting the importance of disability innovation and the demand for affordable, accessible products. She explains Remarkable...

Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation (CPARF) is excited to release new episodes with outstanding guests this season! In this introductory episode, Jocelyn Cohen, CPARF's Vice President of Communications and Engagement, shares updates about the 2023 Remarkable US Accelerator Program and what to expect in this season of the podcast, which starts on Friday, May 12th.

The right wheelchair can transform someone's life by allowing them to attend school, helping them participate in their community, and more. This episode's guests share how their company Participant Assistive Products works to bring affordable, high-quality mobility products to children all over the world. Keoke King, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Participant Assistive Products, describ...

Approximately 15 million people worldwide have a stroke each year, and clinical monitoring after a stroke is critical for early detection of secondary strokes. In this episode, we hear more about the start-up company Nuroflux from Sam van Bohemen, Co-founder, CEO, and CTO. Nuroflux is part of the Remarkable Accelerator Program, and they are creating a wearable system that provides continuous, quan...

This episode features Vacayit, a Remarkable Accelerator Program (#RA22) startup company that created an accessible travel platform for blind and low-vision tourists. Vacayit CEO and Founder Hailey Brown tells us more about the company and how they use audio to share stories, soundscapes, and history from places all over the world. Next, we hear from Lisa McEwan, Head of Content at Vacayit, who dra...

Around 30 million people around the world experience mobility challenges that impact their daily activities. We're excited to introduce you to Biomotum, a start-up company dedicated to developing life-changing rehabilitation robotics to help improve mobility for people with cerebral palsy and a wide range of other conditions and disabilities. Biomotum Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer Dr. Za...

Take control of your own health and fitness with a new exercise app designed specifically for people with disabilities! In this episode, we introduce you to Accessercise, a start-up company in the Remarkable Accelerator Program (#RA22) that helps people with a wide range of disabilities independently achieve their fitness goals. Ali Jawad, four-time Paralympian Powerlifter and Co-Founder of Access...

Virtual reality (VR) has many exciting applications. This episode highlights a start-up company in the Remarkable Accelerator Program (#RA22) that is using VR to enhance rehabilitation and therapy. RecoveryVR CEO and Founder Christian Doran describes how they are increasing engagement and enjoyment during therapy sessions for people with a wide variety of health conditions and disabilities. Our se...

In our conversations with Zoe Davies and Mel Le Bas, we discuss personalized and accessible smart home solutions from the Australian startup company Homeable, a participant in the 2022 Remarkable Accelerator Program (#RA22). As one of the co-founders, Zoe is dedicated to increasing independence and empowerment for people living with disabilities in their own homes. Mel Le Bas shares how she helps...

In this episode, Keith Kirkland and Markeith Price join us to share the story of Wayband and the company WearWorks. As a Co-Founder of WearWorks, Keith talks about how Wayband is changing the way people who are blind or have visual impairments can navigate the world every day. In the second half of this episode, Markeith Price, an elite track and field athlete and two-time US Paralympian with limi...

In this episode, Jocelyn Cohen, Vice President of Communications and Engagement at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation (CPARF), introduces you to CPARF and its mission. She shares why they created this exciting new podcast series focused on disability innovation and what to expect in upcoming episodes starting July 1, 2022. Support CPARF: https://cparf.salsalabs.org/give/index.html