At Visualfy we have been fighting for a long time to promote the inclusion of people who are deaf and hard of hearing in society, a challenge that is increasingly gaining relevance. Deaf people have always encountered barriers, obstacles that have been aggravated in recent months with the arrival of the pandemic in our lives. Accessibility in the healthcare field has significantly worsened and Visualfy has put our technology at the service of accessibility to not leave deaf people behind. Recently and in collaboration with the Grupo Ribera Salud, we have implemented our accessibility system Visualfy Places in the hospital of Vinalopó and next year we will launch ‘Timer’, a new functionality to help deaf people take the medication correctly.
The inclusion of deaf people, one of the main challenges of our society
In recent years, social innovation has become increasingly relevant. Humanity still faces many challenges in improving the societies in which we live, making them more inclusive and fair for all. A clear example of this is the Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the UN for the coming years. A commitment to change, but also an opportunity for thousands of committed companies like Visualfy. We seek that our work has a positive impact on the lives of people who are deaf and hard of hearing. Through social innovation, we want to improve their quality of life and contribute to making the world a more inclusive place, where they are guaranteed the same opportunities and rights as the rest.
Social impact is part of our DNA. We belong to a group of companies that understands that the generation of human and social economic wealth necessarily go hand in hand: el movimiento internacional BCorp. Together we are redefining the concept of business success, demonstrating that it is possible to be economically profitable, at the same time as with our work, we help reduce the social and environmental problems that affect our environment.
Visualfy’s mission is to eliminate the communication barriers that deaf and hard of hearing people find in their daily lives. Obstacles that affect the way they interact with their environment, preventing them from developing personally and professionally as anyone else would. They find barriers in their homes, on the street, in establishments and public spaces, in transport, in hospitals, educational centers, etc. For many listeners deafness often goes unnoticed and leaves deaf people out of most accessibility projects, reversing our effort to improve inclusion and failing to comply with current regulations. This is mainly because it is not a disability that is perceived with the naked eye. There is little knowledge about the real needs of deaf people and therefore little awareness.
Visualfy technology, at the service of accessibility also in the healthcare field
In recent years and especially in recent months with the arrival of the pandemic, one of the areas in which this problem has worsened the most is health. Deaf people have a life expectancy five years lower than hearing people, according to this study from the University of Bristol in the UK. Alarming figures that warn us of the urgency to adapt public and private spaces as soon as possible to a collective that does not stop growing: by 2050 1 in 10 people will have a disabling hearing loss, according to WHO data. From Visualfy we have already started to implement a technology that we have created and developed deaf and hearing people, aimed at facilitating accessibility in different spaces, including hospitals and medical centers.
Visualfy Places, a system that ‘listens’ to sounds and translates them into accessible visual alerts
One of the first places in which we have installed Visualfy Places, our accessibility system for public and private spaces, is the Vinalopó Hospital of the grupo Ribera Salud, one of the most accessible in Europe, where its deaf patients already enjoy an experience adapted to their needs. Knowing the barriers faced by deaf people in hospitals, from the Grupo Ribera Salud they have wanted to make an effort in the midst of the pandemic to improve the services they offer making them more accessible and for this they have wanted to count on the help of Visualfy.
Our system ‘listens’ thanks to Artificial Intelligence sounds such as the fire alarm or the signal that indicates the next turn to the patient and transforms them into accessible visual signals. The alerts, customizable and configurable according to the needs of each project, are easily identifiable by users because each is associated with a different color and can be seen in signage lamps strategically placed in the different rooms of the hospital. In addition, the user receives the alerts directly on their mobile through our app, thus ensuring that the notification reaches the user directly and adapts to their needs.
The emergency room and otolaryngology have been the first two locations of the hospital of Vinalopó chosen by Ribera Salud for the first phase of the installation, which will be extended to the entire hospital in 2021. Visualfy Places, reinforces the adaptations for people who are deaf and with hearing loss already offered by the medical center. It has magnetic loops and SVIsual, the service of video-interpretation of Sign Language live.
Timer, the new functionality that reminds deaf people when to take their medicines
Together with our solution for hospitals, Visualfy wants patients to enjoy accessibility at home as well. In early 2021 we will launch ‘Timer’, a new feature that uses our technology to remind deaf people and seniors when their medications should be taken. According to WHO, 50% of the world’s population takes them incorrectly and this is partly due to the communication barriers that are often found in hospitals. Not following the schedule indicated for taking or forgetting a dose, can have a negative impact on the effectiveness of the drug and on the health of patients. For us it is important to be also present in those small moments, in Visualfy we have a commitment to deaf people to eliminate the barriers that are in any area.
These last two projects to improve accessibility to the health system for deaf people, join others, such as the recent installation of Visualfy Places in the libraries of the community of Madrid, the headquarters of the Red Cross and several public buildings in Malaga. We are currently working on new projects in different sectors that will soon see the light, always under the same premise of eliminating the accessibility barriers that deaf people find. Little by little and in collaboration with different autonomies and private companies we are opening the way to achieve an increasingly inclusive society, in which we can all participate and have the same opportunities.
