The 2025 CSUN Assistive Technology Conference marked a significant milestone—its 40th anniversary. For four decades, the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference has served as a global platform for showcasing innovations that enhance accessibility and foster inclusion. This year, developers, researchers, advocates, and users from across the globe convened to explore how emerging technologies are shaping a more equitable future.
Every member of our marketing and engineering teams attended the conference, joined by colleagues from other departments. Together, we explored groundbreaking advancements, reconnected with the community, and gained valuable insights into the evolving assistive technology landscape. We left inspired by the conversations, demonstrations, and visionary solutions we encountered. Among the many innovations featured, these five technologies stood out for their ingenuity, practical application, and potential to expand access:
What It Is:
Aira is a visual interpreting service that connects blind or low-vision individuals with trained agents via smartphone or smart glasses. These agents provide real-time visual guidance, assisting users with activities such as navigating public areas, reading printed text, and operating digital devices.
What’s New at CSUN:
CSUN Highlights:
While we did not speak directly with users, case studies presented at the conference illustrated how Aira supports a wide range of daily experiences—from job interviews and airport travel to accessing signage and printed information. Its growing integration across higher education, retail, and public transportation reflects its expanding reach.
Why It Matters:
Aira sets a high bar for inclusive, real-time support. Its dual capabilities in visual and sign language interpreting position it as one of the most adaptable and impactful assistive technologies available today.
What It Is:
ASL Flurry is a free, gamified language-learning app designed to make American Sign Language more accessible and engaging. It features vocabulary games, flashcards, and multiplayer challenges, all presented by a diverse group of Deaf signers.
Key Features:
CSUN Highlights:
ASL Flurry’s booth buzzed with activity as Deaf and hearing attendees engaged in fast-paced games and vocabulary challenges. Educators and families praised the app for its intuitive interface, cultural authenticity, and versatility in both academic and informal settings.
Why It Matters:
ASL Flurry makes sign language learning more approachable and culturally informed. It empowers users of all proficiency levels to improve their communication skills in a playful, inclusive, and meaningful way.
What It Is:
The MouthPad^ is a wireless, tongue-controlled Bluetooth touchpad developed by Augmental. Custom-molded to fit comfortably on the roof of the mouth, it enables users to control digital devices using tongue gestures alone.
Key Features:
CSUN Highlights:
The MouthPad^ captivated attendees as one of the most innovative exhibits at the conference. Stories included students completing assignments, veterans reconnecting with loved ones, and artists designing digital content—all independently and hands-free.
Why It Matters:
This pioneering device expands digital access for users with physical disabilities. It exemplifies how inclusive design and thoughtful engineering can empower individuals to engage with technology in new and liberating ways.
What It Is:
Be My Eyes connects blind and low-vision users with sighted volunteers via live video for on-demand visual support. Its latest feature, Be My AI, leverages artificial intelligence to deliver immediate image descriptions and document reading—without requiring a live connection.
What’s New:
CSUN Highlights:
Be My Eyes announced new partnerships with airports and airlines, expanding the platform’s utility within travel and transit settings. Attendees shared how Be My AI supports everything from identifying food packaging to navigating unfamiliar locations.
Why It Matters:
Be My Eyes exemplifies the synergy between human-centered support and emerging AI capabilities. It empowers users with flexible, personalized tools to meet a wide range of daily needs independently.
What It Is:
SignGlasses delivers live ASL interpretation and captioning through augmented reality smart glasses. The visual overlay appears directly in the wearer’s line of sight, allowing users to stay engaged with their surroundings without shifting focus.
Key Features:
CSUN Highlights:
Attendees who tried SignGlasses described the experience as seamless and user-friendly. Feedback from educators and professionals emphasized how the technology enhances accessibility in fast-paced or visually complex environments.
Why It Matters:
SignGlasses represents a leap forward in wearable communication access. By delivering real-time interpretation and captioning in a heads-up format, it supports more natural, integrated interaction in diverse settings.
While the technology on display was compelling, it was the people behind the innovations—and those who benefit from them—who made CSUN Assistive Technology Conference especially meaningful. We connected with individuals who shared how assistive tools support their autonomy, confidence, and participation in everyday life.
We also met industry peers equally committed to advancing inclusive solutions. One attendee expressed it best: they felt seen—not just by the tools showcased, but by the purpose and passion behind them.
Several key themes emerged across the innovations we explored:
The CSUN Assistive Technology Conference was more than a reflection on past achievements—it offered a compelling preview of what’s next. We returned energized by the ideas, technologies, and people shaping the future of accessibility.
We're already looking ahead to the next chapter when the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference returns for its 41st year. Set to take place March 9–13, 2026, in Anaheim, California, the event promises to continue the momentum with new insights, technologies, and collaborations that push accessibility forward. We returned energized by the ideas, technologies, and people shaping the future of accessibility.
To the developers, educators, advocates, and users leading this charge: thank you. Your work is building a world that is more inclusive, equitable, and connected—and we’re honored to be part of that journey.
InnoCaption provides real-time captioning technology making phone calls easy and accessible for the deaf and hard of hearing community. Offered at no cost to individuals with hearing loss because we are certified by the FCC. InnoCaption is the only mobile app that offers real-time captioning of phone calls through live stenographers and automated speech recognition software. The choice is yours.
InnoCaption proporciona tecnología de subtitulado en tiempo real que hace que las llamadas telefónicas sean fáciles y accesibles para la comunidad de personas sordas y con problemas de audición. Se ofrece sin coste alguno para las personas con pérdida auditiva porque estamos certificados por la FCC. InnoCaption es la única aplicación móvil que ofrece subtitulación en tiempo real de llamadas telefónicas mediante taquígrafos en directo y software de reconocimiento automático del habla. Usted elige.
