Pathways to Zero Barriers

Zero Project

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Building on the broader themes explored in previous seasons, Season 3 of Pathways to Zero Barriers focuses on innovations in Assistive Technology (AT). In each episode, we speak with innovators and industry members of the Zero Project Network to gain insights into the evolving AT landscape. The show explores the challenges the solutions addressed and the current state of the market.

Sep 23

Low-tech meets AI: Scaling information access for the Blind in India

In this new episode of Pathways to Zero Barriers, Prashant Ranjan Verma shares how simple technology powered by backend AI innovation is opening up a world of information for blind and low-vision communities across India. The conversation builds on Prashant’s personal journey with sudden vision loss, his decades-long work in global accessibility, and the creation of Shravan—an AI-powered, telephone-based digital library. The discussion explores how low-tech user interfaces combined with advanced backend AI can bridge the digital divide, overcome economic and literacy barriers, and provide structured, multilingual access to books, news, and vital information. 📃Episode's transcript Key takeaways from this episode: Bridging the digital divide via low-tech: simple telephone calls as a point of access for daily news, information, and other resources without needing internet, smartphones, or digital literacy. Beyond "toilet paper" reading experiences: why structured international standards like DAISY and EPUB are critical for navigation, allowing users to browse chapters and pages easily rather than relying on endless fast-forwarding. AI-generated news & voice progress: insights into how hyper-realistic text-to-speech AI lowers barriers in producing quality content, enabling automated, human-like news bulletins in minutes. The risks of over-relying on AI: why automated plugins and runtime AI generation are not a substitute for true web accessibility standards, human expertise, and proper document structuring. About our guest: Prashant Ranjan Verma is a visually impaired digital accessibility expert, General Secretary of NAB Delhi, and Accessibility Specialist at the DAISY Consortium. Recently appointed to the World Blind Union’s Technology and Digital Accessibility Committee, he has dedicated his career to bridging the digital divide for those excluded by traditional tech infrastructure. Pathways to Zero Barriers is a Zero Project podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and subscribe!
Aug 19

Toward a digital companion: the culture of sign avatars

Welcome to this new episode of Pathways to Zero Barriers! We sit down with Alex Le Peltier, CTO of Signapse, to explore how AI-driven sign language avatars are changing the landscape of digital accessibility—and why quality, culture, and community trust are at the heart of this transformation. The conversation dives deep into the technical and cultural nuances of creating accurate, expressive sign avatars. From capturing subtle facial expressions and moods to navigating regional cultural preferences regarding real versus synthetic signers, Alex shares how Signapse balances cutting-edge tech with deep community partnerships to avoid industry pitfalls and pave the way toward personalized digital companions. Episode's transcript 📃 Key Takeaways from This Episode: The "Third Stakeholder" principle: Why direct engagement with the Deaf community is essential for B2B accessibility providers, and how establishing open industry benchmarks ensures higher quality for everyone. Cultural nuances and synthetic signers: How preferences for sign language avatars vary globally—from the UK’s acceptance of real-signer representations to the US preference for completely synthetic "anonymous signers". Injecting emotion and humanity: Moving beyond rigid animations to integrate real-time eye movement, mood-based facial expressions, and contextual tone (because a happy-looking avatar in a horror film just doesn't work). Balancing affordability and quality: How lowering cost barriers changes the conversation from "we can't afford this" to "why wouldn't we do this"—while emphasizing why high-quality standards are vital to keep low-effort tech from damaging public trust. The future of the digital companion: A look ahead at a world where users can choose their own customized, real-time AI sign language companions tailored to their personal preferences and settings. About Our Guest: Alex Le Peltier is the CTO at Signapse, an organization that specializes in leveraging cutting-edge technology to transform the way businesses communicate and collaborate. Their mission is to translate the world's ditgital content into sign language. Pathways to Zero Barriers is a Zero Project podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and subscribe!
Jul 22

Putting humanity into AI: how a voice avatar preserves identity

Welcome to the second episode of the new season of Pathways to Zero Barriers! In this episode, David Betts, shares his story on how assistive technology and AI can restore dignity, voice and human connection for people living with speech-limiting disabilities and conditions. The conversation centres on David’s journey following his ALS diagnosis and the creation of “Talk to Me, Goose!”, an AI-powered communication platform designed to support people whose natural speech is impaired or at risk. Beyond the technology itself, the discussion explores broader themes of accessibility, dignity, storytelling, community, innovation, and how AI can be used to strengthen rather than weaken human connection. 📃Episode's transcript Key Takeaways from this episode: Breaking the Triple Barrier: How “Talk to Me, Goose!” tackles the three biggest challenges in assistive communication—cost, access, and complexity—by leveraging consumer devices, foundation partnerships, creativity and AI-driven tools. From Utility to Humanity: Why assistive technology must move beyond basic needs (communicating: "I'm hungry", "I'm cold") to support personality, emotion, storytelling, humour, and meaningful participation in everyday life. Giving the Voice Back to the Community: How AI-driven tools can strengthen and rebuild communities, preserve memories and create new opportunities for inclusion AI as a Collaborative Partner: Lessons from building “Talk to Me, Goose!” with no coding background, including why the most effective use of AI is not automation alone, but working with AI as a creative and technical teammate. About Our Guest: David Betts was the leader for Public Health Transformation for Deloitte Consulting. He focused on assisting clients in the public health arena to create a more resilient public health infrastructure. He retired in January 2026 due to his ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) diagnosis. He founded the public benefit corporation, StoryFlight Labs dedicated to restoring dignity, sparking imagination and strengthening human connection, with a focus on people living with speech-limiting disabilities and conditions. Pathways to Zero Barriers is a Zero Project podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and subscribe!
Jun 24

Crossover and Convergence: Today's AT Innovation Landscape

Welcome to the Season 3 premiere of Pathways to Zero Barriers! In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Sambhavi Chandrashekar, Global Accessibility Lead at D2L (Desire2Learn), to explore how the lines between assistive technology (AT) and mainstream consumer tech are permanently blurring. We look closely at how the "curb-cut effect" is accelerating in 2026, driven by edge AI, next-generation wearables, and massive market convergence. 📃Episode transcript Key Takeaways from This Episode: The Curb-Cut Effect & AI Acceleration: How features like captions and predictive text transition from niche AT to mainstream defaults—and how AI is collapsing this adoption timeline. Wearables to Watch: A look at the $34.2B global AT market, featuring breakout tech like Meta Ray-Ban glasses, the OrCam MyEye, and the booming $20B health-and-sleep tracking ring industry. Tech Convergence vs. Mainstream Crossover: Understanding the difference between OS-level accessibility features (Apple, Google, Microsoft) and true tech convergence (where edge AI, IoT, and biotech merge into real-time health advisors). The $13 Trillion Case for Accessibility: Why 53% of consumers are connected to disability, and why developers must stop designing for the "mythical average user." About Our Guest: Dr. Sambhavi Chandrashekar is the Global Accessibility Lead at D2L (Desire2Learn), where she champions inclusive design and digital accessibility at scale. She is a recognized expert in reframing accessibility as a core business strategy and an engine for mainstream innovation. Pathways to Zero Barriers is a Zero Project podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and subscribe!
Season 3, Episode 1 Trailer

Pathways to Zero Barriers: Season 3

Pathways to Zero Barriers: Season 3 In this short introduction Tom Butcher and Judith Hermetter will provide an overview of this season's structure, highlight upcoming topics, and share what listeners can expect in the weeks ahead. 🔗 Zero Project: https://zeroproject.org 📩 Contact: podcast@zeroproject.org Brought to you by The Zero Project with the support of the Essl Foundation and its global network of partners committed to advancing disability inclusion worldwide. Credits Host: Tom Butcher Production: Małgorzata Grobelna, Alessandro Gobello, and Judith Hermetter Audio Engineering: Antina Zlatkova / Mediengarten
Apr 29

The mindset of scaling internationally with Małgorzata Grobelna

Pathways to Zero Barriers Episode: The mindset of scaling internationally with Małgorzata Grobelna What does it take to scale disability innovation across borders—and what mindset makes international growth possible? In this episode of Pathways to Zero Barriers, host Tom Butcher speaks with Małgorzata “Margaret” Grobelna, Programme Manager at Zero Project, about what it truly means to scale disability innovation internationally. Drawing on her experience leading the Scaling Solutions Programme, Małgorzata explains why scaling should be understood not simply as organizational growth, but as the deliberate replication and adaptation of impactful solutions across regions and countries. Reflecting on lessons from Zero Project Scaling Solutions Fellows around the world, Margaret outlines the foundations of successful scaling: developing a clear roadmap, selecting the right markets, designing pilots, building strong local partnerships, and remaining flexible when circumstances change. She emphasizes that innovators should avoid perfectionism, resist hyper-focusing on details, and instead cultivate resilience, adaptability, and a willingness to learn from failure. The conversation also highlights the importance of co-designing solutions with persons with disabilities from the outset and ensuring that lived experience remains central throughout the scaling journey. Małgorzata also explores how AI can support scaling: from matchmaking with strategic partners to translation, market research, contextual analysis, and even acting as a strategic brainstorming partner. Her call to action is clear: the world does not lack solutions for persons with disabilities, but it lacks the ambition and systems needed to scale those solutions globally, so they are available to a wider audience. In this episode: • Scaling internationally through strategy, partnerships, and local adaptation • Co-designing with persons with disabilities and building continuous feedback loops • Using AI as a practical tool for research, matchmaking, and strategic planning Resources & Links 🔗 Programme website: scaling-solutions.zeroproject.org 📄 Transcript ✅ Key Takeaways Checklist 🌐 Guest: Małgorzata Grobelna Małgorzata Grobelna | LinkedIn / Zero Project 📩 Contact: scaling-solutions@zeroproject.org Brought to you by The Zero Project with the support of the Essl Foundation, Fundación Descúbreme, GIZ on behalf of BMZ, and Access to Success. Credits Host: Thomas Butcher Production: Małgorzata Grobelna, Alessandro Gobello, and Judith Hermetter Audio Engineering: Antina Zlatkova / Mediengarten
Apr 7

Innovations on a global stage: Reflections on #ZeroCon26 with Varun Chandak

Episode: Innovations on a global stage: Reflections on #ZeroCon26 with Varun Chandak "The conference doesn't end with the last session". In this special episode, guest host Judith Hermetter sits down with Varun Chandak, Founder and Executive Director of Access to Success, to recap the high-energy days of the Zero Project Conference 2026 (#ZeroCon26) at the United Nations in Vienna. As the implementation partner for the Zero Project Scaling Solutions Programme, Varun and his team provide training, matchmaking, and resources necessary for Programme Fellows to take their innovations to new regions and countries. Varun shares his first-hand observations—from the intensity of stage rehearsals at the UN to the emotional experience of presenting at the Austrian Parliament. Tune in to hear Varun’s insights into networking with intent, the role of AI in conference planning, and why the most important part of any presentation is a clear call to action. Resources & Links 🔗 Programme website: scaling-solutions.zeroproject.org 📄 Transcript ✅ Key Takeaways 🌐 Guest: Varun Chandak 📩 Contact: scaling-solutions@zeroproject.org Brought to you by The Zero Project with the support of the Essl Foundation, Fundación Descúbreme, GIZ on behalf of BMZ, and Access to Success. Credits Host: Tom Butcher Production: Małgorzata Grobelna, Alessandro Gobello, and Judith Hermetter Audio Engineering: Antina Zlatkova / Mediengarten
Mar 25

Interlude: from stories to strategies

It’s mid-season for Pathways to Zero Barriers, and we have a short announcement regarding what’s coming up next. Until now, each episode has featured a single innovator sharing their insights on scaling solutions. For the remainder of the season, we’re diving deeper - joined by experts from around the world to explore some of the topics in greater detail. Subscribe now so you don't miss these deep-dive conversations!

Trailer

Pathways to Zero Barriers: Season 3

Pathways to Zero Barriers: Season 3 In this short introduction Tom Butcher and Judith Hermetter will provide an overview of this season's structure, highlight upcoming topics, and share what listeners can expect in the weeks ahead. 🔗 Zero Project: https://zeroproject.org 📩 Contact: podcast@zeroproject.org Brought to you by The Zero Project with the support of the Essl Foundation and its global network of partners committed to advancing disability inclusion worldwide. Credits Host: Tom Butcher Production: Małgorzata Grobelna, Alessandro Gobello, and Judith Hermetter Audio Engineering: Antina Zlatkova / Mediengarten

Building on the broader themes explored in previous seasons, Season 3 of Pathways to Zero Barriers focuses on innovations in Assistive Technology (AT). In each episode, we speak with innovators and industry members of the Zero Project Network to gain insights into the evolving AT landscape. The show explores the challenges the solutions addressed and the current state of the market.

Creator

Zero Project
Years Active

2024 - 2026
Episodes

35
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Zero Project
Show Website

Pathways to Zero Barriers