A new crop of startups is trying to bridge the divide between disability tech and everyone else by elevating such software capabilities from what were once niche tools into more mainstream platforms designed around notions of design, dignity, and independence. From the nine ventures that were revealed at a global summit put on by Remarkable, an accelerator of enterprises seeded by Australia’s Cerebral Palsy Alliance, the gaps are in mobility, communication, sports and beauty products; in safety measures and household renovations.
The momentum is as financial as it is ethical. The World Health Organization places the global population with a disability at 16%, while the Return on Disability Group extends that out to what it calls “the disability market,” which tops some $13 trillion in annual disposable income if you include friends and family. But WHO and UNICEF say access to assistive products falls severely short of need, particularly in low- and middle-income nations. This cohort is developing practical fixes that can work now — and at customer price points.
Inside the New Wave of Disability Tech and Design
Unlike previous waves of inflows that required custom hardware and clinical installations, these startups focus on interoperability, universal design (useful at home and in a hospital) and off-the-shelf components. The throughline: make tech that people actually want to use, not gadgets that stigmatize or silo.
Accessible Brain Interfaces and Haptic Sports Access
Possibility Neurotechnologies is transforming consumer EEG headsets into workable brain-computer interfaces. Its Think2Switch software, when combined with a Muse Link headset that you can buy pretty much anywhere for about the price of a mid-range phone, will enable users to control up to four devices by issuing commands driven by thought. Families and clinics have begun using it, bypassing the five-figure costs and lengthy waitlists that had limited access to such communication and environmental control systems.
For low-vision sports fans, Field of Vision gives an on-the-go, play-by-play experience for live sport. Its tablet-sized haptic board includes engraved, high-contrast field plates as well as a magnetized puck that tracks the ball and features unique vibration patterns signaling important plays. The system takes in data from AI cameras or manual operators with sub–half-second latency so that supporters can respond in sync with the live audience. A top AFL venue has contracted with the leading telecom in town to offer free on-site rentals on an aggressive basis, underscoring that accessibility can be as much a core stadium service as an afterthought.
Reimagining Mobility and Public Transport for Everyone
Getting on a train shouldn’t involve a call to the staff and delay. Rampey’s robotic, self-deploying ramp relies on LiDAR (light detection and ranging) and computer vision to automatically connect with carriage doors at precise “closing” speeds, while adjusting the angle and height of the bridge in power-operated mode to accommodate complex platform gaps. By squeezing a multi-minute experience into seconds — and by tailoring visual and audio cues with neurodivergent riders in mind — Rampey puts universal design right on the platform edge.
Hailo takes on a more nuanced barrier: doubt. That’s where its app comes in, allowing riders to send drivers a subtle pick-up alert on their dashboard as a bus approaches, and adding such information as whether they need the ramp lowered or the suspension to kneel. Trials across hundreds of vehicles showed a simple signal could cut down missed stops and stress for blind and low-vision passengers — and help anyone balancing a stroller, bag or mobility aid.
Smarter Home Safety and Connected Care Solutions
After realizing that passive in-home monitoring felt invasive, the company redesigned its fall and well-being solution with consent and control at its core. The company now has a smart hub (supporting Bluetooth, Zigbee, Thread and Wi-Fi) that pendants and watches connect to. This will allow for secure integration with other sensors or medical devices. Voice apps pass on requests directly to care teams — in the south of England, where it is already live with a large community care provider — and AI-powered well-being checks will see proactive support being initiated. This is ambient care stipulating the primacy of autonomy.
Beauty for All and Support for Daily Life Events
ByStorm Beauty is proof that form and function can be one and the same. Rather than creating a distinct line of “accessible makeup,” the startup devised two medical-grade silicone snap-on grips that can attach to mainstream cosmetics. The rounded Betty is designed to help those with wrist or hand pain; the paddle-shaped Margie helps users who can’t curl their fingers. The insight is simple yet profound: people want the very same hot products their friends own, only easier to cradle and control.
Understanding Zoe puts neuro-affirming care in the palm of a hand. Parents, teachers and therapists keep track of behaviors and routines; an AI coach named Pip uncovers patterns, triggers and calming strategies. The app accommodates multiple caregivers, offers a free trial and bills a manageable monthly fee per family. Developed with the input of clinicians, researchers and lived-experience experts, it prioritizes ethical AI and bias mitigation — crucial guardrails at a time when digital tools are having more bearing on care decisions.
Custom Mobility and Dignified Choice of Housing
Rove’s wheelchairs blend 3D-printed titanium with woven carbon fibre to produce ultralight frames — about 4 kilos without wheels — made to measure in millimetres. The upshot: chairs that value biomechanics and self-expression equally, recognizing that a wheelchair is both an everyday mobility system and a personal style statement. For folks who really know how to use rims, that precision can mean less fatigue, better posture and fewer overuse injuries.
Choose the home of your choice with Marco Polo. The program pairs its participants with suitable housemates through the National Disability Insurance Scheme, providing people a voice in who they live with rather than being left in placements with strangers. It is free for participants and coordinators, includes tools for providers to manage vacancies, and has onboarded hundreds of users. In an industry in which mismatches can lead to both unhappiness and danger, compatibility is a safety feature.
The common thread among these nine startups isn’t novelty for novelty’s sake. It’s execution: affordable, interoperable products designed by lived experience. If populations are aging and expectations are changing, this is where disability tech is going — out of the clinical silo and into the real world, at scale.
