In 1994, when the Internet was taking its first steps and the digital revolution was still a promise, talking about technological accessibility was thinking several decades ahead. The arrival of Google, smartphones and artificial intelligence were years away, and very few people imagined the impact technology would have on everyday life.
It was in that scenario where TecnoAyudas was born. Founded by Rubén Battipede, the company emerged with a conviction that, at the time, seemed disruptive: if technology was going to transform the world, it also had to become a tool so that people with visual disabilities could access information, study, work and develop a more independent life.
Thirty years later, that vision turned TecnoAyudas into one of the main references in tiflotechnology and solutions for people with blindness and low vision in Argentina and Latin America.
Create a market before it existed
When the company began its activity, accessing a Braille printer, a screen reader or an electronic magnifier was a complex task. The supply was limited, there was little knowledge about these tools and obtaining specialized equipment meant overcoming multiple barriers.
Over time, TecnoAyudas built strategic alliances with some of the main international manufacturers of assistive technology, becoming the exclusive representative of companies such as Freedom Scientific, Index Braille, Perkins Products, OrCam, HIMS, Enhanced Vision, Dolphin and Harpo, in addition to working with companies from the United States, Sweden, Israel, Korea, the United Kingdom and Poland.
However, from its beginnings it understood that the true value of innovation was not only in incorporating new devices, but in ensuring that people could use them to transform their daily lives.
That is why it developed a comprehensive model that combines specialized advice, training for users and institutions and an internationally certified technical service for highly complex equipment.
More than a thousand institutions accompanied
Throughout its history, the company provided solutions to more than a thousand institutions, including universities, more than 400 special schools, public organizations, libraries, private companies and organizations linked to visual disabilities.
Its work also expanded to Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and Ecuador, consolidating a network that brings international technological innovation closer to users and institutions in different countries in the region.
Training constitutes another of the pillars of TecnoAyudas. For more than three decades he participated in conferences, conferences and educational spaces, disseminating tools that expand the possibilities of access to education, employment and a life with greater autonomy.
The new revolution: artificial intelligence
Technological accessibility is currently undergoing a new transformation driven by artificial intelligence, computer vision and smart devices. These tools allow you to read texts, describe scenes, recognize objects, identify faces or interpret information from the environment in real time, expanding the possibilities of people with visual disabilities.
«Many times we associate innovation with faster or more efficient processes. For us, innovating means that a person can read independently again, study a degree, keep their job or recognize the face of a family member thanks to technology. That is the impact we have been seeking for more than thirty years,» says Alejandra Scolari, director of TecnoAyudas.
Since December 2021, Scolari has led a new stage of the company with the challenge of deepening the path started by Rubén Battipede and bringing new assistance technologies to more and more people and institutions.
«Artificial intelligence is accelerating an enormous transformation. Our challenge is for these innovations to reach those who need them in Argentina and Latin America. Accessibility can no longer be thought of as a complement; it must be part of the design of any technology,» he maintains.
In a context where innovation is usually measured in terms of productivity or efficiency, TecnoAyudas proposes another way of understanding progress: a truly innovative technology is one that expands opportunities, promotes autonomy and improves people’s quality of life.
After more than three decades, the mission remains the same with which it began in 1994: to ensure that each technological advance translates into more access to information, education, work and full participation in society.
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