Sesame Enable developed the first completely touch-free smartphone, created for people with disabilities by people with disabilities. Sesame's co-founders are Giora Livne, a quadriplegic veteran and former engineer, and Oded Ben Dov, a talented young app developer who left the gaming world to create the Sesame phone. Powered by voice control and cutting-edge head-tracking technology, the Sesame Phone opens a new world of communication and independence to a population that needs it most: quadriplegics, people suffering from ALS, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injuries, Multiple Sclerosis, severe arthritis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and others who have limited to no use of their hands. More Info
Making a difference in the community for people with disabilities Sesame Enable has created the potential for millions of disabled people around the world to use a smartphone independently for the first time in their lives, empowering them to communicate with their loved ones and engage with the digital community without the assistance of an aid. With the Sesame Phone, disabled people of all ages have access to the independence, privacy and social connections that a smartphone enables, but was until now unavailable to them. Until now, people with limited to no use of their hands have been excluded from the smartphone revolution because they are not able to operate touch devices independently. This is ironic, because the disabled population stands to benefit most from the independence and easy communication that come with a smartphone. The Sesame Phone empowers people with limited to no use of their hands to gain independence and privacy and become digitally connected - things many of us take for granted in the digital age.
Inspiration behind Sesame Enable Giora Livne, a 65-year-old veteran of the Israeli Navy and a former engineer, suffered an accident 10 years ago that left him a wheelchair-bound quadriplegic. Giora grew frustrated with having to rely on other people to make his calls for him, send his texts, emails, etc. He wasn’t even able to do one of his favorite husbandly acts of love – order flowers for his wife, without her help. One day about 4 years ago, Giora was watching TV, and saw me - at that time a young video game developer - demonstrating new hands-free motion-sensing technology that allowed gamers to control virtual worlds. Giora called me the next day and told me his vision of the two us joining forces to create the world's first smartphone for people with disabilities, using my hands-free motion-sensing technology. Soon I left my job to invest my time and energy completely into Sesame Enable.
Who can benefit from Sesame Enable According to research by the Reeve Foundation, titled “One Degree of Separation”, there are 5.6 million Americans living with paralysis. Of them, approximately 1 million would require and fit Sesame's technology. Furthermore, 1 billion people, or 15 % of the world's population, experience some form of disability, according to the World Bank. One-fifth of the estimated global total, or between 110 million and 190 million people, experience significant disabilities.
Our message Technology holds so much potential for people with disabilities, and that fact is just starting to be recognized. So if you think of a solution that can change lives - pursue it and make it a reality!
