Couverture de Remarkable World Commentary Episode #74: Interview with Freek van Welsenis, Co-Founder, Hable

Remarkable World Commentary Episode #74: Interview with Freek van Welsenis, Co-Founder, Hable

Remarkable World Commentary Episode #74: Interview with Freek van Welsenis, Co-Founder, Hable

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 🎙️ Remarkable World Commentary Episode #74: Interview with Freek van Welsenis, Co-Founder, Hable | Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA https://donnajodhan.com/rwc-02-10-2026/ In this insightful episode of Remarkable World Commentary, Donna J. Jodhan sits down with Freek van Welsenis, co-founder of Hable, for a practical, no-nonsense conversation about what it really takes to build assistive technology that people can rely on. Donna introduces Freek as a mission-driven innovator, and Freek traces his motivation back to growing up alongside two siblings with disabilities, learning early that technology can either empower people or frustrate them beyond belief. Freek shares how Hable began at Eindhoven University of Technology as a student attempt to help his co-founder's blind grandfather communicate independently, and how the project "accidentally" became a company once blind testers and community members began asking for a product they could actually use day-to-day. Together, Donna and Freek dig into why touchscreen gestures can be slow, tiring, and "too public," and how Hable's devices (including Hable One and Hable Easy) prioritize physical buttons, safer phone use (even with the phone kept in a pocket), and simpler learning curves, especially for seniors and people new to screen readers. Freek also highlights real user impact, Hable's approach to staying compatible through ongoing iOS/Android updates, and the company's expansion into more affordable daily-living tools like SpeechLabel and Stack Tiles, all grounded in a philosophy Donna strongly agrees with: listen first, build with the community, and keep things as simple as possible without sacrificing power. TRANSCRIPT Advertisement: This podcast brought to you by Pneuma Solutions. Advertisement: I can't see it. Advertisement: ADA Title II has a real compliance deadline. April 2026. Public entities are required to make their digital content accessible, including websites, PDFs, reports, applications, and public records. If a document cannot be read with a screen reader, it is not compliant and if it is not compliant, blind people are still being denied equal access. For a clear explanation of what the rule requires, visit www.title2.info. It's one of the leading resources explaining what agencies must do and when. This message is brought to you by Pneuma Solutions, we have remediated hundreds of thousands of pages in days, not months or years, aligned with WCAG 2 AA guidelines at a fraction of traditional costs. Accessibility isn't a privilege, it's a right. Now that you know, ask your agencies a simple question, are your documents actually accessible? Podcast Commentator: Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP and MBA invites you to listen to her biweekly podcast, Remarkable World Commentary. Here, Donna shares some of her innermost thoughts, insights, perspectives, and more with her listeners. Donna focuses on topics that directly affect the future of kids, especially kids with disabilities. Donna is a blind advocate, author, site loss coach, dinner mystery producer, writer, entrepreneur, law graduate, and podcast commentator. She has decades of lived experiences, knowledge, skills and expertise in access technology and information. As someone who has been internationally recognized for her work and roles, she just wants to make things better than possible. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of Remarkable World Commentary. I'm Donna Jodhan, a lifelong disability advocate and one who sees the world mainly through sound, through touch and stubborn optimism. I am a law graduate, accessibility consultant, author, lifelong career barrier buster who also happens to be blind. You may know me from a few headline moments. In November of 2010, I won the landmark charter case that forced the Canadian government to make its websites accessible to every Canadian, not just to cited ones. And in July of 2019, I co-led the Accessible Canada Act with more than two dozen disability groups to turn equal access into federal law. And most recently, on June the 3rd, 2022, I was greatly humbled. Humbled by Her Late Majesty's Platinum Jubilee Award for tireless commitment to removing barriers. When I'm not in a courtroom or a committee room or a pottery studio, you'll find me coaching kids with vision loss, producing audio mysteries, or helping tech companies to make their gadgets talk back in plain language. Everything I do circles one goal to turn accessibility from an afterthought into everyday practice. I invite you to think of this show as our shared workbench where policy meets lived experience and lived experience sparks fresh ideas. Before we jump into today's conversation, let me shine a spotlight on today's guest, a change maker whose work is every bit as remarkable as the world that we are trying to build, Freek van Welsenis, I hope I got that correct? Freek van Welsenis: Hi. Yes, Freek van Welsenis. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ...
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