Audima was founded in 2017 with the idea of helping people expand the limits of their knowledge. Audima was born of the belief that technology must have a positive impact on society
The concept first came about when Paula, one of our founders, had a problem. Her problem was staying focused while reading from bright computers or smartphones. That’s why she always preferred to listen, and this way, was able to keep herself informed without the eyestrain. After having this difficulty, she realized not only must there be a lot more people like her out there, but, due to physical disabilities or maybe other reasons, many people simply do not have access to the written information available on the Internet.
Scale of the problem
According to the latest World Health Organisation statistics, over 1.3 billion people have some form of vision impairment, around 826 million of those have near-sight problems and approximately 750 million people are illiterate. This difficulty in seeing or understanding the written word prevents people from accessing information, gaining knowledge and consequently, reaching their full potential.
What’s more, there are over 253 million visually impaired people in the world who can not read at all and would need screen readers to use computers or cell phones. After immersing themselves in this world, the Audima team found that the experience of using these screen readers was poor, since the vast majority of sites are not compatible with the software.
What if everyone who struggles to read could just listen to online content?
Caring technology
Audima came to fruition inspired by this challenge. Audima’s audio tool uses artificial intelligence to turn text from websites into audible content. The audio solution is installed one time by the site, (it’s intuitive and no prior technical knowledge is necessary,) then as if by magic, all articles from every page of the website are converted into audio for users to play.
Audima’s mission is to impact the world using technology in a positive, smart and scalable way. It’s an ambitious dream with one clear goal: that one day, all written content on the internet can also be heard.
An audio movement
And with this, the movement #audioincludes was kickstarted. A global movement towards inclusiveness that encourages sites to make their written material available in audio form. Making people aware of the movement also helps users share audible sites with other people who need or prefer to listen. Just like that, people with visual impairments, the elderly, the semi-literate, functional illiterates or people who would simply rather listen to written content can feel part of the vast universe of information on the internet.
Every day, more and more people are waking up to this paradigm shift. Enthusiasts are becoming evangelists and starting to spread the word.
Want to know how you can help out? Click here and find out how to take part.
