Podcast Summary: Building AI Boston

Episode: AI-Powered Accessibility with Raquel Ronzone, Perkins School for the Blind
Air Date: November 6, 2025
Host(s): Anna & Chris
Guest: Raquel Ronzone, Associate Director of Strategy and Partnerships, Howe Innovation Center at Perkins School for the Blind

Episode Overview

In this episode, the hosts Anna and Chris speak with Raquel Ronzone about disability tech innovation, AI’s role in accessibility, and her leadership at the Howe Innovation Center at Perkins School for the Blind. Raquel shares her personal experience as someone with low vision, discusses the intersection between the disability and innovation communities, and highlights both challenges and successes in making technology inclusive for all. Together, they explore how disability innovations benefit everyone and the immense opportunity for further impact—both locally in Boston and globally.

Key Topics and Discussion Points

1. Raquel’s Personal Journey with Low Vision

[01:16 – 05:59]

• Raquel provides a visual self-description and shares her diagnosis: retinopathy of prematurity, which resulted in numerous surgeries and lifelong adjustments.
• She reflects on her family’s experience preparing for various outcomes and the realities of her functional vision—needing accommodations like larger text and dark mode.
• Notable Quote:
  "Vision is so subjective… if vision weren’t subjective, we wouldn’t have the experience of, say, optical illusions. Right? Because we would all be seeing the same thing."
  — Raquel Ronzone [04:57]

2. Navigating Identity and Disability Work

[03:54 – 05:59]

• Raquel’s career has always centered social impact but only recently focused specifically on disability.
• She candidly discusses grappling with whether to self-identify as a person with a disability for the first time at Perkins.
• Notable Quote:
  "It's also raised really interesting questions about whether I have a disability… It's a good question."
  — Raquel Ronzone [04:19]

3. Community Outreach and Building Inclusive Innovation

[06:16 – 07:34]

• Raquel describes the mission of the Howe Innovation Center: connecting the disability and innovation communities.
• She highlights the value of engaging participants of all ages and levels of expertise in accessibility conversations, including corporate veterans and 10-year-old inventors.
• Notable Quote:
  "I have the pleasure of working with people who are at all places of their accessibility journey…It’s really amazing to see this drive and this passion and this mix of ideas coming from all angles."
  — Raquel Ronzone [06:33]

4. Everyday Accessibility Innovations

[07:35 – 09:46]

• The discussion overturns the myth that all accessibility tech is big and dramatic; many common inventions (e.g., touchscreens, audiobooks) originated as disability tech.
• Touchscreens were initially designed for someone with carpal tunnel syndrome, and audiobooks began as talking books for the blind.
• Memorable Moment:
  Raquel reflects on hearing someone using an audiobook in the park, far removed from the original use case.
• Notable Quote:
  "Audiobooks fit the bill for that… [It] shows breadth beyond the original audience."
  — Raquel Ronzone [09:33]

5. Accessibility Awareness and Unexpected Advocates

[10:08 – 11:49]

• Raquel recounts a teaching moment at Villanova University with student athletes who inadvertently learned about accessibility through temporary injuries.
• This experience empowered them to self-advocate and educated their professors about real campus navigation difficulties.
• Notable Quote:
  "They then became empowered to advocate for themselves… to educate their professors about what this means."
  — Raquel Ronzone [11:23]

6. Universal Design and Its Broader Benefits

[12:02 – 13:21]

• Discussion on how innovations for accessibility—like elevators or touchscreens—benefit everyone, not just those with disabilities.
• The group addresses common misunderstandings: inclusive design does not mean inconvenience for able-bodied users.
• Notable Quote:
  "Human-centered design… means designing for humans and the richness of conditions or abilities they have."
  — Raquel Ronzone [12:49]

7. Howe Innovation Center’s Mission and Market Opportunity

[13:21 – 16:20]

• Perkins School for the Blind’s storied history, featuring alumni like Helen Keller.
• The beginnings and strategic purpose of the Howe Innovation Center: bridging the gap between innovators and the needs of the disability community, ensuring that real unmet needs are addressed (such as accessible pregnancy tests).
• Memorable Moment:
  Chris expresses surprise at the lack of accessible pregnancy tests, emphasizing how obvious needs can be overlooked.
• Notable Quote:
  "There are zero accessible pregnancy tests on the market. Zero.”
  — Raquel Ronzone [15:29]

8. AI-Powered Innovations and Multi-user Design

[16:23 – 19:20]

• Raquel’s favorite innovations amplify the reach of AI and universal design—tools that can help interpret body language or facial cues for blind/low-vision and autistic users, or even just "random socially awkward people."
• The conversation broadens to technology’s role in supporting communication for the nonverbal community, highlighting tools like the Vocable app.
• Notable Quote:
  "Any innovation that helps blind and low vision people interpret body language… would also be really helpful to people with autism, [or] anyone who has difficulty interpreting or processing emotions."
  — Raquel Ronzone [17:15]

9. The Vocable App and Hope for the Future

[19:20 – 22:18]

• Anna highlights the Vocable app, a free, AI-powered tool bridging communication for nonverbal users and their caregivers, as a moving example of "miracle" technology.
• Raquel expresses optimism about the growing number of people wishing to dedicate their careers to accessibility and the ever-present personal connections we all have to disability.
• Notable Quote:
  "Accessibility means agency, independence, control over our lives, the agency to do what we want to, how we want to and when we want to."
  — Raquel Ronzone [22:09]

10. Closing Reflections

[22:28 – 23:41]

• Raquel reiterates that disability is the largest minority community and unique in that anyone can join at any time—temporarily or permanently.
• She encourages listeners to continue the conversation and reach out to the innovation center.
• Notable Quote:
  "Anyone who’s curious or intrigued or moved about what you learned today, come talk to us. Find us at perkins.org/innovation."
  — Raquel Ronzone [23:18]

Memorable Quotes with Timestamps

• "Vision is so subjective… if vision weren’t subjective, we wouldn’t have the experience of, say, optical illusions." — Raquel Ronzone [04:57]
• "I have the pleasure of working with people who are at all places of their accessibility journey…" — Raquel Ronzone [06:33]
• "Audiobooks fit the bill for that… [It] shows breadth beyond the original audience." — Raquel Ronzone [09:33]
• "There are zero accessible pregnancy tests on the market. Zero.” — Raquel Ronzone [15:29]
• "Human-centered design… means designing for humans and the richness of conditions or abilities they have." — Raquel Ronzone [12:49]
• "Accessibility means agency, independence, control over our lives…" — Raquel Ronzone [22:09]
• "Anyone who’s curious or intrigued or moved about what you learned today, come talk to us. Find us at perkins.org/innovation." — Raquel Ronzone [23:18]

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Time | Segment | |-----------|------------------------------------------------| | 01:16 | Raquel’s visual description and background | | 02:08 | Experiences growing up with low vision | | 06:16 | Community outreach and innovation partnerships | | 07:35 | The everyday origins of accessibility tools | | 10:26 | Student athlete realization on accessibility | | 12:44 | Universal Design and able-bodied perspectives | | 14:30 | The founding and purpose of Howe Innovation Ctr | | 15:29 | Gaps in innovation: e.g., pregnancy tests | | 17:15 | Innovations for multi-user needs (body language)| | 19:20 | Vocable app and AI’s transformative power | | 22:09 | Why accessibility matters – final thoughts |

Conclusion

This episode of Building AI Boston offers profound insights into how disability-led innovation in tech—powered by AI and universal design—benefits everyone. Raquel Ronzone’s personal story, professional mission, and optimistic vision for the future challenge listeners to rethink accessibility, understand the importance of inclusive innovation, and get involved in shaping a more equitable world.

Resources and Links: See episode notes for more on disability tech companies, relevant videos, and the Vocable app. Find ways to connect or get involved at perkins.org/innovation.