AXSChat with Felipe Betancur, inventor, social innovator, passionate about technology.

 Felipe Betancur, inventor, social innovator, passionate about technology, innovation, entrepreneurship. Postgraduate in Accessibility and Design for all. Rebel against social inequality, I constantly seek to creatively help people with disabilities, the elderly and those who may need a boost in their ideas and projects to improve their quality of life. 

Transcript

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Neil Milliken: hello, and welcome to Axschat, this is a repeat visit we're really delighted to welcome back a little bit ago, who is the self styled MacGyver of assistive tech.

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Neil Milliken: Felipe you are one of my favorite ever access chat interview so i'm super excited to have you back on it's been a few years, so please.

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Neil Milliken: Can you reprise for our audience, you know who you are where you're from and the work that and tell us a bit about the work that you're doing before we then get on to.

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More pressure.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Hello Leo Hello everybody great to be here and i'm from a gene Columbia, so I speak Spanish or my English is not like a perfect, but I would try, so a while you work with is like a we say to my teacher to you can fix it Margaret a big fan of MacGyver so here is my.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: little boy is not focusing so okay so it's a little MacGyver a love the way he thinks about solving problems with the way.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: We what we have in his hands in your game to make solutions not like buying expensive stops or very complex but easy solution to that really work in.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: One of our invention that is most known is our food control mouse, this is for people that doesn't know the mouse full control mouse is something like this i'm going to disable the filter.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: So it's something like this, and these devices like impossible to find in Colombia, I bought it from USA so it's like very big a complex it looks like a video game and a our devices does a plastic spoon with.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Normal mouse on you put their feet on it, you move it on with your your you make the cake very easy is like very, very, very simple and.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: It works, so that that is a the solutions we work are not like looking the more fancy solution very expensive solution with a lot of tools, no here you go like.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: a knife or anything you can make a make a hole with the plastic spoon core it for the size of your feet and you have a solution with.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: That you can work, you can study you can have a better life if people are talking about it did you see the last picture on Facebook, or do you debbie do you do, or something like that.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: yeah with my feet I use my feet to do that I work with my faith I is not like a while you're using a with your head with your faith with your with your hand is what you are doing so is the same work, the same Facebook they're saying website.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: By the way, you using it so that likely, then the success of this this project is like a not a.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Not not talking only about the device is is how easy is.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: For people to help them build local solutions, so they can have a better life, so they can do whatever they want it may be for a disability or something that has an accident or something that happened to them.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: They are they need help doing something so the first one, we did was this mouse, and we continue working and have.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: That was almost 14 years ago 14 years ago, and now we have more than 300 inventions and a lot of things that we will continue talking about is for people to get to know is the project is that a EC local solutions to get a to help people have a better life yeah.

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Neil Milliken: I just love your hacker attitude to to finding solutions, I think it's great.

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Neil Milliken: We all too frequently get stuck on the idea that things need to be expensive and over engineered, and so the the rice paddle mouse is fantastic it's a great example.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: I can show us online, for example.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Really easy and something like that it is.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Expensive $2,000 magnifying the digital magnifier, so it is this can be used, for example in schools on libraries, so people get a book would put it here or or a newspaper or anything that is printed and.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: It will get like really huge on the screen, so people read it easier, but he said $2,000 device a our device is this what come a very simple a.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: You simply move it on the on the book on the newspaper on anything red is connected to a computer and you have the same the really big text, so it like the same thing $2,000 $10 so all our examples are a work that way and we.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Later I will talk about the new improvements in the project, the first 10 years were about that, and now we're working with 3D printing and also on new technologies to get this bigger.

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yeah.

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Neil Milliken: Deborah you're on mute.

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Debra Ruh: Alright sorry um Thank you yeah it's like we won't even go about what the dork I am but.

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Debra Ruh: Philippe I love what you're doing and it's interesting when you think about assistive technology, because I know that.

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Debra Ruh: i've been on global UN panels before and I see the innovation coming from the countries that we say are developing like Columbia.

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Debra Ruh: I remember one time, I saw some really, really cool ideas that the this young man in India had come up with, and you know assistive technology it doesn't have to be expensive it doesn't so so much of the time.

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Debra Ruh: People you know, the more you give to a device, the more options and stuff that you give to a device.

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Debra Ruh: Sometimes you make that device less usable and so I love the practicality of what you're doing I think it's very important in and I.

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Debra Ruh: I love that you were building it for the Latin America population, which often often often are some of the most underserved.

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Debra Ruh: Parts of the Community around the world, in my opinion, so I just think it's really cool, but why and maybe you talked about this on your last interview, and I, for some reason missed that one, but why Philippe why have you made this your passion and your life's work.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: i'm on narrative big geek I love video games technology I work with computers, I find my girlfriend on on tinder.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: So I like technology so if technology is almost like a big piece important piece of my life, why can like a lot of people with disabilities for age or a lot of causes, they cannot enjoy technology so if you have a video game controller I I don't have the time now, but.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: I played video games until 6am all night and then I continue working on going to university, I was a real gamer so if you're a gamer use a only three fingers on each hand to use the controller, if you broke her finger if something happened to you.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: How you control that you play so I have to make a controller for people with disabilities to let them play like I want, if I work by Internet, and when I was 14 years old.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: I you make importation I bring things from USA from China, I know you sell them to Latin America.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: very young, but I worked with that for more than 10 years, so if we like, if I work by Internet fi I like video games if I playing them if I enjoy them how I can help them help people.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: get a better life with technology, but then I knew that they are some barriers, like a.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Monet the price and the knowledge knowledge on price, there are two barriers that we find in the project why because.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: For example, you want to have someone that is blind that it cannot see and they want to use the computer you're going to see.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: How it's impossible people, that is, they don't have the knowledge that they accept a screen readers so when you go on to the screen readers like then.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: They have like its own brands that are very expensive so it's the money so is the knowledge and mourn a barrier so when you see the more than $1,000 us, I know which impossible so.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: We know which we teach them okay it's possible to access technology with free software.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Free there's a free so work on low cost a SEC technology and you like you say from India frugal innovation is like the term they use their for going innovation, so our low cost solutions.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: For real life problems, so that is like the slogan of the project real solutions for real problems I, I am not like on arm.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: very expensive $1 million workshop with like our big team Okay, what are we going to invent it today for for a blind guy or i'm going to close my eyes and i'm going to think that they need something no.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: I cannot think what they need a I receive a call or whatsapp message or song goes to in yo and say sleepy I am a teacher or a blind student and I don't know how to give classes to him I don't know I don't know I can't I don't know they are like afraid.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: They don't know i'm for this student is the same problem, because they are going to school and not they are not learning.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: So when we develop with with 3D printing and we were locals inventions did his phone this, for example, arcane a PVC type A low cost kane for blind for blind people so PVC a.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Blind canes are like almost impossible to find in Colombia and even more difficult if you you, you must find them a.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: If i'm very tall, do you have like one to two this height and it's impossible, I tried in a lot of places and I couldn't find one for me.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: So for our people for for a blind guy being very poor here in Columbia 92% of people with disabilities are extremely poor extremely poor so it's impossible to them to to buy expensive SEC technology.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: So something.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: This this may be did is not like the Brady.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: bunch.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: And I can like.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: You said, and if he if I go to a whole, and these breaks, I can repair it there, I can't.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: So it's like a real solution in any hardware store, you can find like the pieces to repair it or to make a new a new one tour under the like the philosophy that is like I, like most of the project, because if I teach.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Some of you how to make these low cost PVC cane and you get to know someone that needs needs it.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: A you you you you don't have to call me Phillip him I I need one have mother a cane for someone in Africa know you make it you make it I tissue and you make it, and that is like the most of your projects.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Like the knowledge, a giving tours so it's like a big network and more people they don't mean pen depend on me.

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Debra Ruh: Philippe before we got on air you held up a sign with your new logo, I was just yeah I think you should yeah hold that up so everybody can see it because oh wow I can see, I can see why Neil loves you.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: And they'll tell you these I do this but I thought, like a toehold for everyone is like the new logo of the project, then you website in our wheezing construction, but that you esperanto.com is a is going to be like my dream.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: If someone asked me like a genie from and tell me what is my dream I have worked this for 14 years about social inclusion, to SEC technology.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: But to get more impact I want a big a like a building, but as you see, with a colleague 19 a lot of building close people could not fly so that big building that I dream about with having a giant workshop place to give work to people with disabilities, a lot of things in that building.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: and designing it in our website our our big building is beautiful So what is the new website about what is this dream about and it's real.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Three three stages three big places the first one free resources more than 10,000 free resources for people with disabilities.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Everything I have found in more than 10 years about a up application Apps a software a PDF a manual say everything that is theory that you have to download for everything for for blind for autism for for physical disability for all disabilities.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: And we are like a making a how to organize that all those that information so if you have like I said before, I started, and that is a mind you go to a.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: visual disability section, and there will you find like 2000 a resources for you or for physical disability or we are teaching Braille we are teaching, a sign language for more than 20 countries and getting to know more a.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: We have an alliance with a university in Switzerland and we are making the biggest a website for 3D printing for accessing technology like.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: All the resources in the world that we can find for access to technology free resources were to unload so, for example, you want to bring into this is late for for Braille you simply press the button and print it anywhere in the world, so it's like.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: All you can find for for disability reprinted and you can print it anywhere in the world, you don't have a printer.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: In your in your country, your city, there is a printing service that you pay for it and print it.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: And if you don't want to print it and you're in Colombia, we are giving Sophia a you know, a working solution we are getting people with disabilities to have 3D printers and work from their home, so when we have.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Someone that buys, for example, the device, I told him a they both a school both a tree of these so they print it and they get their money so, is it work inclusion from the homes who's using 3D printer.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: So it's like the first half in order, the first stage is like 10,000 free resources is raised a the second stage is like very huge in a store where we're selling a lot of devices here in Columbia, you cannot find, for example, this is always, this is a no no game.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: A and here is the same in Braille so.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Okay, so i'm going to solve this, but also in their work in the resources section I show you I teach you how you can take the dispersion use this late and make it like here.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: So you have the money to buy it buy it, you have like a way to make it make it so is that is, that is, if he knows of me fish or, for example in 3D printing.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: A print it for free, if you cannot print it we print it for you and we are you are helping us hope people we weren't inclusion, so that is like the philosophy in the store.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: The biggest story in Latin America for for devices or people that if if a school or library or 111 to get Braille printer or something like that any expensive devices, we are.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Getting those devices, but also low cost simple solutions they want a that that we have a.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: I have a mechanic engineer, that is helping us and we are making new devices not so low cost ugly rising we are like.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Giving the next stage for our premier a device that is also low cost, but we can sell it and, and the same he'll help people have these devices, without having to spend.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: So a lot of devices, so the first day she'd like the free resources there, secondly, that the giant store with.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: and also in our entrepreneur seen in Colombia or building devices or or share basis or things for people with disabilities, we are letting them so on our big store like to who we are an only place where you can find anything you want, and the last one is like.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: School a where we're like teaching a about disability, a lot of things a accessibility, that a lot of courses to help people learn about disability and hope them so we'd like a giant place a.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Wonderful beautiful.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: I like it that dreamin is this us.

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Debra Ruh: And I have one more quick question and then I want to turn the MIC over to Antonio or Neil but.

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Debra Ruh: You mentioned that you're working with a university in Switzerland, are you working with others, I know I visited bar in Kenya.

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Debra Ruh: University at del Norte a and the Professor that brought me there has a son that's blind and I know she would want to talk to you so i'll connect you to but are you working with other universities, how do you.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: fall right now, no it's it's really difficult because.

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Debra Ruh: issue to her, because she will have your work so and i'm gonna be quiet because i'm being.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: me do I have, I have to like.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: it's been five years and, like I have.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: To tell so so I was like so excited.

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Neil Milliken: yeah that's great so i'm sure in 10 years got some questions, but we as debbie said you're the guest and that's why you're here so we're glad to have you.

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Thanks.

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Antonio Santos: So, so we have been talking about talking about your work, are you talking about the fact that you are doing this collaboration.

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Antonio Santos: With the university in Jerusalem, but I know who health who else is helping you out no okay our can you know make this kind of a reality, no, no, working from home working from Garrett, who is helping you to fulfill this dream.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: is difficult difficult because, then you are we are three people, my father my sister and me from the apartment the apartment it like a huge mess, if you go to.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: We we don't have a place for dinner or for for the chair for the SOFA that is like a where we have our inventions our workshop where we record the videos.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: You have like the bedrooms and the kitchen, but all the rest of the apartment is like a for working so it.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Does like crazy a my father and my sister a make the boring but important a work about finance on on tracks on paper on everything that is so boring life from.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: All those things, so I am the one done make like a but it's very important that I need them, but I don't like that, so they make that and I may like the inventions and the.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: The the the workshops online workshops conferences, a lot of things, what is difficult about this is, for example, when I record a video when I make a new invention that I didn't serve Deborah a.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: The great thing about this is, for example, when I teach how to make this easy to do Braille or a really cute.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: it's a I make a video teaching how to use it, so I make it so on our YouTube channel at us, but at all you can find more than 100 tutorials but the difficult thing about that is that.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: i'm the one that prepares the lighting the trippler today the camera press record jump in front of the camera record a video.

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Neil Milliken: yeah.

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Neil Milliken: I think the one man camera crew has has gone on strike.

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Neil Milliken: there's hope for the pagans comes back in a second.

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Debra Ruh: yeah what he's amazing wow I can see why you love it my wow he's like a powerhouse we got to help this guy well you hey that is amazing what he's doing yeah hopefully he's reset that we've all been there before but.

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Debra Ruh: This is what we need, we need the innovators, we need the innovators and that's what's so cool about access chat is that we get to tell people about people like Philippe wow I think that's so cool and we're coming on our ninth year we're coming on here.

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Debra Ruh: Are you sure it's not 9am I.

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Debra Ruh: Getting my.

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Debra Ruh: list as usual alright cool.

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Neil Milliken: Yes, we're.

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Debra Ruh: we're coming up.

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Debra Ruh: On our eighth year.

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Neil Milliken: yeah we're we're almost done a we would have been eight in November.

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Debra Ruh: Okay, I thought.

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Neil Milliken: We will be.

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Debra Ruh: And then we're starting on our night direct costs.

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Neil Milliken: Right hold on let's think about this, no, it was 20 oh no sorry completely seven in November, because the.

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Neil Milliken: question is when I moved to.

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Neil Milliken: The south coast, and that was in 2014.

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Debra Ruh: yeah i'm not real good with math but.

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Neil Milliken: Tomorrow, maybe.

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Neil Milliken: Seven years in November, and then we can say will enjoy.

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Debra Ruh: And I started my show human potential a year later, so I also with that math but my anniversary with my husband is tomorrow and I have that math correct is 39 years.

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Neil Milliken: wow so it was it was my anniversary on Wednesday.

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Debra Ruh: And so, how many years.

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Debra Ruh: You don't know my gosh you're a bad husband you.

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know.

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Neil Milliken: We we.

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Debra Ruh: you're on your own videos.

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Neil Milliken: Video I know.

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Neil Milliken: You use but, but the thing is.

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Neil Milliken: I remember the date, and I have the picture behind me.

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Debra Ruh: And you remembered the gift.

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Neil Milliken: Oh yeah I remember that.

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Debra Ruh: Okay that's okay they're all this forgiven.

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Neil Milliken: yeah just like that the number of the precise number of years I didn't.

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Debra Ruh: I just remember, because you know what's.

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Debra Ruh: happening with my husband and also.

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Debra Ruh: Oh sure yeah.

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Neil Milliken: So yeah no i'm just a little sketchy on.

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Debra Ruh: 1982 well I know it's it's wild i've known my husband for 41 years.

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Neil Milliken: yeah yes So yes, we've been together for 20 know.

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Debra Ruh: Antonio while we're totally tap dance because we went from Philippe to come back How long have you been married.

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Antonio Santos: So i'm i'm married since 2003 but we already living together.

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Antonio Santos: For for quite some time.

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Okay.

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Neil Milliken: yeah and that's where it gets blurry you see.

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Debra Ruh: Right.

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Debra Ruh: Right I hope he can come back on he's so amazing now, it says we had okay cool word meeting him he's.

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Okay.

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Debra Ruh: No show us what you were showing us as he comes back on.

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Neil Milliken: Oh, oh that was just my.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Hello again sorry for the.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: inconvenience for me.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: As yeah technology but.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: I have a good computer is a gamer computer is.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: swimming is not like a very huge for gaming computer and it was a bluish green arrow.

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Oh.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: So what happened.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: is blocked.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: It restarted so.

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Antonio Santos: I think I think he was taking very seals, the fact that you know I go around and I press the button, so the last thing we recorded from you is, and then I go and press the button and then suddenly.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: yeah we continue.

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Neil Milliken: Okay, so maybe we'll cut out when Neil.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Sorry, I was like really ashamed, as our.

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stuff.

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Debra Ruh: Last week to our guest she was running out of the room getting yeah but yeah we cut that out so.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Okay, so.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: So I continue, no, I was sending you that a i'm the one that record the video i'm in front of camera when I finish, I stopped the camera I did the video.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: I am, they want to rework social media, so it that video goes to like I said to instagram for tick tock for Facebook, for you do for for all it's a one a writer comment time they want answering the comments Oh, and like a 10,000 things on.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: A lot of work, a lot of work.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: So a we have like an intern we from a mechanic am an engineer, that is helping us so he is helping out with a inventions so.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: I think like he's going to help us, I have like the ideas and he he has like more knowledge in the technical stuff so i'm sure we're going like.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: to join and make new inventions right now we are working on the first device we're working is is like an adorable and an alarm for this people a so when when they ring it the rates and also you have like a.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Big flush a light.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: And, but but very local so we're making we did arduino so it's like a local solution and a is the same device, you have like microphone and when did it takes.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: In alarm in a fire alarm or the doorbell it it started ringing we rating and we're making that local solution so we're working with a lot of devices and he's he's helping me I like.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: The idea, and he I like the knowledge and the talent to to to to see what technology, he uses for for making that get real.

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Neil Milliken: Fantastic so.

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Neil Milliken: Before you were talking about the fact that you were starting to make.

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Neil Milliken: Consumer devices low cost consumer devices and one of my friends and one of my contacts created or lead to creation of the orbit reader, which is a.

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Neil Milliken: 20 cell Braille note taker and and and Braille displays are expensive because they have so many moving parts and they changed the way that they.

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Neil Milliken: The moving parts were created so that they weren't done on the same piece of electric scooter and they reduced the cost of the unit from $3,000 to 300.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Great that's so great.

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Neil Milliken: i'm more than happy to put you in touch.

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Neil Milliken: With yeah but but also yeah Is that the kind of thing that you're trying to do, essentially reduced the cost by a factor of 10.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: And like I said you on the website is not like being selfish and say only my inventions aren't going to be under so on the on the website know.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: it's like a someone in Canada, make a tree inventions that go to every resource, at least with the crates for them, and I am joined you're enjoying.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: From here from here, from here, from here, and on the store also so if if the guy you're talking about the there, they are selling that device a.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: we're we're more than glad to have it on the store, we could do one, we have to.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: give people more alternatives on on on the people that entrepreneurialism people developing these these solutions.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: So, and most of the times they are like engineers, or they work in university and they make like I really great project.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: But they don't have like the network to sell those devices to get to people to get to know that they made them devices, so they may be, they get on the news on a website on a video in a.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: TV channel and people like oh great, but people with disability don't get to know that device, or if we open the store to or sailors with great ideas we can like join in one place a lot of new cool ideas.

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Neil Milliken: So that's the thing bringing those ideas together, making stuff available that is more affordable.

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Neil Milliken: And, and I, like the fact that you go from the super cheap and that the hacking to also starting to recognize that when people do have a bit of money they also want stuff that.

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Neil Milliken: looks nicer and and looks more consumer than then then, then the LIFE hacks I love what you're doing with the LIFE hacks, but I also think that it's great that you're now.

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Neil Milliken: taking it to the to the next stage and building products that the sort of more consumable more everyday as well, because I think that one of the things that people want is for their differences, not necessarily to be highlighted by the tools that they're using.

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Neil Milliken: So I think that the evolution of your project is really exciting.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: is great to give people the alternative they decide they choose, I want to pay by it, I want to make it i'm able to make it, I have the tools to make it I.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: want to make it or I, I have a morning i'm not rich, maybe, or maybe you're rich.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: But it's not about money, you know what when you're paying for that you help me not wearing yo.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Because we're going to learn a little Commission also and you're helping the people with disability that are selling I did it I forgot to say that in the in the store.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: we're going to have people with disability, giving the like helping you, what do you really need.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: is not like selling you the most expensive device okay you're a school Okay, you need these a braylon bowser the unit, this is a $100,000 a million dollars, so we like extremely know is.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Tell me about what do you, what do you really need and no it's for my home or my kid he wants to have fun, so I can have, so the seller.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Is is, it will be someone with disability selling for people with disabilities, like the empathy like the getting to know what they really need, and not only selling for money.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: So there is like a really cool and also, I want to show these to get people to know that assistive technology is not so complex and maybe you have a lot of devices in your home.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: And in a store that can be assistive devices and you don't know a one simple solution is, do you know how many people go in, they want to charge their their their phones.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: is difficult to them to connect the for me is difficult, sometimes for unlike very lazy on the bed.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: And I cannot connect it and it's not working and it's disconnected and for people with disabilities physical disabilities is even more difficult.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: A decision is a wireless charger it's very easy to find and you simply put it there and it starts like charging so it's like so simple and.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: The new battery banks like a lot of brands, but these, for example, cost.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: $15 and these battery bank a half hours earlier, so I simply put my phone on it, and it is surcharging so it like very accessible it's very easy to use this is assistive technology, you cannot find here that is it.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: is designed for people with disability, no, no, but it's easy to to use for everybody and and he's like the The great thing about these devices or, for example.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: I bought these wash a like it was also very cheap $15 $20 on also did one it like the same.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: And why you can see, about these devices, is that they they when you receive a call you can like get the earpiece and pull it in your year and you receive a cold and.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Very accessible, you cannot like hold or take a phone out of your of your bag, or something like that you have your phone for an emergency or anything like that here on your on your wrist so it's like a having really simple devices in.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: We will dip and amy can call the download the scenes, a lot of people suffer from from Erica nomics a.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: These are gonna make models, for example, is like very cheap and on how people use the computer for disability, but for everybody, if you and me, we use the mouse is better for our health than the know using it so so so.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: And this one also is like our wireless ring a joystick mouse so someone with disability can really see a movie and it can work on computer on the tablet a.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: ios android so it's like something where rechargeable it's very easy, and you can play games with is where you can use it as a mouse, and this is like assistive technology that you can find for 1000 $2,000 and these device course.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: $15 so it's like getting to know or telling people these devices exist.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: You know that you can find.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Commercial devices that work as assistive technology very cheap very cheap without having to buy those expensive ones.

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Neil Milliken: And I think that's the thing we when we label something as assistive technology quite often, the price just skyrockets.

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Neil Milliken: Because there's expectations it's a niche market and then suddenly people charge so much more, and yet the the actual cost of the components is still tiny.

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Neil Milliken: So, so I think that the mainstreaming of these devices or the the the sort of testing of these devices and say actually this is useful as assistive technology is a really useful thing because.

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Neil Milliken: Was technology designed for it's designed to help you help is assistance, so all good technology should be designed to be assistive in some way.

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Neil Milliken: So, but I love I love what you're doing is fighting you know going out there and finding the stuff that's helpful affordable, rather than then and matching people to solutions, and so I think it's great.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: I want to show this device, because I know it is like very simple, this is a like microphone and is have our.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: FM radio transmitter so it has me like.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Like and when you get a on any FM radio you get like a.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: 90.9 and you simply here on the screen, you would like a, how do you say the decision, so you put it here and a any any number that doesn't exist on your radio an order that is not use so we transmit on an open channel and.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: This is great, for example in schools for teachers to use this and.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: People with low vision is to enter the local region also if you are in a conference, also for translations for tourists for any arena tour and a while Okay, on your on your left you can find this and.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Those devices are like really, really expensive, so these device this transmitter costs $15 and you can use any FM radio.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Pulling on the screen, the same session that is free, for example, 9.9 and you put the same, and you are more than 10 or 20 people can hear.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: What they are transmitting using any radio, so this is like grade, for, as I said, you in schools in events and.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: They cannot afford the expensive devices, but yeah here, you can find FM radio and fame transmitter and a local solution using technology.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: And it works it works, because this is the same network these you know, like my invention so it's like the same device that are meant for our users use it as a CC technology.

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Neil Milliken: Fantastic and i've been to the conferences, where they're handing out these sennheiser devices yeah and they they cost a fortune and then.

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Neil Milliken: You go to the conference and there's a whole army of people chasing around after conference attendees trying to get them back because they're so expensive.

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Neil Milliken: yeah so yeah.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: FM radios on.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: yeah they are accessible for social.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: social tourism a local store improve our tourism a you will like for translations and you'll go places any company any school anyone can buy these devices use any radio and they have a like a translation device or two here Barry fees no well a location.

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Neil Milliken: Right, so the websites in progress or launched already.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Now it's in progress, it says lay you'll get the now, and now it says a under construction.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: So we're working a lot of that designers.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Like they believe a word when are you giving me their information, so we can publish it and I tell you know i'm busy on a access chat so.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: I am busy on other things so Whitney a week to week, so we are like a joining all the Info is very difficult, because in, for example, a what is a basic have a website it who we are we're So when I asked that question I wanted to start writing why am.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: I like it like being 14 years developing something what I am now, where I was before, and I have to like write it on a small paragraph so so it's been like really cool but really difficult to to get like all the new.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: stuff written but i'm really happy with that and I like a given time to write it the way I want.

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Debra Ruh: and Philippe is it accessible.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: yeah.

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Debra Ruh: a stupid question, and yet I hate I keep hearing from people it's too hard to make it accessible, so I know you were making accessible when.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: we're trying our best a.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: low cost.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: A within our budget so we are using a accessible template is not like the best but it's it was on we're also using.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: wordpress blog into her with accessibility, we are, we are trying, like a not only technical but.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: The information very accessible is like short, easy to understand, so that's what we are working on their videos we don't want very long videos with a lot of stuff we we are trying to.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: do give the description of the videos online people can understand the videos and we're working accessibility, not only technical with expensive, but with the way we are like a giving information.

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Neil Milliken: Great and you just talked about videos but before we came on air you also talked about how you've been using kik talk to to get information out there and it's a it's a social channel that i've avoided so far, because I don't need distracting any further.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: But I feel the same.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: I avoided it.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Is they like Okay, a lot of young people are using it.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: In their biggest barrier for disability for inclusion in the social barrier, so we have to teach those kids being fun not i'm not the clown but a.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: fun on very quick a i'm going to try to teach sign language, so I uploaded some videos two days uploading videos 15 videos I uploaded.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: And 10,000 subscribers that was like and not only a subscribers you don't need like the quantity is like the quality, so the comments, a very young people said that.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: I love this guy I love a learning sign language and going to be able i'm going to be able to talk with my neighbor i'm going to talk to a girl that I like that she's deaf and I going to talk to her so it's like oh.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: So it's so stupid video in a stupid, a network is helping people improve their lives, so is this right.

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Neil Milliken: yeah.

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Debra Ruh: Absolutely social media.

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Debra Ruh: For good.

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Neil Milliken: Yes, yeah yeah absolutely I think that's the thing we we often fall too quick to criticize social media when it's how we behave and what we do on it, that is.

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Neil Milliken: problematic so so it's crazy you're using these channels.

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Neil Milliken: I can't believe that we've reached the end of our recording time already i'm super excited to have you back it's been a real pleasure, I love your energy I love what you're doing.

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Neil Milliken: i'm really excited that you're going to join us on Tuesday night I need to thank My clear Text, Barclays Access and Microlink for helping keep us on air and yeah good on you for what you're doing fantastic.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Now, thanks, a lot I didn't have the time also we talked a lot, but to show over there were things but we're continuing in this.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: In this work and winning a Polish the website, I will tell you for all your network to help us get to know this.

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Neil Milliken: So why don't why don't you get some of those things and use them in your answers.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: On Tuesday yeah yeah i'm going to use it yeah sure.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Okay yeah I will yeah.

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Neil Milliken: Great Thank you so much.

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Felipe Betancur Posada: Oh, thank you, Antonio Deborah no thanks a lot for this.

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Debra Ruh: We love your work.