October 23, 2025 • 29 mins
Join host Paul Amadeus Lane on The Tech Zone as he sits down with Steve Ewell, Executive Director of the CTA Foundation, to unpack the inner workings of the prestigious Eureka Park Accessibility Contest. Discover how hundreds of startups competed—and how five standout winners earned a coveted spot on the grand CES 2026 stage. We'll dive into:
#TheTechZone #SteveEwell #CTAFoundation #EurekaPark #CES2026 #StartupLife #TechForAll #AccessibilityTech #Innovation #FutureOfTech
- What makes Eureka Park the ultimate global startup launch pad
- How the contest has evolved over the years and why it’s critical at CES 2026
- What Steve Ewell looks for in innovations that truly move the needle in accessibility and tech
- The ripple effect of booth space, media exposure and investor attention for the winners
#TheTechZone #SteveEwell #CTAFoundation #EurekaPark #CES2026 #StartupLife #TechForAll #AccessibilityTech #Innovation #FutureOfTech
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
In the tech Zone with.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Paul in the Tech Zone with Paul on my dear saying,
make a little trip Whinney. Suddenly you can see how
the suburbs and main streets they connected such respected from
(00:26):
cold to chrome, from Poones to Darns. Taking the airway
back in a hold, we little, we learn, We innovate
the game.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Tune in with y'all.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Paula Dan's name, streaming dreams and breaking change. Welcome to
the tex Zone where the World Club did and change remains.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Hello and welcome to the tech Zone. What is up?
It's me Paul. I'm a deads landing. I'm so delighted
to have you on our show today. We have an
amazing guest. We're going to talk about CEES twenty twenty six,
in particular the Eureka part contest. You guessed it. We're
going to be joined by the executive director of the
(01:13):
Consumer Technology Association Foundation without Hesitation, Steven Yule, So you
don't want to miss that chat before we bring them on.
Remember you can always connect with me Paulamade's Lane dot com.
You can also hit me up on all social media platforms.
It's all Amada's Lane, even on LinkedIn. Why because I
(01:36):
am a business man, Because I'm all about that businessman.
So let's connect. Let's do all the great things that
we all want to do in technology together and we
can make it happen. We also welcome you who are
watching and listening on ABC News Radio Kamie t here
(01:57):
in southern California. Those who are listening on our podcast
formats iHeart Spotify, Apple, Amazon, We thank you, and we
welcome you and those who are watching us on YouTube
as well. Thank you so much for your support. So
like like like, subscribe, subscribe, subscribe, comic, comic, commic, hit
(02:19):
that notification bell if this conversation resonates with you and
you want to share with somebody else too. CES. I've
been covering CES since ione to say, two thousand and nine.
I brought the morning show there when I started hosting
the morning show at a NBC radio affiliate. And one
(02:41):
of the things that I've always wanted to see more
of was things for us. We're part of the disabled community. Now.
Even though I am a tech journalist, I cover all
technology because I am disabled. I think about myself and
others want to use technology, and oftentimes I would ask
(03:04):
folks about will I be able to use? Is? How
can I use this? And sometimes they were stone, but
it got the conversation story. That's how I was able
to parlay my side hustle as an accessibility consultant because
after I would talk to ones with these different companies,
(03:25):
they would say, well, what do you need? What could
help you out? I would share that with them and
then they would say, hey, you want to come in
and work with our development team R and D and
we'll pay youm like pay me. So that kind of
parlayed my side hustle. But the person who's been responsible
(03:51):
for all the hype of accessibility for the disabled community
aging adult population is my good friends and Steve you
who were about to talk to He and the Foundation
has taken what we wanted and put it into practice.
Also give a huge shout out to Gary Shapiro. Gary
(04:14):
was the CEO and president of the Consumer Technology Association
for many years and now Gary is still the CEO
and Kinsey Fabrizio is now the president of the Consumer
Technology Association Foundation. Now, if I mixed that up and
(04:35):
messed that all up, y'all forgive me. I ain't did
it on purpose, you know, brother, just try to do
what's right here these airways, and they'll hold it against me,
all right. But I remember talking to Kinsey. It was
an event they had for us here in Southern California,
a CEES media media launch, and they were filling questions
(04:56):
for all of us in the media, and I pose
the question the kense Hey, Kensey, what about accessibility? What's
going to be there for us? And Kinsey looked at
me and shook her head, had this poker face smile,
and at first I thought I got on my nerve,
but Jesus smile and said, we're working on some things.
(05:17):
Then what happened was when I got there to that
year's CES, they had things really reaving to go. So yeah,
origin story of accessibility at CES. But enough about me.
Let's bring on our very special guests. Who's going to
(05:37):
talk about the Eureka Part contest, the contest that gives
startup the ability to be at CES, and we're going
to find out who the winners were and how many
contestants or applicants that it was. So without any further delay,
to bring on our very special guest, I am so
delighted to have with me right now. My next guest,
(05:59):
my great friend in the executive director of the Consumer
Technology Association Foundation. We've got to put that into wrap.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Steve youle's going on, Steve, Hey, Paul, I am always
happy to be part of your rap, sou but no,
I am thrilled to be here. I always love talking
to you, especially as we're ramping up towards Cees. So yeah,
thanks for having me back on, Steve.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Seemed like only yesterday we were talking at the show
about Cees twenty twenty five coming to an end, and
now we're in a crunch time for Cees twenty twenty
six and it goes by so fast.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Well this year especially, I don't know what happened, but yeah,
I mean all those things that we were talking about,
Oh you know, oh I'd like to do that, or
I'd like to do this. Well, guess what a lot
of it's happening. We've got some really exciting things happening
around accessibility at CEES twenty twenty six. Means we're running
non stop right now try to make it all happen.
(07:01):
But I can't wait to be able to see you
at the show and really engage in these topics like
we've never done.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Before, so looking forward to it. And I talked about
this in the intro Steve about how accessibility. I wouldn't
say it was an afterthought at CEES because it never
was an afterthought. It just wasn't as robust as we
see it today. And we have you to thank for it.
So I'll always give you your flowers and the rest of
(07:30):
the team when it comes to this. And before we
delve into the Eureka part contest winners and this iteration
of contestants that you had this time, I just got
to say, man, you are looking amazing. I just wanted
you know that. Well, I appreciate that.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
Yeah, we're working at it, and just like I know
you are as well, and you know you gotta keep
back to keep busy. And you know it's compared to
where I was this time last year, yet down a
bit and happy to be engaged and you get that
energy to be able to push through. But yeah, no,
(08:16):
I'm I'm excited to be able to work with you.
We just actually came out of we had an event
here in d C earlier today, the roundtable that we
do at ces we had one here in the DC
area up over at Amazon's HQ two, so you know,
kind of get to that. The juice is flowing and
ready to have those conversations between the industry, between the
(08:40):
advocate community, and we're just going to go bigger and
better when we get to see Yes twenty twenty six.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
I cannot wait. In one of our highlights that you
and I always love to talk about. They really highlight
and that is your week apart the contest is over,
the winners have been announced, let's talk about them.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Print absolutely so yeah, this is I always look forward.
I appreciate you letting me come on here and share
the winners each year. This year, I think if we
didn't have the most number of entrants, we were pretty close.
I mean we had dozens and dozens of companies from
all over the US and Canada competing to win just
(09:22):
five booths that we have available at CES that we
give away for free for these companies and all that
they well, all they have to do, they have to
be able to showcase how their technology can help either
older adults or people with disabilities. We give them a
free booth. We give them twenty five hundred dollars a piece,
because we know it costs money to be in Las
Vegas for the week of Cees and we give them
(09:44):
lots of great attention, and you're always kind of that
first first call, first stop to being able to build
that attention. So well, here here's our group of winners
and this is in well, I guess more alphabetical order
than anything. We don't rank the top five, top five
(10:04):
or all winners first up, three sixty Direct Access. This
is a really cool technology that is designed for the
deaf and Heart of Hearing community by the Deaf and
Heart of Hearing community. And what it enables is for
companies to be able to use this system to provide
(10:25):
customer service and support in native sign language interpretation, not
having to go through third party interpretation vendors, being able
to have these companies be able to do whether it
is an American sign language or they're also working internationally
bringing in British Sign Language and I believe Indian Sign
(10:47):
Language and other countries sign languages. So really an interesting
company being able to provide that natural language because people
who speak sign language that is their first and foremost language,
you know, speaking English or seeing captions, that's actually a
second language for them. So being able to provide that
(11:09):
level of support is just an incredible opportunity for the
deaf and heart of hearing community. Next up is a
company called Karen's Health. They're doing a really interesting both
hardware and kind of software play, uh, supporting people aging
in place in their homes. Think of it as a
(11:30):
sensor that uses a radio wave technology to be able
to monitor health and well being, monitor different you know,
statistics and things along those lines. But it also has
a voice assistant component as well, so being able to
talk to get help with caregiving, being able to bring
(11:52):
in some of that level of support. So it's a
really interesting company that's kind of enabling people to live
and age at home with independence. Next up is a
company called Cognitive Health. They're essentially using an incredible technology
but doing it over the phone, so being able to
(12:14):
create a phone call that can then you know, track
cognitive health and basically, especially as you look at older
adults who may be aging into dementia or other cognitive challenges,
it is able to do a regular phone call and
track based on patterns of speech, track based on other
(12:38):
Their their technology is much more robust than that, but
being able to kind of help be aware of you
know what are some of the changes happening, uh, and
that could help someone know to go get get checked
out at an earlier stage and therefore catching it never
hurts to catch these things early and be able to
(13:00):
create that awareness. So really interested in the work they're
doing there. Next up is a company called Hapware. This
is a really interesting technology that is essentially originally i think,
designed primarily for the blind and low vision community to
be able to use a video feed to pick up
(13:21):
not just us talking, but being able to pick up
the you know, the the body language, being able to
pick up you know, smiles or frowns or other body
language that often are are left out if you if
you don't have vision to be able to see that.
They're also working in the cognitive space because often, you know,
(13:42):
people on the autism spectrum or others have a hard
time picking up emotions. So what they're doing is using
a combination of sensors built into some glasses along with
a wrist band that provide some haptic feedback and let's
you know, basically you know you're talking to someone who's smiling,
(14:04):
or you're talking to someone who seems very disinterested, or
you know, being able to provide that level of feedback
to individuals who otherwise aren't able to, uh to pick
that up themselves. And then last, but certainly not least,
is a company called new Haptics. Uh they've got a
really interesting new multi line braille device. So for our
blind and low vision consumers that we work with, you know,
(14:28):
this is something that doesn't just provide the one line
of texts, but being able to do braille in a
multi line format, both being making easier to be able
to scan over text, you know, in larger blocks, but
also being able to do you know, graphics and other
types of content. So really, you know, these five, I
(14:53):
feel like I could have picked you know, a dozen
other entries from from the entrance and been very very
happy with them. But I can't wait to see all
of them at CEES. We're going to have a chance
to really you provide some highlights and you know, see
where they go from here, because we've seen over the
years all these companies come to CEES. They they meet
(15:15):
the great paul Amidae Swayne, and next thing you know,
they're you know, off to the races.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
You are too kind, my friend, and just hearing the
the winners of the contest. It really shows Steve that
innovation is really exploding, especially when it comes to the
aging and adult population and the disability of population. And Steve,
one thing, you and I have had this conversation before.
(15:44):
Whenever they build something around us or for us, everybody
starts using it, and that has to be really really
gratifying for you and the team over at the Foundation
to see that what these things could be for others
as well as ones in the tech world.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
Absolutely well, that's one of the reasons I think it's
so important for us to have this conversation at CEES
and have this conversation in the broader technology community, because yes,
assistive technology is incredible, but you know, the problem is
(16:25):
is if it's a very niche product, it ends up
being very expensive to build, it ends up being very
hard for people to.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Be able to afford.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
Now, there is always going to be a syste of
technology that's not going away. But when we have the
opportunity to look at how can we scale some of
these technologies, how can we incorporate accessibility into broader consumer technologies,
you have that economy of scale that can really you know,
make these things affordable and available to so many more people.
(16:57):
It also makes devices in general more usable, you know,
and and that's something you know, you're right. It's been
a building process to get you know, different companies engaged,
but we're we're seeing it's no longer a matter of
convincing companies that this is the right thing to do.
It's really you know, helping them know the best ways
(17:19):
to go about it. But you know, they see the
opportunities that exist here and you know, you're right. If
you build excessively, you're going to be able to serve
so many more people. And that is a it's a
strong message to the companies developing these technologies. And that's
what I love from the biggest companies to the world
(17:40):
to you know, these small startup companies who are just
you know, someone with a passion and an idea, and
you know, they get to build a product and we
hope to see them become the next big, great, big companies.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
That's awesome. And see how many how many contestants are
application did you have this year for the contest?
Speaker 3 (18:02):
Oh, I had to be fifty sixty something like that.
It was I feel like this was one of our
largest collections of entries. So yeah, we we had just
an incredible class of entrance and like I said, we
had to narrow it down to five. But I know
(18:25):
the judges had a real tough, tough process to go
through because there are some incredible companies that you know,
well they didn't win this. I'm really hoping they're still
going to be at CEES. And you know, that's actually
one of the things that I love is you know,
yes we recognize these five companies, there's going to be
so many more companies at ces as well doing this work,
(18:48):
and you know, I'm looking to engage all them as well.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
That's amazing, that's amazing, great to see, Steve. Do you
think I don't want to put you on the spot
with this question, do you think they'll ever expand more
than more than five booths or five kind of like
set in stone.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
So you know, it is something that you know, certainly
we may have some opportunities in the future, but you
know that is one of the you know, we kind
of set it as five in the beginning. You know,
we also do work with our innovation for all teams,
so they actually have a whole separate competition where they
(19:29):
also award some boosts their focus is more on diverse
founders of companies versus accessibility alone, although we actually have
now built it into our competition that if you don't
win ours, you're able to check a box that I
go and forward on your entry if you're interested to
(19:50):
the innovation for all. And they haven't made their selections
quite yet, but we've had good luck over the years
of getting a few extra accessibility one in through through
their competition. So you know, my goal is to, you know,
try to expand this as far as I can and
get as many engaged as I can, because, yeah, I mean,
(20:11):
this is an exciting topic, and you know, this is
an opportunity for us, as you said, to get more
founders with disabilities, get more people with an interest in
serving this community, and bring them all together with the
big world of consumer technology.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
What has been a feedback over the years from ones
who have won the competition, any like emails or letters
they sent back to you and the team too, just
how that whole experience was able to shape the future
for them.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
Yeah, I you ask a great question, and we've had
some really incredible feedback over the years. You know, I'm
just pulling up, so sorry if I'm kind of looking
slightly off screen. But you know things that we've heard
are you know some of the winners from last year.
(21:13):
You know, Science Speak's dream was always to attend CEES,
but we didn't have the means. Winning the CTA contest
made it possible, not just financially, but for the exposure too.
Along with the booth, you get a chance to network
with industry experts. My advice if you win, stay on
top of the CTA exhibit or emails, wear comfy shoes,
(21:33):
and have fun. You'll get tons of qualified leads and
you won't believe it.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
You know.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
Another company said winning the Eureka Park accessibility contests at
CEES was a pivotal moment for Bluetooth Tech or Blueberry Technology.
It connected us to other winners, sparked new ideas, and
helped us envision solutions beyond mobility and airports. The experience
boosted our visibility and inspired us to create technology that
(22:00):
truly make a difference in people's lives. So, you know,
this is something that you know, I just love hearing
you know these founders that you know close rounds of
funding at the show, or you know, make that connection
with a media expert or make a connection with another
bigger company, and you know, we we try to keep
(22:21):
track of where all these companies go, you know, like
dealing with any startups. Sometimes they make it, sometimes they don't.
But uh, there's really just such incredible opportunity and I
want to make sure they're on, you know, our biggest stage.
And actually, speaking of big stages, you know, that's one
(22:42):
of the other new exciting things we have coming. And
I don't want to steal. I know you're gonna be
talking with Kinzia Fabrizio U here very soon, so I
won't steal much. But we are finally building that accessibility stage.
I know you had a chance to be part of
the CEES podcast with Bread Moltz from Verizon talking about
(23:03):
the importance of accessibility at CEES. But we're going to
have a chance to bring you know, all of these
winners as well as others to that stage. So in
addition to the normal track that we do every year
at CEES, we're gonna have three solid days of accessibility content.
So yeah, I'm I'm thrilled for what we're going to
(23:23):
be able to do at the show this year.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
That's what I'm talking about. Steve and you made this possible,
my friend, you and your amazing team. I remember when
you and I first met each other and being at
CES even before we met, and that was one of
my dreams was to bring accessibility, more, more coverage, more
(23:50):
hype at CES. Man, it is so gratifying, you know,
to se see where we're at today and thank you
for your hard work and what you do in your
team and amazing board members. And I remember when I
was on the CEES podcast with Fred and I was like, Fred,
so yeah, I did for us. We had a lot
(24:11):
of fun talking about that and everything. But that's great,
and I don't want to steal any more thunder of
my other conversation I'm going to have with Kinsey Fabrizio,
and so I don't want to ask you any more
questions that can get you and I have both in trouble.
But I'll just say this, Is there anything else that
(24:32):
you would like to share with the audience out there
about Yureka Park or anything that you would like to say?
Speaker 3 (24:40):
Yeah, well one, Paul, I appreciate you, know, all your gratitude,
but honestly it's because of folks like yourself being at
CEF showing up making sure accessibility is at the forefront
of this conversation, being able to host shows like this
where you you know, you're not a disability tech podcast.
(25:04):
Now you cover the issue a lot, but you're highlighting
the importance of technology out there and oh, by the way,
accessibility is a big piece of that. So you know,
I really want to kind of provide the you know,
the flowers back your way of you know, just the
fact that you've continued to push this enables us to
(25:25):
be able to do the things that we're doing, because yeah,
I mean we've been talking for years about how do
we build the stage, how do we build the stage?
And you know, finally you know, just managed to you know,
find the right place in the right time, and now
it's going to happen. I'm convinced we're going to you know,
blow this out of the water and it's just going
to continue to get bigger and better year after year
(25:47):
from here. So you know, with that, you know, all
the other things that we've continued to do at CES,
you know, whether it's our receptions and round tables and
all those other activities, they're going to continue to happen
at CEES. I know they're going to be bigger and better.
I'll let Kinsey and Melissa share a little bit more
on some of those, but yeah, we've got we've got
(26:08):
big plans, and hey, it can only get bigger and
better from here. So I look forward to working with
you on that and appreciate you and your audience their
interest in all these important topics.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
I really appreciate that, Steve, and can't wait to see
you in a few months. And uh, we'll be able
to hug each other, hang out and see each other.
It would be like a family reunion when we all
get back together in person and see each other. Why
don't you give information out there about the about the foundation,
(26:43):
how others can support the foundation and also those who
can register for cees there's a certain criteria they have
to meet. You mind sharing that with everyone?
Speaker 3 (26:53):
Yeah, absolutely, So people can go to c TA Foundation
dot tech. It's dot t e c h uh, and
that has all of the information about the CTA Foundation,
including you know, our various competitions, different events that we've
got planned for ces there. So definitely recommend people do that. Also,
(27:13):
you know, follow us on social media definitely particularly LinkedIn
that tends to be our biggest social channel right now,
but we're going to be constantly pushing out more more
content and information there and then for everything CEES. If
you go to CS dot tech once again, that's dot
T E c H. You'll find everything CES related there.
(27:36):
And yeah, the show is it's an industry show, so
it is not open to the general public. But if
people are either part of the technology industry, if they're
media like yourself who cover the the industry, analysts, investors,
others along those lines, you know, there's opportunities to look
(27:58):
at the registration on ce dot tech. And yeah, we'll
be getting together here very soon in early January to
celebrate another great year.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
Looking forward to my friend you stay well, all right,
you two. That was the executive director of the Consumer
Technology Association, My great friend Steve Yule. Always love catching
up with him. Congratulations to all the your Week of
Park winners. Can't wait to see you and meet you
at CEES as well, Steve. Kind of t is a
(28:30):
very special exclusive interview that I'm going to have with
the President of the Consumer Technology Association Foundation, Kinsey Fabrizio,
So stay tuned for that, all right, We'll do me
a favor. Stay healthy, stay safe and remember I love
you all the life until next time.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
In the tex slin in the tech Zone with Paul
out my head saying take a little trip whinny. Suddenly
you can see how the suburbs and main streets they connected.
(29:16):
Funch respected, from cold to drawn, from falls to drawls,
taking a hairway back in our home. We live, we learn,
we innovate the game.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
Tune in with y'all, Pauma.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
Dad's name, streaming dreams and breaking change. Welcome to the
tech Zone, where the World Club did and change remains.
In the tech Zone with.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Paul in the Tech Zone with Paul on my dear saying,
make a little trip Whinney. Suddenly you can see how
the suburbs and main streets they connected such respected from
(00:26):
cold to chrome, from Poones to Darns. Taking the airway
back in a hold, we little, we learn, We innovate
the game.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Tune in with y'all.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Paula Dan's name, streaming dreams and breaking change. Welcome to
the tex Zone where the World Club did and change remains.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Hello and welcome to the tech Zone. What is up?
It's me Paul. I'm a deads landing. I'm so delighted
to have you on our show today. We have an
amazing guest. We're going to talk about CEES twenty twenty six,
in particular the Eureka part contest. You guessed it. We're
going to be joined by the executive director of the
(01:13):
Consumer Technology Association Foundation without Hesitation, Steven Yule, So you
don't want to miss that chat before we bring them on.
Remember you can always connect with me Paulamade's Lane dot com.
You can also hit me up on all social media platforms.
It's all Amada's Lane, even on LinkedIn. Why because I
(01:36):
am a business man, Because I'm all about that businessman.
So let's connect. Let's do all the great things that
we all want to do in technology together and we
can make it happen. We also welcome you who are
watching and listening on ABC News Radio Kamie t here
(01:57):
in southern California. Those who are listening on our podcast
formats iHeart Spotify, Apple, Amazon, We thank you, and we
welcome you and those who are watching us on YouTube
as well. Thank you so much for your support. So
like like like, subscribe, subscribe, subscribe, comic, comic, commic, hit
(02:19):
that notification bell if this conversation resonates with you and
you want to share with somebody else too. CES. I've
been covering CES since ione to say, two thousand and nine.
I brought the morning show there when I started hosting
the morning show at a NBC radio affiliate. And one
(02:41):
of the things that I've always wanted to see more
of was things for us. We're part of the disabled community. Now.
Even though I am a tech journalist, I cover all
technology because I am disabled. I think about myself and
others want to use technology, and oftentimes I would ask
(03:04):
folks about will I be able to use? Is? How
can I use this? And sometimes they were stone, but
it got the conversation story. That's how I was able
to parlay my side hustle as an accessibility consultant because
after I would talk to ones with these different companies,
(03:25):
they would say, well, what do you need? What could
help you out? I would share that with them and
then they would say, hey, you want to come in
and work with our development team R and D and
we'll pay youm like pay me. So that kind of
parlayed my side hustle. But the person who's been responsible
(03:51):
for all the hype of accessibility for the disabled community
aging adult population is my good friends and Steve you
who were about to talk to He and the Foundation
has taken what we wanted and put it into practice.
Also give a huge shout out to Gary Shapiro. Gary
(04:14):
was the CEO and president of the Consumer Technology Association
for many years and now Gary is still the CEO
and Kinsey Fabrizio is now the president of the Consumer
Technology Association Foundation. Now, if I mixed that up and
(04:35):
messed that all up, y'all forgive me. I ain't did
it on purpose, you know, brother, just try to do
what's right here these airways, and they'll hold it against me,
all right. But I remember talking to Kinsey. It was
an event they had for us here in Southern California,
a CEES media media launch, and they were filling questions
(04:56):
for all of us in the media, and I pose
the question the kense Hey, Kensey, what about accessibility? What's
going to be there for us? And Kinsey looked at
me and shook her head, had this poker face smile,
and at first I thought I got on my nerve,
but Jesus smile and said, we're working on some things.
(05:17):
Then what happened was when I got there to that
year's CES, they had things really reaving to go. So yeah,
origin story of accessibility at CES. But enough about me.
Let's bring on our very special guests. Who's going to
(05:37):
talk about the Eureka Part contest, the contest that gives
startup the ability to be at CES, and we're going
to find out who the winners were and how many
contestants or applicants that it was. So without any further delay,
to bring on our very special guest, I am so
delighted to have with me right now. My next guest,
(05:59):
my great friend in the executive director of the Consumer
Technology Association Foundation. We've got to put that into wrap.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Steve youle's going on, Steve, Hey, Paul, I am always
happy to be part of your rap, sou but no,
I am thrilled to be here. I always love talking
to you, especially as we're ramping up towards Cees. So yeah,
thanks for having me back on, Steve.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Seemed like only yesterday we were talking at the show
about Cees twenty twenty five coming to an end, and
now we're in a crunch time for Cees twenty twenty
six and it goes by so fast.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Well this year especially, I don't know what happened, but yeah,
I mean all those things that we were talking about,
Oh you know, oh I'd like to do that, or
I'd like to do this. Well, guess what a lot
of it's happening. We've got some really exciting things happening
around accessibility at CEES twenty twenty six. Means we're running
non stop right now try to make it all happen.
(07:01):
But I can't wait to be able to see you
at the show and really engage in these topics like
we've never done.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Before, so looking forward to it. And I talked about
this in the intro Steve about how accessibility. I wouldn't
say it was an afterthought at CEES because it never
was an afterthought. It just wasn't as robust as we
see it today. And we have you to thank for it.
So I'll always give you your flowers and the rest of
(07:30):
the team when it comes to this. And before we
delve into the Eureka part contest winners and this iteration
of contestants that you had this time, I just got
to say, man, you are looking amazing. I just wanted
you know that. Well, I appreciate that.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
Yeah, we're working at it, and just like I know
you are as well, and you know you gotta keep
back to keep busy. And you know it's compared to
where I was this time last year, yet down a
bit and happy to be engaged and you get that
energy to be able to push through. But yeah, no,
(08:16):
I'm I'm excited to be able to work with you.
We just actually came out of we had an event
here in d C earlier today, the roundtable that we
do at ces we had one here in the DC
area up over at Amazon's HQ two, so you know,
kind of get to that. The juice is flowing and
ready to have those conversations between the industry, between the
(08:40):
advocate community, and we're just going to go bigger and
better when we get to see Yes twenty twenty six.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
I cannot wait. In one of our highlights that you
and I always love to talk about. They really highlight
and that is your week apart the contest is over,
the winners have been announced, let's talk about them.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Print absolutely so yeah, this is I always look forward.
I appreciate you letting me come on here and share
the winners each year. This year, I think if we
didn't have the most number of entrants, we were pretty close.
I mean we had dozens and dozens of companies from
all over the US and Canada competing to win just
(09:22):
five booths that we have available at CES that we
give away for free for these companies and all that
they well, all they have to do, they have to
be able to showcase how their technology can help either
older adults or people with disabilities. We give them a
free booth. We give them twenty five hundred dollars a piece,
because we know it costs money to be in Las
Vegas for the week of Cees and we give them
(09:44):
lots of great attention, and you're always kind of that
first first call, first stop to being able to build
that attention. So well, here here's our group of winners
and this is in well, I guess more alphabetical order
than anything. We don't rank the top five, top five
(10:04):
or all winners first up, three sixty Direct Access. This
is a really cool technology that is designed for the
deaf and Heart of Hearing community by the Deaf and
Heart of Hearing community. And what it enables is for
companies to be able to use this system to provide
(10:25):
customer service and support in native sign language interpretation, not
having to go through third party interpretation vendors, being able
to have these companies be able to do whether it
is an American sign language or they're also working internationally
bringing in British Sign Language and I believe Indian Sign
(10:47):
Language and other countries sign languages. So really an interesting
company being able to provide that natural language because people
who speak sign language that is their first and foremost language,
you know, speaking English or seeing captions, that's actually a
second language for them. So being able to provide that
(11:09):
level of support is just an incredible opportunity for the
deaf and heart of hearing community. Next up is a
company called Karen's Health. They're doing a really interesting both
hardware and kind of software play, uh, supporting people aging
in place in their homes. Think of it as a
(11:30):
sensor that uses a radio wave technology to be able
to monitor health and well being, monitor different you know,
statistics and things along those lines. But it also has
a voice assistant component as well, so being able to
talk to get help with caregiving, being able to bring
(11:52):
in some of that level of support. So it's a
really interesting company that's kind of enabling people to live
and age at home with independence. Next up is a
company called Cognitive Health. They're essentially using an incredible technology
but doing it over the phone, so being able to
(12:14):
create a phone call that can then you know, track
cognitive health and basically, especially as you look at older
adults who may be aging into dementia or other cognitive challenges,
it is able to do a regular phone call and
track based on patterns of speech, track based on other
(12:38):
Their their technology is much more robust than that, but
being able to kind of help be aware of you
know what are some of the changes happening, uh, and
that could help someone know to go get get checked
out at an earlier stage and therefore catching it never
hurts to catch these things early and be able to
(13:00):
create that awareness. So really interested in the work they're
doing there. Next up is a company called Hapware. This
is a really interesting technology that is essentially originally i think,
designed primarily for the blind and low vision community to
be able to use a video feed to pick up
(13:21):
not just us talking, but being able to pick up
the you know, the the body language, being able to
pick up you know, smiles or frowns or other body
language that often are are left out if you if
you don't have vision to be able to see that.
They're also working in the cognitive space because often, you know,
(13:42):
people on the autism spectrum or others have a hard
time picking up emotions. So what they're doing is using
a combination of sensors built into some glasses along with
a wrist band that provide some haptic feedback and let's
you know, basically you know you're talking to someone who's smiling,
(14:04):
or you're talking to someone who seems very disinterested, or
you know, being able to provide that level of feedback
to individuals who otherwise aren't able to, uh to pick
that up themselves. And then last, but certainly not least,
is a company called new Haptics. Uh they've got a
really interesting new multi line braille device. So for our
blind and low vision consumers that we work with, you know,
(14:28):
this is something that doesn't just provide the one line
of texts, but being able to do braille in a
multi line format, both being making easier to be able
to scan over text, you know, in larger blocks, but
also being able to do you know, graphics and other
types of content. So really, you know, these five, I
(14:53):
feel like I could have picked you know, a dozen
other entries from from the entrance and been very very
happy with them. But I can't wait to see all
of them at CEES. We're going to have a chance
to really you provide some highlights and you know, see
where they go from here, because we've seen over the
years all these companies come to CEES. They they meet
(15:15):
the great paul Amidae Swayne, and next thing you know,
they're you know, off to the races.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
You are too kind, my friend, and just hearing the
the winners of the contest. It really shows Steve that
innovation is really exploding, especially when it comes to the
aging and adult population and the disability of population. And Steve,
one thing, you and I have had this conversation before.
(15:44):
Whenever they build something around us or for us, everybody
starts using it, and that has to be really really
gratifying for you and the team over at the Foundation
to see that what these things could be for others
as well as ones in the tech world.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
Absolutely well, that's one of the reasons I think it's
so important for us to have this conversation at CEES
and have this conversation in the broader technology community, because yes,
assistive technology is incredible, but you know, the problem is
(16:25):
is if it's a very niche product, it ends up
being very expensive to build, it ends up being very
hard for people to.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Be able to afford.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
Now, there is always going to be a syste of
technology that's not going away. But when we have the
opportunity to look at how can we scale some of
these technologies, how can we incorporate accessibility into broader consumer technologies,
you have that economy of scale that can really you know,
make these things affordable and available to so many more people.
(16:57):
It also makes devices in general more usable, you know,
and and that's something you know, you're right. It's been
a building process to get you know, different companies engaged,
but we're we're seeing it's no longer a matter of
convincing companies that this is the right thing to do.
It's really you know, helping them know the best ways
(17:19):
to go about it. But you know, they see the
opportunities that exist here and you know, you're right. If
you build excessively, you're going to be able to serve
so many more people. And that is a it's a
strong message to the companies developing these technologies. And that's
what I love from the biggest companies to the world
(17:40):
to you know, these small startup companies who are just
you know, someone with a passion and an idea, and
you know, they get to build a product and we
hope to see them become the next big, great, big companies.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
That's awesome. And see how many how many contestants are
application did you have this year for the contest?
Speaker 3 (18:02):
Oh, I had to be fifty sixty something like that.
It was I feel like this was one of our
largest collections of entries. So yeah, we we had just
an incredible class of entrance and like I said, we
had to narrow it down to five. But I know
(18:25):
the judges had a real tough, tough process to go
through because there are some incredible companies that you know,
well they didn't win this. I'm really hoping they're still
going to be at CEES. And you know, that's actually
one of the things that I love is you know,
yes we recognize these five companies, there's going to be
so many more companies at ces as well doing this work,
(18:48):
and you know, I'm looking to engage all them as well.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
That's amazing, that's amazing, great to see, Steve. Do you
think I don't want to put you on the spot
with this question, do you think they'll ever expand more
than more than five booths or five kind of like
set in stone.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
So you know, it is something that you know, certainly
we may have some opportunities in the future, but you
know that is one of the you know, we kind
of set it as five in the beginning. You know,
we also do work with our innovation for all teams,
so they actually have a whole separate competition where they
(19:29):
also award some boosts their focus is more on diverse
founders of companies versus accessibility alone, although we actually have
now built it into our competition that if you don't
win ours, you're able to check a box that I
go and forward on your entry if you're interested to
(19:50):
the innovation for all. And they haven't made their selections
quite yet, but we've had good luck over the years
of getting a few extra accessibility one in through through
their competition. So you know, my goal is to, you know,
try to expand this as far as I can and
get as many engaged as I can, because, yeah, I mean,
(20:11):
this is an exciting topic, and you know, this is
an opportunity for us, as you said, to get more
founders with disabilities, get more people with an interest in
serving this community, and bring them all together with the
big world of consumer technology.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
What has been a feedback over the years from ones
who have won the competition, any like emails or letters
they sent back to you and the team too, just
how that whole experience was able to shape the future
for them.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
Yeah, I you ask a great question, and we've had
some really incredible feedback over the years. You know, I'm
just pulling up, so sorry if I'm kind of looking
slightly off screen. But you know things that we've heard
are you know some of the winners from last year.
(21:13):
You know, Science Speak's dream was always to attend CEES,
but we didn't have the means. Winning the CTA contest
made it possible, not just financially, but for the exposure too.
Along with the booth, you get a chance to network
with industry experts. My advice if you win, stay on
top of the CTA exhibit or emails, wear comfy shoes,
(21:33):
and have fun. You'll get tons of qualified leads and
you won't believe it.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
You know.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
Another company said winning the Eureka Park accessibility contests at
CEES was a pivotal moment for Bluetooth Tech or Blueberry Technology.
It connected us to other winners, sparked new ideas, and
helped us envision solutions beyond mobility and airports. The experience
boosted our visibility and inspired us to create technology that
(22:00):
truly make a difference in people's lives. So, you know,
this is something that you know, I just love hearing
you know these founders that you know close rounds of
funding at the show, or you know, make that connection
with a media expert or make a connection with another
bigger company, and you know, we we try to keep
(22:21):
track of where all these companies go, you know, like
dealing with any startups. Sometimes they make it, sometimes they don't.
But uh, there's really just such incredible opportunity and I
want to make sure they're on, you know, our biggest stage.
And actually, speaking of big stages, you know, that's one
(22:42):
of the other new exciting things we have coming. And
I don't want to steal. I know you're gonna be
talking with Kinzia Fabrizio U here very soon, so I
won't steal much. But we are finally building that accessibility stage.
I know you had a chance to be part of
the CEES podcast with Bread Moltz from Verizon talking about
(23:03):
the importance of accessibility at CEES. But we're going to
have a chance to bring you know, all of these
winners as well as others to that stage. So in
addition to the normal track that we do every year
at CEES, we're gonna have three solid days of accessibility content.
So yeah, I'm I'm thrilled for what we're going to
(23:23):
be able to do at the show this year.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
That's what I'm talking about. Steve and you made this possible,
my friend, you and your amazing team. I remember when
you and I first met each other and being at
CES even before we met, and that was one of
my dreams was to bring accessibility, more, more coverage, more
(23:50):
hype at CES. Man, it is so gratifying, you know,
to se see where we're at today and thank you
for your hard work and what you do in your
team and amazing board members. And I remember when I
was on the CEES podcast with Fred and I was like, Fred,
so yeah, I did for us. We had a lot
(24:11):
of fun talking about that and everything. But that's great,
and I don't want to steal any more thunder of
my other conversation I'm going to have with Kinsey Fabrizio,
and so I don't want to ask you any more
questions that can get you and I have both in trouble.
But I'll just say this, Is there anything else that
(24:32):
you would like to share with the audience out there
about Yureka Park or anything that you would like to say?
Speaker 3 (24:40):
Yeah, well one, Paul, I appreciate you, know, all your gratitude,
but honestly it's because of folks like yourself being at
CEF showing up making sure accessibility is at the forefront
of this conversation, being able to host shows like this
where you you know, you're not a disability tech podcast.
(25:04):
Now you cover the issue a lot, but you're highlighting
the importance of technology out there and oh, by the way,
accessibility is a big piece of that. So you know,
I really want to kind of provide the you know,
the flowers back your way of you know, just the
fact that you've continued to push this enables us to
(25:25):
be able to do the things that we're doing, because yeah,
I mean we've been talking for years about how do
we build the stage, how do we build the stage?
And you know, finally you know, just managed to you know,
find the right place in the right time, and now
it's going to happen. I'm convinced we're going to you know,
blow this out of the water and it's just going
to continue to get bigger and better year after year
(25:47):
from here. So you know, with that, you know, all
the other things that we've continued to do at CES,
you know, whether it's our receptions and round tables and
all those other activities, they're going to continue to happen
at CEES. I know they're going to be bigger and better.
I'll let Kinsey and Melissa share a little bit more
on some of those, but yeah, we've got we've got
(26:08):
big plans, and hey, it can only get bigger and
better from here. So I look forward to working with
you on that and appreciate you and your audience their
interest in all these important topics.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
I really appreciate that, Steve, and can't wait to see
you in a few months. And uh, we'll be able
to hug each other, hang out and see each other.
It would be like a family reunion when we all
get back together in person and see each other. Why
don't you give information out there about the about the foundation,
(26:43):
how others can support the foundation and also those who
can register for cees there's a certain criteria they have
to meet. You mind sharing that with everyone?
Speaker 3 (26:53):
Yeah, absolutely, So people can go to c TA Foundation
dot tech. It's dot t e c h uh, and
that has all of the information about the CTA Foundation,
including you know, our various competitions, different events that we've
got planned for ces there. So definitely recommend people do that. Also,
(27:13):
you know, follow us on social media definitely particularly LinkedIn
that tends to be our biggest social channel right now,
but we're going to be constantly pushing out more more
content and information there and then for everything CEES. If
you go to CS dot tech once again, that's dot
T E c H. You'll find everything CES related there.
(27:36):
And yeah, the show is it's an industry show, so
it is not open to the general public. But if
people are either part of the technology industry, if they're
media like yourself who cover the the industry, analysts, investors,
others along those lines, you know, there's opportunities to look
(27:58):
at the registration on ce dot tech. And yeah, we'll
be getting together here very soon in early January to
celebrate another great year.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
Looking forward to my friend you stay well, all right,
you two. That was the executive director of the Consumer
Technology Association, My great friend Steve Yule. Always love catching
up with him. Congratulations to all the your Week of
Park winners. Can't wait to see you and meet you
at CEES as well, Steve. Kind of t is a
(28:30):
very special exclusive interview that I'm going to have with
the President of the Consumer Technology Association Foundation, Kinsey Fabrizio,
So stay tuned for that, all right, We'll do me
a favor. Stay healthy, stay safe and remember I love
you all the life until next time.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
In the tex slin in the tech Zone with Paul
out my head saying take a little trip whinny. Suddenly
you can see how the suburbs and main streets they connected.
(29:16):
Funch respected, from cold to drawn, from falls to drawls,
taking a hairway back in our home. We live, we learn,
we innovate the game.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
Tune in with y'all, Pauma.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
Dad's name, streaming dreams and breaking change. Welcome to the
tech Zone, where the World Club did and change remains.
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