WHEN Remarkable opened the doors to its annual Disability Tech Summit, the energy felt unmistakable: this wasn’t simply a showcase of new gadgets, but a glimpse into a future where technology radically expands independence, dignity and choice for people with disability.
Founded in 2016 by Australia’s Cerebral Palsy Alliance, Remarkable has spent nearly a decade nurturing disability-focused startups. What began as a small, home-grown accelerator has matured into a global ecosystem, with programs running in Australia and the US, and past summits held in San Francisco and San Diego.
This year, founder Pete Horsley said Australia was uniquely positioned to lead a sector now valued in the trillions.
“With $100 billion a year invested in disability and ageing – and a global market opportunity of more than $13 trillion – Australia has the talent, research capability and lived-experience leadership to build world-class solutions,” Mr Horsley said.
The 2025 summit reflected that ambition, spotlighting nine startups reimagining daily life – from communication and mobility to beauty and housing. Each one began with the same simple question: what if technology removed barriers rather than expecting people to work around them?
RECLAIMING BEAUTY ROUTINES
For ByStorm Beauty founder Storm Menzies, innovation started with a broken wrist. Suddenly unable to grip her makeup brushes, she saw what many overlook: everyday beauty tools assume full hand mobility.
Her solution, a line of silicone grips that attach to widely used makeup products, lets people keep using the brands they love – just with tools that work for their bodies.
“Beauty should be accessible – not a reminder of what you can’t do,” she said.
FEELING SPORT IN REAL TIME
Field of Vision is transforming the way people with low vision experience sport.
Its handheld device uses gentle vibrations, magnets and engraved playing fields to map the movement of players and the ball in real time.
The technology will be rolled out for free at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium in 2026 – an Australian-first for inclusive sporting experiences.
DATA THAT SUPPORTS NEURODIVERGENT CHILDREN – AND THEIR CARERS
Drawing on lived experience and academic research, Understanding Zoe helps parents, teachers and therapists better support neurodivergent children.
Co-founded by Laetitia Andrac and named after her daughter, the app lets adults log behaviours, identify patterns and receive AI-guided insights.
Its mission: not simply to categorise behaviours, but to empower adults to respond with empathy, consistency and understanding.
A SMARTER WAY TO CATCH THE BUS
For Hailo co-founder Santiago Velasquez, accessibility failures are personal.
After missing an exam because several buses passed him without stopping, he set out to solve the problem himself.
Hailo communicates directly with bus drivers’ dashboards, ensuring they know when someone is waiting at a stop.
After trials on 400 buses in NSW, it’s preparing to expand into Victoria and international markets –
potentially reshaping accessible transport worldwide.
A FUTURE BUILT WITH, NOT FOR, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY
What set the summit apart wasn’t simply the technology, but the philosophy behind it.
In a world often built without disability in mind, the Remarkable Disability Tech Summit showcased what becomes possible when innovation starts from lived experience – and when people with disability lead the creation of solutions built for everyone.
