These days most people know what IT is. But if you know what AT is you might be blind or have limited vision.
Assistive technology is the specialty of the
A T Guys, a Kalamazoo-based company whose business is all about innovative solutions that enhance the lives of the blind and the visually impaired.
Mobile solutions, unique online services and custom applications are a few of the company’s offerings. One of its most popular services is one that it helped develop that reads bar codes and offers a wide range of information about a product to those who otherwise had no access to it. BCScan is a free service that allows people to organize, catalog, learn about, and manage such items as their groceries, CDs, movies, household products, medications and much more. It works using a bar code scanner and databases including over 10 million products.
Another popular product is a tactile screen protector that facilitates navigation of touchscreen devices, and helps users input text and access screen controls quickly and efficiently. It is produced by
Speed Dots.
The two-person company got its start in 2008 and recently moved into the Bureau, a shared workspace in downtown Kalamazoo. Matt McCubbin says the company made its move as it works to build its recognition locally to match its international reputation. Customers from Ireland, Palestine and South Africa all have found the company through the Internet, but the company is less well-known in Kalamazoo.
The move to the Bureau has been positive as it has opened up networking possibilities for the company. It also leases an office in the co-working site so interviews with clients can be better conducted privately when needed, McCubbin says.
In addition to its
website, where products and services are sold, A T Guys maintain a
blog that talks about its business and new assistive technology as it finds it.
Company president J.J. Meddaugh says on the blog that it is intended to offer readers some insight into how the company operatesand "perhaps be inspired to join the ranks of blind business professionals all over the world."
Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave
Source: Matt McCubbin, A T Guys
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