"Nagish" opened its app to the deaf and hard of hearing for free and unlimited use

The day after the horrific terrorist attack of October 7, Nagish translated its app, added a transcription engine and full Hebrew support, and offered it completely free to Israeli users. Nagish is an artificial intelligence (AI) based application that makes communication accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing people. The company's services include real-time transcription of phone calls and work calls via Zoom, Microsoft Times, Google Meat, and accessibility of communication in the same room. Transcription is carried out accurately and quickly, with automatic reading capabilities.

"We now have hundreds of active users in Israel who, thanks to the accessibility tool, can now communicate with hospitals, the Home Front Command, and the family. In the current situation, especially in the first few weeks when communication was inaccessible along with chaos, it's life-changing," says Tomer Aharoni, the company's CEO.

The company purchased thousands of Israeli phone numbers for users and turned them into a virtual network. "We have always known about the acute need for an accessible communication system in Israel, but the need for access became especially clear during the recent crisis, as we saw in news reports about difficult phone calls from safe rooms near the Gaza Strip. It was clear to us that Accessible could save lives as an app that allows phone calls without the need to speak or hear."

Until October 7, Nagish operated only in the United States and Canada, where there are large communications and accessibility industries. The company's revenue comes from large companies in the economy and federal budgets through a special fund for the subject. In contrast, Israel does not have similar funding. Therefore, deaf and hard-of-hearing people must rely on hearing friends and family or WhatsApp messages to communicate with the world around them.

Link to article