A prototype for a “talking menu” will be unveiled at the Bungalow 44 restaurant in Mill Valley, California. Designed to improve access to the menu for those who are blind or have low vision, it was designed and developed by Chris Lona of CL designs, who presented his concept of a talking website at the 2019 TravelAbility Summit Launch Pad Pitch fest in San Francisco. The talking menu is the first innovation that will be invited to be part of an “incubator” where innovative assistive technology and products will receive mentorship and guidance from a team of investors, prominent travel industry suppliers and professional marketing consultants.
“Since Covid-19 cleanliness protocols were in place during 2020 when many restaurants deployed ‘touchless’ menus by snapping a QR code photo from their smart phone, many diners and restaurants are very familiar with the process,” remarked Jake Steinman, of TravelAbility. “I personally shared this link to this menu to mangers of five restaurants ranging from upscale fine dining to a breakfast and lunch diner who immediately grasped the concept and saw benefits that I hadn’t thought about.”
The following summarizes the benefits they saw:
- It provides an alternative to braille menus as 90% of people who are blind don’t read braille.
- Due to soft dinner lighting, many menus are difficult to read for seniors
- Talking menu can be accessed from their website to support blind people
Other benefits include availability in four other languages–French, Spanish, Portuguese and German—three different voices and the fact that it communicates a commitment to inclusivity to the local community.
The cost range is between $500-750 for an average menu and $250-400 per additional language.
To see the Talking Menu in action, check out Bungalow 44’s Autumn 2021 menu.
For more information contact: clona@cldesignonline.com
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