Derrick Lubanga

Millions of students with motor disabilities across Africa face exclusion from online learning because they cannot use keyboards or mice, and existing assistive devices are expensive, exhausting, or incompatible with local contexts. AbleSpeak solves this by providing an affordable, software-based voice navigation tool that works in real time across e-learning platforms. It reduces fatigue, breaks access barriers, and ensures learners can participate, study, and complete tasks independently. AbleSpeak is a browser-based assistive technology that turns voice commands into seamless digital navigation for students with limited hand mobility.

Its approach is novel because it combines speech recognition, language understanding, and on-screen action into a lightweight tool designed specifically for African learning environments. Built through co-design with students, teachers, and disability organisations, it supports the Kenyan accent, recognises non-standard speech, and offers an affordable alternative to costly imported devices. Tunga Innovation Limited operates in Kenya, where AbleSpeak has been piloted with learners in schools and disability centers across Nairobi. The company has a four-person team, and works with partners such as Competence Network for e-Inclusion and Assistive Technologies (CNEAT) and the Centre for Digital Language Inclusion to support regional expansion.