SEZUAL
Public Association for Disabled "SEZUAL" | |
| Founded | 2017 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Galimzhan Gabdreshov |
| Type | Non-profit organization, start-up |
| Focus | Assistive technologies for blind and visually impaired people |
| Location |
|
Area served | International |
Key people | Galimzhan Gabdreshov, Nurbek Yensebayev |
| Website | sezual |
Sezual (stylized as SEZUAL) is a Kazakhstani non-profit organization and start-up that develops assistive technologies for blind and visually impaired people. The organization is known for its echolocation-based mobility device, a mobile Braille tutoring trainer and acoustic beacons for inclusive urban navigation.[1][2]
History
Sezual was founded by Kazakhstani scientist and inventor Galimzhan Gabdreshov after his own eyesight was put at risk by an accident.[1] The start-up’s name comes from the Kazakh words sezu (“to feel”) and al (“to take”).[1]
In 2017 the project received funding from the World Bank–financed Fostering Productive Innovation Project, which enabled commercialization of Gabdreshov’s research on human echolocation.[1]
A public association for disabled people named "SEZUAL" was later registered in Kazakhstan as a non-profit entity based in Astana.[3]
Activities
Sezual focuses on assistive technologies and inclusive urban solutions. Its main areas of activity include:
- a wearable echolocation device that emits click-like sounds to enable active echolocation and spatial navigation;
- a mobile electronic Braille alphabet trainer used in schools for blind children;
- acoustic beacons for public buildings and transport infrastructure to help blind people navigate independently.[1][2]
Researchers associated with Sezual have published peer-reviewed studies on device-aided echolocation and Braille training in international journals.[4][5]
Awards
In 2023 the project The Inclusive City, which incorporates Sezual’s technologies, was selected as a winner of the World Summit Award in the Smart Settlements & Urbanization category.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "A Kazakh start-up helps the blind – through echolocation". World Bank Blogs. 11 February 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Kazakh Engineers Develop Sezual Device Giving People with Blindness Chance to Participate in Society". The Astana Times. 11 June 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
- ↑ "Public Association for Disabled "SEZUAL"". MyTenge (in русский). Retrieved 15 November 2025.
- ↑ Gabdreshov, G.; Magzymov, D.; Yensebayev, N. (2023). "Preliminary investigation of SEZUAL device for basic material identification and simple spatial navigation for blind and visually impaired people". Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology. 19 (4): 1343–1350. doi:10.1080/17483107.2023.2176555. PMID 36756982 Check
|pmid=value (help). - ↑ Kintonova, A. (2024). "Experiment on teaching visually impaired and blind children using a mobile electronic alphabetic Braille trainer". AI & Society.
- ↑ "The Inclusive City". World Summit Awards. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
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