Menus That Talk™ began in an Orlando restaurant where
CEO Susan Perry and her 23 year-old niece, Jessica had stopped
for lunch. Jessica’s macular degeneration prevents her
from reading a restaurant menu at any range, so she asked
her aunt to read the menu to her.
Susan fished for her forgotten reading glasses, then struggled
with the small type and the restaurant lighting. No accommodation
for the visually impaired was available and almost joking,
she suggested to her niece that menus ought to be able to
speak to patrons describing what was available in a friendly
voice.
Susan consulted with colleague Richard Herbst, an electronically
savvy designer, who assured her that such a device could be
built. Following rounds of design conferences, a prototype
was fabricated by a Kansas engineering firm resulting in the
production model of Menus That Talk™.
