It was an unforgettable moment when 10-year-old Kendyl Pool, who was born profoundly deaf, experienced a breakthrough in communication. Trying on a pair of high-tech caption glasses for the first time, she saw conversations unfold before her eyes in real time—something she had never imagined possible. The $1,500 glasses, developed by HearView, use advanced voice recognition technology to transcribe speech instantly onto their lenses, allowing deaf individuals to “see” spoken words as they happen.
Kendyl’s journey with hearing loss began at birth due to malformations in her inner ears, which left her without the ability to hear any sound. From a young age, she adapted by using American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate, a skill she developed starting at just six months old. However, as the only deaf member of her family, she often encountered challenges in engaging with those who did not understand ASL. These new caption glasses offered a solution that could bridge the gap, making everyday conversations much more accessible.
The discovery of these glasses was a life-changing moment not just for Kendyl, but also for her mother, Bri. She first learned about the device through a TikTok video, where she saw how it worked and immediately recognized its potential to transform her daughter’s world. Determined to give Kendyl the gift of improved communication, Bri purchased the glasses as a surprise birthday present.
“Kendyl had no idea these even existed,” Bri shared. “So when she put them on and I started talking, she was completely shocked. She was just blown away. She even cried a little bit because she couldn’t believe she could see what I was saying right in front of her.”
The technology behind these glasses is both sophisticated and user-friendly. They connect via Bluetooth to an app that utilizes voice recognition software to transcribe spoken words into text. The text then appears on a tiny screen embedded in the lenses, allowing the wearer to follow conversations in real time. Unlike traditional captioning on television or mobile devices, which can be inaccurate or delayed, the glasses offer a near-instantaneous and highly precise transcription of speech.
Beyond simply reading what others are saying, Kendyl has found another unexpected benefit—practicing her own speech. Because she cannot hear herself talk, she relies on the glasses to check whether she is pronouncing words correctly. “She can’t hear herself speak, so she uses the glasses to check if she’s pronouncing words right,” Bri explained. “She’ll say ‘Mom, Mom, Mom’ and wait to see if it pops up. When it does, she gets so excited.”
For Kendyl, these glasses have not only improved her ability to communicate but have also provided a confidence boost. As a child growing up with hearing loss, she has sometimes struggled with feeling different from her peers. Now, she is able to participate in more social activities and interact with people who do not know ASL, making her world feel more inclusive.
An additional feature of the glasses allows them to store conversations within the app, enabling Kendyl to revisit important discussions later. This function is particularly useful in school, where she can review instructions from teachers, or in medical settings, where she might need to recall what a doctor has said about her health.
“For so long, captions on TVs or devices have been inaccurate or lagging, making it hard for deaf people to fully experience what’s being said,” Bri told the English media outlet SWNS. “But I tested these glasses myself, speaking fast and trying different phrases, and they are incredibly accurate.”
She believes this technology represents a major advancement in accessibility and inclusion. “This is a huge step for inclusion. These glasses provide full access to conversations in real time, and that is life-changing.”
With assistive technology continuing to evolve, devices like these offer new hope for individuals with hearing loss. For Kendyl, they mark the beginning of a new chapter—one where she is no longer limited by the barriers of spoken communication but empowered to engage with the world on her own terms.