Giving Voice to Inclusion: When Small Innovations Make a Big Impact

During a recent trip, I filmed a short vlog at Mexico City International Airport (AICM), where I have been witnessing something quietly powerful. The airport has, for decades, employed individuals with disabilities across various operational roles—from check-in counters to boarding gates. This wasn't a corporate campaign on display. It was inclusion in action, woven into the daily fabric of the airport.

That experience stayed with me. It reminded me that inclusion doesn't always need to be loud to be impactful. And it set the stage for another story—this time from the world of technology.

At Hytera, we recently witnessed a powerful example of this principle in action. Our partner in Brazil, ALCON - ENGENHARIA DE SISTEMAS, developed a feature that allows speech-impaired employees to participate in TETRA group calls using the Hytera PTC680 terminal. This wasn't part of a global initiative or a publicized accessibility overhaul. It was a targeted enhancement that met a specific need—and made a meaningful difference.

Kudos to Vale, who tested and adopted the solution from Alcon. As a corporate user, Vale raised the right request to the provider community; and Alcon responded with a feasible and intuitive solution. This is how inclusion moves forward—through collaboration, responsiveness, and a shared belief in equal opportunity.

The solution is elegantly simple: a text-to-speech (TTS) function integrated into the device. An employee types a message using the standard Android keyboard, presses the push-to-talk button, and their message is synthesized into speech and transmitted over the group call. It's seamless, dignified, and effective.

For speech-impaired team members working in high-stakes environments like industrial operations or mining facilities, this feature means something profound: autonomy. It enables real-time communication with colleagues, contribution to team decisions, and inclusion in the rhythm of daily operations.

What stands out most is not the technology itself, but the thought behind it. ALCON responded to a real human need with empathy and engineering. It's a reminder that innovation isn't always about what's next. Sometimes it's about looking around, noticing who might be left out, and quietly building them a way in.

Inclusion, after all, doesn't always need a spotlight. Sometimes, it just needs a keyboard, a voice synthesizer, and a push-to-talk button.

For businesses and employers who have speech impaired personnel in the team and are interested to find out more about this two-way radio feature, you may contact:

Fabio Santos Lisboa
System and Solutions Manager
fabio.lisboa@alcon.com.br