For ten-year-old Kendyl Pool, spoken words were always just out of reach. Born profoundly deaf due to inner ear malformations, she has relied on American Sign Language (ASL) since she was six months old. Though she navigates the world with confidence, she often faced moments where communication felt like a barrier—until a life-changing birthday gift opened an entirely new way for her to experience conversation.
Her mother, Bri, stumbled across something extraordinary while scrolling through TikTok—caption glasses designed to transcribe speech in real-time. The moment she saw them, she knew they could transform Kendyl’s life. She ordered a pair from HearView, a company pioneering this incredible technology.
On Kendyl’s birthday, she handed her the surprise gift. Kendyl had no idea what to expect.
She put them on.
Bri spoke.
And for the first time, Kendyl didn’t just see her mother’s lips move—she saw the words appear before her eyes.
A Moment of Pure Amazement
The reaction was immediate.
“She was completely shocked,” Bri recalled. “She even cried a little bit because she couldn’t believe she could see what I was saying right in front of her.”
For the first time in her life, conversations weren’t just happening around her—they were happening with her. These high-tech glasses, which cost around $1,500, use voice recognition technology to transcribe spoken words instantly onto a tiny screen embedded in the lenses. The words appear as captions in real-time, giving Kendyl the ability to follow conversations as they happen.
But the benefits didn’t stop there.
A Tool for Confidence and Communication
Kendyl is the only deaf person in her family. While her loved ones have learned ASL, she still faced moments where full communication wasn’t possible. With her new glasses, she doesn’t have to rely on lip reading or written notes to communicate with people who don’t know sign language.
Even more incredibly, the glasses have helped her practice speech.
“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.”
It’s a breakthrough that goes beyond everyday conversations.
The glasses also store transcripts of conversations in an app, allowing Kendyl to review important discussions later—whether it’s a teacher’s instructions, a doctor’s explanation, or an important moment with friends.
Technology That’s Changing Lives
For years, captioning technology has been flawed and unreliable—delayed subtitles, missing words, and frustrating inaccuracy. These issues have made it difficult for many deaf individuals to fully engage with spoken content.
But these glasses are changing that.
Bri tested them herself, speaking quickly and using difficult phrases.
“They were incredibly accurate,” she said. “This isn’t just helpful—it’s something that gives full access to real-time conversations.”
It’s a breakthrough for Kendyl, but it’s also a glimpse of what’s possible for thousands of others who face similar challenges.
Looking to the Future
Right now, these glasses come with a high price tag, putting them out of reach for many who could benefit from them. But with stories like Kendyl’s capturing attention, there’s hope that technology like this will become more affordable and widely available.
For Kendyl, the future has already changed. She no longer has to wonder what’s being said around her. With every word that appears in front of her eyes, she gains a little more independence, confidence, and connection to the world.
What was once impossible is now part of her everyday life.
And it all started with a single moment—when a little girl saw her mother’s words for the very first time.
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