Olugendo lwa... Okugumira embeera

Arthur Sendas yazaalibwa mu Arapiraca, mu byalo eby’omunda mu Alagoas, ng’alina acromatopsia — embeera ereeta langi okuziba amaaso, okulaba okutono, n’okulumbibwa omutwe omuzito ekiyinza okumulekera okulaba ebifaananyi ebizibu byokka okumala ennaku. "I can't see depth; it's as if everything were 2D. If there's a hole in the middle of the street, I won't see it," Arthur explains.

Obuto bwe bwali buzibu. Mutabani w’omusomesa era omukugu mu by’obulimi, Arthur yakulira mu maka ag’omutindo ogwa wakati okutuusa omuze gwa kitaawe ogw’okunywa omwenge ne zzaala lwe gwamuggyako buli kimu. Ku myaka 13, famire eno yafiirwa ennyumba n’emmotoka ne babbira mu mabanja, ne basenguka ne bagenda mu kifo ekitaliimu nzigi ne pulasita, ng’amazzi matono ate ng’enkuba etonnya ebitanda.

Era ku myaka 13 Arthur lwe yatandika bizinensi ye eyasooka: okutunda CD mu kibuga wakati ekya Arapiraca okusasula essomero, yintaneeti, n’okuyamba awaka. The computer and the books left over from his old life became his refuge — and it was there that he taught himself to program.

Oluvannyuma, mu diguli ye eya tekinologiya, obwagazi obwo yabufuula ekigendererwa: pulojekiti ye eyasembayo yali muzannyo gwa bantu bazibe, nga guzannyibwa ng’ayita mu biragiro by’amaloboozi n’ebiraga amaloboozi. Ekyo kyasimba ensigo y’ekyo ekyandifuuse See U App.

Mu 2009, Arthur yasisinkana Sérgio Gomes Júnior, muyizi munne eyalina obulwadde obw’okusannyalala era ng’amanyi nti ajja kuziba amaaso. Ku lunaku olusooka mu kibiina, Júnior yagamba nti yalonze omusomo ogwo olunaku lumu okuzimba eky’okugonjoola ekigenda okubeera amaaso ge. Ku lunaku olwo, bombi baafuuka ba mukwano nnyo — nga basuubiza okuzimba amaaso ago awamu.

Mu 2013, Google Glass bwe yatuuka, Arthur yakuba ekifaananyi ky’endabirwamu ezisobola okuzuula ebiziyiza mu kkubo. Ng’ali wamu ne Júnior ne Jaqueline Sendas — yinginiya, muganzi we era leero mukyala we — yazimba prototype era n’ayingira pulojekiti eno mu mpaka z’okutandikawo emirimu mu Portugal.

Okukkirizibwa kwajja nga kwewuunyisa. "Ssaalowoozangako kukkirizibwa. Nva mu byalo by'e Alagoas, okuva mu maka amatono ennyo, kale kyawulira nga kiri wala nnyo gyendi." Nga tebalina busobozi bwa kutambula, tebaagenda ku mukolo guno, wabula okukakasa kwabakuuma nga bagenda mu maaso. Endabirwamu zaafuuka emikuufu, obukomo era, okukkakkana, badge eyungibwa ku app — ate nga Júnior yali abuze amaaso era obwangu bwagenda bweyongera.

Buli kimu kyakyuka mu 2019, maama wa Arthur bwe yafa obulwadde bwa amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. "Nnatandika okwongera okufumiitiriza ku bye nkola n'ensonga eri emabega w'ebintu." Ssenyiga omukambwe eyaddirira yaleeta akaseera okussa essira lyonna ku pulojekiti eno.

Awo we waava okusaba okwakyusa buli kimu. Ku kabaga k’amazaalibwa ga Edu, omulenzi omuzibe era mutabani wa mukwano gwe, omwana yakola obwagazi bwe: okutambula nga talina muggo n’alaba ensi. "Lwaki Uncle Júnior yekka y'asobola okukikola?"

Ekyo kye kyali akabonero ke baali beetaaga: okufuula emboozi y’obulamu bwabwe ekintu ekiyinza okukyusa obulamu bw’obukadde n’obukadde. Mu 2022, abasatu bano baava ku mirimu gyabwe ne batandikawo mu butongole ekitongole kya See U App. Beetabye mu pulogulaamu ya Startup Nordeste (Sebrae), nga balina okubuulirira n’ensimbi ez’emyezi 6, era ne bafuna obuyambi bw’ekire okuva mu Google, Microsoft ne AWS.

Mu October wa 2023, See U App yatongozebwa. Mu mwezi gwe gumu, ekibinja kino kyafuna ekikonde eky’amaanyi: Sérgio Gomes Júnior yafa, eyalina obulwadde bwa Becker muscular dystrophy. "Kyali kizibu nnyo. Yali asinga ku mukwano, yali mukwano."

Days before he passed, Júnior said goodbye: "We made something incredible, didn't we? I'll live on in you and in the See U App. Keep going, never stop until every blind person in the world can see." Pulojekiti eyo katono ekoma awo, naye Arthur ne Jaqueline baasalawo okussa ekitiibwa mu kisuubizo ekyo.

Nga wayiseewo akaseera katono, Arthur yazuulibwa nga alina kookolo w’emimiro. Yabulwa eddoboozi, era abasawo tebaalina ssuubi lya kuwona. Yamala omwezi nga gumu ng’ali mu kkoma; okudda kwe kwatwalibwa ng’eky’amagero mu nkola.

Mu kiseera we yali taliiwo, kkampuni eno katono egwa: abakozi ne bavaawo era app n’elekera awo okulongoosebwa. Wabula okuyingira okw’obwereere kwakuumibwa eri abakozesa abewandiisa, era Google yeeyama okusasula ssente za seva.

Mu 2024, Arthur ne Jaqueline baddamu okuzimba buli kimu okuva ku ntandikwa ne bakyusakyusa model: okuva ku hardware (the badge) okutuuka ku pure software, ekola ku smartphone yonna. Echolocation evvuunula ebiziyiza mu maloboozi ag'ekifo, nga "synthetic sonar"; obugezi obukozesebwa busoma obubonero n’ebitabo, bunnyonnyola ebintu era buteesa ku makubo; era virtual reality ereka abakozesa okwegezaamu mu makubo nga tebannagatambulira mu nsi entuufu.

Mu 2025, See U App yasiimibwa ne eAwards Brasil, okuva mu NTT DATA Foundation — omuwanguzi mu pulojekiti 256, n’afuna ekifo mu fayinolo y’ensi yonna. Leero, abakozesa basoba mu 130,000, era omulimu guno gugenda mu maaso.

"Ekigambo ekitegeeza See U App kwe kwefuga. Era okwefuga si kwetagisa buyambi-buli muntu yeetaaga obuyambi. Kikwata ku ssanyu ly’okukola ekintu ky’otolowoozangako nti osobola.”