Celebrating 40 Years of Dolphin: Breaking Barriers, Building Independence

Celebrating 40 Years of Dolphin: Breaking Barriers, Building Independence

This year, Dolphin marks an incredible milestone: forty years of empowering blind, partially sighted, and print-impaired people to read and succeed. From our beginnings in 1986, Dolphin is now a global leader in assistive technology. Our journey has been defined by innovation, inclusion and a relentless commitment to breaking barriers.

Over the past four decades, Dolphin has transformed accessibility. Then led by Noel Duffy, Dolphin started with pioneering screen readers. This evolved into a portfolio of products that make technology inclusive for everyone. Noel was awarded the RNIB Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022 for his contributions to accessibility for blind and partially sighted people.

Today, our flagship products: SuperNova, GuideConnect and EasyReader are trusted worldwide by individuals, schools, libraries and organisations.

We work with education providers, libraries and government bodies to ensure equitable access to information. Everything we do is guided by our core values: delight customers, own the outcome, learn fast and innovate boldly.

Our achievements speak for themselves. Dolphin is recognised internationally as a leader in accessibility software. We’ve helped thousands of people overcome barriers at home, in education and in the workplace.

Innovation has always been at the heart of what we do, from AI-driven features to braille integration, every advancement reflects our commitment to redefining what’s possible.
 

As we celebrate this milestone, we’re looking firmly to the future. The next chapter will shape accessibility through Dolphin Labs – our hub for innovation. Here, we’re developing AI-powered tools that deliver exciting, personalised experiences. We’re inviting partners and users to collaborate with us, to ensure every solution meets real-world needs.

Importantly, we are expanding our mission to support the neurodiverse community. Through EasyReader and the powerful AI learning tools currently in development, we aim to create solutions that secure learning and make education more accessible for everyone. These tools will provide personalised support, helping individuals with dyslexia and other neurodivergent conditions to read, learn and thrive with confidence. This evolution reflects our belief that accessibility is not one-size-fits-all, and the importance of meeting a diverse range of needs with intelligent and adaptable technology.

Reflecting on this anniversary, James Green, CEO of Dolphin, says:
Forty years is a remarkable achievement, but it’s only the beginning. Our mission remains clear – to break barriers and build independence for people with vision impairments and now for the neurodiverse community. Dolphin Labs represents our commitment to innovation and collaboration. Together, we will continue to create technology that changes lives.

This celebration belongs to our incredible team, partners and customers. Your trust and collaboration have made Dolphin what it is today – a company that doesn’t just build software, but builds independence.

As we look ahead, we remain committed and driven by the purpose that defined our first 40 years: Breaking Barriers, Building Independence.