Why a Peoria company is making a 'push' to open more doors for people with mobility challenges - literally

For people using mobility devices like wheelchairs or crutches, getting through a motorized door between the time a button is pressed and the time it closes automatically can be daunting.

We Hear You ASL

Pierre Paul, CEO of the Peoria-based startup company We Hear You ASL, said a member of his team with muscular dystrophy described the problem to him.

"That timeframe, the difference between that door hitting you and pinning you is is an embarrassing situation to have happen as an adult, as a child, at any stage of your life. It's an embarrassing situation to struggle in that way," Paul said.

We Hear You is developing an American Sign Language (ASL) translator to ease communications between people who cannot hear and those who don't know sign language. Paul said that idea came to him in a dream. So, too, did the idea for "Push."

"Push is essentially a universal remote, but for doors," he said, comparing it to a garage door opener or TV remote.

"We created a device called Push that allows individuals to open doors from a safe distance away, compared to walking up to the door, pressing the button, maneuvering out of the swing of the door, and then getting through the door all within that seven to 10 second window before the door pins you if you're in a wheelchair, or just hits you if you are moving a little bit slower than somebody else might," he said.

Paul, a Bradley University graduate, worked with engineering students on the BU campus to develop the device. It can be worn as a wristband, or clipped onto mobility devices like crutches, wheelchairs, or walkers.

Paul said the device works with any motorized door. He said there's not much of a learning curve, and people usually pick up how to use Push in about five minutes.

Paul said he is working with door installation companies to get more doors in Peoria motorized over the next several months.

"Our goal is to get all of the doors in Peoria motorized, helping make Peoria one of the most accessible cities in Illinois," he said. "And I've said it once; I'll say it again. That is my goal. And I'm going to achieve that goal."

Paul said Push can currently be ordered through We Hear You's website, but his hope is to eventually sell it through major distributors like Amazon or Walmart.

The company has closed a deal with Bradley University, and has pending deals with Galesburg's Knox College and Indianapolis' Butler University, he said. Paul said profits from Push will fund the continuing development of the sign language translator.