Eric Thomas

Accessitags

Eric Patrick Thomas, a resilient Flint entrepreneur and disability advocate with over 14 years of local business ownership who has been paralyzed from the neck down due to an injury in 1997 is launching Accessitags™ (powered by inspire® and EZ Awareness By Design) to restore independence to the shopping and working experience through Universal Design. This revolutionary tagging system is built specifically for the 77,000 residents living with disabilities in Genesee County [MDHHS], effectively dismantling the “Information Desert” found in traditional retail environments. Accessitags™ bridges physical inventory with digital accessibility by layering a multi-modal communication framework onto a single product label: unique tactile shapes (like hearts and circles) allow blind individuals to instantly identify clothing sizes by touch, while high-contrast QR codes open a digital bridge to video-guided American Sign Language (ASL) translation, voice descriptions, and clear text. By embedding this portable technology directly onto garments-starting with the local inspire® apparel line-Accessitags™ removes critical communication barriers for local shoppers, opens retail employment opportunities for workers with disabilities, and allows Genesee County businesses to capture an intensely loyal, untapped local market.