Diagnosed with combined-type adult ADHD in my final year of study, I realised that very few accommodations existed to support the daily concentration needs of students like me. Analogue earbuds muffled the world around me, and sitting alone at the front of lecture halls only left me feeling isolated.
Having spent my second year summer as a data analytics intern, I turned to higher education data to see whether my challenges were unique. I was shocked to discover that individuals with ADHD are scarcely recorded distinctly within higher education datasets, despite ADHD being both a recognised learning difficulty and a lifelong disability. That gap in representation and understanding inspired me to explore the access needs that my peers and I shared. From that, Relay Audio was born.
Today, Relay Audio is in the research and development stage, exploring partnerships within higher education and assistive technology communities. The team is focused on refining the AI sound filtering model and validating the product with students to ensure accessibility, comfort, and real-world impact.