museum news

New technology aids low-vision visitors to Houston Museum of Natural Science

Low-vision visitors can now use ReBokeh assistive tech at the Museum of Natural Science

Photo courtesy of Visit Houston

The Houston Museum of Natural Science is introducing another innovation of accessibility on campus, assistive tech by ReBokeh for low-vision visitors.

“HMNS is thrilled to extend our accessibility offerings to include free, assistive technology for visually impaired guests,” said Matti Wallin, the museum's accessibility programs manager. “We hope to learn a lot from this partnership so we can continue to grow and serve the low vision community as best we can because here at the museum, we believe that science is for everyone.”

Founded in 2019, ReBokeh is a mobile app-based tech company that specializes in aiding low-vision individuals through their smart devices. Using the device's camera, the app can be set to various filters that account for the user's unique visual needs, including difficulty with contrast, color hue, zoom, and lighting. In addition, it uses AI-driven descriptions of exhibits to help the user better appreciate what they are looking at.

The partnership with ReBokeh allows museum visitors to use the premier-tier software for free while on the Houston Museum of Natural Science campus. According to ReBokeh, 85 percent of visually-impaired visitors have some remaining vision, making the app helpful to visitors who may otherwise have missed aspects of the collection.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science is one of the most popular museums in America, featuring four floors of dinosaurs, mummies, gems, energy, and special exhibits. It has been specializing in improving accessibility over the last decade. Virtually all exhibits are now available through multiple languages in both signage and audio tour apps. Extra care has been taken in new exhibits such as the shark presentation in the basement to place as many portions as possible at wheelchair height. Several exhibits already come with their own built in audio descriptions for visually-impaired visitors as well as Braille descriptions.

“The visual experiences that are available at the Houston Museum of Natural Science can inspire a lifelong passion for science and learning — especially among young people,” said Rebecca Rosenberg, founder and CEO of ReBokeh. “We couldn’t be more excited to help open the door for people with low vision to engage with every aspect of the museum — from the Cockrell Butterfly Center to the Burke Baker Planetarium, in new and exciting ways.”

museums houston museum of natural science accessibility

business expansion

New study ranks Houston in top 10 for growing small businesses

Photo by Kevin Hernandez on Unsplash

Houston ranked No. 6 on the list.

For small businesses looking to expand, Houston might be the right place.

Among 56 major U.S. metros, Houston grabbed the No. 6 spot on a new list of the metros boasting the strongest environments for small-business expansion.

A 2025 report from the state comptroller’s office showed roughly 970,000 small businesses operate in the 13-county Gulf Coast region. The region includes the majority of the Houston metro area.

“Whether it’s a family-owned shop on Main Street or a fast-growing startup, small businesses power our state’s economic engine, create opportunity, and strengthen the character of every Texas community,” Kelly Hancock, who was interim state comptroller when the report was released, said in a press release.

Business lending platform Clarify Capital analyzed five factors to develop the list: job growth, business entry and exit, net job creation, and unemployment.

Overall, the Nashville area claimed the No. 1 spot on the list. Other major Texas metros also cracked the top 10, including Austin at No. 3 and Dallas-Fort Worth at No. 7.

“The highest-ranking metros combine labor-market momentum with steady business formation and relatively favorable local employment conditions,” Clarity Capital says.

The Houston metro ranked sixth for job growth, 11th for business entry rate, 38th for business exit rate, second for net job creation rate, and 50th for unemployment rate.

“For business owners, the ranking is a starting point rather than a guarantee,” Clarify Capital says. “Local demand, competition, operating costs, and access to capital still shape whether an expansion works.”

“Building enough cash-flow room for hiring, equipment, and unexpected expenses can help small and midsize business owners take advantage of a strong market without stretching the business too thin,” the company adds.

Of course, money fuels small-business expansion in the Houston area or anywhere else.

According to an analysis of SBA loan data by feasibility consulting firm MMCG, the Houston metro area saw 1,685 approvals for 7(a) loans and 101 approvals of 504 loans in the federal government’s 2025 budget year. The approval numbers for both loan categories increased from the previous year.

Altogether, the 7(a) and 505 loans exceeded $1 billion.

The data from the U.S. Small Business Administration suggests small-business expansion may be on the rise in the Houston area.

Further potential evidence of small-business expansion in the Houston area: The region experienced a 92 percent rise in account applications from 2024 to 2025 submitted to Bluevine, a small-business banking platform. The Houston metro ranked fifth for the number of Bluevine small-business applications in 2025.

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This story was originally published on our sister site, InnovationMap.

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