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

big business

Houston food giant Sysco will acquire Restaurant Depot for $29 billion

Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images

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Sysco, the nation's largest food distributor, will acquire supplier Restaurant Depot in a deal worth more than $29 billion.

The acquisition would create a closer link between Sysco and its customers that right now turn to Restaurant Depot for supplies needed quickly in an industry segment known as “cash-and-carry wholesale.”

Sysco, based in Houston, serves more than 700,000 restaurants, hospitals, schools and hotels, supplying them with everything from butter and eggs to napkins. Those goods are typically acquired ahead of time based on how much traffic that restaurants typically see.

Restaurant Depot offers memberships to mom-and-pop restaurants and other businesses, giving them access to warehouses stocked with supplies for when they run short of what they've purchased from suppliers like Sysco.

It is a fast growing and high-margin segment that will likely mean thousands of restaurants will rely increasingly on Sysco for day-to-day needs.

Restaurant Depot shareholders will receive $21.6 billion in cash and 91.5 million Sysco shares. Based on Sysco’s closing share price of $81.80 as of March 27, 2026, the deal has an enterprise value of about $29.1 billion.

Restaurant Depot was founded in Brooklyn in 1976. The family run business then known as Jetro Restaurant Depot, has become the nation's largest cash-and-carry wholesaler.

The boards of both companies have approved the acquisition, but it would still need regulatory approval.

Shares of Sysco Corp. tumbled 13% Monday to $71.26, an initial decline some industry analysts expected given the cost of the deal.