Who we are

Our story

For over 30 years, Okeenea has been committed to making inclusion a reality, in France and around the world. From security and mobility to access to knowledge, the Okeenea group develops innovative solutions to secure, liberate and promote the fulfillment of people forced to evolve in an unsuitable environment. Every day, our teams work to ensure that we are all safer and freer, and that you have even greater access to knowledge of the world, the arts and culture. With you, for you, we are on a formidable path, that of a more inclusive world for each and every one of us. Winner of BPI's iNov national innovation competition in 2022, Okeenea is a family business with a social impact.

30 years

of existence

100

employees

13000000

of turnover

12400

venues made accessible

350000

audio units deployed(APS and audio beacons)

270000

covered byour inclusive navigation app Evelity

In a few words...

Our key dates

1993

Gilles Rochon: The man behind revolutionary audible beacons for the visually impaired

It all started in 1993 with Gilles Rochon. At that time, he worked in an establishment dedicated to helping people with disabilities in their work life so he perfectly knew their everyday life. While talking with a blind person, he realized how difficult it was to cross the street when you’re non-sighted… In France, we had vibrating posts, pedestrian signals with constant noise, signal phasing that lacked clarity, it was all but adapted to the needs of users. So Gilles began imagining a reliable and efficient system to help blind and visually impaired people cross the street, with complete autonomy. He conceived remote-controlled accessible pedestrian signals and created EO Guidage. The city of Villeurbanne, near Lyon, welcomed our first APS. Gilles’s invention was revolutionary: it put audio as an actual signage device to guide blind and visually impaired people and give them information. Plus the remote control that activates accessible pedestrian signals on demand was also groundbreaking. Because Gilles already had in mind to use it to activate other systems, like audio beacons. For users with visual impairments, having just one remote control to actuate several audio systems is quite convenient. Gilles didn’t stop there because remote-controlled APS had to be deployed across France. And to guarantee this system kept working and ensure all the visually impaired have access to it, wherever they were in France, it had to be standardized.

2004 - 2010

Disability law and EO Guidage innovations: Towards a barrier-free world

In 2004, French norm S32-002 for APS was born thanks to the work and tenacity of Gilles, his wife Valérie, the 20 other members of EO Guidage and the numerous stakeholders implicated in public roads accessibility. Here we were, accessible pedestrian signals throughout the country followed the same norms, the same use and the same operation. But it was just the beginning… In 2005, the disability rights act, the equivalent of the Americans with disabilities act, came to life. It’s the first French legal text to actually define what disabilities are. And most of all, it puts accessibility at the heart of our society: buildings, public spaces and public transportation have to be accessible. The disability rights act is a turning point in our story, the heart of our industry. With accessible pedestrian signals, we covered a part of the mobility chain of people with vision disabilities. But we wanted to make sure the mobility chain was seamless and accessible, and not just for the visually impaired. And neither for public roads only. Because a world with barriers, a world where some people couldn’t leave their home, where nothing was done to make them welcome, didn’t make any sense. So we developed new solutions. And us too, we kept growing. In 2009, Rémi and Martin, 2 of Gilles and Valérie’s sons, took charge of the company with Sylvain as well. They came with their touch, their expertise and brought a new breath of fresh air to EO Guidage. Public and private buildings, public transportation… They only had one question in mind: how can they improve the mobility of people with disabilities in these places? This led them to create our department of accessibility equipment installed in public venues in 2010 (guide paths, stair nosings, risers…).These devices are simple but they make a difference for users with disabilities. With Rémi, Martin and Sylvain, we opened new doors.

2011 - 2020

Evelity and the revival of Okeenea: a digital revolution for accessibility

Gilles and Valérie left the company in 2012. They gave our 3 associates quite a legacy and all their trust to continue this adventure. The 3 of them picked up the torch with determination and shared a common vision: accessibility needs to be deployed absolutely everywhere and for everybody. Together, they rolled up their sleeves to make inclusion a reality and not an utopia, to bring down once and for all the obstacles met by people with disabilities on their routes.2014 marked the beginning of Evelity, our app to guide users with disabilities indoors. Digital represents a powerful ally in their mobility.It’s also a key year for public venues in France: they have to be accessible and in compliance with the disability rights act according to their accessibility schedule, a process set up by the government. But we’re here to assist them, reassure them, and meet the needs of people with disabilities. In 2015, everything changed for us: EO Guidage became Okeenea. We reinvented ourselves to mark this change in our core business: we diversified our accessibility solutions and for all types of disabilities. We gathered very different jobs to actually cover all accessibility fields. EO Guidage enabled Okeenea to fly the nest and fully carry out inclusion. We’ve been building accessibility with a capital A in France and all across the world because it knows no borders. Becoming Okeenea is shaping universal accessibility. It means always crossing the needs and uses, reinventing the range of possibilities to create solutions that adapt to everybody. It means conceiving a ramp and also thinking about blind and visually impaired people. In 2018, we developed our services for public and private venues and covered all types of trade bodies. The goal was to deploy accessibility in buildings and make our clients benefit from our expertise. We were present at all levels. The year 2020 represented a new step for our 3 associates. Rémi left the company to pursue another dream. But Martin and Sylvain remain more than never determined to build inclusion, brick by brick.

Today

From France to 15 countries: Okeenea, a pioneer in universal accessibility

Today, we regroup more than 50 passionate experts who have dived into the accessibility adventure. We improve the autonomy of the 1.3 billion people who have disabilities in the world. Our solutions are present in France but also in 15 different countries. For us, accessibility is a true commitment. We live it, breathe it, forge it so that it offers its very best. That’s what encourages us to move forward, create bridges, and conceive an inclusive world without barriers. We guarantee a peace of mind for our clients, a quality service for users and better comfort for everybody.

Our vision

Let’s build a world without barriers!

Accessibility is universal

It needs to enable everybody to have access to the provided equipment and services.

Mobility chain

It needs to be inclusive for all.

The world needs to adapt

Accessibility concerns us all. It can easily be implemented. Especially since we all need it at some point in our life.

A major societal issue

1,3 billion people with disabilities rely on inclusion and accessibility solutions that truly meet their needs.

Smartphones

They're a major tool that increases the mobility of people with disabilities.

Teamwork

We all need to collaborate, help each other and move forwards together to deploy accessibility everywhere.

Our values

The values that shape what we're doing

Impact

Our very purpose is to provide people with disabilities with autonomy and safety. Every day, we create a more inclusive and welcoming world where everybody belongs. We're committed to having a positive impact on society.

Innovation

Innovation is at the heart of our activity. Thanks to it, we meet the needs of users. We develop new solutions to improve the mobility of users. For us, innovation is a multiple concept. It can be physical and digital.

Commitment

We have our heart set on assisting our customers and users well to better serve them. Every day, we work together to make inclusion a reality. Everybody can express their opinion and we listen to each other to improve.

Free for the user

At Okeenea, we've been promoting the same message for 30 years: it's up to cities, building managers and owners to adapt and finance mobility for all, not the other way around. That's why all our accessibility and mobility solutions are free for users.

Our leaders

Meet our leaders

Martin ROCHON
CEO

Martin Rochon

Sylvain Denoncin
President

Sylvain Denoncin

The 1000 companies for social integration and employment Charter

Our charter

It’s a true commitment for us: every year, Alicia, our human resources manager, contributes to careers fairs in the priority education areas of Lyon, our headquarters in France. She goes and meets junior and senior high school students to introduce them to our jobs, teach them how to do job interviews and advise them on their course choice. Alicia also participates in other initiatives for disadvantaged students. Every summer, Okeenea welcomes students who seek to build their professional project. As a member of the 1000 companies Charter, it’s important for us to recruit differently and to give the CV a miss to focus on the human beings.

Want to build a world

without barriers with us?