AccesSOS

accesSOS

Founded: 2019
Founder: Gabriella Wong
Headquarters: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Annual Budget: ~$300,000
Website: accessos.io

What it does
accesSOS is making 911 work for everyone. It offers a free, mobile-friendly web app that lets people contact emergency services without having to speak. Users tap simple icons—police, fire, medical, or mental health—and the app sends their location and connects them to 911 by text. It’s built for people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, who don’t speak English, or who are in danger if they speak out loud. No download is required—just open the link and get help.

Gabriella Wong, a Child of Deaf Adults, founded accesSOS after her own father couldn’t call 911 during a medical emergency. She saw firsthand how dangerous that communication gap can be—and built a tool that removes it.

Why it matters
Millions of people in the U.S. can’t safely or easily call 911. Most emergency systems still assume you can speak English clearly over the phone. accesSOS breaks that assumption. It’s already live in California and New Mexico, and is designed to expand city by city by partnering with local emergency services and pushing for wider adoption of text-to-911.

Big picture
accesSOS starts by solving for those most often left out—but in doing so, it’s creating a smarter, more accessible emergency system for everyone. It’s a simple, powerful model that meets a real need—and has the potential to set a new standard for how public systems serve the public.