apfelschule
Apfelschule is a Swiss nonprofit association that trains blind and visually impaired individuals across Switzerland on smartphone accessibility (VoiceOver, TalkBack), navigation apps, and AI smart glasses, and offers corporate accessibility consulting, funded via course fees, IV reimbursements, memberships, and donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersOlten, Switzerland
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What apfelschule does
Apfelschule (Verein Apfelschule) is a Swiss nonprofit association headquartered in Olten that delivers structured training to blind and visually impaired individuals on the use of mainstream smartphones, wearables, and assistive technology. Its curriculum covers Apple VoiceOver (iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch), Android TalkBack, screen readers including JAWS and NVDA, navigation apps such as MyWay Pro, Komoot, and Outdooractive, and emerging AI-powered smart glasses (Meta AI, Rokid Neo, Ray-Ban Meta). Instruction is delivered through a tiered course portfolio — Informationskurse, Basiskurse, Aufbaukurse, Fortgeschrittenenkurse, and Themenkurse — supplemented by individual training sessions, recurring peer meetups (iPhone Treff, Android Treff, Wander Treff), WhatsApp community groups, and a Gotte und Götti mentorship program. Course venues span Zürich and St. Gallen, with the multilingual website serving German, French, Italian, and English audiences across Switzerland.
The organization monetizes through five streams: course fees for public courses, IV-reimbursed individual training billed to cantonal disability insurance offices, annual membership dues, donations (including project, legacy, and event-driven giving), and a nascent corporate training vertical (Für Firmen) offering accessibility testing, awareness workshops, stakeholder assessments, customer panels, developer training, and museum consulting on a custom-quotation basis. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; many end-user courses are partially or fully subsidized through Swiss disability insurance. Distribution is community-led and event-driven, anchored by referrals from SZBLIND, SBV, and Procap, plus earned media (notably NZZ am Sonntag, July 2026) and an active content-marketing footprint across the website, YouTube, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Operationally, Apfelschule is led by founder Urs Kaiser and Managing Director Sandro Lüthi (elected to the SZBLIND board in July 2026), with Patrick De Santis joining in July 2026. The organization holds no venture funding, operates as an independent Verein under Swiss law, and is differentiated from any commercial entrant by its lived-experience instructor base, regulatory recognition as an IV-billable training provider, and deep integration with the Swiss blindness and visual-impairment ecosystem.
apfelschule firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- apfelschule
- Legal name
- Verein Apfelschule
- Website
- https://apfelschule.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Apfelschule is a Swiss nonprofit association that trains blind and visually impaired individuals across Switzerland on smartphone accessibility (VoiceOver, TalkBack), navigation apps, and AI smart glasses, and offers corporate accessibility consulting, funded via course fees, IV reimbursements, memberships, and donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
apfelschule industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Disability Services / Assistive Technology Training
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Assistive Technology (AT) & Accessible Learning Tools (EDALAGAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Special Education & Accessibility-Optimized Media (UDL, AAC, Captioning) (EDAGALAH)
Keywords
Where apfelschule is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Olten
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
apfelschule business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Course Fees: Fees for public courses including Informationskurse, Basiskurse, Aufbaukurse, Fortgeschrittenenkurse, Themenkurse, and individual training sessions. Some courses are partially or fully subsidized or funded through disability insurance (IV) for eligible participants.
- Individualized Training (IV-funded): Individual training sessions billed to cantonal disability insurance offices (IV-Stellen), as referenced in the privacy policy data processing section.
- Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for individuals supporting the organization, with associated benefits including regular communications and invitations to the annual general meeting.
- Donations and Project Donations: Voluntary donations from individuals and organizations, including project-specific donations. Also includes legacy/bequest donations.
- Corporate Training and Consulting: Specialized training services for companies and organizations (Firmen), including accessibility testing (Expertentest), awareness workshops (Sensibilisierung), stakeholder assessment (Standortbestimmung), and museum accessibility services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Public Courses (Kursangebot) |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Individual Training (Individuelle Schulung) |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Corporate / Firm Training |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
apfelschule product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Apfelschule is a Swiss nonprofit association (Verein) that delivers structured training and education programs teaching blind and visually impaired individuals how to use mainstream smartphones, tablets, wearables, and assistive technologies. Course offerings span beginner to advanced VoiceOver and TalkBack training, navigation and hiking courses using apps such as MyWay Pro, Komoot, and Outdooractive, AI smart glasses training (Meta AI, Rokid Neo), and audio description access for media. The organization also provides corporate accessibility services including expert testing, awareness workshops, and museum accessibility consulting.
Product overview
Apfelschule is a Swiss training organization offering comprehensive education programs for blind and visually impaired individuals to learn smartphone and assistive technology use. The organization provides a structured course portfolio including basic to advanced VoiceOver training for iPhone/iPad, Android training with Voice Access, navigation and hiking courses using apps like MyWay Pro, Komoot, and Outdooractive, and AI glasses training covering Meta AI, Rokid Neo, and Ray-Ban Meta devices. Courses are delivered through various formats: information sessions, multi-session courses, individual training (some IV-funded), regular meetups (iPhone Treff, Android Treff, Wander Treff), WhatsApp peer groups, and mentorship programs. The organization also offers corporate accessibility training services including sensitization, expert testing, and developer training.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Enables independent smartphone usage for blind and visually impaired users
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use apfelschule
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
apfelschule technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability9 records
Feature4 records
apfelschule partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- SZBLIND (Schweizerischer Zentralverein für das Blindenwesen)coreSZBLIND is the primary Swiss umbrella organization for the blind and visually impaired. Apfelschule's staff hold board positions in SZBLIND (Sandro Lüthi elected to the board in July 2026), and the organizations collaborate on disability advocacy, community programs, and reporting for disability insurance subsidies.
- SBV / SBV-FSA (Schweizerischer Blinden- und Sehbehindertenverband)coreThe Swiss Blind and Visually Impaired Association is a key organizational partner. Apfelschule works with SBV on the obstacle-free hiking routes initiative and receives referrals for its training services. The SBV logo appears as a partner on Apfelschule's website.
- tinklaminortinkla is a Zurich-based, owner-managed company specializing in content strategy and digital product and process development. They support Apfelschule in digital strategy and product development, as indicated by their logo presence on the firm's contact page.
- Procap / Tourismus inklusivcoreProcap, through its 'Tourismus inklusiv' (Inclusive Tourism) division, partnered with Apfelschule on the obstacle-free hiking routes project. 72+ routes across Switzerland were made accessible for blind and visually impaired hikers, with route data integrated into MyWay Pro navigation app.
- Mobility International SchweizminorOriginal initiator of the obstacle-free hiking routes accessibility project, later taken over by Procap. The project enabled Apfelschule to integrate accessible route data into its navigation training curriculum.
- MyWay Pro / SBVcoreMyWay Pro is a navigation app developed by the Swiss Blind and Visually Impaired Association (SBV). Apfelschule provides comprehensive training on this app, uses it in its hiking and navigation courses, and the app is central to the obstacle-free hiking routes initiative.
- ApplecoreApfelschule is an Apple-centric training organization, specializing exclusively in Apple's accessibility features (VoiceOver, Siri, Rotor, Braille displays) and products (iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch). The organization's name (Apfelschule = Apple School) reflects this focus.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
apfelschule competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
apfelschule social profiles
Digital presenceapfelschule compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
apfelschule financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
apfelschule leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
apfelschule funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
apfelschule M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about apfelschule
What does apfelschule do?
Apfelschule is a Swiss nonprofit association (Verein) that delivers structured training and education programs teaching blind and visually impaired individuals how to use mainstream smartphones, tablets, wearables, and assistive technologies. Course offerings span beginner to advanced VoiceOver and TalkBack training, navigation and hiking courses using apps such as MyWay Pro, Komoot, and Outdooractive, AI smart glasses training (Meta AI, Rokid Neo), and audio description access for media. The organization also provides corporate accessibility services including expert testing, awareness workshops, and museum accessibility consulting.
Is apfelschule a public or private company?
apfelschule is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was apfelschule founded?
apfelschule was founded in -1.
Where is apfelschule based?
apfelschule is headquartered in Olten, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does apfelschule make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Course Fees are the primary driver. The others are individualized Training (IV-funded), membership Dues, donations and Project Donations and corporate Training and Consulting.
Does apfelschule have an API?
No public API is recorded for apfelschule.
What industry is apfelschule in?
apfelschule's product category is Disability Services / Assistive Technology Training. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALAGAB, Assistive Technology (AT) & Accessible Learning Tools, with a secondary code of EDAGALAH, Special Education & Accessibility-Optimized Media (UDL, AAC, Captioning). Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.