By Suzanne Robitaille Disney has announced plans to unveil audio description assistive technology for its outdoor theme parks as it currently does for more than 30 narrated indoor attractions and rides. Audio descriptions, provided via headsets, guide visually impaired guests and others who can’t fully experience the visual aspect of visiting a Disney theme park. Using [...]
My favorite gadgets at this year’s Assistive Technology Industry Association conference, which featured more than 100 vendors, include two communications products and a new PDA for the blind. I also note some worthy mentions – gadgets that I liked because of their design or originality. Here’s the list. ECO2 This eye-gaze system brings the latest in alternative [...]
By Suzanne Robitaille In a much anticipated release, at this year’s Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) conference HumanWare and Code Factory debuted Oratio for the BlackBerry, the first-ever screen reader for the visually impaired using this smart phone. Oratio uses text-to-speech technology to convert the visual information displayed on the BlackBerry screen into audio output. [...]
The media is talking about braille and literacy, a topic jump-started by a New York Times Magazine article, “Listening to Braille,” by Rachel Aviv. The author writes that new technology may be undermining Braille literacy as people who are blind are now “reading” via e-books, iPods, telephone news services and other text-to-speech devices. Aviv’s article centers [...]
By Suzanne Robitaille If you have trouble seeing whether you’re paying for your lunch with a $20 or a $50 bill, there’s a new banknote identifier on the market. iBill is a banknote identifier from Orbit Research that’s designed for the blind and the visually impaired. The device costs $99, which is less expensive than [...]
knfb Reader Technology's Mobile products include cell phone programs that read aloud printed text for those with print disabilities, such as vision loss and dyslexia.
Apple introduces its screen reader for the iPhone, and other accessibility innovations for people with disabilities.
The U.S. and other governments have opposed a proposal to books more accessible to more blind and visually impaired people by extending an American copyright exemption to the rest of the world.
A blind blogger has started a letter-writing campaign asking President Obama to support worldwide access to books for the blind and visually impaired.
A new technology in the works uses a mobile phone to identify and speak a product's name, which would be a boon for people with vision impairments.
