Category Archives: society

AI fueling a new technologies to help people who live with disabilities.

AI is fueling a new generation of technologies to help people who live with disabilities. Why it matters: The right technologies can be life-changing for people living with a disability and will be essential in supporting our aging population, as healthcare costs skyrocket. via: Assistive technology is AI’s next billion-person market https://www.axios.com/2024/01/12/ai-assistive-technology-accessibility

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on Accessibility and AI

For over 30 years I’ve believed and said people living with disability stand to benefit the most from technology as a tool. So good to see Accessibility being thought, talked about and more inportantly actioned at high levels in companies. Marques talking with Satya Clip from a video by Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) on Youtube. TranscriptContinueContinue reading “Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on Accessibility and AI”

How to write helpful reviews for people with acces…

More than 65 million people worldwide need wheelchairs to get around. Yet, information about accessibility isn’t always easy to find. From sharing photos of wheelchair-friendly entrances to answering questions about accessibility, Local Guides like you can help make life easier for many people by adding this important info on Google Maps. This doesn’t just help peopleContinueContinue reading “How to write helpful reviews for people with acces…”

Remote Work to Accommodate Workers with a Disability

… Remote Work is about Accessibility, Not Exclusion Remote work may be seen as exclusion. However, it is really meant to do the opposite. Remote work allows businesses to take advantage of a larger talent pool. Also, it allows more people with disabilities to enter the workforce. Hiring workers with disabilities ensures that your business gets the benefits,ContinueContinue reading “Remote Work to Accommodate Workers with a Disability”

Here are the ways AI is helping to improve accessibility

Smart home speakers and voice assistants Smart home speakers like Google Home, Amazon’s Echo series, and Apple’s HomePod have given digital voice assistants a new lease on life — and they aren’t just a lazy way to queue up your favorite podcasts. For people with certain disabilities, they’re a godsend. … Speech-to-text and text-to-speech SmartContinueContinue reading “Here are the ways AI is helping to improve accessibility”

Asos is praised for ‘leading the way’  after developing disability-friendly clothing line

Asos is praised for ‘leading the way’ in inclusive fashion after developing disability-friendly clothing line in collaboration with a Paralympic athlete An image of a model using a wheelchair on ASOS has been praised by shoppers The brand hired BBC’s Chloe Ball-Hopkins to model their new jumpsuit Chloe received a flood of support from othersContinueContinue reading “Asos is praised for ‘leading the way’  after developing disability-friendly clothing line”

Producing Positive Disability Stories: A Brief Guide – Haben Girma -needs-cat/tags

How we describe disability experiences in the media can help or hurt the disability community. Positive portrayals promote inclusion, increasing opportunities for education, employment, and social integration. People with disabilities represent the largest minority group, numbering one billion worldwide. Reaching an audience of this scale benefits media producers. Those who choose to produce positive disabilityContinueContinue reading “Producing Positive Disability Stories: A Brief Guide – Haben Girma -needs-cat/tags”

Accessibility – Apple

Technology is most powerful when it empowers everyone. Play the Accessibility overviewfilm Get the transcriptfor the featured Accessibility film Taking a family portrait. Catching up over FaceTime. Raising the blinds to let in the morning light. We want everyone to enjoy the everyday moments that technology helps make possible, so we work to make every Apple productContinueContinue reading “Accessibility – Apple”

For Apple, this year’s Global Accessibility Awareness Day is all about education | TechCrunch

Source: For Apple, this year’s Global Accessibility Awareness Day is all about education   … In many ways, education and accessibility beautifully overlap,” Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s Senior Director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives, said to me. “For us, the concept of differentiated learning and how the accessibility tools that we build in [to theContinueContinue reading “For Apple, this year’s Global Accessibility Awareness Day is all about education | TechCrunch”

South Australia Disability Inclusion Bill 2018 

South Australia Disability Inclusion Bill 2018 A BILL FOR An Act to promote the full inclusion in the community of people with disability; to assist people with disability to achieve their full potential as equal citizens; to promote improved access to mainstream supports and services by people with disability; to provide for the screening ofContinueContinue reading “South Australia Disability Inclusion Bill 2018 “

Ford’s ‘Feel The View’ prototype aims to help visually impaired people ‘see’ outside cars

… Developed in collaboration with visual impairment specialist Aedo and GTB Roma in Italy, Feel The View is a unique device that uses a range of hardware to relay vibrations on a car’s windows. These vibrations effectively relay Braille-like feedback of the scenery outside the car, hence enabling the visually challenged individuals to ‘see’. ThisContinueContinue reading “Ford’s ‘Feel The View’ prototype aims to help visually impaired people ‘see’ outside cars”

Microsoft commits $25M to its AI for Accessibility program

… Over the course of the last few years, large parts of the company have dedicated themselves to building tools that enable people with disabilities and mental health conditions to do more. Today, the company announced that it is putting more money behind these efforts through its $25 million, five-year AI for Accessibility project. “Around theContinueContinue reading “Microsoft commits $25M to its AI for Accessibility program”

Conversation about Accessibility w/ Tim Cook of Apple | #GAAD

This week I sat down with CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, to discuss topics around Accessibility. May 18th, 2017 is Global Accessibility Awareness Day to promote inclusion when it comes to creating products, content, or experiences for everyone. … I’ve seen Tim’s speech in the past where he brought up accessibility as a human right.ContinueContinue reading “Conversation about Accessibility w/ Tim Cook of Apple | #GAAD”

Celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day 

At Microsoft, we want to empower every person and every organization to achieve more. We deeply believe everyone should have the opportunity to reach their potential and we can help by empowering all people, regardless of their abilities. Global Accessibility Awareness Day gives us the chance to celebrate our differences and reflect on the waysContinueContinue reading “Celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day “

Reimagine accessibility 

“Empower Every Person: Reimagining Accessibility,” a 30-minute film in celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day. … … Discover practical ways to build a more inclusive environment and how accessible technologies such as Microsoft 365 enable everyone to create, communicate and collaborate. Hear from Microsoft accessibility leaders and our partners: US Business Leadership Network, Be. Accessible,ContinueContinue reading “Reimagine accessibility “

Tips For Conducting Usability Studies With Participants With Disabilities

Over the last few years, I ran several usability studies with participants with various disabilities. I thought it would help others if I shared some of my experiences. In this article, I provide lessons learned or tips to consider in planning and executing usability testing with participants with disabilities. The lessons learned are divided intoContinueContinue reading “Tips For Conducting Usability Studies With Participants With Disabilities”

Age and Ability

In the United States, the Revised Section 508 Standards went into effect on January 18, 2018, a year after the U.S. Access Board published the final rule of the updated Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Standards and Guidelines. The Revised 508 Standards, and the accompanying updates to Section 255 of the Communications Act, have transformedContinueContinue reading “Age and Ability”

African Designer Creates Clothing To Aid The Visually Impaired

… Clothes, most of which are designed for the average person, are visual objects. South African designer Balini Naidoo has an answer to this problem: Clothing that looks great from afar but also communicates meaning when touched. The clothes are mostly done in plain and neutral colors so that pieces easily work well with each other. Using embroidery,ContinueContinue reading “African Designer Creates Clothing To Aid The Visually Impaired”

Can Google Assistant and Voice Search Really Help Those Who Need it the Most ? – State of Digital

There are many voice activated devices to help us in the home and at work, including Google Assistant, Alexa from Amazon, Siri from Apple and Cortana from Microsoft. … Strategy Analytics predicted that in Q4 2017 that smart speakers would reach 12 million units world wide and so 24 million for all of 2017. Google unveiledContinueContinue reading “Can Google Assistant and Voice Search Really Help Those Who Need it the Most ? – State of Digital”

RFID Enables Hands-Free Transit Entrance for Vancouver Disabled

… The hands-free solution, known as the Universal Fare Gate Access Program, represents the world’s first transit authority system that offers hands-free automated access to disabled passengers, according to Erin Windross, TransLink’s planner for access transit planning. The RFID technology, which consists of UHF access-control cards and readers above fare gates, is provided by British Columbia RFID and Internet of ThingsContinueContinue reading “RFID Enables Hands-Free Transit Entrance for Vancouver Disabled”

WebAIM: Screen Reader User Survey #7 Results

… CAPTCHA remains by far the most problematic item reported by respondents. “Screens or parts of screens that change unexpectedly” has seen a significant increase over the years and is now reported as the 2nd most problematic item. This likely is due to the dynamic and complex nature of modern web pages and application. …ContinueContinue reading “WebAIM: Screen Reader User Survey #7 Results”

Your Users Might Not be as Tech-Savvy as You Think

Thanks to their specialist skillsets and proximity to a given project, UX Designers are set apart from the majority of their target audience. As Jakob Nielsen explains, “one of usability’s most hard-earned lessons is that you are not the user. This is why it’s a disaster to guess at the users’ needs.” However, there’s anotherContinueContinue reading “Your Users Might Not be as Tech-Savvy as You Think”