Buttons or plates (like the one above) that automatically open doors can do a lot to make a building more accessible, but they aren’t always a perfect solution. For wheelchair users with limited upper body movement, the buttons can be tough to hit. Other times, the button is installed poorly — too high, too low, […]
View More Portal automatically opens doors for wheelchair users, no button pressing requiredCategory: accessibility
Blind users can now explore photos by touch with Microsoft’s Seeing AI
Microsoft’s Seeing AI is an app that lets blind and limited-vision folks convert visual data into audio feedback, and it just got a useful new feature. Users can now use touch to explore the objects and people in photos.
View More Blind users can now explore photos by touch with Microsoft’s Seeing AIHelping children overcome their mobility challenges, Trexo Robotics gets a Y Combinator boost
Manmeet Maggu and Rahul Udasi didn’t know it when they met at the University of Waterloo 11 years ago, but the bond they forged in late-night study sessions as roommates has helped drive their work to create an exoskeleton that provides mobility for children with disabilities. The fruit of that labor is Trexo Robotics, which […]
View More Helping children overcome their mobility challenges, Trexo Robotics gets a Y Combinator boostLyft says it has more wheelchair accessible vehicles available in NYC
Lyft, which has faced at least one lawsuit pertaining to its alleged discrimination against people with physical abilities, announced today it has expanded its wheelchair-accessible vehicle (WAV) service in New York City. Details on the blog are very scarce (we’ve reached out to Lyft for more info) but Lyft now has more than 20 partners in […]
View More Lyft says it has more wheelchair accessible vehicles available in NYCGoogle is launching an accessibility tool for deaf people which turns speech into text in real time
Google partnered with Gallaudet University to design an app that translates spoken words from 70 languages and dialects into text in real timeLive Transcribe was specifically designed to help deaf and hard-of-hearing people. The app has been rolled ou…
View More Google is launching an accessibility tool for deaf people which turns speech into text in real timeOfficial emoji debut for disabled folks, service dogs, waffles and more
A gaggle of new emoji have just been approved by the Unicode Consortium, meaning they’ll be standard across any platforms that choose to support them. This batch includes some much-needed representation for people with various disabilities, new animals from guide dogs to otters, food and many more objects.
View More Official emoji debut for disabled folks, service dogs, waffles and moreGoogle releases live-transcription, sound-filtering accessibility features on Android
The promise of technology as a force for good is rarely clearer than in companies’ development of features to help people with disabilities.
Google announced Tuesday that it was releasing two new accessibility features for Android 9 Pie and Pixel pho…
Google intros a pair of Android accessibility features for people with hearing loss
Google this morning unveiled a pair of new Android features for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. As the company notes in a blog post this morning, the WHO estimates that 900 million people will be living with heading loss by 2055. The ubiquity of mobile devices — Android in particular — offers […]
View More Google intros a pair of Android accessibility features for people with hearing lossMicrosoft highlights the Xbox Adaptive Controller in emotional Super Bowl ad
Once upon a time, people had to wait for the Super Bowl to watch the ads. Those dark days are over. Now you can have companies sell you products on-demand, any time, day or night. Amazon has already debuted its latest Alexa ad, and now Microsoft’s getting in on the action — and this one’s […]
View More Microsoft highlights the Xbox Adaptive Controller in emotional Super Bowl adInstagram is using object recognition tech to describe photos for visually impaired users
Instagram is a visual service; it’s a feed of photos and videos and memes that users take in, but the company is rethinking how to optimize a visual service for users with visual impairments via a couple of new features. The accessibility-focused update rolling out today offers two options to give visually impaired users alternative […]
View More Instagram is using object recognition tech to describe photos for visually impaired usersUber aims to offer more wheelchair-accessible rides with shorter wait times
Uber has long received flack for its lack of widely available wheelchair-accessible rides. Today, Uber is taking steps to ensure riders who rely on wheelchairs can get rides when they need them, and without having to wait more than 15 minutes. That’s thanks to a partnership with MV Transportation, a paratransit service provider that operates […]
View More Uber aims to offer more wheelchair-accessible rides with shorter wait timesThis refugee camp has an inclusive playground that children with disabilities can enjoy — Genius Moments
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The playground at the Za’atari Refugee Camp in Jordan is one of the first of its kind inside a refugee camp, giving all kids access to a right to play.
UNICEF hopes the playground becomes a global message for social cohesion. Read more…
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