Augmented Reality With a Web-Cam Eye
Tanya Vlach is a near-fatal car accident survivor. This unfortunate event caused her to lose her left eye. Since 2011, she has been trying to raise both funds and awareness for an artificial eye that has a miniature camera in it that would replace her lost field of vision. Her campaign has been a success, […]
Future Communities Must be Sustainable and UD
We came across a great post on the American Architectual Foundation‘s website that not only outlines the importance of Universal Design and visitability, but also explores their relationship to sustainable design. Written by Kathy Sykes, Senior Advisor for Aging and Sustainability at U.S. EPA, the article looks at the principles of Universal Design, explains how […]
Beyond ALT Text: Making the Web Easy to Use for Users With Disabilities
Nielsen Norman Group (NNG) is a consulting and research firm, specializing in user experience and usability. NNG conducts research on design trends around the world, across industries, companies, and user types. They have a number of publications that provide simple design guidelines that anyone can follow to improve user experience and usability, including reports on […]
Color-Coded Accessibility Map
The disAbilities Resource Centre in Queenstown, Australia has created a color-coded map detailing the accessibility of the streets and footpaths in the area. The map can act as a guide for new residents and visitors who have walking difficulties or use a wheelchair, mobility scooter or pram. Gently sloped streets are labeled in green, steeper […]
Mary Jo Peterson
Founder of Mary Jo Peterson, Inc. Author, speaker and teacher for the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) Mary Jo Peterson is a certified kitchen/bath designer and educator, and a certified aging in place specialist with specific expertise in universal design, addressing the needs of people of varying sizes and abilities, including people with disabilities […]
Universal Design Meets High Tech
Smartphones, for better or for worse, have changed the world. Even a few decades ago, only the most visionary of science fiction writers would have thought we’d all be carrying around a single device that let us talk to family members, read books, listen to music, play video games, take photographs, and more…and yet still […]
California Companies Unveil Video Phone for People Who Are Hard of Hearing
Rocklin’s Purple Communications, Inc. and Tely Labs of Menlo Park have created a smart videophone, SmartVP, which features HD and smart apps for people who are hard of hearing. Users are able to access applications on the phone during calls, and also find similar convenience with apps like Captionfish, Yellow Pages, Weather, and more. The […]
Accessibility View: Google Maps and Accessible Sidewalks
A project in São Paulo, Brazil, is planning to collect images of the city’s sidewalks and integrate them into Google Maps so that people can easily checkout the accessibility of a route before heading out the door. The project will work in the same way as Google Map’s Street View, which currently lets users around […]
The Morph Wheel – Travel with Ease
Originally designed to be used on a bicycle, the Morph Wheel is a foldable wheel compatible with any wheelchair that can accommodate a quick-release axle. When folded, the wheel is compact enough to fit in tight spaces, like a sports bag or under a seat on an airplane. In this state, the diameter of the […]
Ocean Wheelchair for Florida Residents and Veterans
The city of Deerfield Beach, FL now has four new ocean wheelchairs – wheelchairs that can travel on sand without getting stuck, and float in beach water. The floating wheelchairs are free to rent for those that have a need for them while at the beach. Locals Terry and David Rittenhouse are responsible for bringing […]