Access to Indian Latrines Studied
Indian latrines are toilets that require people to squat to use. Unfortunately there are no accessible standards for Indian latrines and older people and people with disabilities are greatly handicapped by their design. While on academic sabbatical in India, Abir Mullick, a Project Director with the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Universal Design at […]
Aging In Place Center Uses Xbox Technology To Keep Seniors Safe
Some residents at the TigerPlace Aging-in-Place residences in Columbia, Missouri are taking part in a scientific experiment being conducted by researchers at the University of Missouri, who are using video game technology to monitor the residents’ health. The living quarters of sixty-five residents have been outfitted with motion detection sensors over each doorway, high-tech sensors […]
Parking Mobility App
Parking Mobility is a mobile app that helps individuals with disabilities and their supporters report handicapped parking abusers. Offered on three popular platforms, Android, iPhone and Blackberry, Parking Mobility allows its users to file a report of handicapped parking abuse with their city police by taking a set of three photos – one of the […]
Aging and Loneliness
If you are planning to age in place, have you considered how you will combat loneliness? A recent study conducted by Cornell and published inPsychology and Aging explores the adverse effects of loneliness on health and aging. According to the study, loneliness produces changes in the body that mimic the aging process and increase the […]
Timed Traffic Crosswalks Too Fast for Many Elderly: Study
A new British study published June 14 in the journal Age and Ageing found that the time given by automated crosswalks is often insufficient to allow older adults to cross the street safely. In the UK the average speed needed to cross a street in the time allotted by the cross walk is about 4 […]
Marsha Mazz
Director, Office of Technical and Information Services, U.S. Access Board Marsha K. Mazz has been with the board since 1989 and oversees the technical assistance programs for the ADA and the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA). Her office is responsible for the continued development of the ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines, the Section 508 Standards for […]
Tactile Touchscreens
Two companies are developing different technologies that might soon make using your flat touchscreen a more tactile experience. Tactus Technology is developing buttons that rise up from the surface of a touchscreen, while Senseg Technology is working on using an ultra-low electrical current to generate the sensation of textures on a flat touchscreen.
Web Accessibiliy Barriers for Older Adults
The Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences recently published an article exploring the problems that older adults have accessing web-pages. Older adults often encounter barriers to accessing the web due to disabilities like vision impairments, hearing impairments, and motor impairments. Older adults are also more likely to be unfamiliar with the standard […]
Shoshana Shamberg
President, Abilities OT Services and Seminars, Inc. and Irlen Visual Learning Center Shoshana Shamberg, OTR/L, MS, OTR/L, MS, has over 30 years experience as an educator, therapist and professional trainer. She has presented over 150 international continuing education training seminars on a variety of topics related to independent living services for people with disabilities and aging adults. […]
Disability Employment App Challenge
The Social Security Administration and Department of Education have issued a challenge; create an app that will help address the issue that people with disabilities have a significantly higher unemployment rate and a lower labor force participation rate that the general population. According to the Department of Labor, people with disabilities have a 20.3% labor […]