NYC’s “Taxi of Tomorrow” Falls Short on Accessibility
On April 3rd, officials in New York City unveiled the “Taxi of Tomorrow,” which is scheduled to replaces all existing cabs in the Big Apple. The “Taxis of Tomorrow” does contain some accessibility features geared towards helping people with vision or hearing impairments, including braille writing identifying the name of the cab’s driver and a […]
Metro Barriers in D.C. Metropolitan Area
At the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society’s latest annual meeting in Las Vegas, a case was presented that found that the Washington, D.C. Metro system, although a work in progress, still has many barriers for handicapped riders. This is contrary to Metro spokesman Dan Stessel, who claimed that after pouring a significant amount of investments […]
Harold Dean Kiewel
Registered architect and certified construction specifier (CCS) Harold Dean Kiewel, AIA, CSI, CCS | Since 1998, he was worked with Ellerbe Becket, an international firm based in Minneapolis, as a senior architectural specifier, spending much of his time writing project manuals for health care facilities. Harold continues his advocacy to the architectural community through his presentations and […]
Increased Wheelchair Accessible Cabs in Chicago This Year
With the addition of 47 taxis, the number of wheelchair accessible cabs has increased up to 50% in 2012 in the state of Chicago. In July of this year, a new ordinance will go into effect, mandating all cab companies to provide accessible cabs. An incentive to this ordinance is that the wheelchair accessible cabs […]
Look Ma, No Hands: Google’s Self-Driving Car
Google has been testing its self-driving cars on the roads of Nevada for a while now, but last week it called attention to this project in a big way. Steve Mahan, who is legally blind, went for a ride behind the wheel of a self-driving car, accompanied by Google engineers and local police. This technology […]
The New Revolutionary Wheelchair: Permoveh
The 4wd Permoveh wheelchair revolutionizes the wheelchair industry with it’s omnidirectional wheels. Invented by a team of Kyoto University researchers under the guidance of Masaharu Komori, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Permoveh has wheels within it’s wheels enabling sideways and diagonal movement at the drop of a dime. The device’s name is short for ‘Personal […]
Government Acknowledges Need for Better Web Accessibility
In the summer of 2011, President Barack Obama asserted the need for the enhancement of technological accessibility. In attempting to be more compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, Federal websites are required to be fully accessible to people who have disabilities. In March of 2012, the administration sought feedback from citizens on how […]
SoundAmp Helps Persons Hard of Hearing
For just $0.99, a person who is both hard of hearing and an smartphone owner can be granted sound again. SoundAmp is a relatively new iPhone application that works by picking up sounds via the microphone, amplifying and processing them in real-time, and sending them to the attached earbuds/headphone. Also, with it’s “Boost” feature, high […]
Global Game Jam Focuses on Accessible Gaming
The unfortunate reality is that the most popular game companies in the gaming industry don’t always create games with accessibility in mind. With a goal to raise accessibility awareness within the gaming industry, this year’s Global Game Jam – a collaborative gaming development session – featured an accessibility challenge in an attempt to break existing […]
LookTel releases recognizer app for the visually disabled
LookTel, which came out with the Money Reader app last year that helps the visually impaired accurately count money, has come out with a new app using the same technology to help people with vision problems to identify common objects.