Meet the innovators working toward a more accessible future
Google.org awards $20 million to groups developing tech for people with disabilities
Last year, Google.org announced their Google Impact Challenge: Disabilities competition, and over1,000 nonprofits from 88 countries submitted designs for open source technology that could improve the lives of disabled people around the world. This week, Google.org announced the 29 winners, to whom they have dished out a cool $20 million.
Excerpts from Design For All – Guest Editors Beth Tauke and Korydon Smith – April 2016
Excerpts from: Design for All Institute of India, Special Issue, April 2016 (University at Buffalo – State University of New York), Vol. 11, No. 4 Introduction by Beth Tauke and Korydon Smith University at Buffalo, School of Architecture and Planning, United States Recall the face of the poorest and weakest man you have seen, and […]
Chip, Implanted in Brain, Helps Paralyzed Man Regain Control of Hand
Five years ago, a college freshman named Ian Burkhart dived into a wave at a beach off the Outer Banks in North Carolina and, in a freakish accident, broke his neck on the sandy floor, permanently losing the feeling in his hands and legs.
Google Pledges £14m To Support Disability Technology
Smart glasses for the blind and prosthetic limb makers among winners of Google Impact Challenge investment Google has revealed the winners of a campaign to use technology to help people with disabilities as part of a drive to help the one billion people worldwide. Read more at http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/projects/google-disability-technology-support-189952#C723u0cprrIHSeG6.99
Fire Safety and Disabilities Guide
According to FEMA, each year approximately 17,500 people are injured and 3,400 die because of fire.1 There are dangers associated with fire for everyone, but people with disabilities face unique challenges in these emergencies. As FEMA notes, people with disabilities may have more difficulty escaping during a fire. In addition, some disabilities may prevent them […]
International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC)
IDDC is a global consortium of disability and development non-governmental organisations (NGOs), mainstream development NGOs and disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) supporting disability and development work in more than 100 countries around the world.
UW students’ invention could revolutionize sign language
Two University of Washington sophomores have been award a prestigious prize for a pair of gloves they invented to help the hearing and speech impaired communicate with people who don’t understand sign language.
Building more accessible technology
Nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population will have a disability during their lifetime, which can make it hard for them to access and interact with technology, and limits the opportunity that technology can bring. That’s why it’s so important to build tools to make technology accessible to everyone—from people with visual impairments who need […]
Transit systems eye Uber, Lyft for savings on the disabled
Several U.S. transit systems looking to defray costs of providing services for the disabled are weighing partnerships with Uber and Lyft, unsettling some advocates who note that ride-hailing services have themselves faced criticism over accessibility.