Fleksy
The Flesky app for the iPhone makes typing easier by removing the need to hit each letter with precision. Unlike other auto-correct systems, Fleksy analyzes a wealth of data about a user’s typing and can detect the correct word to input even when someone misses every single key. In fact, the system is powerful enough […]
The Baobab: A Storybook App for Children who are Deaf
The Science of Learning Center on Visual Language and Visual Learning (VL2) at Gallaudet University has released the first of a series of three bilingual storybook apps that will simultaneously help children learn American Sign Language (ASL) and English. The app includes an original story told in both ASL and English, colorful illustrations, easy & […]
Accessibility of Social Media in Government
The Social Media Accessibility Working Group was created to help government agencies meet their accessibility requirements when using social media. The Working Group, spearheaded by the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy has launched an online toolkit for improving the accessibility of social media used by government agencies. The toolkit curates and shares […]
Tiramisu Transit App
Tiramisu, literally meaning “pick me up” in Italian, is a crowd-sourced app that informs users of the arrival time and seating availability for buses.Tiramisu uses a smartphone’s GPS to display nearby bus stops, which can be shown on a map or in “list view” for increased accessibility. Users select a particular bus stop to find […]
Blue Badge Style
Blue Badge Style is a website and app created by Fiona Jarvis, who believes that accessibility can and should be stylish. The Blue Badge Style app reviews the accessibility of venues in and around London; including bars, restaurants, galleries, hotels, theaters and more. The Blue Badge Style app is available from iTunes and Google Play […]
Top Ten Inclusive Design Lessons
To help you think more strategically about accessibility, here are my top 10 recommendations for inclusive design:
Google Hangouts Sign Language Interpreter App
Google Hangouts allows users to video chat with friends, conduct meetings with colleges and broadcast recorded sessions online. With the launch of the new sign language interpreter app, Google Hangouts now also allows users to assign one of the Hangout participants the role of sign language interpreter. Live video of the sign language interpreter will […]
AbleRoad
Until recently, the only way for people to find out about accessible venues was through word of mouth or by reading usually outdated accessibility guidebooks maintained by local disability advocacy groups. AbleRoad™ is a new website and app that uses the power of crowd-sourcing to find a better way to connect people with accessible places. […]
Age and Ability in the Cognitive Era
Our parents and grandparents represent one of the most complex societal and economic challenges facing nations as they struggle with increasing costs of healthcare and decreasing numbers of caregivers. People aged 60 and older currently make up approximately 12 percent of the global population, and by 2050, that number will rise to almost 22 percent, […]
Facebook Plans to Improve Accessibility for Visually Impaired Users
Odds are you’ve checked your Facebook account in the last few hours. Odds are even pretty good that you have Facebook open on your desktop or smartphone at this very moment. In its 11+ years, Facebook has gone from cyber novelty to internet tentpole—a (if not *the*) hub around which a tremendous number of people orient […]