Easy Chirp Accessible Twitter Interface
Easy Chirp is a third-party web-based twitter interface that provides an accessible alternative to the Twitter.com website. In addition to being more accessible for people with disabilities, Easy Chirp also works with older browsers like IE6, lowband Internet connections, and without JavaScript. Features of Easy Chirp include; visible and accessible links, simple and consistent layout […]
Mobile Captioning App Waiting for FCC Approval
Concerned about fraud, the FCC is delaying funding any new companies hoping to launch telecommunication relay services until fraud prevention policies can be put in place. A recent article in the Washington Post reported that the InnoCaption app developed by Miracom is still awaiting approval by the FCC after two years.
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 […]
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 […]
Web Accessibility Lawsuits
An article in the Wall Street Journal explored the issue of web accessibility, accessibility lawsuits and the possibility that the U.S. Department of Justice will issue new web accessibility regulations later this year. The article talks about the 2008 Target settlement, which was the first to recognize that a website can be a place of […]
Adding Speak Cells for Accessibility in Excel
Versitas is a company that creates and trains people on how to use Microsoft programs. “Speak Cells” in Microsoft Excel is a recently discovered tool in which the program reads the information in each cell for those who have little to no sight. To use the feature, the “Speak Cells” icon needs to be added […]
Griffin unveils MouthStick stylus for the disabled
A new accessory has been created by Griffin for iPad users who have little to no fine motor skills. The MouthStick is a long, curved stylus designed to be held with the mouth. The curved end allows the user to flip through various pages and press icons on the tablet screen using head movements.
Muse: Brainwave Sensing Headband
Muse is a headband with four sensors that pick up the electrical outputs generated by the wearer’s brain activity. Muse connects to smart phones and tablets using bluetooth, and can provide wearers with real time feedback on their current mental state, i.e. whether they are calm or stressed, focused or distracted. Muse has the potential […]
Disabled Gamer Creates Controller for People with Severe Spinal Cord Injuries
Luis Peña, a video game buff and a quadriplegic, is a former U.S. Border Patrol agent in Casa Grande. Injured on the job in 2007, he missed playing video games after he recovered so he created and patented a video game controller for people with similar injuries. He formed a company called LP Accessible Technologies, […]