Designing Technology for Older Adults
The Monitor has a wonderful interview with Wendy Rogers, PhD, director of the Human Factors and Aging Laboratory at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, describing how she understands the process of designing and developing technology for older adults. Rogers talks about the labratory’s “Aware Home,” a house-like environment where they can test out new technologies, like […]
Action Trackchair
The Action Trackchair is an off-road electric wheelchair for those who want greater access to outdoor activities like hunting, hiking, going to the beach, and fishing. The Action Trackchair uses large treads to gain traction over uneven or slippery terrain. The chairs are wider than standard electric wheelchairs, with models running from 37″ to 43″ […]
Chess for Persons With Seeing Impairment
Accessibility features are becoming more prominient and widely accepted in all aspects of life. From theatre to video games, product designers are recognizing the importance of inclusive design. Duncan McKean has managed to apply these concepts to one of the most popular and mentally challenging board games – chess. Although this game was created with […]
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 […]
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 […]
App Will Help People Who are Blind, Visually Impaired Navigate Streets
Researchers at the University of Minnesota are developing an app that would assist people who are blind and visually-impaired cross the street, informing users which direction they’re going, and how many lanes they have to cross. The app will tell users the name of a street when they tap the phone and points in it […]
The Magic Music Table
On the website Instructablescom, which allows users to share what they make, user XenonJohn describes how he built the Magic Music Table. The device was designed to help a child with a disability who is unable to load and operate a CD player or use the small buttons and menus of mp3 players. The Magic […]
A Typeface for Dyslexics
Christian Boer, a typographer at the firm Studiostudio based in the Netherlands, has designed a special font for people with dyslexia. The font, called “Dyslexie,” uses specially shaped letters to exaggerate some of the differences between letters that dyslexics find hard to distinguish from one another.
13 UNIVERSAL DESIGN PRODUCTS BUILDERS SHOULD BE USING NOW
Earlier this year at the 2011 American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) annual convention, plumbing giant TOTO conducted a 15-minute universal design experiential mini-course, hoping to give architects the opportunity to experience first-hand how physically challenged and older individuals navigate a bathroom.