The MTA is testing more than a dozen new ways to help disabled commuters at Brooklyn’s busy Jay St/MetroTech subway station, and the agency hopes riders will give them input on what works and what doesn’t.
“The museum is dedicated to developing inclusive experiences for all visitors by providing accessible programming and features. We seek to enhance the visitor experience by designing tours and exhibits that embrace flexibility and meet the needs of all people.”
How often we have wondered if people with visual impairment could actually perceive the images we see? Well, the good news is that there is now a solution. Comprising of a portable stand, a tactile book and a mobile app – a ready to use solution by TouchVision, an IIT Delhi incubated social enterprise is now available in the Indian markets.
Explore experimental works and practical solutions designed to inspire wonder and new ways of accessing our world. Wander through a scented snowstorm, play a furry instrument in a Tactile Orchestra, investigate the sonic properties of glass, and experience many more multisensory experiences from some of the world’s most creative thinkers, including Christopher Brosius, KunstLAB Arnhem, Studio Roos Meerman, Maya+Rouvelle, and more.
Sumit Dagar, an Indian designer, is developing a tactile smartphone for people who are blind. The screen of the smartphone will be covered in pins that can be raised to create braille, tactile text, tactile maps and tactile images. Dagar is currently working on a prototype and the first model could be really for sale within a year. The project is being funded by a US$50,000 2012 Rolex Award for Enterprise. The design clearly has value for people who are deaf-blind, and the possibility of tactile maps and images seems promising. Watch a video describing the project after the jump.
Developed by Israeli Company Inpris, UpSense is mobile app that provides a gesture based keyboard that works similarly to Braille typing. Each character has its own gesture, which adjusts to the user’s hands and can even be customizable. It is very similar to another app designed by researchers at Georgia Tech. Both apps would be useful for users who already know how to type in Braille, however, could it become a more widespread technology? With more Universally Designed options on the market, like voice control and advanced predictive typing apps, is there still a need for something like UpSense? Most likely, the answer is yes, but as information technology becomes more prevalent in everyday life the categories of assistive technology and mainstream technology are over lapping more and more.