News Headlines
Here are headlines and brief excerpts from a few of the latest news stories about accessibility, adaptive technology, and enabled people doing amazing things. Each headline is a link that will direct you to the website of the source article. If you have a news story you think we should share, please Contact Us.
Visually impaired gamer sues Sony Online
GameSpot -- November 6, 2009 -- Refusal to implement or facilitate changes to make online games more accessible violates Americans with Disabilities Act, suit claims.
BrailleNote Apex claims to be the thinnest, lightest notetaker for the blind
Engadget -- November 13, 2009 -- ...Well, a Braille display and Braille keyboard obviously solves that problem, and the BrailleNote Apex from HumanWare is purportedly the thinnest and lightest notetaker for the blind yet.
Audeo Captures Electrical Signals From The Brain To Create Sound
Gizmodo -- November 9, 2009 -- Your lungs deliver air, vocal cords vibrate, mouth moves, and...nothing. One of those processes failed and you're left voiceless, speaking impaired. Enter Audeo which captures electrical signals intended for the vocal cords and interprets them to produce sound.
AT&T unleashes Real Time IM Relay for the hearing impaired
Engadget -- September 28, 2009 -- As our hearing impaired readers are no doubt aware, AT&T has been offering its Instant Messaging Relay service since early this year, allowing folks to use AIM to communicate through an operator over the telephone in a manner similar to TDD devices.
MIT students develop new 6dot braille labelmaker prototype
Engadget -- September 26, 2009 -- A group of students at MIT have just unveiled a new prototype of a braille labelmaker / printer, the 6dot. Though not the first, the MIT group's model is apparently more advanced, easier to use, and cheaper than currently available models.
MIT's Eyeball Chip Could Make the Blind See
Gizmodo -- September 24, 2009 -- MIT researchers are developing a microchip that adheres to an eye to revive sight, and it could begin human trials within three years.
BrainPort lets you see with your tongue, might actually make it to market
Engadget -- August 14, 2009 -- We first saw the crazy BrainPort in 2006, but the intervening time hasn't been wasted by its developers, who've brought the quirky visual aid to the cusp of commercial viability. If you'll recall, the device translates signals from a head-mounted camera to electrical pulses that lightly zap your tongue in response to visual stimuli
Hackers alter Wii controller for disabled users
VentureBeat -- July 31, 2009 -- University of Delaware students say they have hacked the Wii video game controller and the Wii Fit’s Wii Balance Board to be used with applications for disabled people.
Tiny Telescopes Help the Blind See Again
Gizmodo -- July 20, 2009 -- The bionic eye's inexorable advance continued this weekend, as doctors reported they were able to implant tiny telescopes (telescopes!) into the eyes of patients suffering from macular degeneration.
Blind Photographers Use Gadgets to Realize Artistic Vision
Wired -- July 16, 2009 -- When a brain tumor caused professional photographer Alex Dejong to lose his eyesight three years ago, he turned to gadgets to continue making his art.
Toyota Scientists Succeed in Thought-Controlled Wheelchair
Gizmodo -- June 29, 2009 -- Sure, brain wave-controlled robots, music, cell-phones, and games give us tech lust, but Toyota's announcement that it's developed a way to control a wheel chair—without the need for movement or voice—fills me with equal amounts of awesome.
DeafBlind Communicator helps deaf / blind individuals communicate
Engadget -- June 8, 2009 -- Every so often, we stumble upon a new piece of technology designed to assist deaf and / or blind individuals, but we've yet to see a creation so complete as this. HumanWare, working in tandem with the Washington State Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing, has concocted a DeafBlind Communicator to provide a trio of communication options to handicapped individuals: face-to-face-, TTY and SMS.
Workers with disabilities up to the job
Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- May 17, 2009 -- Bob Woods wasn't familiar with the Bobby Dodd Institute when he became store manager of the Publix on Howell Mill Road in 2007. Nevertheless, he immediately said yes when the organization asked if he would be interested in hiring someone with a disability who was job ready.
Pubs start disabling TTS on Kindle books
Electronista -- May 14, 2009 -- Book publishers have started exploiting the text-to-speech kill switch feature enabled by Amazon for Kindle books, reports show. At least 40 e-books from Random House, including major titles from Toni Morrison and Stephen King, can no longer use the Kindle 2's TTS feature to read the books aloud.
Assistive Technology Center opens new lab
UCBerkley News -- May 12, 2009 -- The grand opening of an expanded Assistive Technology Teaching and Learning Center, for use by students in the campus Disabled Students' Program, was celebrated on Monday, May 11, with a ribbon-cutting and open house. The bright and spacious new facility in 22 Wheeler improves on the resources available to disabled students in its former Moffitt Library location, a windowless space that users called "the Cave."
Obama to Increase Disability Spending
AbledBody -- May 11, 2009 -- President Obama's budget proposal for fiscal year 2010 includes increased funds for employment assistance for people with disabilities as well as autism research and awareness, among other programs.
Obama's 2010 Budget Will Boost VA Spending
AbledBody -- May 8, 2009 -- Veterans may see expanded programs and services if President Obama's 2010 budget plan passes, which includes $112.8 billion for the Veterans Affairs department, an increase of 15 percent. Calling it "veteran-centric," the VA says Obama's proposed budget represents the largest percentage increase sought by a president in more than 30 years.
Textbooks Will Speak on New Kindle DX
AbledBody -- May 6, 2009 -- Amazon's new Kindle DX, designed for reading textbooks and newspapers, will include text-to-speech to allow students with print disabilities to read textbooks out loud.
