Having landed a much-sought-after job at the research lab of a leading global IT major, fresh out of college, Anirudh Sharma was working on cutting-edge product technologies. But what really drove him was something he was doing on the side, in his own time, over weekly offs and after hours, burning the proverbial midnight oil: developing a shoe that he hoped would transform the lives of millions of visually impaired people.
Researchers are adapting technologies - originally made for robot navigation - to help visually impaired people navigate indoor and outdoor spaces independently.
The Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) has announced new technology that will enable blind and partially sighted people to independently record programmes and pause live TV on Freeview+.
The charity has designed a new text-to-speech service, utilising technology from IVONA, that will be made available on the TVonics DTR-HD500 Freeview+ HD receiver.
BlackBerry Smartphones have always had some great accessibility options, but today RIM has taken things one step further with the release of BlackBerry Screen Reader. The new app, available for the Curve 9350, 9360 and 9370, allows those with visual impairments to better make use of their BlackBerry with extended functions for native applications.
Press Release
iPhones and other smartphones can be a boon to those with low visions, but few doctors are recommending them to patients, according to a new study.
Among the advantages smartphones offer to people with low vision are bigger font sizes - up to 56 points - enabling such people to text and email; screens that can be brightened considerably; and global positioning system and voice features for better navigation, says senior study author Walter M. Jay of the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, US.
A pair of hi-tech spectacles called Kinectacles that will help the visually challenged navigate their way and Kinect Bridge - an innovative product that will enable the speech impaired to communicate with others seamlessly using Microsoft's Kinect motion sensor that is used in its Xbox gaming device.
Technology has transformed many aspects of modern life, including how many people communicate, learn, work, and play. From distance learning to telecommuting, technology affords people increased convenience and productivity. But for persons with disabilities, technology offers much more than that—it also allows for a greater degree of independence and new ways to communicate.
Fleksy, an upcoming text input app, is about to make iOS more accessible.
As it is, iOS already has an impressive suite of accessibility solutions that cater to users with disabilities. Foremost among these is VoiceOver. VoiceOver aids visually impaired users by speaking items on the screen. In addition, it provides alternative selection and scrolling gestures.
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