October 2013 — The Wireless RERC released a Research Brief entitled, “FM Radio and RBDS-Based Emergency Alerting: Possibilities and Potholes.” The brief discusses the limitations of current mobile emergency alerts, noting the expense and unreliability of Short Message Service (SMS) text messages and the limited text allowed for Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). Further noted is the limited accessibility of WEA, as text-to-speech is not a requirement for WEA and is often costly to the end user. In order to enhance the accessibility of
This report summarizes the efforts of the Wireless Emergency Communications (WEC) project team in developing and testing the transmission and usability of public emergency alerting via text messaging and cell-phone transmission of video. The team's work revealed a clear benefit of text-messaging and video alerts transmitted from cell towers in affected areas.
We created “SUNspot” to share some of the latest findings from ongoing data collection for our Survey of User Needs (SUN), our cornerstone survey on use and usability of wireless technology by people with disabilities. We launched the first version of the SUN in 2001. The current version (Version 4) was launched in September 2012. The data reported here are preliminary results. Data collection is ongoing.
This SUNspot addresses the question of which sources of information people with disabilities consult when choosing their wireless device. Responses to...
This SUNspot addresses the following questions related to use and usability of wireless technology by people with all types of disabilities:
- The rate of ownership of wireless devices such as cellphones, smartphones and tablets by people with any type of disability
- The types of devices that people with disabilities own
This research brief presents survey data collected by the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC) to learn how people who are hard of hearing use their mobile phones, and also to learn about their experiences using assistive listening systems while attending public meetings and events.
The questionnaire was structured around 3 areas of inquiry:
- Cellphone use and satisfaction with sound quality
- Availability, use and satisfaction with assistive listening systems (ALS) in public events venues
- Interest in an app ...
We created “SUNspot” to share some of the latest findings from ongoing data collection for our Survey of User Needs (
This SUNspot addresses the questions related to choices of wireless service and...
We created “SUNspot” to share some of the latest findings from ongoing data collection for our Survey of User Needs (
This SUNspot addresses the question of whether age is a factor in the use of...
We created “SUNspot” to share some of the latest findings from ongoing data collection for our Survey of User Needs (SUN), our cornerstone survey on use and usability of wireless technology by people with disabilities. We launched the first version of the SUN in 2001. The current version (Version 4) was launched in September 2012. The data reported here are preliminary results. Data collection is ongoing.
This SUNspot addresses the following questions related to use and usability of wireless technology by people with all types of disabilities:
- The ...
Citizens with disabilities are at once the most vulnerable during an emergency, and the most likely to have greater access challenges to communications media than the rest of the population. Consequently, finding technological solutions that ensure access is critical to an effective emergency communications and emergency management plan.
This Wireless RERC research brief examines the effects of age on use of various media to receive and share public alert Information by people with disabilities. The data presented in this paper were collected from our Emergency Communications...
In response to consumers with disabilities unsure about which wireless devices and services best fit their needs and abilities, the Wireless RERC developed “Your Guide to Choosing a Cell Phone” in 2004.
Today, all of the major wireless manufacturers and service providers, as well as some third party resources, maintain websites offering accessibility information. These websites are powerful tools for gathering and comparing information about available products and services for customers with disabilities. At the same time, navigating these sites, and the sheer...
