Federal / Regulatory

This Works in Progress department features: The Shepherd Centerýs use of mobile wireless technology to develop a compensatory aid for individuals with cognitive impairments; and the University of Bathýs research project that seeks to evaluate widely used context-aware mobile services and to develop an efficient method for further evaluation.

The mobile or smart phone is ushering in the real age of ubiquitous computing, and we shouldn't undervalue its importance. This issue highlights work that presents specific smart phone applications as well as programming infrastructure for further development and studies of emergent uses.

The Aware Home Research Initiative (AHRI) at Georgia Tech is devoted to the multidisciplinary exploration of emerging technologies and services based in the home. Starting in 1998, our collection of faculty and students has created a unique research facility that allows us to simulate and evaluate user experiences with off-the-shelf and state-of-the-art technologies. With specific expertise in health, education, entertainment and usable security, we are able to apply our research to problems...

The near universal deployment in the United States of a wide variety of information and communications technologies, both wired and wireless, creates potential barriers to use for several key populations, including the poor, people with disabilities, and the aging. Equal access to wireless technologies and services can be achieved through a variety of mechanisms, including legislation and regulations, market-based solutions, and awareness and outreach-based approaches. This article discusses...

Wireless technologies, especially those deployed by municipalities, have been offered as one way to enhance access to society at large, including people with disabilities and others on the wrong side of the digital divide. One of the promises of municipal WiFi, is free or low-cost service promised in the public interest of citizens. This paper presents research on the current state of municipal wireless network design and policies with regard to people with...

Determining patterns in data is an important and often difficult task for scientists and students. Unfortunately, graphing and analysis software typically is largely inaccessible to users with vision impairment. Using sound to represent data (i.e., sonification or auditory graphs) can make data analysis more accessible; however, there are few guidelines for designing such displays for maximum effectiveness. One crucial yet understudied design issue is exactly how changes in data (e.g.,...

Since 2001, the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC) has taken an active role in promoting accessibility of emergency alerting systems for Americans with disabilities. Among federal government initiatives is a new rule that will take effect in 2010, requiring that emergency alerts be sent using Short Messaging Service (SMS) from all cell phone towers in areas affected by emergencies. This paper shares consumer input on wireless emergency...

Since the baby boom decades of 1946–1964, decreasing fertility rates and increasing lifespans have led to worldwide growth of the elder population. This growth is already challenging healthcare systems, family structures, and national economies. The growing population of elders is also focusing attention on the changes in mental, physical, and sensory abilities that come to everyone who lives long enough and to those with chronic disabilities due to accident or illness. This new focus...

In the July-August 2008 issue of Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation, Greig and colleagues described a small, qualitative study of features of mobile phone handset design, documentation, and use that either enhance or hinder usability for people with aphasia. The authors noted that, despite considerable difficulties, study participants appreciated the social participation that mobile phones support. Findings to date of the Wireless RERC’s Survey of User Needs (SUN) reinforce...