Assistive Technology

October 2018 - University of Cincinnati’s, Abdou Fall, reimagines the use of drones for daily citizen as an effective way to increase the accessibility of public spaces. Fall’s thesis paper addresses use cases and policy considerations for drones to operate as an assistive technology for people with mobility disabilities. The paper explores the capabilities of drones, such as replacements for lifts, and indoor mapping. Application of drone technology, as suggested in the paper, could assist in residential buildings as well as in public spaces. In the latter instance, it could save people with a physical disability time by informing them in advance if the building is accessible and to what extent. [Source: Abdou Fall, University of Cincinnati; Stefan Steveski, dronebelow]

October 2018 - The National Theatre recently developed smart captioning software to be used in the Epson smart-glasses. These smart-glasses provide people who are hard of hearing with a projected, private, and personalized transcript of the on-stage dialogue. The technology behind these glasses is two-fold; the first element is the Open Access Smart Capture technology software and the second element is the Epson’s Moverio BT-350 smart-glasses hardware. The software keeps track of the pacing of the script, and the smart glasses display the dialogue. Most notable about the glasses is that it allows the user to set certain features before the show such as size, color, and position of the dialogue. Since The National Theatre launched them at all of their London venues, the hope is that this progressive technology will spread broadly to the entertainment industry. The captioning smartglasses are just the latest in accessibility accommodations provided to ensure the theatre experience is inclusive. Other National Theatre accommodations include an audio loop system, audio described performances, sign language interpreters, and pre-show tours. [Source: Paul Ridden, New Atlas]

In the fall, Blitab Technology will release its portable tablet designed for blind and visually impaired people.  Named the Blitab, a mash-up of the words blind and tablet, it is the first of it’s kind to translate any type of content into Braille and displays one page of content at a time.  Designed by Kritina Tsvetanova, Blitab Technology’s CEO, the Blitab is only slightly thicker than an iPad and utilizes two separate display fields.  The important top half houses the tablet’s glass with perforated grid holes, which allow Blitab’s liquid-based technology to create tactile relief.  She calls these “tixels,” and these create the output content of the Braille alphabet. A rising sensation will be felt under a user’s fingertips as the tablet converts text, maps, and graphics into Braille. The bottom half of Blitab has a touchscreen that allows uses to select applications, e-books or web browse using their voice.  Pricing for Blitab is expected to be around $500.  Traditional Braille keyboards and readers often rely on piezoelectric technology, have one-line displays and often cost thousands of dollars.  Ms. Tsvetanova is confident the Blitab has the potential to change the lives of people with vision loss by increasing the literacy rates of blind and visually impaired people everywhere, and that in turn could increase employment rates of this often neglected workplace demographic. [Source: Nazanin Lankarani, The New York Times]

Read the full article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/03/arts/tablet-devices-blind-braille.html
[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/03/arts/tablet-devices-blind-braille.html]

August 2018 - While iPhones have had native hearing aid compatibility support for quite some time through their collaborations with hearing aid manufacturers called, "Made for iPhone Hearing Aids and Sound Processors," Google's Android operating system has largely been left out.  Until now.  

It is being reported that Google is hard at work designing a Bluetooth hearing aid compatibility solution in collaboration with GN Hearing.  GN Hearing is a Danish company that produces the popular ReSound Linx Quattro and the Beltone Amaze hearing aids, and will be the first two models to take advantage of the new technology.  The two companies are creating a new hearing aid specification for Android called Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids (ASHA).  It has low latency and high-quality audio, while also being battery-efficient.  Hearing aids using the ASHA spec will be able to connect to an Android device without having to use another third-party device, like a neck loop, so that users can stream music from their device or hear audio from a phone call directly into their hearing aids.

One of the issues affecting Bluetooth hearing aid compatibility with Android devices has been fragmentation.  There are just too many different versions of the OS out there, and not everyone has upgraded their devices to the latest and greatest version.  But as manufacturers slowly start rolling out finalized upgrades of the OS to their customers,  hearing aid users who have Android smartphones should be able to take advantage of this new exciting ASHA specification. [Source: Dami Lee, The Verge]

Additional information can be found in the original source for this article:
https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/8/16/17701902/google-native-hearing-aid-support-android-gn-hearing
[https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/8/16/17701902/google-native-hearing-aid-support-android-gn-hearing]

July 2018 - Christopher McMurrough, of the University of Texas-Arlington, has developed an eye-tracking system that should improve upon the limitations of older models (e.g., need for a trained expert to calibrate the system, slow processing time). McMurrough’s system uses a forward-facing, head-mounted camera to generate a 3D map of the environment.  This map is transmitted to a computer where together, with the input from the eye-tracking devices can accurately discern at what the user is looking.  Inspired by his mother-in-law with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the system is intended to allow someone with a mobility disability to independently control things such as a wheelchair, robotic arm, computer, assistive technology, or conceivably any connected device in the environment. McMurrough has patented his system, and other applications are being considered, such as using it in a gaming environment and as an eye-health monitor [Source: Ben Coxworth, New Atlas]

July 2018 - Video description (VD) provides people with visual impairment access to onscreen actions and other nonverbal content that is visual and provides meaningful detail. VD rules, which took effect on July 1, 2018, require 87.5 hours of described video content per year. Comcast-NBCU suggested in a meeting with the FCC that reruns of television shows during non-prime time hours be included in the accounting of the number of hours of video-described programming compliance. For example, television series marathons such as Mr. Robot and Queen of the South that air during non-prime time hours. NBCU asserts that this would allow for as much as 1,000 hours of video-described content per quarter to be counted towards compliance. As such, NBCU wants the FCC to approve a safe harbor for cable networks, reducing their need to request a compliance waiver from quarterly to every three years. According to NBCU, “By adopting a presumptive waiver or safe harbor based on the total hours of described programming and described newly produced programming, the Commission will create the right incentives to encourage programmers to expand their video described hours without disruption to the top-rated non-broadcast networks’ established and successful business models.” [Source: Christopher Crosby, Law360]

June 2018 – In a news report on New Atlas, SpeakSee, a device that can provide transcripts of conversations using speech-to-text software was announced. Developed by Dutch entrepreneurs Jari Hazelebach and Marcel van der Ven, the SpeakSee consists of a small white device which can clip onto an article of someone’s clothing which using three to nine included microphones, can transcribe speech to the user’s smartphone. The microphone(s) use additional sensors in the device to isolate speech from background noise and can differentiate amongst speakers. The audio data is first transmitted via Wi-Fi to the device’s docking station which processes the speech into text and then relays the transcription to the user’s smartphone. The Speaksee app further color codes speakers to indicate different speakers and the transcripts can be saved and searched using keyword queries. Further, the device supports over 120 languages and has a battery life of two to four hours when not in the docking station. The device is currently available to fund on Indiegogo.

[Source: Ben Coxworth, New Atlas]

May 2018 – The Wireless RERC submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission in response to their Public Notice In the Matter of The Accessibility of Communications Technologies for the 2018 Biennial Report Required by the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act [CG Docket No. 10-213].  In anticipation of this Public Notice, the Wireless RERC conducted a 2017 Mobile Phone Accessibility Review (Accessibility Review/Review). The Review included mobile phone models available as of September 2017 from the top four wireless carriers, one prepaid carrier, and five Lifeline Carriers. Researchers, using the providers’ web pages as a reference, identified 214 mobile phones for evaluation. Data were collected on 24 accessibility features (or features that impact accessibility) available in each phone model. Wireless RERC comments shared the results of the Accessibility Review.  Additionally, the comments were informed by recently conducted focus groups on the use of “new communications technologies” by people with disabilities. Overall, the comments indicate that the accessibility of advanced communications technologies is improving. More accessibility features are available, and many of these features are customizable (e.g., the rate of speech for voice output, vibration adjustment, font adjustment, and more). These are much-appreciated gains. However, a perennial barrier to access, device setup, which quite literally allows the user to gain entry to the device, requires addressing to move the needle forward on people with disabilities’ independently accessing advanced communications technologies and services. Following are a few specifics from the comments:

• The researchers encountered difficulty in locating information about certain features. Consumers with disabilities may experience a similar problem when comparing models and selecting a phone to purchase. While people without disabilities can compare phone models based on preferences alone, people with disabilities may have accessibility requirements for the phone to be usable by them (e.g., video calling, HAC, screen reader, AT connection).
• Of the 214 phones, 0% of devices had full, out-of-the-box accessibility. The benefit of full, out-of-the-box accessibility is that it simplifies phone selection for people with varying capabilities and functional levels. If all phones were fully accessible, then people with disabilities could select from all available models. As it stands now, people with disabilities have a more limited selection, and more research is required on the part of the consumer prior to purchase.
• Input type can raise barriers that people with various types of disabilities may encounter when attempting to use mobile phone devices both smart and non-smartphones. Many smartphones require a degree of sight and dexterity that can be a limiting factor to users.
• Various disability groups are increasingly adopting smart speakers with intelligent agents, particularly the Amazon Echo and Amazon Dot with Alexa. Consumers who are blind or who have low vision, for whom graphical interfaces may not be accessible, as well as people with dexterity or mobility-related disabilities, for whom button or touchscreen control may pose a barrier to use, have cited the voice control features of these devices as useful.
• Consumers with limited dexterity or impaired hand function, such as people with spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis, have indicated the potential usefulness of wearables in their own lives. For example, the ability to use near-field communication (NFC) for payments often simplifies what is a complex task for many users who find handling cash or cards to be difficult. However, they also have noted that complex gestures, such as multi-finger swipes, complicate their use of the devices.
• Consumers with disabilities who use wearables such as the Apple Watch discussed in great detail the effect that operating system updates may have on otherwise accessible or usable apps and menu structures for these devices. In a manner similar to smartphone system updates, users of these devices have expressed a desire to understand the effect of operating system updates on app accessibility through some means other than “trial and error.”

March 2018 – Nuheara, a small Australian company, has designed its newest generation of the IQBuds headphones, the IQBuds Boost, to act as a low-cost alternative to hearing aids. The Boost headphones are programmable to enable personalized hearing experiences similar to those available when getting prescription earbuds from an audiologist. Justin Miller, a representative from Nuheara, says “We became the first company in the world to develop a product that effectively fits the audiologist in a box. It conducts a complete hearing test on you,” and the headphones can then function as personalized hearing aids. This will mark some of the first over the counter hearing aids in the US, following the move by President Trump last October to sign the Over the Counter Hearing Aid act into law. These devices already represent significant cost savings from traditional hearing aids, and future competitors will likely improve quality and make even more affordable products available to consumers. [Source: Loz Blain, New Atlas]