Wireless Inclusive RERC| Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta, GA - Inclusive Emergency Lifelines (D1)

The Wireless Emergency Alerts Video Platform: Emergency Alerts in Many Formats Allow Access for All

Mz22 — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 19:33:42 +0000

Date of Publication:

2022 September

This research brief reports on developing a software app that demonstrates the technical feasibility of providing WEA messages in multiple formats, namely text-based messages, spoken messages, symbology, and ASL video with captions, to improve the accessibility of the messages for all receivers. The results of a usability study examining how people who are Deaf understand the emergency messages in multiple formats are also described.

research_brief-_the_wea_video_platform_002.docx

Battery Extension Tool: A study of smartphone battery demand and conservation modes

Mz22 — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 14:15:23 +0000

Date of Publication:

2022 September

The project surveyed power controls that currently exist within current mobile operating systems and evaluated the battery demand of wireless devices, comparing typical operation with optimal battery operation while various accessibility apps are in use. These data were analyzed to develop recommendations for best practices for battery charge extension of wireless devices. A proof-of-concept, customizable user interface prototype app, the Battery Extension Tool (BET), was developed to allow users with disabilities to implement these best practices while retaining access to their accessibility software.

research_brief_-_effects_of_active_accessibility_features_on_smartphone_battery_drain.pdf

American Sign Language & Emergency Alerts: The Relationship between Language, Disability, and Accessible Emergency Messaging

Mz22 — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 14:05:25 +0000

Date of Publication:

2018 January

Bennet, D, LaForce, S, Touzet, C, Choido, K (2018). American Sign Language & Emergency Alerts: The Relationship between Language, Disability, and Accessible Emergency Messaging. International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters, 2018, 71-87.

Abstract: Emergency alert messages are not always completely accessible for people who are Deaf that rely on American Sign Language (ASL). ASL is a visual and conceptual language that has its own unique syntax and grammar. ASL has no roots in English and is the third most most taught foreign language in our colleges today. Not all individuals who are deaf rely on ASL for "clear and effective" communication. For many individuals who become hard-of-hearing or deaf later in life (late-deafened), closed captioning can provide accommodations. For individuals who are Deaf and rely on ASL as their primary language, closed captioning is not a useful means of communication because the information is being conveyed in a language most ASL users do not fully comprehend. Similarly, emergency alert messages delivered via SMS text or email can also present confusion to ASL users who may struggle to understand the written English messages. One size does not fit all; and in this case, English text as a sole means of communication is not entirely accessible for people who rely on ASL. This paper outlines the relationship between language, disability, and emergency messaging as learned from several research studies examining the accessibility of public alerts and warnings.

Re:Wireless Newsletter - 2019/05/22

blippincott4 — Fri, 24 May 2019 17:16:14 +0000

Date of Publication:

2019 May

The file below is a PDF of the Wireless RERC's 05/22/2018 Re:Wireless Newsletter for consumers. If you have trouble accessing the file or need it in an alternate accessible format, please contact Ben Lippincott at 678-992-9309 or ben@imtc.gatech.edu.

You can also view the newsletter at this web address: https://conta.cc/2HLb8g6

This is a PDF version of the consumer-focused Re:Wireless newsletter.

Re:Wireless Newsletter - 2019/03/15

blippincott4 — Fri, 24 May 2019 17:07:23 +0000

Date of Publication:

2019 March

The file below is a PDF of the Wireless RERC's 03/15/2019 Re:Wireless Newsletter for consumers. If you have trouble accessing the file or need it in an alternate accessible format, please contact Ben Lippincott at 678-992-9309 or ben@imtc.gatech.edu.

You can also view the newsletter at this web address: https://conta.cc/2F7y4ol

This is a PDF version of the consumer-focused Re:Wireless newsletter.

Internationally Known-Wireless RERC Research Goes to Seoul

Mz22 — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 18:17:27 +0000

Date of Publication:

2018 November

Wireless RERC Project Director Maureen Linden traveled to Seoul, South Korea from November 5 – 11, 2018. While there, she gave a lecture at South Korea’s National Rehabilitation Center, presented research at the 12^th Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of (Korea RESKO) Technical Conference, represented the Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Society of North American (RESNA) at the International Alliance of Assistive Technology Professional Organizations (AT Alliance) working meeting, and spoke in a panel discussion with other AT Alliance representatives.

Ms. Linden’s invited lecture at South Korea’s National Rehabilitation Center summarized her research in wireless emergency communications, as well as on accessible education for people with disabilities. Ms. Linden provided an overview of the Wireless RERC and its mission and spoke about development projects on the Wireless RERC’s Inclusive Emergency Lifelines Project focusing particularly on the accessibility of the notification signals and messages of Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) for people with sensory impairments and learning disabilities. Twenty-five researchers and clinicians from the National Rehabilitation Hospital attended.

On November 8, 2018, Linden presented a scientific platform session on “The Accessibility of Wireless Emergency Communications: Updates from the Wireless RERC” at the RESKO Conference. The presentation was made to twenty conference attendees and focused on the accessibility of the notification signals and messages of WEAs for people with sensory impairments and learning disabilities.

Finally, Maureen represented RESNA in her role as President-Elect at the AT Alliance working meeting. During this meeting, Chapal Khasnabis, Technical Officer of the World Health Organization (WHO), charged the AT Alliance organizations with assisting WHO with their initiative to improve access to assistive technology around the globe. On November 9, 2018, Maureen and five other AT Alliance members discussed these proposed efforts during a RESKO plenary session to an international audience of approximately 125 conference attendees.

resko_presentation.pdf

Re:Wireless Newsletter - 12/31/2018

blippincott4 — Fri, 11 Jan 2019 16:39:57 +0000

Date of Publication:

2018 December

The file below is a PDF of the Wireless RERC's 12/31/2018 Re:Wireless Newsletter for consumers. If you have trouble accessing the file or need it in an alternate accessible format, please contact Ben Lippincott at 678-992-9309 or ben@imtc.gatech.edu.

You can also view the newsletter at this web address: https://conta.cc/2EWMDNf

A PDF version of the Re:Wireless Newsletter for 12/31/2018

Re:Wireless Newsletter - 10/08/2018

blippincott4 — Fri, 11 Jan 2019 16:36:29 +0000

Date of Publication:

2018 October

The file below is a PDF of the Wireless RERC's 10/08/2018 Re:Wireless Newsletter for consumers. If you have trouble accessing the file or need it in an alternate accessible format, please contact Ben Lippincott at 678-992-9309 or ben@imtc.gatech.edu.

You can also view the newsletter at this web address: https://conta.cc/2yAqBex

A PDF version of the Re:Wireless Newsletter for 10/08/2018

Technology and Disability Policy Highlights - Fall 2018 Issue: September - October

Mz22 — Mon, 05 Nov 2018 20:08:57 +0000

Date of Publication:

2018 November

October 2018 was celebrated as National Disability Employment Awareness (NDEAM), and the contributions and achievements of people with disabilities were recognized and honored at events and in publications. The Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) 2018 theme for NDEAM was “America’s Workforce: Empowering All.” In keeping with the theme the Partnership for Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT), focused on Empowering All through Accessible Technology and provided a number of resources for employer training, accessible workplace technologies ecosystem, apprenticeships, and more.

Apropos, the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research’s (NIDILRR) 40^th anniversary was celebrated in October, as well. NIDILRR funds the Wireless RERC and other research, training, and demonstration projects across the nation in a number of domains (health and function, employment, and community living) to enhance the quality of life of people with disabilities. NIDILRR Deputy Director, Kristi Hill, discussed NIDILRR's future and the need to ensure research is “practical and applicable to people's lives.” Some technologies she envisioned as integral to an inclusive future include automation and robotics. The Wireless RERC attended NIDILRR’s celebration and provided a poster which highlighted our development projects that advance access to a dynamic, inclusive wireless ecosystem. The Wireless RERC, plus approximately six other RERCS, will remain on display at The Great Hall at the Department of Health and Human Services.

This fall also saw the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2018 [H.R. 302] be codified as Public Law 115-254, with an aim to improve air travel for consumers with disabilities. To ensure the continual advancement of accessible aircraft technologies, PL 115-254 instructs that these technologies be extended to every airport or facility of an air carrier, and be inclusive of every disability type. In September, legislators addressed accessible road travel and the need for an autonomous vehicles law that contains provisions that prevent discriminatory policies and practices against people with disabilities, contending that they could stand to benefit the most from self-driving vehicles.

This fall issue is chock full of news, read on for Bias in AI, the ADA and web access, interoperable video calling, the nationwide WEA test, a variety of smart glasses, drones for wayfinding, a braille tablet, smart cities, smart prosthetics, a virtual reality life skills trainer, and more.

technology_and_disability_policy_highlights_fall_2018_september-october.docx

Re:Wireless Newsletter - 2018/08/03

blippincott4 — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 17:15:39 +0000

Date of Publication:

2018 August

The file below is a PDF of the Wireless RERC's 08/03/2018 Re:Wireless Newsletter for consumers. If you have trouble accessing the file or need it in an alternate accessible format, please contact Ben Lippincott at 678-992-9309 or ben@imtc.gatech.edu.

You can also view the newsletter at this web address: https://conta.cc/2ONVWS3

A PDF version of the 08/03/2018 issue of Re:Wireless, the Wireless RERC's consumer newsletter