The Future of Braille

Why use Braille? Technological developments are bringing more and more assistance to those who are blind or have visual impairment. A standard iPhone ships with the VoiceOver screen reader app, allowing users to have information read to them. Speech synthesizers, once infamous for their robotic and sometimes difficult-to-understand timbre, have become more and more naturalistic. […]

Voice Banking Allows People to Communicate Using Their Own Speech

There are many assistive technologies available today to help people who have some sort of speech impairment, known collectively as the Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) field. Usually these communications involve some type of computer-generated speech, or recordings of common sayings performed by an actor. Voice banking is one option that lets those who can […]

National Cristina Foundation Connects Nonprofits with Technology

When the National Cristina Foundation was established three decades ago, nobody had yet come up with the term “digital divide.” But that’s what their mission has been for more than 30 years: to connect nonprofit groups with technology needs to donors of reusable hardware so the disadvantaged can have access to computers, mobile devices and […]

CARE BOX Subscription Program

Subscription boxes are a fun way to receive new products bi-weekly, monthly, and more!  One of my more recent Accessibility Minute podcasts covers the Spectrum Toy Store.  The Spectrum Toy Store is specifically designed for individuals with developmental disabilities.  It recently opened in Chicago, but the website features an online catalogue including many of their […]

Smyle Mouse Lets Your Face Do the Talking

For those with physical impairments that make using a regular computer mouse difficult, or can’t use a voice-activated interface, there’s now a new option. Smyle Mouse allows you to control a PC without using your hands or voice. You do it all simply by using your head and face. This is a new tool that […]

Nike Makes Marty McFly’s Style a Reality

Have you always wanted a pair of Marty McFly’s iconic self-lacing shoes showcased in Back to the Future Part II?   Good news, the wait is over. Nike introduced the HyperAdapt 1.0 in Spring 2016. Shoe laces can be a burden for everyone — not just people living with disabilities. Perhaps, this is part of […]