Accessibility – beyond the screen reader | Web design | Creative Bloq

There are 6.3 times as many people who have low vision than there are people who are blind. … People with low vision will usually either depend on browser features to resize text or zoom the page, magnification software, customized style sheets, built in high contrast themes, or a combination of the above. While screenContinue reading “Accessibility – beyond the screen reader | Web design | Creative Bloq”

A shape-shifting navigation device for both the sighted and visually impaired (w/ Video)

Without doubt, this concept has to be the most lateral thinking piece of technology I’ve seen recently. Just think what it would be capable of if it had GPS built in and a route could be preprogrammed in it from a map. Or a phone providing real time navigation information from a pocket and the cubeContinue reading “A shape-shifting navigation device for both the sighted and visually impaired (w/ Video)”

Chieko Asakawa: How new technology helps blind people explore the world | TED Talk | TED.com

  How can technology help improve our quality of life? How can we navigate the world without using the sense of vision? Inventor and IBM Fellow Chieko Asakawa, who’s been blind since the age of fourteen, is working on answering these questions. In a charming demo, she shows off some new technology that’s helping blindContinue reading “Chieko Asakawa: How new technology helps blind people explore the world | TED Talk | TED.com”

Smartphone Device That Maps Surroundings to Aid Blind

Curtin University research a smartphone-like gadget that senses an entire room’s features, builds a virtual map of it and communicates this to the user may one day replace the humble white cane to help blind sense their surroundings. Using special multi-sensor array technology, the Indoor Navigation Project will enable blind to sense their surroundings beyondContinue reading “Smartphone Device That Maps Surroundings to Aid Blind”

Tactile Watch – ‘Touch Time’

  On Kickstarter is a beautifully designed time-piece called ‘The Bradley’  – made for wearers –  including the blind and visually impaired — to tell time through touch rather than sight. Instead of traditional non-visual designs allowing one to ‘feel’ the watch hands,or rely on audible read time, “The Bradley” uses two ball bearings: oneContinue reading “Tactile Watch – ‘Touch Time’”

Snapvoice – Photos With Audio Recordings

Using Snapvoice you can add an audio recording of up to 90 seconds to a single image. I came across SnapVoice and it reminded me of an earlier post on a similar app, VoicePic, and some thoughts I had in that post around Mechanical Turk. I think this would be an excellent way to shareContinue reading “Snapvoice – Photos With Audio Recordings”

Bluetooth Bracelet with Vibration and Display

bluetooth wristband Hack a Day had a post about this BT bracelet. Forgetting the usefulness or otherwise of the display, I think there must be a myriad of uses due to the vibration of the device, especially for Blind users, for alerts of different kinds. [via] [Bluetooth Bracelet with Vibration and LCD Display – FromContinue reading “Bluetooth Bracelet with Vibration and Display”

Phone designed for the Blind shows importance of feedback

SENS concept phone. by Japanese designer, Takumi Yoshida I’ve written previously about the importance of the correct type of feedback for input, especially when one or more of your senses fail you. This SENS phone uses a combination of tactile sensors and audio feedback to the user. When a person key is pressed the phoneContinue reading “Phone designed for the Blind shows importance of feedback”

Turn phone into walking radar to detect physical spaces

The “Walking Radar” project connects up a Basic Stamp and IR sensor to your cell phone in order to detect objects in the environment and influence games on the device or trigger SMS messages to be sent. [Make] It occurred to me this gadget if hooked up to the vibration part of your phone couldContinue reading “Turn phone into walking radar to detect physical spaces”