Other News

July 2013 — In partnership with Raketu, Sprint released a new app to provide Wireless CapTel for iOS-powered devices. With the app, users with hearing loss can place a call and voice-recognition software will caption the conversation for the caller. The app works for 3G or 4G cell phones as well as Wi-Fi only devices and will deliver captions in both English and Spanish. In addition to the new app, Sprint also offers Wireless CapTel for Android devices with OS 2.2 or higher.

"Activ" Team Wins Silver in the 2013 UX Awards!

One of this year’s teams at Virginia Tech was awarded a Silver for “Best Accessibility Innovation” in the UX Awards 2013.  Winners were honored as part of NY Internet Week on May 21.  Now in its third year, the UX Awards are the first awards created specifically to celebrate exceptional design in digital user experience.   http://userexperienceawards.com/ux-awards-2013-winners/#activ

July 2013 — The 2014 International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference (CSUN) announced a call for papers.  Currently, CSUN is accepting paper proposals for the Scientific/Research Track to be considered for inclusion in the Journal of Technology and Persons with Disabilities. Suggested paper topics include

July 18, 2013 — The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) has announced a final priority and award application for a Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Community Living Policy. The prospective RRTC will “research, statistical analyses and modeling, knowledge translation, development of informational products, and dissemination to contribute to increased access to, and improved quality of, long-term services and supports (LTSS) for individuals with disabilities of all ages.”  The estimated available award is $875,000.

July 2013 — HumanWare has announced the release of Prodigi, a personal vision assistant designed to be a “more affordable and intuitive visual aid than the traditional CCTV-based electronic magnifier.”  Available in a desk version or a portable, tablet version, Prodigi allows users to magnify a letter or A4-sized page, and displays the image with “perfect text quality”. Prodigi also offers various reading modes including enhanced color contrast, single column text, scrolling text, and text-to-speech.