assistive technology (AT)

Technology and Disability Policy Highlights (TDPH) editors produced over 190 stories in 2014, covering a wide range of disability issues. The “hot” topics were accessibility, provision of accessible services, assistive technology (AT), wireless technology, and policy.  Measured by social media sharing rates, with a combined total of 602 shares from the Wireless RERC newsroom, last year’s top ten stories were:

March 2014 — Former New Orleans Saints player, Steve Gleason, issued an open letter to Louisiana Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and David Vitter (R-LA) and other Louisiana Congress Members  urging them to consider supporting a recent bi-partisan piece of legislation, The Ensuring Access to Quality Complex Rehabilitation Technology Act [S.948 and H.R. 942].  The Act would amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure that complex rehabilitation technology is covered under Medicare.

The 2014 M-Enabling Summit will be held in Washington, D.C. from June 9-10.  The Conference and Showcase are hosted by the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies (G3ict) and E.J. Krause & Associates.  The focus is on accessible use of mobile technologies, applications, and services and other assistive technology solutions.

February 2014 — The GSMA announced the winners of the 19^th Annual Global Mobile awards at a ceremony held at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.  The ceremony recognizes new developments in mobile technologies ranging from health and banking to network infrastructure.  The 2014 award winners included assistive technologies, such as Turkcell Dream Partner a mobile application with text-to-speech and speech-to-text technology, Wibbitz Text-to-Video Technology a mobile app which can convert text articles into videos, and the Magic Pencil, a distance learning device created

June 3, 2013 — The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) in association with the Department of Education issued a request for proposals for the evaluation, operation and maintenance of AbleData, a database and website providing information on assistive equipment for people with disabilities.