Wireless RERC - Assistive Technology

App Factory Releases 2014-2015 Call for Proposals

blippincott4 — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 04:00:00 +0000

Each year, the Wireless RERC’s App Factory invites experienced organizations or individual developers based in the U.S. to submit proposals for financial support to develop assistive and/or accessibility apps for mobile platforms (e.g., Android, Blackberry 10, iOS, Windows Phone).

Apps developed through this program include AccessNote by the American Foundation for the Blind, BrailleTouch by BrailleTech, LLC, and Sprint ID Accessibility Packs, Currency Identifier, and IDEAL Group Reader by Apps4Android.

Proposals for 2014-15 are due on June 30, 2014. Selection of proposals for funding will be on October 15. More information can be found in the PDF of the Call for Proposals below.

Related Files:

Attachment	Size
App Factory_RFP_2014.pdf	242.61 KB

Wireless RERC Researchers Featured in Faces of Inclusive Excellence Video

mz22 — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 14:21:01 +0000

[VIDEO] 2016 Faces of Inclusive Excellence

September 16, 2016 - Wireless RERC Principal Investigator, Helena Mitchell, and, researcher, Young Mi Choi, were honored by Georgia Tech’s Office of Institute Diversity and featured in the Faces of Inclusive Excellence Video. Watch/Listen to the Video.

Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is Hiring

mz22 — Thu, 05 May 2016 20:53:41 +0000

Speech-to-Text

Captioning

TDI Website

Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (TDI) is seeking to hire for the position: Product Manager, Speech-to-Text Captioning Project. TDI is seeking a talented and versatile professional for the position of Product Manager for its soon-to-be developed, Speech-to-Text Captioning/Caption Correction, a two-year long grant project. Responsibilities include: surveying, accessing, preparing forecasts and analyses, planning, introducing, and marketing/developing the new product while maintaining professional and technical knowledge. Qualifications: Master’s degree is preferred, 3 years job related work experience, knowledge of technology, knowledge of disability access, successful experience in grant writing and project management, and a proven network of contacts and relationships with community leaders and service providers. For more information visit the TDI Website. The salary range for this position is $70,000-$85,000, depending on education and experience. TDI is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. All applicants must submit a cover letter and resume electronically, which includes a list of at least three professional references and compensation requirements via email to TDI Executive Director Claude Stout at cstout@tdiforaccess.org. APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 5 P.M. ON OR BEFORE THE CLOSE OF DAY, May 25, 2016.

Wirelesss RERC @ The Disaster Response and Mitigation Forum

mz22 — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 13:39:12 +0000

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

Emergency Alert System (EAS)

American Sign Language (ASL)

Symbology

Disaster Response and Mitigation Forum

Publication Type:

Presentations

Salimah LaForce and Christina Touzet presented a poster titled, Emergency Alert System (EAS) vs. Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), at the Disaster Response and Mitigation Forum held at the Garage @ Tech Square on Fifth on Wednesday, April 27, 2016. The research, conducted by the Wireless RERC and funded by a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), presented the background and results of research activities that examined the effectiveness of EAS and WEA to provide alerts to people with disabilities. Specifically, the poster included comparative analyses of the awareness of EAS and WEA messages, the accessibility of the two systems, as well as the types of protective actions taken as a result of the emergency messages.

Ed Price demonstrated the Wireless RERC's prototype of a WEA Video Platform that includes IPAWS approved symbology and presents the WEA message content as an American Sign Language (ASL) video.

The goal for the forum was to understand ways in which to advance science and technology to improve disaster response. The Forum featured two panels with federal, state and local agency representatives, as well as speakers from NGOs, industry, and academic researchers. The forum included a reception along with a poster session that focused on technologies and applications that impact disaster response, address cutting-edge research that is being done to meet the challenges of disaster response, cover the latest disaster response policy issues, and address technology gaps that need to be filled to help identify solutions.

Wireless RERC Announces 2016 App Factory App Development Awards

blippincott4 — Mon, 14 Mar 2016 19:46:07 +0000

The Rehabilitation Engineering Center for Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC) is pleased to announce funding of 5 new assistive technology apps for development and release in 2016 as part of its App Factory development project. These new apps will provide solutions to a range of challenges that users with physical, sensory and cognitive impairments face.

The Wireless RERC received 13 proposals for its 2016 App Factory funding competition. All were top quality proposals targeting important user needs. After careful consideration, 5 were selected for funding.

Blue Sky Designs Pow!r Mount app will provide accessible control for powered mounting and positioning systems. The app works in conjunction with BlueSky Design's forthcoming Pow!r Mount to provide individuals with significant physical disabilities access to and control over devices in their environment through their smart device, like a smartphone, tablet or AAC device. With the powered mount’s ability to move, rotate and tilt devices and trays, a person will be able to move essential items into accessible positions, and to easily and independently change activities. Positioning of mounted devices is controlled through an accessible method of choice, such as a switch, voice, wheelchair controls or direct touch, with a finger or conductive mouthstick. The Pow!r Mount app will be available for iOS and Android devices.

Komodo OpenLab’s Tecla Remote expands on the success of its Tecla Shield switch controller and related technologies, in order to facilitate access and control of appliances and external hardware by people who lack the fine motor manual abilities to interact with the standard console, remote or app-based controls provided with commercial media streaming devices. The Tecla Remote will be available for iOS and Android devices.

Sendero Group’s Easy Listening app is a low cost application that will facilitate direct smartphone/earpiece communication to provide local noise cancelling and speech amplification for people who are blind as well as for everyone who wishes a more easy listening experience. It will employ sophisticated noise filtering and amplification to differentiate itself from other sound amplifying apps already available in the marketplace. It will be available on the iOS operating systems.

Shepherd Center’s Healthy Timer app will allow users to use their mobile devices as a tool for providing consistent timers and reminders for key daily activities, such as weight shift prompts, bladder management cues, medication reminders, meal reminders, blood sugar monitoring, performance of home exercise programs, positioning reminders (ex.“keep your head up”) and monitoring and controlling moods and behaviors (behavior “check in”) to name just a few. The core timer functionality may also serve as a platform for future integration with bio-sensor technology to automatic alerting. Healthy Timer will be available on Android Play.

Smart Steps will be using App Factory funds to add functionality to its existing decision-making app for users with autism, developmental disabilities or other cognitive impairments. The existing SmartSteps app prompts users to create decision trees to solve problems such as taking the bus, asking strangers for help, and interacting with others. The new functionality will enhance the ability to save and share decision trees, the ability for Smart Steps admins to assign decision trees to individuals and groups, the ability to send text messages directly from the Smart Steps app, and add a read aloud button inside the app, to name a few. Smart Steps is currently available on Apple’s App Store and Google Play.

The Wireless RERC’s App Factory project has funded over 20 assistive app development projects over the past 5 years through an annual call for proposals. Read more at: http://wirelessrerc.org/content/app-factory-d1.

* * *

For more information, please contact Ben Lippincott at ben@imtc.gatech.edu or 404-894-7034.

Meet Wireless RERC Researchers at CSUN 2016

mz22 — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 18:49:27 +0000

Come meet us in San Diego!

Publication Type:

Presentations

Wireless RERC researchers will be featured at the 2016 International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference (CSUN) in San Diego, March 21-26, 2016. The papers/presentations include:

Wireless Independence Now (WIN) Workshop (Wednesday, March 23, 2016 - 10:00 AM PST)
Mixed Sentience Learning Communities: Design Considerations & Opportunities (Thursday, March 24, 2016 - 10:00 AM PST)
Wireless technology use by people with disabilities-2015: A national survey (Friday, March 25, 2016 - 10:00 AM PST)
FutureS of Disabilities: The migration to a digital world (Friday, March 25, 2016 - 10:00 AM PST)
Optimizing Accessibility of Wireless Emergency Alerts: 2015 Survey Findings (Friday, March 25, 2016 - 1:20 PM PST)

Emergency Preparedness and Your Mobile Device

mz22 — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 14:41:35 +0000

emergency preparedness

mobile devices

Tips for Emergency Use of Mobile Devices

August 2015 - There are several steps to prepare your mobile device in case of an emergency. One of the most basic is making sure there are a set of emergency contacts easily accessible on your device. This means ensuring that your contacts are saved to the device and to the SIM card. Various apps are also available for an array of functions such as first aid information, emergency shelter locations, and geographical emergency alerts. It is also always a good idea to have power backup strategies in case a situation where the power goes out. All of these tips and more can be found in the 2015 edition of Tips for Emergency Use of Mobile Devices, by Disability Policy Consultant, June Isaacson Kailes. The publication provides guidelines for optimal use of your mobile device before, during and after an emergency. It covers emergency contacts, alerts, texting, documents, apps, power back-up charging options, bookmarks, “No Service” backup plans, skill drills and more.

New App in Development to Help People with Disabilities Navigate Buildings

mz22 — Wed, 09 Sep 2015 19:54:21 +0000

Emergency Egress

Indoor Navigation

Access and Evacu8 ltd.'s New App Helps People with Disabilities Not Get Lost in Translation

Access and Evacu8, Ltd are working together to develop a picture based app to guide people with disabilities in, out, and around the interior of buildings. As a result of a two year consultation with people with disabilities, businesses and fire and rescue services, Access and Evacu8 decided to collaborate on developing this project. The app will also function as an aid for the emergency egress of both people with and those without disabilities. The development is being funded through the Kickstarter campaign Evacu8me & Directmii app development until October 8^th with a goal of 29,000 euros. Upon completion the app will give instructions in multiple languages and have a free and paid version that functions without any need of an internet connection, in case one is not available during an emergency.

2015 Wireless Independence Now! Workshop Presentations Available Online

mz22 — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 14:40:26 +0000

Throughout the summer of 2015, the AT&T Corporate Accessibility Technology Office and the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC) conducted workshops for people with disabilities, caregivers, and professionals on how to use accessibility features found on smartphones and tablets. Workshops focused on accessibility features helpful for people who use hearing aids, people who use text and video services, people who have communication difficulties, people who have difficulty seeing, people with cognitive disabilities, or sensory disabilities, people with dexterity or mobile disabilities, caregivers and other professionals who assist people with disabilities. The presentations (links below) include the accessibility features found on smartphones, phablets and tablets that use Apple or Android operating systems (OS); accessibility resources for services, devices and mobile applications; and ways to improve the accessibility of devices and services.

General Disability Presentation

[http://www.wirelessrerc.gatech.edu/node/700]

Cognitive Impairment Presentation

http://www.wirelessrerc.gatech.edu/node/722

Dexterity Impairment Presentation

[http://www.wirelessrerc.gatech.edu/node/720]

Hearing Impairment Presentation

[http://www.wirelessrerc.gatech.edu/node/718 ]

Vision Impairment Presentation

[http://www.wirelessrerc.gatech.edu/node/721]

New Requirements for Video Game Accessibility May Start In The Fall

mz22 — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 14:19:03 +0000

Video Games

Gaming Access

Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA)

REQUEST FOR COMMENT PETITION FOR PARTIAL EXTENSION OF CLASS WAIVER OF COMMISSION’S RULES FOR ACCESS TO ADVANCED COMMUNICATIONS S

ESA Petition for Waiver

June 2015 - Video game equipment, software, and related services are now required by the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA) to be accessible to and usable by users with disabilities. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is permitted to provide waivers to the accessibility requirements only when the equipment is designed primarily for purposes other than communication. Unlike the some other consoles and online game play services, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) asked the FCC to extend a waiver that expires on October 8, 2015. The 15 month waiver would only cover Class III video game software. The original waiver, previously granted by the FCC, covered the following categories of video gaming service and equipment [verbatim]:

Class I – Game consoles, both home and handheld, and their peripherals and integrated online networks, which are designed for multiple entertainment purposes but with a primary purpose of playing games.
Class II – Game distribution and online game play services designed for the primary purpose of distributing online game software or enabling online game play across a network.
Class III – Software designed for the primary purpose of game play. Game software means playable games on any hardware or online platform, including, but not limited to, dedicated game consoles, PCs, mobile devices, and the Internet (i.e. browser based games).

The ESA requests the extension of this waiver because of the technical issues in making assistive technology for video games. By October 8th, the FCC will decide if they will grant the extension. Comments on the waiver request are due to the FCC on July 9, 2015 and reply comments are due July 20, 2015.