Wireless RERC - Apps

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 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.

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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]

Call for Entries: Living in Digital Times 2015 Awards Program

mz22 — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 16:10:56 +0000

Apps

Health

Consumer Electronics Show (CES)

Be a Winner: Enter Your App or Gadget into Our Classic Contests

October 2014 – Living in Digital Times (LIDT) announced their Call for Entries for a four-day showcase of emerging technology at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this January. Partnering with the Consumer Electronics Association, LIDT is currently accepting entries for the Living in Digital Times 2015 Awards programs: Mobile Apps Showdown, Last Gadget Standing, KAPi Awards, and Everyday Health Awards for Innovation. Awards for the “best mobile apps, best new gadget top ten kids digital toys and apps, digital health products, and scholarship award” for high school and college app designers will be given to winners.

Everyday Health Awards for Innovation – Deadline Nov. 9

Mobile Apps Showdown – Deadline Dec. 2

Last Gadget Standing – Deadline Dec. 2

KAPi Awards – Nominations close Dec. 16

The International CES will take place in Las Vegas on January 6-9, 2015 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center. For additional information concerning entry qualifications, event itineraries, and prizes, please click the link below.

Georgia Tech Creates Google Glass Caption Software

mz22 — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 15:36:59 +0000

Google Glass

Wearables

Text-to-Speech (TTS)

Researchers create software for Google Glass that provides captions for hard-of-hearing users

October 2014 – A research team at Georgia Tech has created Google Glass speech-to-text software that facilitates conversations for users who are hard-of-hearing. The software allows people who are hard-of-hearing to wear Google Glass while another person speaks into a smartphone. The smartphone works with an Android transcription API, allowing the speech to be converted to text and displayed on Glass’ heads-up display.

The software was inspired by Georgia Tech’s School of Interactive Computing Professor, Jim Foley. When asked about the software, Foley said, “This system allows wearers like me to focus on the speaker’s lips and facial gestures. If hard-of-hearing people understand the speech, the conversation can continue immediately without waiting for the caption. However, if I miss a word, I can glance at the transcription, get the word or two I need and get back into the conversation.”

The captioning software for Google Glass is available for download at MyGlass. For more information about the project, please click the here.

App Update: IDEAL Currency Identifier

mz22 — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 19:32:12 +0000

Apps4Android

Apps

Assitive Apps

IDEAL Currency Identifier

App Enables Blind and Visually Impaired Individuals to Identify U.S. Currency Notes with Android Smartphone

September 2014 – IDEAL Group Apps4Android, the world’s largest developer of Android accessibility apps, released an update for the “IDEAL Currency Identifier” app this month. Created to enable non-visual identification of currency note amounts, the app’s new features allow users to identify currency more quickly and recognize the redesigned $100 note. Developed with support from the Wireless RERC’s App Factory and NIDRR, the app is free and available for download at the Google Play Store.

Jim Mueller, Wireless RERC App Factory Director, expressed his excitement about the update earlier this month: “We’re glad to have been a part of this effort to make currency more accessible and to make mobile wireless technologies more useful for people of all ages and abilities.” For more information about IDEAL Currency Identifier, please click the link below.

New App Increases Access for People with Print Disabilities

mz22 — Thu, 28 Aug 2014 17:39:49 +0000

Apps

Print Disabilities

Apps4Android

IDEAL Group Apps4Android Releases Innovative Knowledge Mining App for People with Print Disabilities

August 2014 – IDEAL Group Apps4Android, the world’s largest developer of Android accessibility apps, announced the release of the “Document Knowledge Miner” app. The app assists individuals with physical, developmental, cognitive, and other disabilities to gain access to information in documents. The innovation in this app is that it can access document information even if it isn’t presented in an accessible format. Developed with support from the Wireless RERC’s App Factory and NIDRR, the app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. Additional information can be found by clicking the link below.