Wireless RERC - Broadband

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

Discover the Accessibility Features of Smartphones!: Session 2 - Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center

blippincott4 — Wed, 07 May 2014 22:36:16 +0000

Learn about the latest accessibility features found on Apple, Android, and Windows Phone smartphones
Try the latest smartphones, “phablets” and tablets from AT&T!
Experts on hand to help you with your own devices!

Start Date:

Monday, May 19, 2014 - 1:00pm to 3:30pm

Subscriptions:

Emergency Communications

Education

Aging

Discover the Accessibility Features of Smartphones!: Session 1 - Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center

blippincott4 — Wed, 07 May 2014 22:15:15 +0000

Learn about the latest accessibility features found on Apple, Android, and Windows Phone smartphones
Try the latest smartphones, “phablets” and tablets from AT&T!
Experts on hand to help you with your own devices!

Start Date:

Monday, May 19, 2014 - 10:00am to 12:00pm

Subscriptions:

The Top Stories of 2013

mz22 — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 21:54:53 +0000

March 2014 — Technology and Disability Policy Highlights (TDPH) editors produced over 160 stories in 2013, covering a wide range of disability issues. The “hot” topics were education, employment, health and implementation of the Twenty First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act. Measured by social media sharing rates, last year’s top five stories were:

The 2013 Hearing Aid Compatibility Survey
New Deadlines for Closed Captioning Rules
The Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) Survey
Accelerating Deployment of Broadband Infrastructure
New Smartphone and Services for People who are Blind or have Low Vision

Other popular reports were broad and diverse in their scope, ranging from “Louisiana Tech to Change Policies Following ADA Settlement” to “FCC Recommendations on Deployment of NG911 Services,” and from making emergency information via video programming accessible to ensuring the National Weather Service (NWS) uses terms in their messaging that can be translated into American Sign Language (ASL).

While our most frequent information source was the Federal Communications Commission, we developed reports from a variety of homes: the American Foundation for the Blind, Carnegie Mellon, FEMA, Mobile Manufacturing Forum, HumanWare, Sprint, a total of 179 discrete sources in all.

The TDPH reaches 580 subscribers directly via email, and extends to a much greater audience through social media. We engage over 740 members in our LinkedIn Group (ATPG), 460 followers on Twitter (@CACPGT_wRERC), and 206 fans on Facebook (WirelessRERC). In 2013 alone, the Wireless RERC’s social media presence on Twitter was able to reach more than 1.2 million people.

None of this would be possible without you, our readers. You may receive the newsletter directly as a monthly digest, or as-it-happens updates on social media. Either way we appreciate your being a part of our network. As always…thanks for reading!

To subscribe to the TDPH monthly newsletter, send an email to salimah@cacp.gatech.edu.

AT&T and the Wireless RERC Launch Mobile Device Training For People with Disabilities

blippincott4 — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 03:23:32 +0000

Today, AT&T Foundation announced a $50,000 contribution to Shepherd Center to assist researchers in the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC) in launching a series of seminars to help consumers with disabilities uncover the range of accessibility features found on their mobile devices. Seminars are scheduled for five cities – Atlanta, Ga., Austin and Dallas, Texas, Chicago, Ill., and Washington, D.C. – throughout this spring and summer.

The AT&T Corporate Accessibility Technology Office and the Wireless RERC’s education and outreach seminars will focus on helping consumers with a disability (seeing, hearing, thinking, speaking and holding) use their wireless devices more efectively. The spotlight for this training will be on educating consumers with disabilities about the powerful accessibility features already built into three popular smartphone operating systems. The events will also be an opportunity for AT&T to gather important information about experiences and problems with mobile devices and services encountered by consumers with disabilities.

This information will provide AT&T and the Wireless RERC with valuable insight on how to improve the accessibility of products and services and how accessibility is communicated from organizations who share AT&T’s long-standing passion to improve communities. Their voices tell the stories of changes catalyzed by AT&T’s investment in education and commitment to equitable access throughout AT&T’s products and services.

These free events are open to consumers with disabilities such as those;

who use hearing aids;
who use text and video services as a primary means of communication;
who use screen readers and/or screen enlargement/contrast;
with cognitive disabilities;
with impaired dexterity;
who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices;
families, friends and caregivers of people with disabilities;
clinical therapists supporting people with disabilities as well as clinicians in assistive technology fields.

Each event will focus on the following:

uncovering and tailoring the accessibility features found on three major mobile smartphone operating systems – iOS (Apple), Android and Windows Phone 8 – that will be of the most benefit for each category of impairment;
showcasing different hardware platforms (tablets, phablets, smartphones, feature devices) and/or other hardware that can enhance the accessibility of the attendees’ devices;
providing useful online accessibility resources to services, devices and mobile applications;
answering accessibility questions, troubleshooting accessibility issues and discussing ways to improve accessibility.

Mobility and Dexterity Events

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM

7th Floor Auditorium

Shepherd Center

2020 Peachtree Rd, NW

Atlanta, GA 30309

RSVP - https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07e95bh3...

Cognitive Events

Thursday, April 24, 2014

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Side By Side Clubhouse

1001 Main Street

Stone Mountain, GA 30083

If you're interested in attending one of the events or have questions about them, please contact:

Ben Lippincott

404-894-7034

ben@imtc.gatech.edu

North Georgia Digital Economy Conference

mz22 — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 16:59:42 +0000

The Georgia Technology Authority will host the North Georgia Digital Economy Conference on December 12, 2013 at the Lanier Technical College Forsyth Conference Center in Cumming, Georgia. During this interactive conference, “technology pros, business innovators, online educators,” and students will have the opportunity to discuss “the ways people can collaborate to benefit from Internet-age economic development, education, health care, and community innovation.” The conference will also address digital education, workforce development, and the future of broadband in Georgia. Those interested can register for the event here.

Start Date:

Thursday, December 12, 2013 - 8:00am to 4:45pm

Additional Information:

North Georgia Digital Economy Conference

Subscriptions:

mHealth Innovation Expo

mz22 — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 16:55:43 +0000

The Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will host the mHealth Innovation Expo on December 6, 2013 in Washington, D.C. In accordance with the FCC’s commitment to improving health through accessible and mobile technologies, this free event will feature “mobile health products and solutions and provide resources for mobile health pioneers and entrepreneurs.” The expo will take place in the FCC Commission Meeting Room, and all those attending are encouraged to pre-register by sending an email to mailto:fcchealthexpo@fcc.gov.

Start Date:

Friday, December 6, 2013 - 10:00am to 12:00pm

Additional Information:

FCC Announced M-Health Innovation Expo

Mobile Health (mHealth)

Subscriptions:

Broadband

Call For Participants: Cognitive Accessibility Task Force

mz22 — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 16:37:10 +0000

W3C

Cognitive Disabilities

Cognitive Accessibility Task Force

November 2013 — The newly developed W3C Cognitive Accessibility Task Force is seeking new members. The Task Force, which is a joint effort of the Protocols Formats Working Group (PFWG) and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (WCAGWG), will work to provide guidance to ensure that web content is accessible for people with cognitive and learning disabilities. Those interested in joining the Task Force must also be members of either the PFWG or the WCAGWG and can contact The Cognitive Accessibility Task Force for more information.

Last Call for 2013-14 App Developers

blippincott4 — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 18:53:18 +0000

The RERC's App Factory is holding open its 2013-14 Call for Proposals until October 8. Interested app developers can view the PDF below for proposal requirements or view the App Factory RFP webpage.

Related Files:

Attachment	Size
2013 App RFP.9.19.13.pdf	488.34 KB

CSUN 2014 Call for Papers

mz22 — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 18:32:44 +0000

CSUN 2014

Call for Papers

CSUN Call for Papers

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

Paper proposals are due September 30, 2013 and final papers are due May 1, 2014. CSUN 2014 will convene March 17-22, 2014 in San Diego, California.