A wearable sensor to help ALS patients communicate
/Researchers have designed a skin-like device that can measure small facial movements in patients who have lost the ability to speak.
Read MoreAlexa’s Show and Tell feature IDs objects for blind and low-vision users
/The feature is available in the US on Echo Show devices.
Read MoreAtlanta App iAccess Helps Users Rate and Review Venues’ Accessibility
/When Brandon Winfield was a teen in California, he and his friends were obsessed with motocross racing—to the point that one of Winfield’s first words was motorcycle.
Read MoreBrain-controlled exoskeleton lets paralyzed man walk again
/It’s one giant robotic step for mankind.
Read MoreGoogle Maps now helps visually impaired people cross the street and stay on course
/Using voice directions.
Read More‘It’s my escape.’ How video games help people cope with disabilities.
/When Jackson Reece lost his arms and legs to sepsis after already being paralyzed, he thought his life was over. It was video games that brought him back.
Read MoreAs health tech innovation moves forward, who is being left out?
/The digital health industry has much work to do when it comes to developing technologies for underserved populations, including people of color, the LGBTQ community and women.
Read MoreGoogle releases Lookout app that identifies objects for the visually impaired
/Announced last year, it’s available on Pixel devices in the US this week.
Read MoreBeyond Wellness For the Healthy: Digital Health Consumer Adoption 2018
/Results from Rock Health’s fourth national consumer survey (2018 data) on digital health adoption and sentiments. Adoption continues to rise while consumers leverage digital health tools to address concrete health needs.
Read MoreRehabilitation Research at the National Institutes of Health: Moving the Field Forward (Executive Summary)
/Approximately 53 million Americans live with a disability. For decades, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been conducting and supporting research to discover new ways to minimize disability and enhance the quality of life of people with disabilities. After the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act, the NIH established the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research with the goal of developing and implementing a rehabilitation research agenda. Currently, a total of 17 institutes and centers at NIH invest more than $500 million per year in rehabilitation research. Recently, the director of NIH, Dr Francis Collins, appointed a Blue Ribbon Panel to evaluate the status of rehabilitation research across institutes and centers. As a follow-up to the work of that panel, NIH recently organized a conference under the title “Rehabilitation Research at NIH: Moving the Field Forward.” This report is a summary of the discussions and proposals that will help guide rehabilitation research at NIH in the near future.
Read MoreMicrosoft’s Halo-themed prosthetic arm will make kids feel like Master Chief
/Microsoft’s 343 Industries has partnered with bionics non-profit Limbitless Solutions to create Halo-themed, 3D-printed prosthetic arms for children. The prosthetic arms are fully functional, with hands that are capable of gripping objects through EMG sensors. The best part is, they’re donated free of charge to recipients.
Read MoreNew voices at patients’ bedsides: Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Apple
/At first it was a novelty: Hospitals began using voice assistants to allow patients to order lunch, check medication regimens, and get on-demand medical advice at home.
IoT Devices Should Deal with Privacy Impacts for People with Disabilities
/The Future of Privacy Forum today released The Internet of Things (IoT) and People with Disabilities: Exploring the Benefits, Challenges, and Privacy Tensions. This paper explores the nuances of privacy considerations for people with disabilities using IoT services and provides recommendations to address privacy considerations, which can include transparency, individual control, respect for context, the need for focused collection and security.
Read MoreIs Amazon Going to Announce a HIPAA-compliant Echo Device Soon?
/There is a rumor out there that Amazon is about to launch a HIPAA-compliant Echo device, which is expected to drive greater adoption of voice in healthcare. But what does it mean for a smart speaker to become HIPAA compliant and what can voice do today?
Read MoreSmart glasses for the hard of hearing are changing theater in London
/When my Aunt Nicki visits me in London, we avoid musical theater and the cinema.
Aunt Nicki is hard of hearing. Although there are many enhanced listening devices available to help her, such as an Assistive Living amplifier or a closed captioning screen that sits in a cup holder, she tells me they don't work well enough.
Read MoreTechnology: unlocking opportunities for disabled people in 2019
/Technology has presented us with the power to transform the way we live and work, particularly providing life-changing opportunities for disabled people.
Read MoreSmart cities could be lousy to live in if you have a disability
/Cities sometimes fail to make sure the technologies they adopt are accessible to everyone. Activists and startups are working to change that.
Read MoreNightWare Won’t Sleep Until PTSD Victims Dream Nightmare-Free
/NightWare, a Minneapolis-based medical-device startup, is creating an Apple Watch app for those suffering from nightmare disorder, a common side affect for those suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.
Read MoreWhy did it take Instagram so long to add features for visually impaired people?
/Instagram announced on Wednesday, in a short company blog post, that it would make the app more accessible to the visually impaired.
Read MoreInstagram is now using AI to describe photos for users with visual impairments
/Instagram announced today that it’s rolling out new features that will make the app easier to use for people with visual impairments. The changes will allow screen readers to describe photos, either automatically using AI or by reading custom descriptions added by users.
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