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NSF-funded researchers at Texas A&M have developed STAAR (Situated Touch Audio Annotator And Reader) e-reader that enables blind readers to read the same text sighted readers do. The system allows a user to scan the text with their fingers to hear the words, control the pace of their reading, bookmark a page and highlight important…
The Sonic Body: Call for Volunteers Do you like artwork? Do you like movement? Do you like working with sound? Are you interested in multisensory experience? We are looking for a small group of visually impaired volunteers to help us with the development of a movement and sound system that will enable engagement with sculpture.…
The Seeing AI app from Microsoft has been in testing and now released several months. This is a fantastic app that combines several features of some of the most used and popular apps for a person with a visual impairment. This is on my must have list! Link to the app store.
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Back in May of this year, Google showcased to the world their ‘Duplex’ Artificial Intelligence system for accomplishing real world tasks. Google showed a system that sounded just as human as a human, littering its sentences with ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’ and upwards inflections. Was this a glimpse of our near future?
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A baby can try to communicate with us and at the best of times that can be difficult. For a parent who is hearing impaired this can also be difficult as they may need to rely on amplifiers to better communicate the sounds to them. Chatter Baby, a new app, tries to solve this issue – with an app that will notify of the sound and what the baby may be asking for too! See the video:…
We had a visit today from Mary* who has a visual impairment and who was missing being able to easily read the TV Guide. She came to the Hub here at Wilberforce Trust for some advice on how could she still maintain her independence to be able to do that. “I’m so glad I’ve come in…
This vibrating mobile phone alert can be a good device to keep you safe and awake when you need to be! Why do I need this? Often keeping our smartphones under the pillow may seem like a good idea for using the vibration to wake us. But if these devices are charging then it’s a…
It’s Deaf Awareness Week and so to kick it off I’ve decided to share some technology information that may be useful. I’ve been trying out ‘doorbell’ technology as an alternative (or in addition to) a regular doorbell. There are also doorbells that are very loud, or that have flashing lights that are appropriate for use. A…
Twitter has given everyone the capability to have an image description, to make their platform accessible, but this is an option that needs to be enabled. Many users are unaware of this feature and that it needs to be enabled within the app. Log in to your Twiter account, and in the settings, go down…
As part of the work that we do at The Wilberforce Trust, and through our Yorsensory service we run a Tinnitus Support Group. https://www.tinnitus.org.uk/york-tinnitus-support-group About the Support Group Where the group meets Yorsensory Wilberforce House 49 North Moor Road Huntington York YO32 9QN When the group meets Bi-monthly First meeting: Friday 11 May, 2-4pm Guest speaker: Colette Bunker,…
92% of smart speakers are powered by Alexa and Google assistant. On a smartphone we can use Siri and Google Assistant but Alexa is still not used as commonly (if at all?) on a smartphone. Now you can set the default assistant on an android device to use Alexa. Currently, my long press of the…
On April 27th it was announced at Naidex, Europe’s largest assistive technology conference that there will be a new technology access fund. This will be part of the Access to Work scheme. Access to Work provides financial support to ensure someone’s disability or health condition does not hold them back at work and can cover assistive…
A while back we mentioned the app Be My Eyes and the role it can play in a persons day to day life. The app connects visually impaired people with volunteers. These volunteers can then ‘see’ through the use of the video function on a smartphone to describe something to the visually impaired person. Typically…
AT Conference in Manchester, April 2018 The focus of this conference asked several questions, What is the biggest issue? Is it finding the technology? Is it keeping up with what’s new? These questions were the start of the discussions to allow Empowering Independence. My notes below were taken at the conference so I will have…