Maryland Department of Disabilities
May 8th, 2014 by MDTAP Blog
Just a reminder – MDTAP is hosting another AT Library Tour on June 11th from 1-3pm. Register online, or call 1-800-832-4827 to reserve your spot.
And if you can’t make this tour, you can always visit our Virtual AT Library to browse the various devices, link to manufacturers and price out the items that best meet your needs.
May 7th, 2014 by MDTAP Blog
Difficulty: Advanced
Category:
Audio descriptions can enhance accessibility of video content for users who are blind or have other visual disabilities. Audio descriptions provide an auditory presentation of content that is presented visually, but not presented audibly in video. They typically take the form of a narrator that describes the important information or content elements that sighted users can see. Audio descriptions are difficult and costly to produce. You typically must present two versions of the video. When producing video content, if you simply ensure that all visual content is presented audibly, then there will be no need for audio descriptions.
May 6th, 2014 by MDTAP Blog
Contributed by Joel Zimba, Special Projects Coordinator, MDTAP
Lire, from www.lireapp.com,just received an award from Applevis.com. It’s the editor’s pick this month and for good reason.
Lire isn’t just another RSS reading app. It does some extra work behind the curtain to enhance the reading experience. Specifically, Rather than just presenting the short excerpt of an article, which most feed readers supply, then requiring a link click which takes you to the website to finish reading, Lire retrieves the entire text and caches it. This sounds like just a bit of time savings, but in terms of usability, the entire experience is changed.
After selecting an article, the entire text is presented, and reading can begin immediately. While not needing an always-on Internet connection is an advantage, the true benefit comes from not having to negotiate a myriad of websites just to read a bit of content. As we’ve mentioned before, RSS readers tend to produce a more consistent structure for content and also cut down on unnecessary or inaccessible parts of web pages like advertisements or Flash videos.
You will have to decide if Lire is worth the $5.00 cost. It is fully accessible and comes pre-approved by the Applevis community. Currently, it only syncs with the Feedly service, though you can of course search for and add feeds by hand.
May 5th, 2014 by MDTAP Blog
There’s a new app in town, and it goes by the name of SAM. Developed at the University of the West of England, SAM (short for Self-help for Anxiety Management) is a pretty comprehensive anxiety management app that includes an anxiety tracker, immediate exercises to help bring down anxiety levels, a customizable anxiety toolkit, and a “social cloud” that links the user to a community of SAM users who are experiencing similar anxieties.
Check it out and see how it might help you.
May 2nd, 2014 by MDTAP Blog
More innovative, less expensive, and increasingly portable…just a few ways to describe some of the AT featured in this week’s awesome AT news, for the week of 4/28 thru 5/2
Google Glass apps for people with disability trialled by Telstra
How do Mobile Apps Measure Up to Accessibility Standards?
Ai Squared and GW Micro Merge: Two Old Friends Join Forces
New York Times columnist to discuss disability reporting in free webinar
Echo-Sense CheckMates Network Glasses enable the wearer to connect with mobile technology
Exciting how 3D printing is helping accessibility
3D printed wheelchair-ramp creates a simple fix to a huge problem
New Web Site Launches to Help Veterans Navigate Applying and Appealing for Disability Benefits
Advancements in accessibility help students learn in a format that suits their individual needs
Lix reveals a portable, pro-grade 3D printing pen
5 must-watch higher education TED talks
New BART car design prompts concern from disabled community
Rumor: Google To Broadly Expand “OK Google” Voice Actions
Psst! Wearable Devices Could Make Big Tech Leaps, Into Your Ear
Justice Department targets websites, mobile apps, and POS devices
Telecommuting may be a reasonable accommodation, rules 6th Circuit
5 things to know about Google’s self-driving cars
A dream house for a family with disabled children
How Technology Has Changed the Face of Autism
Potential in Sight: Tobii Gaze Viewer — Eye-Tracking Data for Easy AAC
Towson University gets patent for technology to help blind Internet users
May 1st, 2014 by MDTAP Blog
The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is exploring the feasibility of creating an app to make the resources available in the Find Services feature on its websites more easily available to eye care professionals, service providers (such as rehabilitation counselors, teachers of visually impaired students, orientation and mobility instructors, etc.), and consumers. The Find Services feature on AFB’s websites is powered by the AFB Directory of Services, a database of over 2000 organizations providing services to blind and visually impaired persons across the United States and Canada.
As a preliminary step, the AFB would like to invite you to take a survey to help us gather information such as the following: • Would you be interested in using an AFB Directory of Services app? • If so, what information from the Directory would you like included in the app? • What additional features would be helpful to you to include in the app? • What other types of information would you like to know about service providers listed in the AFB Directory of Services? • Who in your agency/clinic would use the app?
To take the survey, please go to Directory of Services App Survey.
MDTAP | 2301 Argonne Drive, Room T17 Baltimore, Maryland 21218| Voice: 410-554-9230 Toll Free ⁄ Voice 1-800-832-4827|Email: mdtap@mdtap.org