Where It's AT – Assistive Technology Blog

Winter Preparedness Tips For People With Disabilities

Contributed by Provi Sharpe, Director of Emergency Preparedness and Reuse, MDTAP

The cold weather season requires extra clothing for people of all abilities; dressing for the season is vital in maintaining health. People with disabilities may want to take extra care during the cold weather season. Some disabling conditions may limit sensory abilities and the ability to maintain body heat, so be particularly vigilant about staying warm when you are out in low temperatures. Fairfax County, VA offers great winter tips for people with disabilities on dressing warmly, wheelchair travel and maintenance, as well as tips on how to care for your working assistance dog.

BGE customers in Maryland who rely on medical equipment that requires electric power should contact BGE for information on its Special Needs Program.

The Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) recently announced the release of its official “Maryland Prepares” mobile application.  This application provides iPhone, iPad, and Android phone and tablet users the ability to access emergency preparedness information on the go. “Maryland Prepares” is available to Android Users via Google Play  and to iPhone and iPad users via iTunes.

Complex Images

Difficulty: Advanced

Category:

• Content
• Presentation

Important and relevant content from complex images must be provided in an accessible way. The alt attribute is generally reserved for a succinct alternative (less than around 100 characters is a general guideline). For images that require a longer description, this long description text may be provided directly on the main page in the context of the complex image (e.g., in a data table or descriptive caption immediately after the image). Alternatively, an image can be given a longdesc attribute. The longdesc value must contain the URL of a page that contains the long description (<img longdesc=”chartdescription.htm”>). Due to very limited support in web browsers, longdesc is not suitable as the only method of access to the longer description page. Longdesc should be used in conjunction with a standard link to the long description page.

It’s Wounded Warrior Month at V-Linc. That means that they’re seeking requests from vets with disabilities (or their families) who want help to be more independent and to do some of the things that they used to. Have a need that isn’t met with equipment off the shelf? Send your request to V-Linc and let them identify a team of volunteer engineers & medical professionals to design a solution. Requests are due by December 2nd. Visit them online, FB or call at 410-554-9134 for more information.

Got an Android? Like free apps? Then we’ve got you covered. Especially if you’re looking for an easy-to-use, FREE currency identifier. Google recently released the IDEAL Currency Identifier with support from NIDRR, the Wireless Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center, and others. Available for identifying U.S. currency for anyone with vision impairments, the IDEAL ID’er app requires that text-to-speech be installed on your phone and requires no internet connectivity to work.  Go get it!