Where It's AT – Assistive Technology Blog

EXHIBIT HALL TO SHOWCASE TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITES

Free and open to the public at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel June 30 – July 2

WASHINGTON, D.C. – RESNA, the Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America, is holding its annual conference and assistive technology exhibit hall at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel, 700 Aliceanna Street, Baltimore MD, June 30 – July 2. RESNA is the premier professional organization dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of people with disabilities through increasing access to technology solutions. The exhibit hall will feature products and services from over 50 companies and organizations, offering a wide range of technology. As a service to the community, the exhibit hall is open to the public for free during the following hours:

•Saturday, June 30, 2012 – 2:00pm to 5:30pm

• Sunday, July 1, 2012 – 9:00am to 4:00pm

• Monday, July 2, 2012 – 9:00am to 12:00pm

Consumers can expect to find a wide range of products, including specialized cushions and seating systems; joysticks, controls, and switches; mounted positioning devices for laptops, e-readers, trays, and cameras; bathlifts, grab bars, strollers and other home modification devices; foldaway chairs; communication devices; eye tracker technology; wheelchairs and mobility products; specialty bedding solutions; computer software; community resources; information on the latest research; and much more.

Over 400 participants and exhibitors are expected at the RESNA 2012 annual conference. Rehabilitation engineers, assistive technologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, educators and researchers will attend a wide range of professionally-oriented workshops.

2-2-2 Technology Solutions for People with Disabilities on Exhibit

Platform sessions, plenaries and instructional courses covering all aspects of assistive technology. The conference is open to anyone who wishes to attend and can pay the conference registration fees. On-line conference registration is available on the RESNA website until June 15, and same-day registration is available on-site. For more RESNA conference information, please visit  www.resna.org/conference.

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About RESNA

RESNA, the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America, is the premier professional organization dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of people with disabilities through increasing access to technology solutions. RESNA advances the field by offering certification, continuing education, and professional development; developing assistive technology standards; promoting research and public policy; and sponsoring forums for the exchange of information and ideas to meet the needs of our multidisciplinary constituency. Visit www.resna.org.

AT in the news for the week of 6/18 – 6/22

Science-fiction brain technology to become reality – Jerusalem Post

Drexel Computer Scientists Develop Smartphone Apps to Aid Visually Impaired (Newswise)

Need apps for aphasia?

Proloquo2Go 2.0 available Tuesday

New email scam targets disabled veterans – So Md News

An automated feeding tool that lets users select the food they want to – PSFK

CLU team is semifinalist in design contest – prevent walking canes used by people with visual impairments from falling to the floor -California Lutheran University

Reach for the APPS Brings iPads to Children With Autism (Mashable)

VTree Creates Distinctive Video Game Application for Adults and – San Francisco Chronicle (press release)

Apple Lineup To Become More Disability Friendly – Disability Scoop

The Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) is pleased to announce that effective May 29, 2012, an additional $1.25 Million has been allocated for the DDA Low Intensity Support Services (LISS) program. These funds are available on a first-come, first-serve basis for eligible people until June 30, 2012 or until all funds are allocated. Low Intensity Support Services (LISS) are support services established under Maryland Health-General Article §7-717. The program is designed to enable a family to provide for the needs of a child or an adult with developmental disabilities living in the home or to support an adult with developmental disabilities living in the community. The LISS program is flexible to meet the needs of people or families.

People eligible for the DDA’s Service of Short Duration (SSD) funding shall have their needs addressed under the Waiting List Initiative and not through LISS. The LISS agencies are also able to assist with requests under SSD.

To learn more or to apply for this fiscal year or next, visit http://dda.dhmh.maryland.gov/SitePages/liss.aspx.

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Walmart now offering Free Talking Prescription Program 

Last week, Walmart announced a pilot program offering the ScripTalk Prescription service through Walmart Mail Order and in 3 store locations.  SmarTalk is a system developed by En-Vision America, which reads the information on prescription labels aloud.

An electronic chip embedded in the label of the prescription bottle contains the text of the printed label.  A free ScripTalk reader, which can be obtained by calling En-Vision America at 800-890-1180, is used to listen to the prescription information.

This pilot program is the result of “structured negotiations”between Walmart,the American Council of the Blind, the American Foundation for the Blind, and the California Council of the Blind.

NFB NEWSLINE Goes Mobile

Contributed by Joel Zimba, Special Projects Coordinator, MDTAP

While it has always been possible to call NFB NEWSLINE with a mobile phone, the newly released NFB NEWSLINE iPhone app is a whole new way of accessing the NEWSLINE content on the go. Compared to the telephone keypad-based  approach to navigating through NEWSLINE menus and publications, the simple and straight-forward layout of the app is refreshing and intuitive.

When first run, the app prompts for user name and password.  As expected, this information is persistent, so this will only have to be done once.  The home screen of NEWSLINE presents buttons which give access to the main functionality.  Every newspaper and periodical can be browsed from the “Publications”  button.  The TV listings also have a separate section.  The “Subscriptions” button lists the content you want to download for offline reading.  There is, of course, a “Help” option which gives a quick overview of the app and links to further information.

Perhaps the least intuitive aspect is the location of the Favorites and Subscriptions manager under the “Settings” section.  A convenient way to select a publication for Favorites or Subscriptions should be available from the Publications section.  This would be a welcome change in future updates. Also, some sort of search functionality would be helpful.

Reading a publication can be easily done using the standard VoiceOver controls. Content is broken out into easily selected sections, or the full publication can be read from the beginning.

On a personal note, I have used NFB NEWSLINE services more in the past week than ever before. The NEWSLINE app is a pleasure to have on my iPhone and I will likely use it on a daily basis.