Where It's AT – Assistive Technology Blog

A picture of a kiosk made by Storm Interface

Hello guys, this blog post is focusing on IT accessibility–to be exact electronic kiosks.  We are surrounded by a variety of electronic kiosks in our workplaces, colleges, libraries and in our community in general.  So if we are surrounded by electronic kiosks – it is of course absolutely vital that all electronic kiosks are accessible to all users especially those with sensory impairments.  Many kiosks are critical to our daily lives including buying train tickets, finding out when the next movie starts at the movie theater or even re-entering the USA after a visit abroad.

A picture of several Aer Lingus aircraft standing at Dublin International Airport

 The machine pictured at the top of this post is very similar to the device used by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as a means of providing and gathering data at Pre-Clearance locations like the one I visited recently in Dublin, Ireland.  It is very exciting to see that federal agencies are being mindful of universal access and accessibility when procuring electronic kiosks.  I did happen to notice that the CBP have installed kiosks with built-in accessibility features so that individuals with disabilities can have access to the same technology without the need for a human ‘helper/assistant.’

Vispero, an assistive technology (AT) manufacturer for the visually impaired and blind, has partnered with Storm Interface to combine the technologies within JAWS (Job Access with Speech) screen reading software with Storm’s accessible products to create an accessible kiosk experience for individuals with blindness, visual impairment and dexterity challenges.  The new kiosks will auto-start JAWS after headphones have been inserted into the machine and then a series of ‘routines’ will occur to make the system almost instantly accessible to non-visual users.  I am really excited to see the first Vispero and JAWS kiosk in-person – I will definitely add a new blog post when I get my hands on it!!!

Thanks for reading and talk soon,

Andrew

Time Magazine Inventions: WeWalk Smart Cane 

Hi guys, this week’s blog post shifts from digital accessibility to assistive technology.  One of the most popular publications on the planet – Time Magazine has featured several AT devices this year in their top 100 inventions of 2019.  The WeWalk smart cane was one of those fantastic and innovative solutions.  WeWalk was designed by Kursat Ceylan, who happens to be blind to overcome one of his activities of daily living – mobility in the world around him.

The origin of the device came when one day, Kursat was heading to his hotel using a smartphone map app, his traditional white and pulling his luggage, when he walked into a metal pole injuring his forehead.  After this event, he co-developed the WeWalk smart cane to aid other visually impaired and blind people navigate their environment more safely than using a cane while simultenously utilizing a smartphone for spoken directions.  The WeWalk provides object detection above chest level (up to 1.7 m in height), and pairs with several GPS maps including Google Maps.  The device currently retails for just under $500.  WeWalk’s object detection is quite different from other devices due to the height of object detection which is ideal for detecting low hanging branches and sign poles.

To learn more about WeWalk head to their website linked here

Thank you for reading,

Andrew