NVDA Screen Reader

For persons with visual disabilities, accessing the outside world often requires accommodations, strategies, and technology. And while strategies and accommodations can be relatively easily put in place, lack of access to vision-correcting technology is still an issue for many individuals. The reason for this is simple: cost. For example, there are wearable devices for blind users that provide real time color and product information, face recognition, and more. This device, called the OrCam MyEye is an incredible piece of technology, but with a price tag of around $5,000, this technology is not affordable for everyone. So then that begs the question, what’s out there that is actually affordable for persons with visual disabilities?
NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA) is a free, open-source screen reader for Windows that has been in development since 2006. If you are not aware, a screen reader is a piece of technology that helps individuals with visual impairments access and interact with digital content like websites or applications via audio or touch prompts. Users control what is read by moving the cursor to the relevant area of text with a mouse or by using the arrows on a keyboard.
Hearing Aids Help Zach Ply His Trade

Zach is a journeyman electrician working in Squamish.
“I am mostly deaf in my left ear,” he explains. “It impacted my employment when being delegated tasks since my brains recognition to speech was slow. This increased my anxiety drastically, making it hard to focus.”
He had previously lost his hearing aid, and needed a new one. He had learned about the WorkBC Assistive Technology Services program from his mother, and decided to apply.
New Hearing Aids “Made My Interactions at Work Much Less Stressful”

Miranda works as an accounts payable administrator for an electrical company in Prince George.
“I am completely deaf on my left side and only have 30% hearing on my right,” she shares. “Not being able to hear at work was stressful.”
Her audiologist referred her to WorkBC Assistive Technology Services for funding for new hearing aids. She applied and was quickly approved for new hearing aids.
Troy’s New Technology Skills Help Him Spread the Joy of Cooking

With over 20 years of experience, Troy’s career as a chef saw him traveling the world and operating a successful catering business in Vancouver and later Ottawa, where he now lives. And there were some nice perks.
“I worked quite a bit, and I loved it,” he says. “There were so many times, where it was like, ‘Hey Troy, come up to the cottage for the weekend and you can do all the cooking,’ and I’m like, ‘Sure, why not?’ Vacation and get paid, all right.”
However, about four years ago he began having seizures, losing his balance, and eventually becoming unable to walk. After a long process, he was diagnosed with ataxia, a rare neurological degenerative disorder which affects the body’s motor skills, causing difficulty in speech and movement.
We Have Solutions! – Episode 8: Back to School with Nakia Singh

On episode 8, we are joined once again by AT researcher and life-long assistive technology user Nakia Singh. In this episode, we talk about some of our favorite back to school apps, making friends with AI, apps for math, and Seaver’s recent experiences in joining the partially sighted community.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Anchor, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.
Montessori Numbers

We’ve looked at a couple math calculator and equation breakdown apps in the past, but today we are going to look at a math app that instead focuses on building mathematical foundations. Montessori Numbers is a visual math app designed for children aged 3-7, and it offers a wide range of guided math activities that are designed to conform to common core standards.
“I Feel More Confident Sitting Down With a Potential Employer,” Harry Boosts His Job Search With New Hearing Aids

Harry is currently looking for employment with the help of WorkBC Employment Services in Osoyoos. He has severe hearing loss.
“[It] was extremely difficult to communicate with people in many situations,” he explains.
Harry was referred to WorkBC Assistive Technology Services, where he received funding for a new set of hearing aids. The hearing aids have made a big difference in the job search process for Harry.
Speechify Text to Speech

Text-to-speech apps allow users to quickly absorb articles, documents, emails, and virtually anything else found online. Of course, students and professionals aren’t the only ones who benefit from text-to-speech applications. Persons with disabilities including those with dyslexia, dysgraphia, visual impairments, and more, can all benefit from this alternative approach to reading.
“I Honestly Don’t Know How I Was Managing Before,” Vehicle Modifications Help Robyn Reduce Fatigue and Pain in Her Workday

Robyn works part-time as a delivery driver for a pharmacy in Surrey, delivering patients their medicine.
Robyn was a passenger in a serious car accident that broke her back and caused kyphoscoliosis of her spine and other soft tissue damage. Emergency surgery for an abdominal injury resulted in her spine healing in the wrong position. This causes her extreme difficulty standing or sitting upright for almost any length of time.
South Korea National Research Project Researchers Visit Neil Squire
As part of the National Research Project on Assistive Technology Support & Service in South Korea, researchers visited our Burnaby office today to learn about our programs best practices. We provided a tour of our office and overviews of Solutions and Makers Making Change and we were happy to share our expertise in the area of assistive technology.