This month, Google introduced a new accessibility app which has the potential to change the way that deaf and hearing-impaired individuals communicate with those around them. Live Transcribe uses cloud-based speech recognition to display spoken words on a phone screen in real-time. Prior to this innovation, captioning technology typically required the use of a human captioner. And while captioning technology is effective, it can be costly, and using the technology typically requires significant preparation time. Now, deaf and hearing-impaired users can communicate with those around them easily and independently, with technology that is available for free.

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Augmentative technology, at least according to the North American definition of the word, is technology that is designed to augment the lives of able-bodied individuals. Of course, this technology is often adopted by assistive technology (AT) users, and when that happens, the technology would then be considered AT, as AT is defined as “any item, piece of equipment, or system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of an individual.” Because of this, augmentative technology often becomes assistive technology, and mainstream inventions are quickly adopted and adapted by AT users. For today’s e-bulletin, we’re going to delve deeper into some of the most cutting-edge pieces of tech that blur the line between augmentative and assistive technologies.

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Edmondo is a free app for teachers, students, and administrators that has been designed to centralize and digitize homework, communications, and classroom resources. The app allows teachers to create and upload quizzes, lessons, and resources to a virtual classroom which can then be accessed by students. With a userbase of nearly 100 million, and a consistent ranking in the top 10 education apps on iTunes, Edmondo is a major player in the world-wide shift away from the rigidity of traditional educational practices.

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Makers Making Change (a division of the Neil Squire Society) is hosting a free workshop series designed to connect makers to people with disabilities who need assistive technology. These workshops have already seen success across Canada, and now, Makers Making Change is setting its sights on New Brunswick.

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Best Buy Canada is offering tech grants to Canadian public schools for students within any grade range from kindergarten to grade 12. These grants are designed to provide students with the latest in technology (and assistive technology), encouraging and empowering them to reach their maximum potential during the primary, secondary and even post-secondary years.

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Chromebooks are small, inexpensive notebooks (laptops) that come pre-loaded with Chrome’s very own OS (Operating System). These machines are known for their speed, simplicity, and reliability, and with the many accessibility features that are now available for download via Chrome browser, these devices are now carving their own path among the many new AT (Assistive Technology) friendly laptops that are available today. This discussion will span across multiple articles, but today’s article will focus on introducing Chrome OS by exploring what exactly it is…and what it isn’t.

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Are you someone with a physical or sensory disability who would like to learn more about technology from the comfort of your own home? Are you interested in learning more about how to use your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone?

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“About three years ago, I lost my eye,” says Ben. “It was my good eye. That’s what prompted me to not do any more work. I’ve had a visual impairment most of my life, but it got worse.”

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This week, Nakia is going to look at some best practices and accessibility features for Android users with visual impairments. Most of the emphasis will be put on the built-in features, but we will also look at some supplementary features and apps. We will look exclusively at the accessibility features for Android. To learn more about the built-in accessibility features that have been designed for visually-impaired iPhone users, click here.

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Last week we started looking at easy, built-in techniques to share files via iPad. We covered sharing via Airdrop, Cloud, and Email: read it here.

This week, we’re going to look at a few more methods of file-sharing via iPad, and we’ll be exploring sharing through iTunes, PC, and iMessage.

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