We Have Solutions! – Episode 31: Document Accessibility with Dawn Campbell
On this episode, the AT Help Desk team are joined by accessibility expert Dawn Campbell, who works as a business development manager for Accessibil-IT. We’re going to get into web and digital document accessibility, exploring what document accessibility is, its history, why document accessibility is important, and where you can get help.
We Have Solutions! – Episode 30: Anki Flashcards, MyStudyLife, Palma 2 E-Reader, and More
Today we review some apps for students including Anki Flashcards and MyStudyLife. Then we review some exciting new AT hardware including the Palma 2 e-reader, and more.
We Have Solutions! – Episode 29: News and App Roundup
Today is a short, news and app round-up episode. We look at some recent assistive technology news, new apps for learning math, a low-cost text-to-speech alternative, and a whole lot of scholarship opportunities across New Brunswick and Canada.
New Funding Opportunity for Fredericton Youth: Neil Squire AT Fund
Neil Squire has created a new funding opportunity for persons with disabilities in the Fredericton area.
The Neil Squire AT Fund was created to help support youth from grades one through twelve in acquiring new or refurbished assistive technology. Students from all types of school environments are encouraged to apply. This includes public, private, and home schools.
This fund will support households with a $75,000 or less annual household income and will be limited to a maximum of $1,000 in funding for each household.
We Have Solutions! – Episode 28: Back to School 2024
School is starting once again, and on today’s episode we’re going to explore some brand-new apps, strategies, and technologies that we think would be especially useful to students in particular.
We Have Solutions! – Episode 27: New Tech From MIT, Successes and Failures in AI, and an Accessible Controller Review
On today’s episode we dive into some exciting new technology from MIT, look at some past failures and successes in the world of AI, and we review what might just be the most accessible gaming controller ever made.
Jora Singh’s Assistive Technology App Design Earns Top Accolades at National Science Fair
During the COVID pandemic, Jora Singh found himself spending many more hours on the computer — his classes initially moved online, he had started to teach himself how to code. After a while, he noticed he was having wrist pain and back pain from the long hours at the keyboard. He started thinking of solutions.
“I have a huge passion for science, and I’ve been doing science fair projects since I was in grade four,” says Jora Singh, who recently finished grade nine.
This led to him developing a hands-free app for using your computer, DeviceABLE. Developed over the last year using his self-taught coding skills, DeviceABLE allows you to use head and facial movements to move your cursor, as well as use an onscreen keyboard. There’s also a voice feature for people who can’t use as much neck or head movement.
Ins & Outs of Assistive Technology: Built-in Windows Functions
For individuals with physical disabilities, accessing a computer often presents challenges, particularly with using a keyboard or mouse. Depending on the user, one of these devices might be easier to handle than the other. Tools that allow functions to be transferred between the keyboard and mouse can significantly improve accessibility, independence, and efficiency. While there are numerous external tools designed to enhance keyboard and mouse functionality—many originating from gaming or programming contexts—let’s start by exploring the built-in features of Windows.
A Message From Executive Director Dr. Gary Birch: The Importance of Client Centred Solutions
It’s hard for me to believe that we are 40 years in and counting. In some ways, it doesn’t seem that long ago that I was working with Neil as he was learning Morse code with his state-of-the-art Apple IIe computer — it had 64 KB of memory, and believe it or not, that was considered massive for a personal computer. (Compare that with the memory on your smart phone right now just to put it into perspective).
As we celebrate 40 years of impact, it had me reflecting on my early days working with Neil even before the organization was formally founded, and one particularly important lesson I learned early on.
We Have Solutions! – Episode 26: Google IO, Gemini, and AI as AT
Today we are joined once again by Nakia Singh. On today’s episode we talk about the recent Google I/O conference on AI, why it just might be worth paying the subscription fee for Gemini Pro, and finally, we talk about the specific ways in which AI can be used as assistive technology.