by Kim Lathrop, DIgital Access Project Specialist Recently I had the privilege of attending and working at the 11th annual Maker Faire in San Mateo, CA. I was at the Faire working with the organization Tikkun Olam Makers (TOM). TOM’s mission is to connect people with disabilities with “makers” and develop solutions for everyday challenges.…
Reprinted from the Assistive Technology Blog, by Venkat Rao For amputees, people with spinal cord injuries, stroke patients, and other who have bad motor skills, a mouse for computers or their finger(s) for tablets or phones are not the most feasible ways to operate their devices. GlassOuse, a new Bluetooth operated eye and mouth controlled…
by Brandon Conrad, Assistive Technology Specialist, MatchWare MindView AT addresses key learning objectives for students with reading, writing and learning difficulties and is based on the principles of mind mapping. MindView helps to identify, process and present information visually. It is helpful to many learners with reading and writing disabilities, including children and adults with…
Our inaugural 2016 Assistive Technology (AT) Photo Contest was a huge success! We received many great photos that show individuals with disabilities living independently and using AT. We are sad that all of them cannot be winners, but our committee had to narrow it down to the top ten finalists. From here, we will leave…
by Emily Flynn, Information & Advocacy Specialist Along with my Ability Tools colleague Rosemarie Punzalan, I had the pleasure of attending the 31st Annual Conference for People with Disabilities in San Diego from March 23rd-25th of this year. We had a fabulous time at this wonderful annual event and so this week I would like…
Article by Lindsey Hoshaw, reprinted with permission from the author Introduction by Rachel Anderson, Marketing & Communications Manager for Ability Tools I remember many years ago seeing the first virtual reality headset at a mall that was a golf simulator. And, although I didn’t have any desire to go virtual reality golfing or even real…
by: Rachel Anderson, Marketing & Communications Manager for Ability Tools In the field of assistive technology (AT) we talk a lot about switches. We usually bring one or two switches to our tabling and outreach events as some simple and portable examples of AT, since they are a popular item that we loan out for…
Written by: Assistive Technology Blog Off and on, you may have heard or read about Internet of Things (IoT). In the coming years, it is supposed to be a new phenomenon (it actually already is) that will make everything much easier and convenient for everyone. But what does it mean? What exactly is it, and…
by Rachel Anderson, Marketing & Communications Manager for Ability Tools Many people look at smart phones and, as the name alone implies, they are overwhelmed by all of the features, bells and whistles that smart phones promise. For some of us, this is great, and we can delve into a hands on discovery of all…
by Emily Flynn, Ability Tools The recent Los Angeles Abilities Expo 2016 was a great success for Ability Tools! Ability Tools was lucky enough to be able to set up their table in the AT showcase section for the second year in a row. This means we had enough table space to be able to…