Tecla – A Hands-Free Device That Connects to Switches

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…

Picture of the low vision/blind accessibility features on the screen of the fire phone

Amazon Fire Phone and its Accessibility Features

by Nubyaan Scott, Program Coordinator for Ability Tools Many of you may know Amazon for its widely diverse online marketplace where you can buy anything from a squat stand to a Roswell soil sample. But, did you know they also make a smartphone?  A couple of weeks ago the company revealed that it had designed…

Image Swype Keyboard being used

My Quest to Divorce the QWERTY Keyboard

By Chi Hung Luke Hsieh Assistive Technology Advocate I have recently—yes, only recently—gotten friendly with swype input. As someone who has the word “technology” in his job title, the shame and dishonor of such wilful neglect brought upon my person is incalculable. However, thanks to my new state-of-the-art Android phone, I have had the chance…