Apple Lineup to Become More Disability Friendly

We found this interesting article on Disabilityscoop.com: by Shaun Heasley The iPhone and iPad will soon be even simpler to use for people with a wide range of disabilities thanks to a new software update, Apple Inc. officials said this week. Changes designed to make the popular mobile devices more accessible are expected in a…

Is Social Media Accessible?

by Allan Friedman, CFILC’s Technologies Manager First, the good news; the AT Blog is on one of the most accessible social media platforms (Blogspot).  Now for the bad news; that’s not saying much. A recent study conducted by The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network and Media Access Australia found that despite the rapidly growing popularity…

How does the new iPad stack up against the iPad 2?

Dane Geer, AT Advocate at Kern Independent Living Center in Bakersfield, loves technology and was one of the first people in his area to purchase the new iPad. He already owned an iPad 2, so we asked him to compare the two tablet devices. Here is his review: The major differences between the iPad2 and…

Smartphone Accessibility

Disability.gov shared a very interesting resource for folks in the market for smartphones. Click here to learn about accessibility features of the latest smartphones. You can also watch a 45 minute video on smartphone accessibility. You must have Adobe Flash downloaded on your computer to watch the captioned video. How accessible is your smartphone? 

AT News from around the web

The AT Network staff did an Internet sweep and found links to exciting AT News from around the web: Tools of the Trade wrote an interesting post on the Ablenet Blue2 Bluetooth switch that you can pair with iDevices.  The Assistive Technology Blog discusses Steve Mahan’s experience test driving Google’s self-driving car. Oh, and Steve is blind. …

FREE refurbished computers with GNU/Linux operating system

by Rachel Anderson, CFILC’s Information & Assistance Advocate. Rachel regularly answers AT-related inquiries from people throughout California. Below is an answer to one of her calls. Q: My computer crashed awhile ago. As I am looking for work and on a fixed income, I don’t think I will be able to purchase a new one.…

iPad Funding Tips & Resources

Whether you want an iPad for communication, learning, work, school, as an accessibility tool or just for fun, you might find it challenging to figure out how to pay for it. Check out the five websites listed below to find a variety of different iPad funding tips and resources. iTaalk.org’s funding page Grant sources, raffles, giveaways, and…

Accessible Course Management courtesy of Moodle

by Rosemarie Punzalan, CFILC’s Training Specialist The CSUN’s 27th Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference was held in San Diego from February 27 – March 3, 2012. I had the opportunity to attend Thursday sessions as well as network with professionals, especially the vendors. The session that interested me the most was: Creating…

Cool New AT Found at the CSUN Conference

by Rachel Anderson, CFILC’s Information & Assistance Advocate During CSUN’s annual International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference in San Diego last week, we were exposed to so many cool new AT devices and software. Below are just a few inexpensive assistive technology options we learned about at the conference. Interact – AS Interact – AS by Auditory Sciences demonstrated…

Autism Apps–is there a benefit?

An article titled “Despite Popularity, Benefit of Autism Apps Questioned” posted earlier this week over on DisabilityScoop explores the benefits of autism apps designed for iDevices and Android platforms: “Apps designed to help those with disabilities are all the rage, but it remains unclear how effective such new technology really is. Hundreds of apps have come on…