We had such an exciting and successful Ability Tools Reuse Conference! Thanks to everyone that made it out to Sacramento last week! At this national conference, we were fortunate to have folks from all over the United States join us to learn, share, collaborate, and strengthen the Reuse movement in California. Many participants were from…
Have you heard of RJ Cooper & Associates, Inc? If not, you should check him out and sign up to receive his e-newsletters. He makes specialized software and hardware products for people with disabilities. He also does road trips and likes to work with others to develop improved assistive technology for all! Here is his…
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.…
by Mike Monticello, for Consumer Reports, March 2016. Original article in its entirety located here. Teresa Favuzzi is a good driver; it’s everyone else around her who is a maniac. Favuzzi’s partner is legally blind, so the 54-year-old independent-living director from Sacramento, Calif., is used to taking the wheel of the family car. She makes…
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…
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…
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 Rachel Anderson, Marketing & Communications Manager for Ability Tools Recently at the international ATIA Conference, I had the opportunity to meet Milo, a new robot designed for children with autism. I had never seen anything quite like him… and, although robotics are still a science that needs some perfecting, I was quite impressed with…
by Seniorly Contributor Over half of adults aged 65 and older use the Internet, and this number is only growing. With the increase in mobile options including tablets and e-readers,older Americans are gradually becoming more and more tech-savvy. This growing comfort with technology opens doors for other tools that can help older adults stay connected…