Assistive Technology News – November 2022 round up

Assistive technology news, policy and events. 

Policy and Campaigns  

• The World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched a free online assistive technology training programme for doctors, nurses, and other health workers to help them provide suitable products to patients.
• The Longitude Prize on Dementia plans to award over £4m to new technologies that use AI and machine learning to help people adapt as their condition progresses.
• A coalition of organisations calling for more accessible housing has highlighted the benefits of the government’s plan to raise minimum accessibility standards for new homes in England.  
• 3,500 disabled people voted Amsterdam, Las Vegas, Singapore, and London as among the most accessible tourist destinations in the world in the Valuable 500 survey.

Tech Developments and Innovations  

• A hearing aid technology company AudioTelligence, has won an award for the new technology that helps users understand speech clearly in noisy environments.
• The Quha Zono X is a Bluetooth mouse that can be worn behind the ear to operate a computer or mobile device with simple head movements.
• A 'smart tattoo' created by Cornell University is being applied to a variety of assistive technology uses, such as notifying a visually impaired person when they are about to bump into an object.
• Biomedical engineers in Barcelona have developed a 3D printed, customisable below-the-elbow robotic prosthesis that can be controlled by the wearer's natural electrical nerve impulses.

Training, Events, and Professional Development 

Cooking with accessible kitchen tools, 6 December 2022

• A webinar looking at how accessibility tools and apps found on iPhones and iPad can help disabled people prepare a meal.

AT for Social Isolation, 13 December 2022 

• An online session exploring how disabled people can use assistive technology to connect with other people. 

Accessibility Insights with ITV, 13 December 2022 

• Meet David Padmore, Director of Accessibility, and Matt Simpson, Head of Technology, who will be discussing all things accessibility at ITV.

Digital Accessibility Experts Live, Multiple dates 

• A series of monthly webinars following the latest industry and technological trends in digital accessibility inclusion.

Calendar

• Our Accessibility and assistive technology calendar lists free webinars, training, awareness days and other events.

Tech Tip

How use the Focus feature in Windows 11

• From email notifications, Teams updates to the incessant pinging of social media apps and news websites, my computer is awash with potential distractions. Windows 11's new Focus accessibility feature lets me temporarily tune out the barrage of beeps and tweets so I can concentrate on the tasks that I really do need to pay attention to. Read about the Focus feature in Windows 11 on AbilityNet's My Computer, My Way website.

Get in touch

• Email Clive if you have a comment about the stories in this newsletter - or to suggest a contribution for next month.

Further resources 

• Join our dispATches mailing list to receive the latest news and events from the world of assistive technology.
• Read Clive's blog article on 'Matter: Enriching disabled people's experience of technology'
• Find out more about AbilityNet's free live webinars.
• Discover more AbilityNet training. 
• Unsure where to start with digital accessibility? Speak to our experts for help.

AbilityNet provides a range of free services to help disabled people and older people. If you can afford it, please donate to help us support older and disabled people through technology