Free webinar: Procurement - checking external products are accessible
Submitted by Annie Mannion on Tue, 04/02/2020 - 09:36
This FREE webinar will focus on how you can ensure you procure accessible solutions for your needs from external suppliers. You’ll learn how Leeds Trinity University has been developing processes for working with partners to ensure online accessibility.
AbilityNet’s Abi James will outline top tips for accessibility checks to make when working with suppliers, and share her advice for how suppliers can provide accessible solutions for their clients.
You'll also receive a brief update on the latest news and advice about the implementation of Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations within universities, HE (higher education) institutions and other public sector organisations.
About the webinar
Claire Gibbons, Project Manager (Digital Team, Marketing and Communications) at Leeds Trinity University will be joining us to talk about accessible procurement at Leeds Trinity University (LTU). The University is coming to the end of an ambitious programme of work to renew its online publishing model through the procurement of a new web Content Management System, a new search solution, and recruiting a new Web Developer. Find out from Claire how accessibility can be built into your public sector procurement processes and website redevelopment projects at every stage, and how to work together with external agencies to ensure accessible products and services for all.
Abi James will also be sharing tips for what to check when buying from suppliers and the importance of validating accessibility credentials. She’ll provide advice for suppliers noting the need to understand what clients require from suppliers about accessibility; an understanding of accessibility law and how issues can be fixed.
When will the webinar take place?
Our webinar is FREE to join and will take place jointly with Leeds Trinity University on Thursday 27 February, 1-2pm GMT.
Free webinar: Technology Help for Stroke Survivors
Submitted by Sarah Botterill on Wed, 29/01/2020 - 14:19
This FREE webinar will offer information and support on how technology can make life a little easier for people after a stroke, and those who are caring for them.
A stroke impacts people physically and emotionally affecting movement, speech vision and hearing. This can make it more difficult to access and use devices such as smartphones, tablets and PCs. At the same time, access to assistive technology, online support and devices can help reduce the physical isolation that can follow a stroke.
For example, stroke is the commonest form of aphasia. People who are affected by aphasia, have trouble with the four main ways that we understand and use language, including reading, listening, speaking, typing or writing.
Aphasia causes anxiety in 44% of those who suffer from it, according to The Stroke Association.
A stroke can also cause issues of cognitive and physical impairment and is a common cause of anxiety and depression.
Technology can be part of the solution, which is why AbilityNet and the Stroke Association are working in partnership locally, and nationally.
We are running this webinar in association with The Stroke Association and will be joined by members of the organisation's Helpdesk.
About the webinar
When will the webinar take place?
Our webinar is FREE to join and will take place jointly with The Stroke Association on 31 March 2020 at 11:00 am.
What will the webinar cover?
In this webinar, we'll showcase the Stroke Association's online tool My Stroke Guide, which offers information as well as access to peer support from other stroke survivors.
AbilityNet volunteer Lawrence Knight will be on hand to share his experiences of helping stroke survivors find solutions that can help them to adapt, as well as representatives from The Stroke Association's Helpdesk.
We'll also be sharing some top tips for apps that can help with aphasia, apps to help stroke survivors with anxiety, and apps for cognition and memory.
During the webinar, we will:
Tell you how we're working together to empower stroke survivors
Lawrence will talk about his experiences at Milford on Sea
Share details of how you can find support via My Stroke Guide
Introduce you to apps to help with aphasia, memory and anxiety
Stroke survivors who need help to adapt existing technical devices
Stroke survivors who want to access peer support online
The webinar will last 1 hour and includes a brief question and answer session. At point of registration you will have the opportunity to submit questions you would like our presenters to respond to on the live webinar. Everyone who registers for the webinar will receive access to the recording, including those unable to attend live. We use MyClearText to provide live captioning of our webinar for deaf people and those who are hard of hearing.
Being social comes naturally to the company behind AOL, Huffpost and Yahoo. So does accessibility. The company's accessibility Lab Manager, Samantha Soloway, shares her reflections on the UK's leading networking event for accessibility leaders, TechShare Pro.
I appreciated that the schedule balanced interesting panel sessions with thoughtful speakers, and also provided breaks during the day that allowed attendees to get to know one another and continue the conversations.
Inspirational leadership at TechShare Pro 2019
Some of my favourite sessions included Caroline Casey, from the Valuable 500, who discussed the importance of companies putting disability inclusion on their agendas.
Casey emphasized the importance of educating companies so they better understand how powerful people with disabilities are and how they should be seen as a value-add endeavour.
Haben Girma’s session also stood out to me. Girma shared how her life experiences led her down a path of disability advocacy which most recently has helped her to become the first Lenovo Accessibility and Inclusion Advisor. Girma said that “disability drives innovation.” To make meaningful changes and drive a11y forward, everyone’s thoughts and ideas are critical, but especially important is the feedback from those with disabilities.
Networking with the a11y community at TechShare Pro 2019
Walking around the conference space, I found that I was meeting and communicating with people throughout academia, the industry and the disability space.
I was impressed by TechShare Pro’s ability to gather and capture the attention of so many different leaders throughout the accessibility community. Having all of these unique voices together helped shape and encourage discussions around the future of a11y and more specifically, that of design, project management, development and research.
At TechShare Pro, all attendees were exposed to a variety of topics to better understand how to drive accessibility across their organizations.
Instead of limiting information to one topic or one discipline, the sessions spanned across all sectors, information was shared to help attendees learn first hand what companies are focusing on.
For instance, as companies continue to create augmented, virtual and mixed reality, a community (XR Access) has formed which is committed to making information accessible to people with disabilities through standards, guidelines and best practices.
The conference also celebrated and provided information about recent technology developments. There were sessions on accessible gaming as well as on the debate around automatic speech recognition for video on demand. It was helpful that TechShare provided exposure to and perspectives about each of the many a11y developments.
Tangible takeaways: learnings from TechShare Pro 2019
Perhaps the best part about this Conference was the tangible takeaways.
Instead of speakers simply providing a high-level summary, they shared how attendees could develop and implement similar programs and changes in their organizations.
I left the Conference still thinking about the panel on building accessibility champions. I learned how champions can serve as proactive connectors simply by disseminating knowledge.
I am grateful that I was able to not only attend but also present at TechShare Pro. I left having made new relationships, and with many new ideas. Most of all, though, I returned even more inspired to continue working towards making inclusion a reality.
What is SCULPT? It’s a handy acronym and brief set of explanations that neatly cover the key areas of accessible, compliant content creation.
Helen Wilson, Digital Designer at Worcestershire County Council explains how this easy-to-remember set of rules offers a powerful approach to anyone who drafts documents of any type.
SCULPT stands for:
Structure (use heading styles)
Colour and contrast
Use of images
Links (hyperlinks)
Plain English
Table structure
Guidelines for everyone?
The Public Sector Accessibility guidelines have highlighted a need to focus on accessible content creation.
Most advice about digital accessibility refers to the Web Accessibility Content Guidelines (WCAG), but many people find these guidelines confusing and too technical - reinforcing the perception of accessibility as a minefield best left the technical team.
And whilst website designers and developers have WCAG guidelines enshrined in legislation, but what about the who create content that is used on websites?
What about local authority staff who create documents or information for residents, or teaching staff who create handouts and guides for their learners on a VLE?
Keep it simple!
Sometimes small changes in a document can make a big difference, as long as the people creating it are aware of the simple things they could do to help.
For example most of us use Microsoft Word to create content, so learning about the built-in accessibility features would make a real difference to our newsletters, reports, handouts for students, instructions, guidance, policies and whatever else we share through our websites...
Back to square one!
But with so many people producing content every day how could I possibly change their everyday practice and make this happen? It’s a huge task!
Luckily a colleague in the learning and development team at Worcestershire County Council had a strong passion for the same subject and we shared a strong vision of what we wanted to achieve. We held workshops, listened to colleagues, searched Google and created a plan built around two key questions which kept coming up:
“OK, so what is it I need to do?” and
“But is it easy to do, I don’t have much time?”
It was clear people just wanted some very simple guidance - they didn’t have time to trawl the internet for a subject they didn’t really understand anyway.
We then met with the Corporate Equality and Diversity Manager at the Council who is blind, she shared her own frustrations about inaccessible content and that she had some requirements of her own for people when creating documents for her. These were some very simple things that made a big difference to her. We discussed what these were and identified six main things that people need to know about basic accessibility when creating information.
Simple to follow guidance to dispel the myths
With a bit of creative shuffling one evening I ordered them to read the acronym SCULPT. The idea that staff could ‘sculpt’ their content for accessibility.
The SCULPT six are:
Structure (use heading styles)
Colour and contrast
Use of images
Links (hyperlinks)
Plain English
Table structure
I wanted this to be something for people to remember, a ‘simple six’ for accessibility, a what to do guide. I wanted to also create an identity, a logo for people to see and remember, almost a brand to relate to and acronym to remember.
I created a recognisable logo made up of familiar symbols used in digital applications and a bit of creativity too, also a nod in the design to these being bookmarks to remember.
I also created an infographic that outlined the six areas of SCULPT reducing it down to simple headings and language to remember that could be used as posters that could be put up in offices around the building.
Using this we built a SCULPT support area for our staff on our Council intranet, each page having simple to follow guidance to dispel the myth that accessibility is complicated. This is focused on addressing the echoed response “OK, so what is it I need to do?
Our answer now, “what you need to do is follow SCULPT”.
The content to build the guidance already existed out there on the internet, so no need to reinvent the wheel. In fact, Microsoft have some great bite-sized videos to show you how to do it, the videos are no more than 5 minutes long.
Here is an example of a Microsoft video about hyperlinks we use, it is just two minutes long but really explains the why and the how:
At two minutes long, this is not complicated, nor is it time consuming to understand, perfect!
Each page of our SCULPT intranet site is also introduced with several examples as to why each area is important and why we do it, not just for accessibility, but for everyone. For example, the ‘C for colour contrast’ page, explains that colour good contrast can help people read content on a mobile phone in bright sunlight with screen glare. This relates to everyone, its not just about impairments or screen readers, it helps with the everyday in our digital world too.
Beyond that the links are to existing content on the web, such as how-to instructions, bite sized videos and guides, this way we had identified and simply organised the useful content that our staff had missed or overlooked on their Google search.
Reframing Accessibility
Our aim with SCULPT was to reframe accessibility, make it simple, to make ‘accessibility accessible’ and to dispel the myth that meeting basic accessibility requirements is time-consuming or complicated.
SCULPT is merely the framework to raise awareness of basic requirements and to organise existing guidance in a simple to remember way. It is a framework that can be adopted by anyone that creates content. The logo and infographic are a simple to recognise visual and tool to raise the profile of the acronym of six good practices in any office in any institution that creates content.
We are presenting our SCULPT initiative at JISC Digifest in March 2020 to support the education community. We are in early implementation at Worcestershire County Council but wanted to share our emerging practice and the difference we are already making even in our early adoption.
We are planning to weave SCULPT around all our future digital training resources and staff development sessions, keep it high profile with regular tips highlighted in intranet news stories and have a visual in every office so these practices become embedded. Our SCULPT intranet area has also since been expanded for our Comms team to include guidance on accessible hashtags, video creation, and accessible document templates.
We see SCULPT as a timely addition to the web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) to make sure people know that accessibility is the responsibility of everyone, not just the tech team.
SCULPT is only raising awareness of the basics for those everyday document content creators, but everything needs to start somewhere. Hopefully in a few years we can become a beacon of good practice, a huge ambition of ours in the long-term.
About Helen Wilson, Digital Designer at Worcestershire County Council
I have worked in the digital community for over 20 years as a Digital Designer, Learning Technologist, FE Teacher and more recently in local authority digital content at Worcestershire County Council. The new accessibility guidelines have raised the profile of accessible content creation - website designers and developers have guidance from GOV.UK and WCAG but my focus is on those everyday practitioners who create content. This could be documents created by local authority staff for residents, or handouts and guides created by teachers for their learners on a VLE. I was involved with the JISC Digital Literacy project some years ago and now have a passion for supporting frontline staff by using guidance to support best practice in a digital world. Hwilson1@worcestershire.gov.uk
Submitted by Alex.Barker on Thu, 16/01/2020 - 11:17
A call from MIND to AbilityNet's Helpdesk highlights the need for accessible training materials for employees
Recently, I took a call from a local branch of MIND, the mental health charity concerning training materials it had commissioned from a third party supplier. The company was delivering online social care training in a video format.
The call concerned a staff member who was deaf and was unable to access the mandatory online training. Viewing this training without any sound it was clear that a deaf employee would find it impossible to access, particularly as the video didn't have subtitles.
Adding subtitles to video is a relatively easy task. AbilityNet, for example, runs online webinars on a range of topics including digital accessibility, inclusive design and training. For these webinars, we use live captioning via a company called My Clear Text entered by a human being, but there are also automated services available.
Feeling helpful, I called the training company that was supplying video to MIND to find out why there weren't any subtitles, and if it had plans to make its videos more accessible. The answer was no, which was disappointing given that one of their courses is about communicating in different ways, and it mentions hearing loss.
The company behind the training video boasts it has accreditation from The British Accreditation Council (BAC). The BAC wouldn't comment on a specific organisation, nor would the organisation comment.
The business case for accessibility
Legislation and accreditation is one driver for accessible content but there's a strong business case, too.
There are 9 million people who are either Deaf or hard of hearing in the UK. Not to mention people who have other disabilities, who have a lot of spending power, which is potentially going unrealised - the so-called "Purple Pound."
Being accessible doesn't only help people who are disabled, it drives innovation, too. For example, if you have really good hearing but you are watching a safety film in a noisy environment, then subtitles are going to be really useful. With people increasingly consuming media on the go, it's little surprise that 85% of Facebook videos are played without sound.
AbilityNet has a number of experts who can look at how to make your digital content more accessible, and we'd be happy to have a chat to you so you can make sure your content is accessible to as many people as possible.
AbilityNet would always say that if you want to make something accessible, build accessibility in right at the start. It isn't an afterthought. Don't ignore the needs of your end-user.
AbilityNet's Abi James to speak at BETT Education Technology show
Submitted by Annie Mannion on Mon, 13/01/2020 - 14:36
Abi James, principal digital accessibility consultant at AbilityNet, will be speaking at this year's BETT Education Technology show next week at London's ExCel centre.
You can catch Abi within three sessions on Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th January.
“I’m really excited to be talking about assistive technology at this year’s BETT show – the biggest Ed-Tech show in Europe. Over the past 10 years it has been great to see how assistive tech, such as text-to-speech are now built into practically all computers, tablets and phones. BETT provides a great opportunity to show how this can be embedded within education to remove barriers to learning and education," says Abi.
"It’s no longer a specialist, expensive package but available to anyone. At this year’s show I will be focusing on how schools and colleges can embrace accessible and enabling technology within their settings to provide an inclusive learning environment and ensure everyone can access qualifications," Abi continues. On Thursday, Abi will be talking about how candidates with special educational needs can use technology for access arrangements in GCSE and other qualifications, and on Friday she will be talking about the public sector accessibility regulations that require public service providers including many schools, colleges and universities to ensure their websites and digital platform meet accessibility standards.
Abi will also be discussing her personal and professional experiences of using technology to help overcome dyslexia.
Head along to the following sessions for Abi's expertise on digital accessibility and related topics:
Session Title: Using tech for exam success for SEND students Session Location: Professional Development Theatre (South Hall) Day: Thursday Date: 23/01/2020 Time: 12-12.30pm
Session Title: Are You up for the Digital Accessibility Challenge? Session Location: HE/FE Theatre Day: Friday Date: 24/01/2020 Time: 1.15 - 1.45pm
Session Title: Supporting dyslexic students in primary and secondary school Session Location: Schools Theatre Day: Friday Date: 24/01/2020 Time: 4-4.40pm
Submitted by Sarah Botterill on Wed, 08/01/2020 - 15:35
Researchers have developed a virtual reality world, which can help stroke survivors suffering from aphasia (a range of speech, language and communication problems).
The multi-user virtual work allows people with aphasia to practise their speech and to establish social connections.
“Aphasia is a language problem that's typically caused by stroke and impairs all aspects of language. It makes it difficult for the person to talk, to understand speech and also to read and write,” says Professor Jane Marshall, who leads the project.
“Aphasia is a devastating consequence of stroke, which can isolate the individual and, in many cases, lead to problems with depression, and low mood, and feelings of social isolation,” adds Professor Marshall who was awarded an OBE for services to aphasia in 2018.
How virtual reality can help aphasia sufferers
Professor Marshall was keen to explore ways in which technology could re-engage people with communication. “We had a collaboration going with colleagues in the school of math and computer science and engineering at City, where we were starting to explore different ways of using technology to support the therapy for people with aphasia,” she says.
One of the team members had seen Second Life being used therapeutically, which sparked the idea behind EVA Park, and City secured funding from the Stroke Association to build it.
The virtual city was co-created with aphasia sufferers.
“A big message from that process was that we should focus on social uses of language; that it should be a place which is all about getting together with others and meeting and having a laugh and having opportunities for different sorts of communication,” says Professor Marshall.
The platform allows people to create a customised avatar and to explore different areas of EVA Park including houses, a treehouse disco and the Town Square.
What’s next for EVA Park
City piloted EVA Park with 20 people with aphasia before winning the Tech4Good People’s Choice Award in 2014. “It [T4G] created a lot of awareness about Eva Park. We go to conferences where colleagues from Australia know all about Eva Park,” says Professor Marshall.
“It was a lovely validation for us, and I think it was very heartening for people with aphasia because it is a hidden problem,” she adds.
The team continues to evolve and test EVA Park today exploring how it can be used for delivering the different speech and language therapies, and to provide social support.
“We’ve had four different groups in different UK settings using Eva Park to meet every two weeks for social support and conversation and to reflect on how aphasia affects their lives [and] we've got some lovely positive feedback,” says Professor Marshall.
While EVA Park isn’t yet commercially available, 30 services are using it, and City continues to gather feedback and explore interventions to use within the virtual world.
Sign up for our FREE webinar for stroke survivors, and their carers
A stroke can impact in a number of ways. It is the commonest form of aphasia. People who are affected by aphasia, and can cause issues of cognitive and physical impairment and is a common cause of anxiety and depression.
Technology can be part of the solution. Our free webinar will showcase the Stroke Association's online tool My Stroke Guide, which offers information as well as access to peer support from other stroke survivors.
AbilityNet volunteer Lawrence King will be on hand to share his experiences of helping stroke survivors find solutions that can help them to adapt.
AbilityNet provides a range of free services to help disabled people and older people.
Call our free Helpline. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff will discuss any computer problem and do their best to come up with a solution. We’re open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm on 0800 048 7642.
Arrange a home visit. We have a network of AbilityNet ITCanHelp volunteers who can help if you have technical issues with your computer systems. They can come to your home, or help you over the phone.
We have a range of factsheets which talk in detail about technology that might help you, which can be downloaded for free. You may find our factsheets talking about voice recognition and keyboard alternatives useful.
My Computer My Way. A free interactive guide to all the accessibility features built into current desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones.
Submitted by Mark.Gaddes on Fri, 03/01/2020 - 09:05
Learning accessibility considerations can help your organisation to shift left, preventing issues which can otherwise be costly to fix, both in terms of time and resources. Plus adhering to best practice will improve the user experience for everyone, including those with diverse access needs.
Embed accessibility within your organisation and upskill your team with training delivered by our experts. Throughout 2020 we will be offering a variety of courses which you can attend live or access the recordings of. Our first training courses in January and February will provide an introduction to the key aspects of web accessibility and inclusive design, relevant to web designers and web developers.
An introduction to the key aspects of web accessibility and inclusive design, relevant to web designers. As an attendee you will learn accessibility topics and best practices including use of colour and colour contrast, use of graphical text, scalable layouts, navigation design, icons, designing for mobile and much more.
Date: 30 January 2020 - 13:00 to 14:30 GMT
Location: Online - this course is delivered via the Zoom platform
An introduction to the key aspects of web accessibility and inclusive design, relevant to web developers. As an attendee you will learn accessibility topics and best practices including key techniques for developing accessible modal windows and custom widgets, progressive enhancement, WAI-ARIA and much more.
Date: 6, 13 and 20 February 2020 - 13:00 to 14:30 GMT
Location: Online - this course is delivered via the Zoom platform
Does your team have specific training needs? Along with our online training courses we also offer in-person training and can deliver sessions for your organisation - offering a tailored experience to meet your specific needs. Contact us about our bespoke training options.
Free Webinars
We also host free webinars throughout the year which contain useful information and advice for disabled people, their colleagues, families and friends, but also professionals who are looking to ensure their products and services are built with accessibility, usability and inclusivity in mind.
Submitted by Sarah Botterill on Mon, 30/12/2019 - 08:16
Fitness trackers are increasingly popular as a means of keeping active. Here are top tips for setting up, and troubleshooting if you’ve been gifted one this Christmas.
Fitness trackers are big business. Fitbit is still arguably the market leader although the Apple Watch is hot on its heels.
The latest models of the Fitbit include the Fitbit Versa 2 smartwatch, Fitbit Inspire and Fitbit Inspire HR trackers. Instructions are limited and so if you’re having trouble setting yours up, here are some tips to get you going.
1. Connecting your Fitbit to your phone
Fitbit devices connect to an App on your phone, so you’ll need to pair your Fitbit via Bluetooth. If you’re having trouble connecting, check your phone’s Bluetooth is turned on. For iPhone go to Setting and select General. Tap on Bluetooth and toggle the on/off button to on. Look for the name of your Fitbit tracker and tap on it to connect.
Android phones may vary. Look for Settings, and then tap Bluetooth. There should be an option to enable or disable it. Make sure it is enabled. You should see the Fitbit appear within Bluetooth devices, tap to connect.
If there are two of you with a Fitbit device in the house, make sure the other device is away from your phone as too many devices can cause confusion.
Our free tool My Computer My Way is a step-by-step guide to how to make individual adjustments to a computer, tablet or smartphone.
2. Change your stride length for Fitbit
Feel as if you're putting in the steps but your Fitbit isn't counting enough or is counting too many? Everyone's stride is different especially if you have a physical impairment. Fitbit trackers work out how far you have walked by multiplying your walking step and stride length. To work out your stride length go to a place where you are sure of the distance. Count your steps as you walk across it. Divide the total distance (in feet) by the number of steps to get your stride length.
You can change your stride length in the Fitbit app on your phone, or from within the online dashboard.
In the app, tap or click on the Account icon and then tap on the Advanced settings. Tap or click Stride Length, and adjust your stride. In the Fitbit dashboard, choose settings and personal information. Under Advanced settings, find Stride Length. Click Set on Your Own and adjust your stride length.
Do you have a new device you need help setting up? Or have you gifted a relative who needs help? AbilityNet's network of volunteers offers free technical support at home.
3. Fitbit not receiving notifications from your phone
Your Fitbit works best in tandem with your phone and can receive notifications including when you receive messages. Sometimes, notifications don’t come through but there are some things you can do to try and reconnect.
The first, and most obvious, is to ensure you’re within 20 feet of your mobile phone. You can also try turning Bluetooth off and on again (follow the steps in tip 1) and try restarting your Fitbit and your mobile device.
Where notifications are delayed, it may be that you have an unstable connection. From your Fitbit app, select Account and then select the tracker. Select Call and text notifications and make sure that the Enable Notifications Widget is turned on.
4. Use Alexa on the Fitbit Versa smartwatch
Fitbit's Versa 2 smartwatch has Alexa built-in. It enables you to speak to your watch and to connect to a smart home, or to get news, weather and other information on the go but you'll need to turn on the function first.
You'll need to do this on your phone in either iOS or Android. Open the Fitbit app on your phone. Click on your profile icon in the top-left corner, and tap on the name of the tracker. Tap on the Amazon Alexa tile and then click login with amazon. This will redirect you to the Amazon app. Tap 'Get started' and give Fitbit permission to access the Alexa Voice service.
Tap on 'Use location'. to share your location if you'd like more personalised results, and then hit continue.
Fitbit devices come with a good range of apps but you may have a favourite you'd like to sue with the device, too. It's possible to set this up.
It is possible to have a different app if there's one you're more used to as there are quite a few that use Fitbit's API. You can set these up to sync with the Fitbit app.
Click on the Account tab in the Fitbit app and tap Compatible Apps at the bottom.
Find out about useful apps including those for people with MS, students and for mental health and wellbeing
AbilityNet provides a range of free services to help disabled people and older people.
Call our free Helpline. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff will discuss any kind of computer problem and do their best to come up with a solution. We’re open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm on 0800 269 545.
Arrange a home visit. We have a network of AbilityNet ITCanHelp volunteers who can help if you have technical issues with your computer systems. They can come to your home, or help you over the phone.
We have a range of factsheets which talk in detail about technology that might help you, which can be downloaded for free. You may find our factsheets talking about voice recognition and keyboard alternatives useful.
My Computer My Way. A free interactive guide to all the accessibility features built into current desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones.
Submitted by Adam Tweed on Wed, 18/12/2019 - 09:35
It has been an incredible decade in the world of technology; machine learning, artificial intelligence, voice assistants, the rise of smartphones and the advent of smart homes.
Within the assistive technology (AT), we have seen some incredible innovations. We have witnessed the move from AT as an afterthoughtto the movement towards accessible-by-design. People realise that by building a product that addresses the barriers faced by some people all of the time, you also address barriers experienced by everyone some of the time.
This decade saw the start of the AbilityNet Tech4good awards, celebrating the very best of the tech world. Then, in more recent years, Techshare Pro; a coming-together of the technology industry to discuss how technology can enhance the lives of disabled people.
So what do we think are the best bits of AT from the last decade?
1. Apple's iPad (2010)
Any list of influential tech, influential design or influential assistive technology will include at least one product from Apple. Apple has made accessibility core (pardon the pun) to everything it does do. The iPad has opened up the connected world to a significant number of older people who would not see themselves as ‘computer users’.
Let’s also have an honourable mention for the introduction of Siri in the iPhone 4; still not itself a stand-out example of the emerging genre of the virtual assistant, but it undoubtedly raised the profile of AI in smartphones and opened the door to innovation. More on virtual assistants below.
Find out how to adjust your iPad settings in our free online tool My Computer My Way
2. Tobii Eye-tracking (2012)
At CES 2012 Tobii introduced affordable eye-tracking to the mainstream with devices that integrate with existing screens or are plugged in in the same way as you would a mouse, allowing for mainstream devices to be controlled by people with minimal movement or significant issues with skill. Another honourable mention for Apple’s full voice control in iOS 13 here too, but eye-gaze technology is still a must for so many with both motor and speech challenges that this transformative tech steals the day.
3. Google Glass (2013)
Arguably Google Glass was a fantastic idea in a world not yet ready for it. Google Glass provided an augmented view of the world around us with in-built voice commands “Ok Glass, take a picture”.
Glass is a lightweight, wearable headset that provides information independent from a mobile phone. Potentially Glass can provide support for people with visual- and physical impairments, and can offer help with dyslexia, autism and other communications issues.
Glass still exists but a lack of widespread acceptance, mainly down to the disquiet around their potential to film or photograph people without their knowledge or consent, has meant that their value in terms of ‘assistive technology’ is yet to be realised.
Watch this space, however, as we predict that smart glasses will feature large in the years to come.
The Amazon Echo, or ‘Alexa’ is now part of the family in many households.
News, weather, music, games, podcasts (including dot to dot – the daily Alexa skill demo podcast from AbilityNet’s Robin Christopherson), lighting, heating and other smart home control and the list keeps growing.
Sexy and convenient for everyone, but a real life-changing tech for people with disabilities.
5. Microsoft's Learning tools for Dyslexia (2015)
Microsoft's Learning tools are the result of a 2015 hackathon and is designed with dyslexic users in mind. The suite of tools enables a person to alter the way that text appears on the page; it has an ‘Immersive Reader' mode hides toolbars and other distractions and allows a person to change the font and line spacing without altering the original document.
It also contains tools to identify sentence components, page tinting options and a tool to aid line focus and tracking.
There is also has a ‘read aloud’ option which highlighting words as they are read. Unsurprisingly, it was a tool that transformed the experience of many people who struggle with reading, from people with dyslexia to children and foreign learners. Still, it also became transformative for proofreading, distraction, tired eyes, and so on.
6. Be My Eyes (2015)
Hans Jørgen Willberg, a Danish furniture craftsman who is visually impaired, recognised that blind and low-vision people often needed assistance from sighted people to carry out everyday tasks. The Be My Eyes app, as its name suggests, connects blind or low-vision people with sighted volunteers who, using the phones video camera, can assist with the visual aspect of any task.
Tasks could include reading items in the home, assisting with navigation or orientation when out and about or by (more recently) providing specialist help from the helpdesks of Microsoft, Google, Lloyds Bank and even Clear Blue (the pregnancy testing company).
7. AV1 Robot (2015/6)
The AV1 robot is a telepresence robot from No Isolation; a company that uses technology to address the issues of isolation and enables children and young adults to participate in everyday school life and socialisation where a condition or long-term illness might have excluded them.
The AV1 robot is slightly shorter than a ruler, has a camera, speaker, microphone, WiFi antenna, 4G connection, and battery and weighs less than a kilogram; light enough to be picked up and carried around and so can always be part of the group.
8. AirPods (2016)
Symbolising both the miniaturisation of wireless audio tech and the inclusion of enhanced assistive features for those with a range of impairments, Apple’s AirPods embody a revolution in the mainstreaming of sound with an AT twist.
The lack of wires is an excellent convenience for all, especially those with disabilities who may find dealing with tangled wires challenging. Going wireless without the drawbacks of earlier BlueTooth solutions was a significant step forward.
Apple's Airpods set a new bar for audio accessibility. The headphones allow for stereo to be mixed to mono for those with hearing in only one ear, or to allow for one ear to be open to the environment.
Combined with features such as ‘Live listen’, the wearer can use their phone's microphone instead of that built into the AirPods. There is an ‘active noise cancellation’ mode where you use both AirPod microphones to filter out extraneous background noise while still directionally passing through the voice of the person you are facing).
The earpod may also open the way to some exciting healthcare applications as measuring pulse, blood flow and other health-related data are more accurate from a skin surface like the ear as opposed to the wrist through a fitness band or watch.
9. Microsoft's Seeing AI (2017)
Microsoft's SeeingAI is an app (currently only available on iOS) that turns your iPad or iPhone into a smart scanner; identifying currency, text, (some) handwriting, colours, light levels, people and objects. It was designed by a team led by Saquib Shek (a programmer who is himself blind) and was driven by his desire to address the barriers he faced with the technology he already knew existed within Microsoft.
10. Xbox adaptive controller (2018)
Microsoft’s Xbox adaptive controller opened the door to gaming for disabled people. Even it’s packaging was designed with accessibility in mind, coming apart with a series of cardboard tabs rather than impenetrable plastic wrapping.
The Xbox Adaptive controller has large control pads, but also a series of connectors that allow other switches and controls to be added according to the gamer's preference. Not only does the controller enable disabled people to game alongside disabled and non-disabled players alike, but it also enables co-piloting with players playing in cooperative pairs.
11. RNIB Orbit Reader (2018)
Braille displays are complicated and expensive (prohibitively so for many blind and low vision people) and yet they are vital to gain access to written information - especially where an audio alternative is either impractical (due to noise, say), not an option (such as people who are deafblind) or simply not the mode of choice. The Orbit reader is a small, portable braille reader for around £500 – representing a new, radically lower entry-point for blind Braillist everywhere.
12. Google Live Captioning (2019)
A decade after auto-captioning was introduced to YouTube; Google has developed live captioning of any audio on your phone; video, podcasts, messages, any audio file you may have. The service is currently only available on Google's own Pixel hardware and does all processing on-device (meaning no data needs to be sent to 'the cloud' for processing). On more general release is Google's Live Transcribe app that enables live transcriptions of conversations; a fantastically simple 'subtitling for everyday life' and Microsoft's multi-featured Translator app.
What about the next decade?
The 20's (still feels odd saying it) hold even more excitement; the potential of AI (as well as the concerns) the benefit of big data versus the desire to protect privacy, the Internet of Things, ubiquitous computing; technology that runs out-of-sight, out-of-mind.
I may be slightly bitter that I'm not writing this telepathically from my flying car whilst my robot butler scurries around after me as Tomorrow's World assured me. Still, I can turn on my lights without getting up from the sofa, I have a music library available on request, and I'm regularly disturbed by the thump of my robot vacuum cleaner running full speed into a closed-door; so baby-steps.
For more views and commentary on this dynamic decade of tech with a disability twist, why not listen to the latest Tech Talk podcast; co-hosted by AbilityNet’s Robin Christopherson.
A stroke impacts people physically and emotionally affecting movement, speech vision and hearing. This can make it more difficult to access and use devices such as smartphones, tablets and PCs. At the same time, access to assistive technology, online support and devices can help reduce the physical isolation that can follow a stroke.
The positive energy of the 
Networking with the a11y community at TechShare Pro 2019
Recently, I took a call from a local branch of MIND, the mental health charity concerning 
Abi James, principal digital accessibility consultant at AbilityNet, will be speaking at this year's 
The multi-user virtual work allows people with aphasia to practise their speech and to establish social connections.
Accessibility for designers
Accessibility for developers
Fitness trackers are big business. Fitbit is still arguably the market leader although the Apple Watch is hot on its heels.
Feel as if you're putting in the steps but your Fitbit isn't counting enough or is counting too many? Everyone's stride is different especially if you have a physical impairment. Fitbit trackers work out how far you have walked by multiplying your walking step and stride length. To work out your stride length go to a place where you are sure of the distance. Count your steps as you walk across it. Divide the total distance (in feet) by the number of steps to get your stride length.
Your Fitbit works best in tandem with your phone and can receive notifications including when you receive messages. Sometimes, notifications don’t come through but there are some things you can do to try and reconnect.
Fitbit's Versa 2 smartwatch has Alexa built-in. It enables you to speak to your watch and to connect to a 
Fitbit devices come with a good range of apps but you may have a favourite you'd like to sue with the device, too. It's possible to set this up. 
It has been an incredible decade in the world of technology; machine learning, 
Any list of influential tech, influential design or influential assistive technology will include at least one product from Apple. Apple has made accessibility core (pardon the pun) to everything it does do. The iPad has opened up the connected world to a significant number of older people who would not see themselves as ‘computer users’.
6. Be My Eyes (2015)
The AV1 robot
Symbolising both the miniaturisation of wireless audio tech and the inclusion of enhanced assistive features for those with a range of impairments, Apple’s AirPods embody a revolution in the mainstreaming of sound with an AT twist. 
Microsoft's 
Microsoft’s Xbox adaptive controller
11. RNIB Orbit Reader (2018)