JK Rowling, who wrote the Harry Potter series of books once said “If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.” That's good advice from someone who has sold millions of books. But what about people who'd love to be able to read but haven't found 'the right way to read the right book'? 

They might have conditions such as dyslexia or ADHD, or have had a stroke and can't hold a book in the way they once could. Technology can allow you to experience the joy of reading, even if it's not following the conventional way you 'read' the book. 

Read anywhere with an e-book

You can read books anywhere; on your commute, on your lunch hour or even on the beach. There are many different ways to enjoy a book; you could pop into your local bookshop and buy a book in print or if you have a smartphone or tablet you could use one of the many different e-book apps to read the latest thrillers or biographies (along with the usual classic titles).  

If you are visually impaired you could connect to the EasyReader software. There are some readers who have dedicated e-book readers such as the Nook - I'm one of them! 

It is interesting to look at how popular e-books are as opposed to physical books. Earlier this decade e-books were more popular than printed books,  but now it seems to be the other way round, with paperback book sales outperforming digital titles. I must admit that I'm currently reading an e-book but my home is full of physical books and in my spare time I can be found in charity shops looking for (more) second-hand books.

Reading on your smartphone

To me, both ways of reading are pretty useful. Of course, because the smartphone is now so small we don't think twice about popping it into our pockets whereas a book, especially a many-paged book, can be quite heavy. Smartphones have changed the way that we read just as they've changed the way we stream music.

If you have an Amazon Echo device you can have books read aloud to you through technology accessed via the Kindle store and now there is a technology called WhisperSynch which will start reading exactly from where you finished off reading the last time. Let's face it, there's nothing quite as annoying as not being able to find exactly where in a book you finished listening up to last time, is there?  Currently Echo devices will also read Audible books, but not books from the Overdrive store.

Ask Alexa

Oh and if you are lucky enough to have an Echo you could always ask Alexa what books she'd suggest and she will come back to you with some recommendations. More and more skills relating to books are appearing on the Alexa skills list all of the time. If you have a Google Home device you aren't left out either - you can download books via the Play Books store on your Android phone. 

So as we've seen, you can now read on a number of different devices. Whether you're off on holiday or having a staycation or just reading on the way home from work - you've now got even more ways of escaping into a good book!

How can we help?

AbilityNet helps disabled people use computers and the internet at work, at home and in education. There are a few ways that we can help:

• Call our free helpline on 0800 269 545 - our friendly, knowledgeable staff will discuss any kind of computer problem and do their best to come up with a solution. Our free helpline is staffed Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.
• 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/remotely.
• Download our factsheets - these share in detail the many ways technology might be able to help you, and can be downloaded for free. 
• Use My Computer My Way - this shares hints and tips that you can use to make your time on the computer that bit easier.

How do we break our bad habits and form good ones?

Summer is well and truly here and it’s a good time for students to be building momentum for the new academic year. For all of us working, it’s a good time to refelct on how we might better manage our time so we can enjoy those precious moments of time out. Let’s face it when we’ve been in education or work life for years it’s easy to assume we’ve formed some habits that would be better off booted out of our regimes. Good habits can help us be more productive, prioritise our do-to lists and remember our important tasks. You can feel satisfied too by tracking your progress through small, manageable goal posts.

Kicking bad habits or establishing new ones is not a piece of cake, but we believe you can make these changes. Plus it can be fun with the help of some handy apps.

It can take between 2 weeks to 2 months to form new life habits

According to research by brainingpickings.org, it can take 66 days to form a habit. If you can commit to something as easy as drinking a glass of water after breakfast this habit could form in as little as 21 days. If we can make these small changes over a period of time it's more likely that we'll be able to stick with these traits well, forever. Imagine how much more we could achieve!

We set our experts on the case to track down the right apps that may well help you make these positive changes and keep you motivated.

1. HabitBull: (Free – iOS and Android) is described as ‘perfect for people who have flexible habit-building goals’such as walking to work or university three times a week instead of everyday. The app doesn't limit you to one daily reminder and you can customise alerts for certain days and times of the week. The app allows you to track your habits with a number so if, for example, the desired habit is to take a break and think for 15 minutes every day, you can just enter "10 minutes" when that is completed and you’ll still feel like you're working towards your goals. You really can visualise your habits in a variety of ways, track streaks, look at a calendar, and even discuss habits with other users. You may need some patience to learn the interface quirks but, HabitBull is a great app with a lot of data available for you. 
2. LifeTracker: (Android and web app) Achieving goals can be simple, it’s down to knowing when to do the right things at the right time. LifeTracker is built to know when to remind you about them. Get reminders about your most important activities when the time and place is right. Achieve more, remember important purchases, stay foucsed on your goals and feel a sense of achievement everyday. 
3. Google Goals: (web app) Trying google goals for a few weeks can lead to some positive small changes that can really benefit all of us. Some people have reported being better hydrated, being able to meditate more frequently and achieving better sleep. But how does it work?

• Open the Google Calendar app
• In the bottom right, tap Create
• Tap Goal
• Choose a category, for instance Family & friends or Exercise 
• Follow the directions on your screen to set up your goal such as ‘take a break’
• Tap Done
• Sessions will be automatically added to your calendar, starting with the first four weeks

AbilityNet is a UK charity that helps provide information on technology and disability, if you’d like to know how technology may benefit you, you can call us on 0800 269 545 or email enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk. 

AbilityNet Accessibility consultant Adi Latif has contributed to a UK government video demonstrating the value of digital tech for people with specific needs. The video sets out specific goals for the NHS to invest in tech such as Amazon Echo (Alexa) and VoiceOver, showing how accessible technology can deliver health benefits and provide greater independence for people with disabilities.

Adi is an Accessibility & Usability Consultant at AbilityNet. He has a visual impairment and he uses a wide range of tech including VoiceOver on iPhone, Alexa, laptop with screenreader, Be My Eyes app, Seeing AI app, iWatch and a Braille display. 

Adi spoke at the British Medical Association's Annual Conference in June 2018 - sharing his insights about how medical healthcare could be improved in terms of accessibility. He has now worked with officials from the Department of Health to discuss the potential benefits of accessible tech in meeting people's health needs.

He says that accessible health-related apps and websites would give him control over this vital aspect in life: 

‘I can book train tickets. Send and receive emails from my phone or manage my finances through my banking apps, but I can’t manage my medical healthcare. This is a great opportunity for the Government to take a lead in ensuring that NHS services meet the highest standards of accessibility for all patients.'

He sees lots of opportunities for using Alexa to communicate with the NHS and suggested some ideas for the future: 

• Asking Alexa for basic medical advice  - for example 'Alexa, I’ve cut my finger, what should I do?’
• Asking Alexa to tell him test results or when his next hospital appointment is as at the moment, so he wouldn’t need to rely on paper.
• Using a video camera (for example on Amazon Show) to connect with an NHS GP to avoid travelling to the surgery.
• The camera would also allow him to show the NHS GP any physical symptoms which he may not be able to see for himself.

Adi believes that voice interfaces such as Alexa are potentially easier for people, especially for older people, as they may find smart phones or computers hard to operate.  Using your is almost like having a conversation, and so can be more natural.

The video showing Adi’s experience was posted on the Department of Health & Social Care Twitter page after an introductory speech by Matt Hancock his new role as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. Matt Hancock is tech-savvy and wants the NHS to use tech to become more productive and accessible for people with disabilities. 

Useful information

• Be My Eyes is a global network of sighted volunteers who help blind and visually impaired people through their smartphone camera
• Seeing AI is a free Microsoft app which can read the world for blind and visually impaired people
• Why does a blind person need an Apple Watch? Robin Christopherson at Tech4Good Awards

I was present at the 8th annual AbilityNet Tech4Good Awards Ceremony, which took place just 10 days after I joined AbilityNet as an Accessibility and Usability Consultant - so a great opportunity to meet some of my colleagues from different locations and attend one of our major events!

The event was very successful and it was a pleasure to hear about the people and projects that are using digital technology to improve the lives of others and make the world a better place. In this post I've shared eight things I learned at the 2018 AbilityNet Tech4Good Awards Ceremony:

1. Technology is changing lives

Liz Williams from BT mentioned this idea at the beginning of the ceremony. Reading the stories of the 35 amazing finalists on the Tech4Good Awards website convinced me that this is an amazing truth: technology is making life easier, safer and better for all of us. Finalists like Be My Eyes or TapSOS deserved a prize, and so I was pleased when they won, but as Liz said "...all our finalists are winners".

2. Young talent is mind-blowing

I was surprised to see young people in the reception area before the Awards Ceremony started. Before the event I had read about the finalists in the BT Young Pioneer Award category, but I hadn’t realised the finalists were THAT young. When the Awards Ceremony started I realised that these young people have extraordinary minds. I think it’s fair to say that we were all moved by Lewis Hine's story - the teenager that founded Friend Finder to bring together students that miss school due to long-term health conditions or disability. The team that won the 2018 BT Young Pioneer Award, Water Watcher, impressed us all from the stage when speaking about their project to reduce water wastage worldwide.

3. It’s not easy to be a judge

No thank you, I don’t want to be a part of the judging for next year. How can you choose the best project from each category, when all the finalists are so good? The Digital Volunteer of the Year Award and the Comic Relief Tech4Good for Africa Award are just two examples of extremely challenging categories to choose a stand-out winner from.

4. You can vote for your favourite by waving a glowstick

When I first saw them, I thought they were candies. ‘How unusual...’ I thought. But no, they were glowsticks and we used them to choose who we wanted to receive the Winner of Winners Award. We all enjoyed the opportunity to participate in the voting and there was much laughter.

5. You can win a trophy and give it away

Related to my previous point, Christian Erfurt from Be My Eyes won the Winner of Winners Award and surprised us all with an admirable gesture: he gave the trophy to Lewis Hine ‘for his important work with Friend Finder.’

6. ‘Rings don’t fall off to the floor’ at AbilityNet

I’m not sure if there’s an equivalent expression to this crazy Spanish idiom. If your rings don’t fall to the floor it means that you’re happy to do any task that might be considered minor, whatever your seniority. I didn’t see a single ring on the floor during all the event. Everybody was working with Mark Walker, the event organiser and also the Head of Marketing and Communications at AbilityNet, to make sure the event ran as smoothly as possible. Everyone pitched in, no matter the seniority, no matter the task. I’m pleased to work in such a collaborative environment.

7. Networking is better around a chocolate fountain

Gary Moore, the CEO of AbilityNet, mentioned the chocolate fountain whilst on stage, and in my opinion it was truly the star of the delicious catering that was on offer after the event. There’s no better way to start a conversation than by sharing your thoughts about the perfect fruit combination to dip into chocolate.

8. It’s such an amazing time!

Kate Russell, who hosted the awards alongside Mark Walker, said it's not often we hear a genuine good-news story about technology. On the day of the Awards Ceremony we heard not one, but thirty-five good-news stories about technology. Big names like Facebook and Microsoft are using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve accessibility for all users. Robotics is going to change the world, like the amazing Small Robot Company in the agri-tech industry. Digital skills are reaching people that had little access to technology before. The future is promising, and we’ll get another opportunity to reflect on this again as we follow our 10 winners post-win and look forward to the next AbilityNet Tech4Good Awards in 2019. Are you ready?

Find out more:

For more information about the AbilityNet Tech4Good Awards and this year's winners read the official AbilityNet Tech4Good Awards winners announcement on our website.

You can read more about our 2018 winners and finalists in a feature on the Guardian website.

For other details about the Awards visit the AbilityNet Tech4Good Awards website.

If you're feeling inspired to use your digital skills to transform the lives of other people then check out our current vacancies and volunteer opportunities.

Tech4Good Accessibility Award finalist waytoB, founded by two students, has integrated a smartphone and smartwatch platform to help people with a learning disability navigate their environment more independently. It's currently being trialled in Ireland and is a finalist in this year's Tech4Good Awards, which celebrate the amazing people who use tech to help make the world a better place.

waytoB has been created so that a carer, friend or family member can add safe routes via a smartphone platform for a person with a learning disability. That person adds the routes with their smartphone and is then able to track the location, heart rate and battery life of the person with the learning disability. They also get notified of key journey events (e.g getting lost, stopping for longer than expected, showing high levels of anxiety, etc.).

The person who has a learning disability follows icon-based instructions on their watch to better navigate their environment, with the watch vibrating when there's a new instruction.

Universal Design principles

WaytoB has been designed to be as flexible and inclusive as possible, providing independence to everyone: people with learning disabilities including autism, the elderly, and people with physical, cognitive, visual and hearing impairments. The project started in 2014 as part of an innovation module in user-centered design at Trinity College, Dublin. From the very beginning, students Talita Holzer Saad and Robbie Fryers developed their solution with the principles of Universal Design in mind, to ensure it is accessible to every type of user. 

In 2015, Public Health England estimated that there were more than one million people with a learning disability in England alone. Often people with a learning disability rely on others for transport and assistance to access their community, so WaytoB has the potential to open up independence.

A spokesperson for WaytoB said: “A study conducted by IDS-TILDA (at Trinity College) found that the majority of people with a learning disability over the age of 40 that it spoke to are dependent upon others for transportation and access options - and that the need for such assistance was the greatest barrier to successfully participating in social activities."

Standard navigation apps not safe for everyone

waytoB ’s research has also shown tthat popular smartphone apps for wayfinding are not suitable for those with learning disabilities - both from a cognitive perspective, and from a safety aspect, ie walking while trying to follow a smartphone screen presents risks from traffic, crime, and others.

Robin Christopherson, head of digital inclusion for AbilityNet adds: “waytoB is a really innovative take on the satnav, that all-important guide most of us use every day. By combining smartphone and smartwatch features this is navigation with a twist – specifically designed to provide that extra help needed by users with a learning difficulty or disability.”

• You can vote for waytoB in the AbilityNet Tech4Good People's Award here - which closes on 9 July.
• Winners of the 8th AbilityNet Tech4Good Awards will be announced on 17 July in London.  
•  

Microsoft’s Seeing AI app, which audibly explains what it sees in front a phone camera, is an amazing tool for blind people and has reached the finals of the AbilityNet Tech4Good Accessibility Award. Now in their eighth year the awards are supported by BT and celebrate some of the amazing people who use tech to help make the world a better place.

Microsoft Seeing AI used for seven million tasks  

Since launching in July 2017, the app has assisted blind and partially-sighted users in completing more than seven million tasks and has been downloaded by 200,000 users.

The app harnesses the power of Artificial Intelligence to open up the visual world and describe nearby scenes, people, food in supermarkets and more, with spoken audio. Its key features include real-time text reading, audio-based barcode locator and product-recogniser, face recognition and emotion/age/gender description, currency recognition, colour-recognition, audible light detector and handwriting reader.

Understand more about the Seeing AI app on the film below. 

The app can also describe inaccessible images in other apps, including Twitter, and WhatsApp. Additionally, Seeing AI allows users to teach the device to recognise instantly when friends and colleagues are visible.

It is still being developed and added to by Microsoft employees after being created at a company hackathon event in 2014 by three members of staff. 

Checking homework and being more productive at work

A spokesperson for Seeing AI said: “Blind students in school can now read inaccessible paper text which is not in braille or does not have a digital equivalent. Similarly, blind parents are reading books, checking the handwritten homework of their kids and notes from teachers. People are also using it to get more productive at their day jobs and be able to achieve much more during office hours.”

The app joins four other finalists in the Accessibility category of the awards, last year won by Bristol Braille Technology. Four out of five of the finalists in this category in 2018 have developed or used technology to help people who are blind or who have sight loss understand more of the world around them. 

Machine learning technology

Robin Christopherson, head of digital inclusion at AbilityNet, adds: “I'd like to thank Microsoft for bringing real cutting-edge machine learning to a group of users with such evident needs in this area. While none of the smarts within Seeing AI are solely or even primarily intended for blind users, it takes a company as acutely aware of the importance of accessibility as Microsoft to do such an excellent implementation that brings the best of AI to those who benefit most." Read Robin's full blog on Seeing AI, here. 

• You can vote for Seeing AI in the Tech4Good People's Award, which closes on 9 July.
• Winners will be announced on 17 July.

New technologies for people with sight loss and those who are blind are a key theme in the finals of the AbilityNet Tech4Good Accessibility Award this year.

Four out of five finalists are using tech to offer people with sight loss more understanding of the visual world. GiveVision has developed what it calls ‘the next generation of low vision aids’.  Its first prototype - SightPlus - currently works as an advanced digital magnifier and a pair of binoculars, giving people with low vision the ability to see much more of their surroundings and in greater detail. In the video below, you'll hear from Libby Powell, Paralympian, on her experiences with the aid. 

The technology, which combines augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) headsets, has taken GiveVision - a company of software engineers, researchers and social entrepreneurs - to the finals of the 8th AbilityNet Tech4Good Accessibility Award. The awards are supported by BT and celebrate some of the amazing people who use tech to help make the world a better place.

Robin Christopherson, head of digital inclusion at AbilityNet, comments: “GiveVision takes the best of image enhancement technology and uses it to address the challenges faced by the many millions of people with a vision impairment worldwide.”

Over the last four years, the company has worked with hundreds of tester to refine and develop the vision aid. It says the most commonly sold sight aids are handheld magnifiers, which have limited fields of view and functionalities compared to SightPlus.

A spokesperson for GiveVision told AbilityNet: “The device enables testers to have their hands free, which drastically changes the way they can engage in an activity. For instance, imagine having to hold a monocular to watch a play for two hours. With the technology, users can also capture more visual information by adjusting the zoom, contrast or brightness."

Second incarnation is similar shape to glasses

The second incarnation of the product (shown below), currently due out next year is a more discreet option (note: launch date has moved to 2020 since this article was originally posted). It will use the same technology but be smaller and more slimline, similar to a pair of glasses.

The company is excited to be now embarking on a study with Moorfields Eye Hospital to test its device further. 

The importance of assistive technology

On the growing need for assistive technologies for people with sight loss, GiveVision explained: “Today an estimated 246 million (updated from 217 million) have moderate or severe sight impairments, and this number is predicted to double in the next three decades.

"The issue with sight conditions, such as Macular Degeneration or Diabetic Retinopathy is that there is no cure, or there is a limited treatment that can slow down the progression of a disease but doesn't restore the vision. Patients who are registered partially sighted or blind will have to rely on assistive technologies.

“While the use of a smartphone with accessibility features or applications has increased, our research and testing shows it’s more useful and desirable for some people, particularly older generations, to have a dedicated magnifying device,” they added.

• GiveVision is inviting people who are visually impaired and eyecare professionals to join them on their journey. If you want to be involved, please email yoursay@givevision.net.
• Check out the full list of this year's finalists on the Tech4Good Awards website.
• Visit the site before 10 July to vote for GiveVision in the Tech4Good People's Vote.
• All winners of the AbilityNet Tech4Good Awards will be announced on 17 July at BT Centre, London. 

From earbuds to adult toys, should even the Rubik’s Cube now be Bluetooth? Some of these products and devices are gimmicks and some are game-changers – but smarter devices mean more inclusion when it comes to people with disabilities.

With connectivity comes choice

Bluetooth connectivity is cheap and commonplace. Here’s an article explaining that even the smash hit Rubik's Cube from the 80s might now get Bluetooth connectivity. Firmly in the ‘gimmick’ camp, this version of the classic cube puzzle would enable your smartphone to know the exact orientation of its faces at any time and could coach you to the final solution. Cool, but not life-changing.

The bigger picture is that Bluetooth (or indeed wireless connectivity of all flavours  - and there are a few different types out there), is able to provide alternative ways of interacting with gadgets and appliances. And, choice is what it’s all about when it comes to inclusive design. Can’t see the fiddly buttons or tiny screen on your thermostat or the cryptic symbols on your dishwasher? Let the larger screen of a tablet or smartphone help by becoming an easy-to-use remote control.

For older people, or those with a disability, the ability to make semi-smart devices (such as thermostats, microwaves, bathroom scales - pictured, blood pressure or glucose monitors) more inclusive is not insignificant. We are increasingly able to connect such devices (via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth) to our smartphone. This can mean a larger display of a device that would otherwise be difficult to see; or the voicebox of a device that would otherwise be mute; or the remote control of a device that would otherwise be too fiddly to use.

Users are already demanding to be able to control the heating in their home from the comfort of their bed using an app on their phone. They want to be able to track their weight, heart rate or blood pressure over days and weeks and again it’s an app that does this and thus connectivity is required. It won’t be disabled people or the elderly that will be driving this agenda, but these communities will be benefiting from it disproportionately if a little bit of good practice in inclusive design is observed along the way.

Speech or screen – the choice is yours

Does all this mean that a smartphone or tablet are essential possessions for older or disabled users in order to feel included in a digital future? Not necessarily – but there’s no doubt that they are becoming more useful, affordable and smarter every day. Though simpler than a computer, there’s still a considerable learning curve and that might not be for everyone.

Enter the voice assistant. We’ve had the likes of Siri and the Google Assistant in our phones for several years, but smart speakers like the Amazon Echo are increasingly providing an even simpler alternative to the smartphone or tablet. I’ve written several articles on the versatile power of the voice assistant, so I won’t revisit the topic here. Suffice to say that, in the house at least, we now have an even easier way of connecting to all our Bluetooth and wireless devices and controlling them with intuitive voice commands.  As a blind person who is a power user when it comes to IT, but a complete novice when it comes to less inclusive devices, I can now say “Start a hot wash”, “Record Blue Planet” and “Turn the heat up and lower the lights”. Three cheers for a more connected, more inclusive, future.

A shout out for low-tech

I’ll finish off with a quick shout out for low-tech solutions. Having a hi-tech way of wirelessly interfacing with devices is indeed a game-changer in many cases. When it comes to getting cash out, for example, I long for the day when I can use the speech on my phone to interface with the ATM rather than relying on the honesty of complete strangers to choose options on my behalf and not then run off with my money. But sometimes, the simple low-tech option works just as well.

For example, for blind people, putting a couple of self-adhesive rubber bumps (available in packs for a few pence each) at the points around the washing machine dial that represent a hot and colour wash is an elegant solution. Similarly, putting an elastic band around the conditioner bottle to distinguish it from shampoo works a treat. There are hi-tech AI solutions that work as well, but let’s not forget simple adaptations along the way. An elastic band never needs charging after all, and a humble rubber bump still works when the wi-fi’s down…

Robin Christopherson is head of digital inclusion at AbilityNet. He blogs regularly here.