Zappos Rolls Out PBS KIDS Collection For Children With Special Needs

Online retail giant Zappos is teaming up with PBS KIDS to introduce a line of shoes and sunglasses designed to meet the needs of kids with disabilities. Read More ;

6th-grader's video game explores accessibility

Rome Nardin, a sixth-grade student at Navigator Academy of Leadership, designed a video game for kids with visual impairments as a science fair project. Nardin uses hearing aids and says he enjoys video games because he doesn't need to hear in order to play, and he wanted to push the boundaries of accessible games for players whose visual impairments mean they must rely more on their hearing.

Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Fla.) (tiered subscription model)

Seeing AI: EYE Like It!

Microsoft just came out with a new app for iOS products: the Seeing AI application.  This app debuted in July and already has created quite the buzz among people who are visually impaired or blind.  The app was designed in part by software engineer Saqib Shaikh who is blind.  Because of his impairment, Saqib knew the challenges people face every day with blindness.  The app is great because it uses the camera on an iPhone or iPad to describe the world.  There are several channels to use in just one app.  The best part of the app is that it is completely FREE!  Continue Reading...

How to Accommodate and Support a Child with a Visual Impairment

Parenting a child with a visual impairment requires special considerations at every stage of life — from birth through early childhood, adolescence, and even into adulthood. Your challenge is to strike a balance between providing support and fostering independence. To give children with visual impairments a safe and comfortable life, learn how their development differs from those without a visual impairment. Be aware that you’ll need to make modifications to your home and financial plans to keep your child safe now and in the future. General Development Your visually impaired child may take longer to hit certain milestones, like crawling…  Read in browser »

Turn a Smartphone into a Handheld Electronic Magnifier for Under $2.00!

Handheld electronic magnifiers are amazing tools that provide users with clear digital magnification for reading, writing, and more. Within them is software which allows users to adjust the contrast and colors of whatever they are better trying to see.  http://ndipat.org/blog/turn-a-smartphone-into-a-handheld-electronic-magnifier-for-under-2-00/

Opera star funds research into tech for individuals with vision impairments

Italian opera star Andrea Bocelli is funding research on new technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northeastern University to make it easier for individuals with vision impairments like himself to live independently, travel and to improve social interactions. Bocelli's foundation is contributing to the development of the Fifth Sense Project, which has created wearable device prototypes that lead researcher Seth Teller said will "combine sensing, computation and interaction" to give the visually impaired task-appropriate information that sighted people would get with their eyes. WBUR-FM (Boston)/Common Health (12/6)   http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2013/12/blind-opera-superstar-andrea-bocelli-seeks-high-tech-vision-at-mit