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The goal of the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP) is to ensure that every person with combined hearing and vision loss has access to modern telecommunication tools and the training necessary to use them, granting every individual the opportunity to interact with the world as an involved, contributing member of society. The program — promoted by iCanConnect — provides outreach, assessments, telecommunications technology and training free of charge to those who meet federal eligibility guidelines. For more information about the NDBEDP, including the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) consumer guide and eligibility rules, visit www.fcc.gov/NDBEDP.

Last year, Bacher, a biomedical engineer and neuroscientist, founded SpeakYourMind Foundation Inc., a registered non-profit organization that grew out of the BrainGate lab at Brown University with a mission to "develop and support personalized assistive technologies for individuals with motor and speech disabilities."His latest invention is the 'eyeBucket.' Bacher and his associates design and help people with ALS and other paralyzing disabilities to use low-cost head trackers and eye trackers that allow them to control a computer with eye movements.A relentless innovator, Bacher, 29, managed to raise the bar when the worldwide ice water brigade came along.

Today, we are opening up auto-captions to all YouTube users. There will even be a "request processing" button for un-captioned videos that any video owner can click on if they want to speed up the availability of auto-captions. It will take some time to process all the available video, so here are some things to keep in mind: While we plan to broaden the feature to include more languages in the months to come, currently, auto-captioning is only for videos where English is spoken. Just like any speech recognition application, auto-captions require a clearly spoken audio track. Videos with background noise or a muffled voice can't be auto-captioned. President Obama's speech on the recent Chilean Earthquake is a good example of the kind of audio that works for auto-captions. Auto-captions aren't perfect and just like any other transcription, the owner of the video needs to check to make sure they're accurate. In other cases, the audio file may not be good enough to generate auto-captions. But please be patient -- our speech recognition technology gets better every day. Auto-captions should be available to everyone who's interested in using them. We're also working to provide auto-captions for all past user uploads that fit the above mentioned requirements. If you're having trouble enabling them for your video, please visit our Help Center: this article is for uploaders and this article is for viewers.

As the Technology Coach for Educational Vision Services, the program in the NYC Department of Education that serves students in our school system with visual impairments, I have been looking for a way to provide students with low-vision access to large print using the iPad. Our students are registered with Bookshare.org but it has been a stumbling block converting the DAISY formatted books into the epub format that can be read on the iPad. While there are numerous options for our students who are auditory or Braille readers, there has been a large disconnect in taking advantage of technology for our students who require large print and alternate contrast for visual reading.

Click here to register for this event What: Identifying intervention strategies and applications for persons with complex communication needs remains a challenge. Multimodal approaches to AAC intervention within naturalistic environments provide significant opportunities for cultivating intentionality and supporting language acquisition. This series of webinars will aid in gaining insight into utilization of symbols for teaching and shaping behaviors that function as meaningful and appropriate communication. Participants will learn strategies for employing symbols and technology to support the four main purposes of communication: expressing wants and needs, developing social closeness, exchanging information and fulfilling social routines. Course 1 - June 21, 2011 - Unleash the Power of Augmentative and Alternative Communication Your AAC users are not talking with their peers, use few communicative functions and are unmotivated to communicate. What can be done to nourish functional, generative communication? This course will address using a variety of technologies and strategies to stimulate use of meaningful and appropriate communication. Learner Outcomes: The participant will be able to identify the meaning of functional communication and the requisites for communication. The participant will be able to describe six strategies for supporting the development of communication skills using single message devices. The participant will be able to explain 12 ways to utilize sequencers to encourage functional communication in a variety of settings. When: Webinar begins at 10:00am Mountain time. Session sign in begins 15 minutes prior. This session requires you to call in to access the audio. Certificate of Attendance will be available at completion.

Click here to register for this webinar What: Come and learn about the many low ($1-15) and mid-priced ($20-60) iPad apps out there to meet the needs of people with communication difficulties. These apps range from simple to complex, from word-based to icon- or picture-based. They are designed to facilitate communication for users of various ages and in various settings, including home, school, the community, and medical settings. See them, hear them, and hear what we think of them so you can make more informed choices about which to try for your particular situation. Learning Objectives: Gain an understanding of current accessible technologies avialable for people using an iPad or iTouch Learn the features of several low- and mid-priced communication apps Understand different considerations to make informed purchasing decisions When: Monday, October 17, 2011 12:30pm - 1:30pm Mountain Audience: K-12 Teachers, Therapists, AT Specialists and Anyone working with individuals using alternative forms of communication.

There was an amazing moment at Indianapolis today, as quadriplegic driver Sam Schmidt drove a specially outfitted car nearly 100 miles around the Indy 500 racetrack.

When a federal judge this week threw out a copyright infringement lawsuit against universities working on a project with Google to digitize millions of books, he unleashed Google's plans and opened the door to the distribution of these books to people who are blind or have other print disabilities. The National Federation of the Blind on Thursday applauded the ruling, saying it will give blind students and scholars fresh access to the 10 million books placed in the digital library created by Cornell University, Indiana University, University of California, University of Michigan, and the University of Wisconsin.

Today, however, most of the approximately 10,000 infants, children and youth who are deaf-blind in the U.S. live at home and attend local public schools. This change, Mr. Gense says, is incredibly positive and profound for children and families. However, it presents a growing challenge to serve an increasing number of widely dispersed children with complex disabilities, like deaf-blindness, in settings that often lack access to trained personnel on-site.

Project Endeavor is a program of CSD, funded by a two year contract with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).   This program focuses on providing deaf and hard of hearing Americans with access to broadband or high speed internet through discounted internet service plans and internet devices.   Project Endeavor also provides an array of training materials and educational resources for deaf and hard of hearing people.  For more information about Project Endeavor, Click here. Click here to contact us to see if you qualify for discounted internet services and devices. 

Founded in 1948 as Recording for the Blind, Learning Ally serves more than 300,000 K-12, college and graduate students, veterans and lifelong learners – all of whom cannot read standard print due to blindness, visual impairment, dyslexia, or other learning disabilities. Learning Ally’s collection of more than 70,000 digitally recorded textbooks and literature titles – downloadable and accessible on mainstream as well as specialized assistive technology devices – is the largest of its kind in the world. More than 6,000 volunteers across the U.S. help to record and process the educational materials, which students rely on to achieve academic and professional success. 

Travis Moses is a blind student who can’t always do his homework because an online program the University of Montana uses is inaccessible to him.Moses, a senior in the social work program, is one of some 1,121 students registered with UM’s Disability Student Services. He estimates from 75 percent to 90 percent of his classes have an online component – and some UM courses are only online.“I’ve been told every year, ‘Oh, we’re working on it,’ ” Moses said Monday. “Well, you know, I’ve gotten to the point that I doubt it. I’m angry that something was put in place that was not verified.”Last May, the Alliance for Disability and Students at the University of Montana – ADSUM – filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education alleging students such as Moses who have disabilities face discrimination at UM. On Monday, the department’s Office for Civil Rights confirmed in an email the complaint about educational technologies is under investigation.

Click here to apply for MYLF!What:MYLF (pronounced “my life”) is a unique career and leadership training program for high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors with disabilities. By serving as delegates from their communities, youth with disabilities will cultivate leadership, citizenship, and social skills.Delegates gain access to vital resources related to assistive technology, community support, and self-advocacy. Successful men and women with disabilities serve as role models in helping youth realize their abilities and obligations to pursue meaningful employment and contribute to society. This educational and motivational forum involves an intense schedule. Throughout the training, small "working groups" explore personal leadership and career plans.When:July 16-20, 2012Where:Helena, MontanaContact:June Hermanson Phone: (406)442-2576 mylfjuneh@bresnan.net

Students with disabilities face several longstanding challenges accessing services that may assist them as they transition from high school into postsecondary education or the workforce—services such as tutoring, vocational training, and assistive technology. Eligible students with disabilities are entitled to transition planning services during high school, but after leaving high school, to receive services that facilitate their transition they must apply as adults and establish eligibility for programs administered by multiple federal agencies. Students with disabilities may face delays in service and end up on waitlists if these programs are full. In addition, while all five states GAO contacted have taken steps to coordinate their transition services and assist families with the transition process, officials said that it is still difficult for students and their parents to navigate and for providers to coordinate services across different programs. Officials and parents GAO spoke with also noted a lack of sufficient information or awareness of the full range of service options available after high school on the part of students with disabilities, parents, and service providers. In addition, state and local officials said students with disabilities may not be adequately prepared to successfully transition to life after high school. This may be due, in part, to limited opportunities to engage in vocational and life skills training or obtain work experience while in school.

A week after announcing that the federal government will pay for tracking devices for kids with autism, officials are offering more details about how families can access the technology. Police departments nationwide will be able to make the tracking devices available to children in their communities who are at risk of wandering using money available through the Justice Department’s Byrne grant program, officials at the federal agency said.

In this example video, I show how to use Automator and Speakable Items to launch three apps simply by saying "Good morning" to my iMac. Sure, it's not exactly a super-useful example, but can you imagine how powerful this can be to someone who doesn't have good motor skills or has other accessibility issues? Use your imagination and Automator to see how you can use the power of your voice to control your Mac.

Braille Institute is proud to introduce ViA (Visually Impaired Apps), a fully accessible app for iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad.  ViA has been designed to help identify apps that are useful for adults and children who are blind or have low vision, including those with additional disabilities.  Users can easily sort through the 500,000+ apps in the App Store and locate those that were built specifically for, or provide functionality to, the user with a visual impairment.