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Accessibility — also referred to as inclusivity — is all about making the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad work for as wide a range of people as possible. That can include the very young, the very old, people brand new to computers and mobile devices, and also people with disabilities and special needs. With iOS, Apple has added features to specifically help those with visual impairments, including blindness, color blindness, and low vision, with auditory impairments including deafness in one or both ears, physical or motor skill impairments, including limited coordination or range of motion, and learning challenges, including autism and dyslexia. It also includes general features, like Siri and FaceTime which can provide significant value for the blind or the deaf. Many of these features can be found in Settings, all of them can be found on the iPhone and iPad.

Editor's Note: This review of the iPhone will probably be the deepest you'll ever read. Austin Seraphin is legally blind, though he can some light and color. He believes the device is the future of accessibility for the visually impaired. The powerful story he tells here explains why.

Although many iPhone developers spend their time working on apps that entertain and amuse, there are many apps that have a job to do. For the disabled, iPhone apps can be a way to connect with others and their world in a new way. Check out these Top 15 iPhone Apps for the Disabled which have helped people from all walks of life overcome their daily limitations.

At first many blind people thought that the iPhone would never be accessible to them, with its flat glass screen. But the opposite has proved true.

In a much anticipated release, at this year’s Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) conference HumanWare and Code Factory debuted Oratio for the BlackBerry, the first-ever screen reader for the visually impaired using this smart phone. Oratio uses text-to-speech technology to convert the visual information displayed on the BlackBerry screen into audio output. Finally, visually impaired persons who don’t have an iPhone can have an accessible experience (the iPhone uses Apple’s proprietary VoiceOver screen reader.)

Click here for more information on this webinar! (PDF)Register for the webinar here!What:Continuing with the Strategies for Success Webinar Series, parents Jennifer Bertram (Meghan's mom) and Elizabeth Aquino (Sophie's mom) share their stories of how communication programs and technology such as the iPhone and iPad have helped them communicate with their non-verbal children. Our featured speaker, Cindy Cottier, a renowned speech-language pathologist and communications specialist, provides and in depth view of various communication tools and explains how the iPad is used as a communication tool for children and youth with epilepsy and other developmentally disabilities.• Hear Jennifer's amazing story of Meghan using her iPhone• Listen with delight as Elizabeth shares how the iPad has bonded their family closer together• Learn from Cindy the benefits of the iPad along with applications for varied levels of communication• Explore other tools, techniques and apps (free and low cost) that parents can useWhen:February 14, 201212:00 pm - 1:00 pm MSTContact:Valerie Hill Phone: 301-918-3728.Email: parentinfo@efa.org

Chosen to be a torchbearer at the 2012 Summer Games, blind ultra-runner Simon Wheatcroft will carry the Olympic Flame running solo -- with only the guidance of his iPhone. “If you had asked me three years ago if training alone was possible while being blind I would have said no," Wheatcroft told FoxNews.com. "Now I do it and ... I realize perhaps a lot of things are possible.” The RunKeeper app uses the GPS tracker in the iPhone to track your runs, including duration, distance, pace, calories burned, and path traveled on a map. The app reads your current stats over your headphones as you run, and the virtual coach warns if you are ahead or behind pace. “This allowed me to match distances with markers on my route. So I would pair a dip before a turn with a distance marker from RunKeeper," Wheatcroft explained.

Jane Farrall has constructed a great table listing all the important features about all the known assistive/adaptive communication (AAC) applications for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. She’s actively updating the table in response to feedback, this is a great resource for those looking for information about AAC out there.

As you probably know, there are an increasing number of iPhone/iPod touch/iPad Apps for AAC available on the iTunes store.  So many that I’m having trouble keeping them straight in my own head – so I thought a blog was in order as that would be something for us all to refer to. I have listed all the AAC Apps I am aware of below – along with some salient features. Keeping in tune with the idea of user ratings encouraged by iTunes, I have also added my own rating column from one to three stars. I have also put the Apps into three groups – Apps with symbols/pictures only, Apps with symbols/pictures and text-to-speech and Apps with text-to-speech only. It has ended up being a long table – but I hope you find it useful.

Speak It! is an application for iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad which lets you enter text via the regular keyboard and then speak the words via the built-in speaker, or save them to an audio file to email to others.

The Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) 2011 Webinar Series has added a new collection of live, interactive, online educational events. They cover a broad range of topics to help you enhance your knowledge of assistive technology and the skills needed to support the products and process.  ATIA has tapped into national leaders in their field to bring you this outstanding collection of webinars.  Upcoming webinars for JANUARY through JUNE - You can go to our website for complete session abstracts, learning outcomes, and speaker biographies: Don't miss our new "There's An App for That" Series with Dr. Therese Willkomm and Phyllis Watson who bring you in-depth discussions of the apps for selected functional areas.  Sign-up for all three at one time and receive a discount! AT11-WEB01:  Apps for the iPad, iTouch, & iPhone on Remembering, Prompting, Organizing, Assessing, and Increasing Productivity - REGISTER Thursday, January 13, 2011   1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Mountain Time Overview:  Productivity at home, school and work is affected by how well we are organized and can remember essential tasks that need to be performed.  This webinar will demonstrate apps that can help with executive functioning such as reminders and prompts to completing essential tasks.  In addition, the webinar will also review various apps related to organization, time management, and online assessment tools.  - Full abstract AT11-WEB04:  Apps for the iPad, iTouch, & iPhone on Alternative and Augmentative Communication - REGISTER Thursday, February 17, 2011   1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Mountain Time Overview:  There are over 30 different apps that can benefit individuals who experience various communication impairments.  This webinar will review 20 of the most successful apps for children and adults.  In addition, apps related to sign language will also be discussed. - Full abstract AT11-WEB08:  Apps for the iPad, iTouch, & iPhone on Reading, Writing and Arithmetic - REGISTER Wednesday, March 23, 2011   1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Mountain Time Overview:   This webinar will demonstrate apps that can assist in reading using text to speech, narration, and audio books; apps that use voice recognition or text expanders to increase writing ability and speed; flash card apps and math tutorial apps; and apps that will quiz you. - Full abstract

ZoomReader is an iPhone app that combines the iPhone’s camera with high quality OCR, flexible reading options (magnification, contrast, etc.), excellent text-to-speech, and even voice recognition for commands. Aisquared is to be commended for putting all of this together for only $20.  They’re not only making accessibility simple, they’re making it affordable!

As libraries evolve to meet the needs of their information-overloaded user base, the SirsiDynix development team actively expands its offerings for on-the-go library users. Among this development is the industry-leading SirsiDynix BookMyne™ iPhone application, bringing convenient, social-savvy library functionality into your users’ everyday activities. In addition to providing mobile access to in-demand library information, holdings and services, BookMyne 2.1 offers a myriad of patron-pleasing features including: Barcode scanning capability, so library users can scan the barcode of a book at a bookstore or friend’s home and retrieve availability information on the book at the patron’s library of choice; Social recommendation engine powered via Goodreads, enabling iPhone or iPod Touch users to search library holding for friend-recommended reads; New York Times best seller list cross-referencing, enabling users to immediately cross-check the best seller list with library holdings and place holds remotely; Enhanced account interaction, including the ability for library users to view fines and fees on their Apple mobile device.

It's finally here! You have been hearing about ZoomReader for a couple of months now, and we are pleased to officially announce that our ZoomReader app is available for purchase in the iTunes App Store for just $19.99! So what exactly is ZoomReader? Using your built-in camera on the iPhone 4, you can zoom in on printed text or apply a color filter to make everything easier on your eyes. It's not just a video magnifier; you can also snap a picture of something and ZoomReader will convert it into text using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology and then read the text back to you! Many of the features in ZoomReader are available via voice control, too - just say "take picture" and seconds later it'll appear on screen. Just think - now you can read the small print on a receipt, box, menu, or pill bottle. Whether you're on the go or using ZoomReader to help you read a newspaper in the comfort of your living room, this quick and powerful program does everything a dedicated video magnifier can do and then some - from the convenience of your iPhone and at a much lower price. Get your copy today in the iTunes App Store . If you'd like more information, you can visit our mobile website where you'll find a bunch of how-to videos.