Chieko Asakawa is the Chief Executive Director of the Japanese National Museum of Emerging Science & Innovation and also the IBM Distinguished Science professor at Carnegie Mellon University. At the age of 11, she started losing her sight because of a swimming pool accident and lost her sight completely by the time she was 14. Since then she has been on a quest to bring independence to the lives of blind people and over the years has significantly contributed to advancing web accessibility, including ground breaking work in digital braille and voice browser.

More recently, she has been focusing on improving navigation and communication for blind individuals using Artificial Intelligence (AI). Her latest invention is an AI enabled suitcase that uses cameras and sensors to  find the optimal path for the person to get to their destination, detect obstacles on their way, alert them of nearby stores, and also help with required actions, like joining a line.

Chieko thinks this is a game changer since someone like her can navigate independently without asking for help from anyone. Her plan is to make the suitcase smaller and lighter in the future so it can be taken everywhere without hassle. 

Watch the videos below to learn more about this AI enabled suitcase.

Source: Asia News

Interested in learning more about Chieko Asakawa’s work? Don’t miss the demos in her TED Talk below!

The post Artificial Intelligence Enabled Suitcase Can Become A Navigation Tool For Blind Individuals appeared first on Assistive Technology Blog.

Clothing designer Alexa Jovanovic is always looking out for how much disability inclusion is involved in clothing by fashion and clothing outlets. As she watched New York Fashion Week 2023, she saw all sorts of creative fashion elements but not inclusivity, which was disappointing too her. 

28 year old Alexa is working towards addressing needs for disabled individuals through her own brand Aille (pronounce “eye”) which incorporates fully legible Braille beadwork. Her interest in Braille fashion started as part of a fashion research project in college, the outcome of which was a prototype – a white shirt with black braille beadwork. Through this research project, Alexa also built strong relationships with local blind and visually impaired individuals and learned about shopping, clothing trends, closet organization, and society’s misconceptions of what it is like to “look  and feel” blind. 

The design process at Aille is called “co-design” and a diverse team of sighted and non sighted individuals (braille readers, fashion stylists, and disability advocates) is creating inclusive clothing, reducing disability related stigma, and creating awareness around the importance of disability. Their clothing consists of motivational and custom messages in braille beadwork. Even though inclusivity is the focus of the brand, the clothing is accessible and easy to wear and maintain, especially for disabled individuals. Aille products do not require ironing, are machine washable, and designed for walkability. The brand that started with a prototype shirt has extended its offerings to blazers, dresses, sweaters, pants and more in the three years of its existence,

Below are some of Aille’s products from their website along with their descriptions. (Click to enlarge)

Head to Aille’s website and watch the videos below to learn more about the brand’s Braille beadwork clothing. 

Source: Newsweek

The post Aille Is A Fashion Brand That Uses Braille Beadwork And Makes Accessible Clothing That Promote Inclusivity appeared first on Assistive Technology Blog.

As part of Black History Month, Google Doodle celebrated Haitian-American model and disability rights advocate Mama Cax. Mama Cax is known for her catwalks with her prosthetic leg and breaking barriers and expectations in the fashion industry.

Born in 1989 in Brooklyn, NY, Mama Cax was diagnosed with bone and lung cancer when she was 14. An unsuccessful hip replacement surgery at 16 resulted in her right leg getting amputated. Mama Cax was initially depressed by this outcome but eventually embraced it. She started advocating for inclusivity in fashion & social media, became a model in 2017, appeared on Teen Vogue in 2018, and walked in NYFW (New York Fashion Week) in 2019. Sadly, Mama Cax passed away in 2019 but she is remembered for her resilience, triumph over cancer, her impressive career, and for expanding the image of people with disabilities.

Watch the video below to learn more about Mama Cat’s life.

Source: Google

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Glen Lake Elementary School in Hopkins, MN has several students with physical disabilities that are unable to use playground equipment during recess. Troubled by the lack of adaptive playground equipment for their disabled classmates, the 5th grade class too matter in their own hands and through various fundraising activities that included collecting spare change, hosting bake sales, and asking for donations from local businesses successfully raised a whopping $300,000 for a new accessible, inclusive playground that will include a swing and merry-go-round. This playground is set to open in fall of 2023.

The students are not stopping here though. They are aiming to raise $700,000 to fund a fully accessible upper playground. An additional $75,000 will fund another accessible area near the grades 1/2 wing of the school, allowing wheelchair access to the outdoor classroom. But that’s not all! The school is aiming to raise a total of $900,000 to fund a wheelchair swing and merry-go-round at their neighboring school, Gatewood.

Head over to The Glen Lake Accessible Playground Project fundraising page to see the progress and to make a donation.

Source: CBS News

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A free online course called “Overcoming Dyslexia”, offered by Yale University, may be of interest to adults with Dyslexia, teachers and parents of children who have dyslexia, and anyone else who is interested in learning about the extraordinary progress science has made in understanding and clarifying this condition.

This 12 hour course, hosted on Coursera, is taught by Dr. Salle E Shaywitz, a physician-scientist who is on top of cutting-edge research to advance the science of dyslexia and Dr. Bennett A Shaywitz, Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity. It aims to help understand the progress being made in dyslexia research, acquire practical skills and strategies needed to overcome difficulties related to dyslexia, assistive technologies and accommodations available, and the law as it relates to dyslexic individuals. Dr. Salle Shaywitz is also the author of the book Overcoming Dyslexia.

Overcoming Dyslexia is broken down into 9 weeks with each week consisting of 7 to 10 videos and taking between one and two hours to complete.

Week 1: What is Dyslexia?
Week 2: Screening, Evaluating, and Diagnosing Dyslexia
Week 3: Effective Interventions for Young Children
Week 4: Choosing the Right School for your Dyslexic Child
Week 5: Preparing for College and Adulthood
Week 6: Comorbid Conditions
Week 7: Assistive Technologies and Accommodations
Week 8: The Law
Week 9: What to Remember

Head over to the Overcoming Dyslexia course on Coursera to sign up for free and watch the video below to learn more from Dr. Salle Shaywitz about research on dyslexia.

Additional resource: The Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity

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Applying makeup can be challenging for folks with visual impairment and many times, they have to reply on others to make sure their makeup is right. To help make this process easy without depending on others, Estée Lauder Companies recently launched a voice enabled app that can provide guidance and direction when a person applies makeup.

Called the Voice-enabled Makeup Assistant (VMA), the app uses augmented reality and artificial intelligence to analyze the user’s makeup and provides them feedback on coverage, uniformity, and boundaries of application with their lipstick, eyeshadow or foundation and also tells them specific areas that could be touched up.

This free app was tested with people from various ethnicities before it was released on the iOS App Store in the UK and will be made available in North America and other regions sometime later in 2023. The Android version is also expected to be released in 2023.

VMA is designed to work with any brand, not just Estée Lauder with future versions of this app expected to have tutorials, specific looks to choose from, and in-app purchases.

More cosmetics companies are making their products and services inclusive for people with disabilities. L’Oréal recently announced a lipstick applicator for people with limited arm mobility.

Hit the source links to learn more about VMA.

Source: Vogue Business, The Estée Lauder Companies

The post Estée Lauder’s Voice-Enabled Makeup Assistant (VMA) App Provides Makeup Feedback To People With Visual Impairment appeared first on Assistive Technology Blog.

At CES 2023, L’Oréal introduced a new lipstick applicator that will help people with limited arm mobility to apply lipstick easily.

HAPTA is a motorized applicator with smart motion controls that can hold a lipstick steadily for the user so they can apply lipstick without any issues. This system is made up of three parts – lipstick in a custom case, a gimbal on a mount and a grip. The user removes the lipstick from the case with the spring-loaded release, places it in the ring attached to the gimbal, then attaches the grip to the gimbal mount. Once the gimbal is brought to the lips, the user can apply it steadily without any issues.

As seen in the video below, even though it is meant to be used with one hand, it does require the use of two hands in the beginning to twist the lipstick out but it seems like L’Oréal will look into possibly making it work with just one.

HAPTA will be available in December of this year and will retail for between $149 and 199. Hit the source links for more details.

Source: Engadget (1), Engadget (2)

The post HAPTA Is L’Oréal’s Lipstick Applicator For People With Limited Arm Mobility appeared first on Assistive Technology Blog.

If you live in a major metropolitan city anywhere in the world, you probably rely on public transportation like trains and buses to move around in the city. For the most part, public transit is convenient, however, there are many documented instances where issues with bus and train stations, especially the ones with underground or elevated platforms, can be the source of frustration, helplessness and turmoil for senior and disabled community members. Issues like broken or absent elevators, missing automatic door openers, doors not wide enough for wheelchairs to pas through are a few that come to mind.

Fixing these issues is not possible overnight and usually requires budget approvals and jumping thought lengthy bureaucratic hoops. When decisions are indeed made to fix accessibility related issues though, it’s time to rejoice – not just because it’s a potential win for the disabled community but it’s also an opportunity for citizens and activists to make sure these projects are actually successfully completed – setting examples for other cities and transit authorities to follow suit. Recently, the Federal Transit Administration announced 15 different accessibility projects to make train stations accessible in IL, CT, MA, MD, NJ, NY, OH, PA, and WA by investing $686,000,000 to make stations ADA accessible.

If you live in Chicago (like me!) and commute to and from the University of Chicago/ Hyde Park area, you will be pleased to know that Metra, one of the two local train systems was recently awarded an infrastructure grant of by the Federal Transit Administration to make the 59th Street Metro station accessible and reopen a long closed entrance. For those not familiar with the area, the 59th St Metra station is really close to several buildings in the University of Chicago campus. This grant is meant to meet the American with Disabilities Act requirements and will enhance the station’s accessibility amenities by installing elevators at entrances, relocate stairs, widen doors, and install button activated openers. A design for the renovation is expected to be completed sometime in 2023, soon to be followed by construction that is expected to be finished in 2025.

This should provide significant convenience to disabled commuters to and from University of Chicago since the closest accessible station, 55th-56th-57th St, is half a mile north to it.

The 59th St Metra Station is not the only one getting revamped though. The 95th St Metra station, which services Chicago State University, is also getting 29 million dollars to make it fully ADA accessible by installing elevators, reconstructing the platform, adding a pedestrian tunnel and pathways to transit connections, and replacing audio and visual communication displays for ADA accessibility.

If you are interested in learning more about Metra accessibility initiatives, check out their accessibility webpage. There is also an option to join their ADA Advisory committee if that interests you.

The Federal Transit Administration’s All Stations Accessible Program makes funding available to repair, improve, remodel, retrofit, or relocate infrastructure within stations, especially as part of the new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Keep an eye on their website for future funding and other accessibility related announcements. If you are outside of the US, does your country have a similar administration or program that takes initiatives to make public transit accessible?

Source: Block Club Chicago

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The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) has announced that Michigan residents who are blind or visually impaired can now apply to receive an iBill Talking Banknote Identifier (currency reader) for free through the Michigan Braille and Talking Book Library.

The currency reader, a small handheld device that can identify U.S. denominations in circulation including $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100, has three options for identification: clear natural voice, a pattern of tones, or a pattern of vibrations for privacy. Those interested in applying for this currency reader can contact the library by phone (by calling 1-800-992-9012) or email (turnerb9@michigan.gov), and staff members will assist with the application process and answer questions. The currency reader will be mailed to the applicant the next business day. The Bureau of Services for Blind Persons, within LEO’s Office of Employment and Training, offers services and resources to support blind and visually impaired Michigan residents, including the Michigan Braille and Talking Book Library.

Watch the following video to learn more about the iBill Talking Banknote Identifier.

LEO – Currency readers now available to eligible Michiganders who are blind or visually impaired

Even though this was officially announced by the State of Michigan, all eligible blind and visually impaired US Citizens and national residents can receive a free currency reader through the Bureau of Engraving & Printing (BEP) as part of the Meaningful Access Program. Go to the Currency Reader Application Forms website to download the forms in English or Spanish.

If carrying a physical handheld device is not an option, you can also look at apps like Seeing AI that can detect currency bills as well among other things.

Source: Michigan.gov

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Designed in collaboration with families and children with sight loss, UK based charity Guide Dogs recently announced the launch of the UK’s first-ever inclusive Christmas grotto for children with a vision impairment.

The inclusive event aims to create a truly magical and immersive festive experience for all families to enjoy, including the Head Elf’s toy workshop where children will be able to touch and smell different gifts and discover what they will eventually become, a cookie decorating station, and a sensory story time.

In related news, Santas and Elves across the UK will be trained to make Christmas more inclusive for children with sight loss, including engaging in all senses and clearing their grottos of clutter.

Are you seeing similar efforts in other countries to make holiday activities inclusive for disabled children? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: Yahoo!

The post Guide Dogs Launches First Ever Christmas Grotto For Children WIth Vision Impairment appeared first on Assistive Technology Blog.

Microsoft recently announced Sign Language View – a new meeting experience that is meant to make remote video calls on Microsoft Teams a lot more accessible for deaf and hard of hearing users. This experience, currently in public preview, has added the following elements to make sure deaf and hard of hearing participants have clear and easy view of sign language being signed by sign language interpreters on the call:

1. Prioritize up to two other participant videos so they stay visible and in consistent location throughout the video.
2. Ensuring video feeds are in the appropriate shapes and size for sign language to be visible.
3. Having up to two signers prominently visible throughout the meeting.
4. When someone shares content, the signer’s video shifts position but remains high quality and larger size than the other videos.
5. Sign language view is personal to the user and will not impact what others will see in the meeting.

This is the first of many features planned on the roadmap and Microsoft has also provided documentation on how to use Sign Language View and its related features. Watch the video below and hit the source link to learn more about this new experience. Microsoft is also doing an AMA (Ask Me Anything) for everyone to learn more about this experience and ask questions.

Source: Microsoft

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‘When I was driving at night the glare was unbearable. That problem’s gone. It’s been a saviour. I would say that the mask has given me my life back – not only can I see so much clearer, but it has enabled me to carry out my job safely again.”

That quote is from Michelangelo Biasiucci, a 64 year old from London who is one of many to have benefited from Noctura 400,  a facemask designed to treat diabetics at risk of blindness.

Healthy individuals get an adequate flow of blood and oxygen to their eyes, however, those with advanced diabetes do not since they tend to have narrower and weaker blood vessels incapable of meeting the required oxygen demand. Even though the body attempts to compensate by growing more blood vessels, the new ones tend to be weak, causing fluid leaks and ultimately damaging surface of the retina. Night time usually elevates this because adapting to the dark means higher demand for oxygen by the eyes. Over a period of time, individuals form dark spots in their vision and can possibly lose their sight in the long run.

To prevent vision loss because of this, diabetics can wear the Noctura 400 which emits a green light on a wavelength that is absorbed by the cells in our eyes that provide night time vision. At night, the cells are tricked into remaining in their daytime state so they don’t demand more oxygen and ultimately create more leaky vessels.

When people with diabetic retinopathy lose vision, they can get injections in their eyes that can stop the growth of new vessels, however, they are a lot more intrusive, uncomfortable, risky, and expensive. Noctura 400 is a non-intrusive and non-surgical home treatment that works when the patient is sleeping.

In a clinical trial involving 48 patients who wore this mask every night, 42 of them saw significant improvement in their vision. Following years of clinical trials on the British-made Noctura 400, Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Surrey has put it to use on patients with diabetic retinopathy.

Watch the videos below and hit the source link to learn more about Noctura 400.

Source: Daily Mail

The post Noctura 400 Is A Facemask That Can Prevent Vision Loss Caused From Diabetes appeared first on Assistive Technology Blog.

Sound Notifications, an accessibility feature in Android, was introduced in 2020 to identify sounds in and around households and notify deaf and hard of hearing users. Originally, it came with a limited number of sounds in its alert library but now users can add their own custom sounds to the alert library to get notified the next time they sound.

Designed in partnership with the Deaf and hard of hearing community, a user’s phone can identify critical sounds like fire alarms, microwave ovens, running water, door knocks, baby sounds, etc. and notify them on their phone or watch as they occur. The notifications can be vibrations on their devices or flashing lights on their phone which are useful for deaf users or anyone using noise cancelling headphones.

Sound Notifications uses machine learning to identify these sounds and works completely offline.

Sound Notifications can be found in Settings->Accessibility. If you are unable to find this option, you can download both Live Transcribe & Notifications from Google Play, then go to settings and turn on Sound Notifications.

Watch the video below to see how it works and if you have an Android phone, give this feature a shot and let us know how well it works!

Source: Google

The post Sound Notifications in Android Now Detect Custom Sounds For Deaf Users appeared first on Assistive Technology Blog.

University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign recently announced the Speech Accessibility Project in collaboration with some large tech companies like Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft, as well as other not for profit organizations whose communities will benefit from this initiative.

Voice Assistants (Alexa, Siri, etc.) and other speech recognition systems today don’t do a good job of identifying voice commands from people who have diversity of speech patterns resulting from Lou Gehrig’s disease or Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Cerebral Palsy, and Down syndrome. UIUC researchers will recruit paid volunteers to collect speech samples from individuals who have these speech patterns. There is heavy use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in speech recognition systems and these new speech samples will be used to train machine learning models more effectively and accommodate speech patterns representing people with speech impairment.

So why are all these companies joining hands? Because they all create solutions that use voice recognition so instead of duplicating efforts, they are all working together to create a common dataset that can be used by all. The belief that inclusive speech recognition should be a universal experience is the core fundamental driving this one of a kind collaboration.

Sign up for this research if you or someone you know is interested in participating in this multi year research project. Frequently asked questions are available if you want more information about this initiative.

The post Speech Accessibility Project Aims To Make Voice Recognition Systems More Useful For People With Speech Impairment appeared first on Assistive Technology Blog.

Google recently announced a new feature on the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro that will enable users with visual impairment to take better selfies! This new feature, called “Guided Frame”, is a voice coach that guides the user to move their phone up, down or to the sides so their face is well positioned in the frame and even take the photo for the user.

With a smart camera in practically everyone’s hands, selfies provide a way for people to express themselves in various ways. Many visually impaired users are unable to take selfies because they cannot frame themselves correctly. Guided Frame provides a camera experience that’s inclusive and enables visually impaired to take good selfies and have fun with them. To turn on Guided Frame, one has to enable TalkBack and then use the Google camera app to take selfies.

Let’s hope that this feature comes to all Android phones very soon and Apple follows suit and introduces this feature in iPhones too!

Source: Pocket-lint

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Jake always loved to bring coffee to his dad at his record store in Norristown, PA. As his interest in coffee grew, he started researching the process of making coffee and learned about all the types of beans, blends, temperatures, and milk needed to make good coffee. When the pandemic hit and the record store closed and Jake couldn’t follow the routine he had set for himself, he started a curbside coffee cart outside the record store through which he got overwhelming support from his community. During the enforced shutdown, Jake and his family were able to hold two curbside coffee cart fundraisers. With the donations, he constructed a custom cart called “Coffee Closet with Barista Jake” which now permanently stays inside Vinyl Closet Records, his parents’ record store.

Jake started making different types of coffee and recently got a license to serve food as well. Jake’s business now employs other young people with disabilities. And Jake’s mother helps them with resume preparation, mock interviews and prepares them to join the workforce. The Coffee Closet is also helped Jake find the social side of himself through interactions with his coworkers.

Watch the video below to learn more about Coffee Closet with Barista Jake.

Jake can also be found on TikTok as baristajake.

@baristajake #FYP #SHEINcares #autismoftiktok #specianlneedysyoungadult #worklife #baristajakesteam@theskilledbaratone @fawnonthem00n ♬ The Hustle – Van McCoy

Source: CBS News

The post Coffee Closet With Barista Jake Is A Business Run By Autistic Man With A Mission Of Inclusion appeared first on Assistive Technology Blog.

The general perception out there when it comes to vision is that you either have it fully or you’re completely blind. If someone loses vision, we tend to think that a switch was flipped to the off position, causing them to lose all of their vision. However, there are many instances where an individual may lose sight gradually over a long period of time. In fact, 85% of legally blind people can see some light and their vision can change throughout the day. They may be able to see a person quite well in one moment and in the next, perhaps not so much. This documentary aims to show the audience what it’s like to slowly lose vision.

In the first episode of a three part documentary series, New York Times features Yvonne Shortt – a talented sculptor who is legally blind, losing her vision slowly to an optical disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa. She is able to see some things some of the times, depending on ambient lighting, her distance from the object, where the object is in her line of vision, etc. In this episode, Yvonne starts with the question that many people tend to have when they meet her – you don’t look blind! She shares with us the moment in her life when she realized something was wrong and what she found through further investigation and talking to five doctors – that she will lose her vision altogether in the future. In the 13 years since her diagnosis, she has developed many ways to adapt including “scanning”. She also talks about how her perceptions towards the white cane changed when she joined a support group.

Through her artwork that involves installation, sculpture, and paint, Yvonne’s subjects of exploration are community, disability, race, equity, and equality. Check out her work on her Instagram and website.

Source: New York Times, Laughing Squid

The post Compelling New York Times Documentary About Legally Blind Artist Aims To Help Expand Our Definition Of Blindness appeared first on Assistive Technology Blog.

Putting on clothes can sometimes already seem like an arduous day-to-day task. Adding on limited dexterity and mobility for those with disabilities, it then becomes stressful and can drive a person to lose their dignified independence by asking for help with this daily task.

Don Horton, a college football coach, found himself struggling to button his shirt one day because of Parkinson’s disease at an early age. Limited mobility is one of the side effects associated with Parkinson’s, and as someone who traveled regularly for business, his inability to dress himself up made him anxious. This is when Maura Horton, his wife, came up with a way to help him with his daily challenge. By adding magnets to the shirt, she created a product that brought back independence in his daily routine.That’s how Magnaready, the adaptive clothing line, was born in 2013.

MagnaReady clothing products consider usability and functionality for those who have disabilities like Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, neuropathy, and those who have experienced strokes. Whether it be the hidden patented magnetic closure systems, pull loops, or stretch waistbands, MagnaReady provides a classic and stylish look without compromising comfort and ease while dressing.

MagnaReady’s extensive line of clothing has everything for everyone, be it casual clothing, activewear or sleepwear – from shirts & polos and pants to tops, dresses, sweaters and bottoms. If you go to MagnaReady’s website, you can also shop by needs – Parkinson’s clothing, Arthritis clothing, Multiple sclerosis solutions, easy closure options, and wheelchair products.

If you have someone who needs more independence and convenience while dressing up, Magnaready may be the best option for them. Look at their entire catalog at magnaready.com.

The post Magnaready’s Clothes Are Great For Disabled People Who Are Unable To Self-Dress appeared first on Assistive Technology Blog.

When we look at storage space in our immediate environment, it’s mostly horizontal in the form of cabinets, shelves, and tabletop surfaces. More often than not, we clutter these spaces and finding items in an unorganized space can cause frustrations and ultimately impact our physical and mental wellness negatively. The clutter can easily go out of control in smaller urban apartments where floor and storage space is minimal. A messy environment is especially challenging for people with disabilities and senior adults who may have mobility challenges and may not be able to reach for items easily.

To address these challenges and contribute to the de-cluttering process in a person’s living space, Mengzi Zhang, a Ph.D student at Cornell’s Architectural Robotics Lab started looking beyond floor space and created a working prototype of a swarm of small assistive robots that can take advantage of wall space even if it’s not reachable to store personal items and not only deliver them as and when needed.

Zhang calls these wall climbing robots SORT (Self Organized Robot Team) that can deliver items to the user by slowly scaling the walls in their environment. As the video shows below, with some gestures, the robot can not only fetch the needed items but also put them back when the user is done with them. Other potential uses can be delivering mail, bringing a mask when the user approaches a door, being a light source in dark places, and reminding the user to take medication.

Here’s another scenario where depending on time of the day, SORT brings John his medication and other items to help him recover from COVID.

At this stage, SORT is a lab experiment and a working prototype but this system definitely has potential. How do you envision SORT can help you? What else would you like it to do? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: IEEE

Additional reading: Self-Organizing Robot Team (SORT): A Multi- Robot, Wall Climbing Organizer-and-Delivery System for Living Spaces

How Many Robots Do You Want? A Cross-Cultural Exploration on User Preference and Perception of an Assistive Multi-Robot System

The post PROTOTYPE: Self Organized Robot Team (SORT) Is A Swarm Of Assistive Robots That Can Help Disabled People De-clutter And Organize Their Living Spaces appeared first on Assistive Technology Blog.

There was a ton of excitement when the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was launched into space last month. What made the excitement exponentially larger was when NASA made the first few photos received from JWST public. The pictures were gorgeous and stunning, and the world was captivated by the sheer beauty of our universe as shown by these photos.

These stunning photos, which are a feast for our eyes, were accompanied by something that made sure blind people enjoyed these photos as much as sighted people did – alt text! Now, the alt text attached to these images were not just 1-2 sentences giving a vague description of the images. These were descriptive, poetic, and scientifically accurate. It is clear that the team that wrote them (STCI – Space Telescope Science Institute) put a lot of thought and care into them. 

Take a look at the first few photos from JWST below and their image descriptions. You can also access these descriptions on the JWST website under “Image Description” on the left menu (pdf). The images also have alt text that will be read out loud by your screen reader.

Through these photos, NASA has taught us that alt text is and should not be an afterthought. There are many individuals who are passionate about space, and it only makes sense to provide the rich and detailed experience they deserve through various means that work for them.

Has seeing these detailed descriptions influenced how you will write alt texts in the future? Let us know in the comments below! 

Read more on Washington Post

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