Our daily chores and activities require the use of our arms and in several cases, decent amount of strength. In many cases, individuals lose strength in their arms because of various disorders like muscular dystrophies, traumatic incidents like strokes or simply aging. To make up for lost strength, researchers have been working on various types of lightweight exoskeletons that can provide the appropriate amount of strength and comfort needed for individuals to perform movements required for activities like cooking, cleaning and other activities that require movement of limbs. The latest addition to these exoskeletons is the Myoshirt being developed by ETH Zürich.

Textile based, lightweight, and weighing only eight pounds, the Myoshirt can be worn just like a vest and combined with or hidden under normal clothing. Meant to provide shoulder stability and mobility while moving arms, the Myoshirt adds an external layer of muscles and enhances arm movements needed by people with upper limb impairments. Movements are detected by motion and force sensors and do not require any additional input by the user.

In a recent study with twelve participants, it was found that an individual with muscular dystrophy was able to increase endurance by roughly 60 percent. Another individual with spinal cord injury was able to perform exercises for three times as long.

In the next phase, ETH Zürich wants to test their prototype outside the lab in the natural environment of future wearers and continue to enhance it.

Source: Futurism, ETH Zürich

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Microtia is a condition which causes the ear to remain small and undeveloped. People with this condition have received 3D printed ear implants made out of polymers but thanks to a new method created by New York based 3DBio Therapeutics, a recipient recently received a 3D printed ear implant made from her own living tissue. 

This implant, named AuriNovo, is a patient-matched 3D implant specifically for Microtia. The process starts with a 3D scan of the patient’s opposite ear to get an accurate geometry for the full form ear implant. In the next step, a collagen hydrogel scaffold is printed using a custom printer the company has built and the patient’s own auricular cartilage (outermost portion of the ear) cells are integrated into the scaffold, creating a full sized living ear, ready for transplant. The printer uses artificial intelligence to print the complex materials and geometries for the ear.

This implant is part of as study that started in August 2021 with 11 patients in the trial. The first implant surgery occurred back in March this year. Through this study, the the company aims to investigate the safety and aesthetic properties of this new procedure.

Read the source link and watch the video below for more information.

Source: 3DPrinting.com

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Music Health, a Music Wellness Technology innovator, has developed and launched Vera, an intuitive music intervention tool designed for the care of people affected by dementia. Through a strategic, industry-first agreement, Vera App users are able to access the entire catalogue from Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s leading music-based entertainment company, to develop personalised music stations specifically designed to improve the lives of people living with dementia every day.  As an exclusive launch partner, UMG brings a diverse and comprehensive global music catalogue to Vera users.

Vera is now approved by Apple for download via the App Store in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the USA, with the cross-sector Music for Dementia campaign welcoming the launch to help improve the lives of people impacted by dementia. The launch is the culmination of Music Health’s rigorous three-year development process which involved global research and development of the underlying technology that allows Vera to curate the perfect song at the right time for every individual listener.

The announcement follows the launch at Universal Music UK of the Power Of Music, a report from UK Music and Music for Dementia, which outlines a blueprint to use music to help transform communities and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing. It includes a commitment from Universal Music UK to develop a dynamic online resource which will serve as a music and dementia information hub. 

Grace Meadows, campaign director, Music for Dementia, says, “Research shows that music is much more impactful for people living with dementia when it holds meaning and is associated with moments from someone’s life. In our recently launched Power of Music report, which sets out how we can be harnessing the power of music more to support health and wellbeing, we emphasised the need for a personalised approach to embedding music in health and social care, and the Vera App helps carers to do that.”

The power of personalised music to affect a significant improvement in cognitive function for people in dementia care is evidenced by international scientists and neurologists, including award-winning neuroscientist and best-selling author, Daniel J. Levitin; the late physician, best-selling author and professor of neurology, Dr. Oliver Sacks; and Ronald Devere, M.D., director of the Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center in Austin, Texas.

Dr. Ren Minghui from the World Health Organization, says, “While there is no curative treatment for dementia, the proactive management of modifiable risk factors can delay or slow onset or progression of the disease.  I urge all stakeholders to make the best use of these recommendations to improve the lives of people with dementia, their carers and their families.”

Vera analyses the age of the dementia affected person, where they grew up, and how they react to certain music. It uses these criteria to autonomously curate the right songs at the right times to effectively manage the Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD). 

More than 80 percent of people living with dementia experience BPSD, manifesting as agitation, aggression, depression, or confusion. Vera stimulates the part of the brain responsible for long-term memory to help manage the impact of BPSD, easing the care routine of those living with dementia. Listening to personally significant music – all the noteworthy songs from our own life – is shown to effectively decrease the effects of BPSD helping to improve mood, cognitive function, motor functions and brain plasticity.

Vera curates songs from UMG’s unrivalled catalogue, the world’s largest, most diverse and culturally rich collection of blues, classical, country, folk, jazz, pop, R&B, reggae, rock ‘n’ roll, soul and soundtracks. The songs are autonomously curated and played directly from the Vera app via speakers or headphones.

With more than 20,000 hours of observation and rigorous analysis, combined with research from the Global Centre for Modern Ageing, confirms that Vera has a significant positive impact on the quality of life of people dealing with BPSD. While not a cure, Vera is a tool that can temporarily improve the cognitive function and mood of the person living with dementia making it easier to care for them.

Stephen Hunt, Music Health co-founder, says, “We’ve built Vera to know and find the music that means the most and has the biggest effect for each person living with dementia. It acts like a music detective, that seeks out tunes that they used to love a long time ago but may have forgotten about, which their carers may have never heard of, and their families may not even know.”

Vera is a product of Australian collaborative innovation. Music Health credits Barossa Village, Dementia Australia, the Australian Department of Health and the Global Centre For Modern Ageing (GCMA) for helping realise the innovation since 2019.

The Department of Health provided a research grant in 2019, following Vera winning Dementia Australia’s Decoding Dementia competition.

“I’m thrilled that we’ve been able to bring Vera to market thanks to our amazing partnership with Universal Music Group and the many care home and researchers that have made it possible.  It’s thanks to their early support for the concept that we’ve been able to deliver this foundational change to the daily lives of those living with dementia, here and around the world,” adds Hunt.

Michael Nash, UMG’s Executive Vice President of Digital Strategy, says, “From rigorous workouts to peaceful meditation to restorative sleep cycles, music is deeply integrated into numerous innovations promoting health and wellbeing. Now, scientists are finding that music is also a powerful tool for helping those suffering from the effects of dementia and memory loss. At UMG, we are working with a wide range of companies to develop therapeutical applications of music and we ‘re proud to partner with Music Health on Vera to help improve the lives of so many around the world.”

Barossa Village, an aged care organisation, worked with Music Health to refine the app and validate the impact Vera has on people living with dementia. This included daily monitoring of the changes Vera had on the people being cared for at Barossa Village as listening sessions were integrated into the daily routine of care. Findings from the studies showed an overall increase in quality of life for participants, especially after using Vera for several months. You can view a video of Barossa Village’s experience here.

“Vera provides playlists that are targeted and tailored to how each of our residents relates to their favourite songs. It’s an amazing innovation. And family members love it as they can participate in a shared experience with mum or dad, grandad or nanna,” says Matt Kowald, General Manager, Integrated Care at Barossa Village.

Vera is currently in trials with BUPA, an international healthcare company headquartered in the UK serving more than 31 million customers across the world, as well as several of Australia’s most innovative health and aged care providers offering hospital care, residential care and community services.

Vera is available in:

• Australia for AUD $119.99 for a 12-month care plan.
• Canada for CAD $89.99 for a 12-month care plan.
• New Zealand for NZD $119.99 for a 12-month care plan.
• U.K. for GBP £69.99 for a 12-month care plan.
• U.S. for USD $89.99 for a 12-month care plan.

Download Vera from the Apple App Store.

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Bradley Hennessey was 16 when he started developing “an Aspie Life” – a video game that centers around what it’s like to live with Autism. Bradley, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, first released this experimental adventure game in 2018. Since then, not only has Bradley made several updates to the game and provided bug fixes based on gamers’ feedback, he is also ready to launch the prequel to the game titled “An Aspie Life Beginnings”.

An Aspie Life tells the story of a young Autistic man whose roommate leaves for no reason, leaving him to face the outside world all by himself. The game intentionally incorporates several facets of the day to day an autistic person deals with. For example, all characters in the game are just black outlines so their body language cannot be read. However, this is an opportunity for the player to interact with these characters with limited vocabulary. Of course, conversations with others can cause stress, uneasiness, happiness and other emotions. The character can regenerate their “feelings meter” by going to a quiet place. Environmental sounds are also measured on the sound sensitivity meter which means that the player always has to keep sounds under control so as not to overwhelm the character. Finally, the dark blue/purple theme represents social isolation in addition to paying homage to the 80s/90s.

“Video games can be entertaining and educational. When these two qualities are combined, the player not only enjoys being informed, they are also more likely to remember the key themes of the game. ‘An Aspie Life’ is a video game that explores autism through the life experiences of the central character and playing a video game can be more enjoyable and informative than reading literature and watching documentaries” – Tony Attwood

Bradley is just about to release the prequel “An Aspie Life Beginnings”. Set in a small town on an island far, far away, three kids with disabilities solve a decade long mystery while discovering more about themselves in the process. Along with our protagonist from the original game who is on the Autism spectrum, we are joined by a girl with low vision and a boy with hearing loss. As the player cycles through these characters, they also get to experience the character’s disabilities. For example, when the girl is chosen, the screen becomes darker around the edges. There are several audio, visual and gameplay cues to guide the player throughout the game. One big difference you will see is that the world in the prequel is much more vivid and the environments and characters are closer to reality than in An Aspie Life.

The games are meant to bring the “experience” of living with Autism and other disabilities, however, it is important to reinforce the fact that both these games were developed by a disabled person himself. Parents, employers, caregivers, and individuals with disabilities should take note of the realms of possibilities here.

While you wait for An Aspie Life Beginnings to come out, head over to Steam to play the original An Aspie Life for free.

Source: Fast Company

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There are several blind photographers out there (like Bruce Hall) who use their cameras not just for taking photos but also looking at objects in their immediate surroundings. Just because they use their cameras regularly does not mean they can navigate their camera menus easily.

The Sony A7 IV plans to change that with its built in screen reader for its menu. Once turned on, the A7 IV can read aloud digital text on the camera’s display, allowing blind users to interact with the camera menu much easily. The screen reader options can be accessed from Menu->Setup->Accessibility->Screen Reader. Here, you can toggle the screen reader on or off as well as set the speed and volume at which the menu options will be read aloud.

Even though the current screen reader is not perfect (it does not read everything – the Quick Menu, for example), it is still a great inclusion and sets the right precedence for other manufacturers to follow.

Learn more about the built-in screen reader in the video below.

Source: Digital Photography Review

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Many Braille literate blind and deafblind users use refreshable braille displays with their Android devices to touch-read and type out braille dots that represent text. Usually, people connect their Android devices using the BrailleBack app which is a separate download or use a virtual keyboard within Talkback instead of a physical device.

In the upcoming Android 13 Beta, which should be available to users in the next few weeks, Google is providing out of the box support for Braille displays within Talkback, Android’s screen reader. With this new update, there will be no need for additional downloads to use most Braille displays. For example, users will be able to use display buttons to navigate their screen, compose emails, make phone calls, send text messages or read books There will be shortcuts for scrolling/moving to the next character, word or line as well as for editing documents – like jumping to the end of documents or selecting, copying, and pasting.

Watch the video below to learn more about this upcoming out of the box support for Braille displays and other accessibility features and services in Android 13.

Sign up for the Android beta program to try Talkback 13 when it is released to the public.

Source: Google

Image Source: Humanware

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A new report published last week by WHO and UNICEF reveals that more than 2.5 billion people need one or more assistive products, such as wheelchairs, hearing aids, or apps that support communication and cognition. Yet nearly one billion of them are denied access, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where access can be as low as 3% of the need for these life-changing products.

The Global Report on Assistive Technology presents evidence for the first time on the global need for and access to assistive products and provides a series of recommendations to expand availability and access, raise awareness of the need, and implement inclusion policies to improve the lives of millions of people. 

“Assistive technology is a life changer – it opens the door to education for children with impairments, employment and social interaction for adults living with disabilities, and an independent life of dignity for older persons,” said WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Denying people access to these life-changing tools is not only an infringement of human rights, it’s economically shortsighted. We call on all countries to fund and prioritize access to assistive technology and give everyone a chance to live up to their potential.”

“Nearly 240 million children have disabilities. Denying children the right to the products they need to thrive doesn’t only harm individual children, it deprives families and their communities of everything they could contribute if their needs were met,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Without access to assistive technology, children with disabilities will continue to miss out on their education, continue to be at a greater risk of child labor and continue to be subjected to stigma and discrimination, undermining their confidence and wellbeing.”

The report notes that the number of people in need of one or more assistive products is likely to rise to 3.5 billion by 2050, due to populations ageing and the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases rising across the world. The report also highlights the vast gap in access between low- and high-income countries. An analysis of 35 countries reveals that access varies from 3% in poorer nations to 90% in wealthy countries. 

Affordability is a major barrier to access, the report notes. Around two thirds of people with assistive products reported out-of-pocket payments for them. Others reported relying on family and friends to financially support their needs.

A survey of 70 countries featured in the report found large gaps in service provision and trained workforce for assistive technology, especially in the domains of cognition, communication and self-care. Previous surveys published by WHO note a lack of awareness and unaffordable prices, lack of services, inadequate product quality, range and quantity, and procurement and supply chain challenges as key barriers. 

Assistive products are generally considered a means to participate in community life and in wider society on an equal footing with others; without them, people suffer exclusion, are at risk of isolation, live in poverty, may face hunger, and be forced to depend more on family, community and government support. 

The positive impact of assistive products goes beyond improving the health, well-being, participation and inclusion of individual users – families and societies also benefit. For example, enlarging access to quality-assured, safe and affordable assistive products leads to reduced health and welfare costs, such as recurrent hospital admissions or state benefits, and promotes a more productive labour force, indirectly stimulating economic growth. 

Access to assistive technology for children with disabilities is often the first step for childhood development, access to education, participation in sports and civic life, and getting ready for employment like their peers. Children with disabilities have additional challenges due to their growth, which requires frequent adjustments or replacements of their assistive products. 

The report makes recommendations for concrete action to improve access, including:

1. Improve access within education, health and social care systems
2. Ensure availability, safety, effectiveness and affordability of assistive products 
3. Enlarge, diversify and improve workforce capacity
4. Actively involve users of assistive technology and their families
5. Increase public awareness and combat stigma 
6. Invest in data and evidence-based policy 
7. Invest in research, innovation, and an enabling ecosystem 
8. Develop and invest in enabling environments 
9. Include assistive technology in humanitarian responses 
10. Provide technical and economic assistance through international cooperation to support national efforts.

The launch of this report was broadcasted live last week, in case you are interested in watching.

Download the 140 page report from WHO’s website or read the entire report in pdf below.

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Snapchat is in accessibility related news again! After introducing an augmented reality lens to teach users ASL, Snap recently announced that Snapchat users can now add three most requested assistive devices to their Bitmoji avatars – a cane, hearing aids in several colors, and wheelchairs in 3D poses. (Snap acquired Bitmoji in 2016)

In an effort to broaden representation and to ensure all communities are represented in their products, Snap worked with Disability:IN, a global organization driving inclusion and equality, to bring these devices to Bitmoji. It looks like Snap is continuing to invest in improving experiences of all Snapchatters, and in the second half of this year, will be conducting research to learn how Snapchat and Bitmoji users with disabilities would like to be represented online.

Hit the source link to learn more and if you are a snapchatter interested in Snap’s inclusion efforts, keep an eye on their blog for more information.

Source: Snap

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If you are a bus rider, you have probably occasionally missed your bus because you were standing just a few steps away from the bus stop, the bus approached, the driver thought you weren’t going to get on, and they drove off! (it’s happened to me for sure!) For the visually impaired, this is a much bigger problem (“the last 10 meter problem”) because GPS apps can bring them no closer than 10 meters from their target which may not be enough. Someone could possibly feel a pole with their cane and think it’s a bus stop, but it actually might not be. Identifying physical bus stops is not an easy task for people with visual impairment.

To help overcome this issue, a team of researchers at Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass Eye and Ear have built an app that looks for bus stop signs through the phone camera. The user has to hold their phone in an upright position and point it generally in the direction of the bus stop. The app starts emitting sonar sounds indicating it is looking for the bus stop sign. Once identified, the sound’s pitch keeps going higher the closer the user gets to the sign. This free app, called All Aboard, uses artificial intelligence to recognize bus stop sign in multiple cities. Between 5,000 and 10,000 bus stop sign images were used for a given city to help the AI model identify signage patterns for bus stops.

Since its launch in December 2021, the app has been used by more than 130 users in over 1500 instances in the US, Canada, Germany and the UK. In a pilot test before the launch, the app developers tried it against Google Maps with 20 bus stops in the Los Angeles area (10 in downtown amidst high rises and 10 in suburbs) and found that Google Maps’ successful navigation rate with Google Maps was 60% (failed to localize 7 stops in downtown and 1 in suburbs) whereas the All Aboard app’s success rate was 95%. (failed to identify one downtown stop)

A combination of the Soundscape app and All Aboard can really enhance a blind user’s experience of walking to a bus stop to catch their bus while being aware of their surroundings.

At the time of writing this post, this app works with the following transit service: California AC Transit, Chicago CTA,, Germany Bus and Tram, London bus services, Los Angeles Metro, MBTA Boston, New York MTA, Seattle Metro, Toronto TTC, and Washington DC Metrobus. Because this app is built using artificial intelligence and generally understands what bus stop signs look like, it might be worth a shot to just try it in your city (if it’s not in the list above) and see if it works!

Watch the video below to see how All Aboard works.

Source: Microsoft

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According to a 2019 research paper, the number of worldwide upper limb amputees in that year was 3 million out of which 2.4 million live in developing countries. Depending on where one lives, getting a functional prosthetic limb could easily go into tens of thousands of dollars and these high costs can especially be prohibitive in developing countries.

Enzo Romero, who was born with one hand, was inspired by the Star Wars character Luke Skywalker to get a prosthetic arm for himself. As a young adult, he moved to Lima to study mechatronic engineering and while doing so, came up with a way to 3D print prosthetic arms using melted plastic bottles! He printed a bright blue arm for himself with this new process that brought down costs significantly.

Romero went on to start LAT Bionics, a company that makes prosthetic arms for people in Peru, a country that has 12,600 upper limb amputees and where the minimum wage is $300. LAT Bionics’ prosthetic arms range between $800 and $2,500 and more than 20 Peruvians who have received one (with another hundred on a waiting list) through LAT Bionics are paying for it through monthly installments. Unlike traditional bespoke limbs that can take two to three months to make, LAT Bionics’ limbs can be completed in just one week.

The prosthetic limbs created by Enzo can hold, pinch, and twist but cannot click a mouse or type on a computer just yet, even though Enzo’s favorite activity to perform with his own prosthetic hand is playing the guitar! Enzo is working on low cost solutions for these enhancements as well. In the future, he plans to expand into Ecuador and Bolivia where amputees have similar barriers to prosthetics.

Watch the video below to learn more about Enzo Romero and the arm he has invented.

Source: Freethink, Insider

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Just yesterday, LATAM, an airline company out of Santiago, Chile, announced that it is working with Autism Double Checked to train and certify its employees in dealing with and assisting families flying with autistic travelers. The purpose of this process is to continue to foster an environment of inclusivity, respectfulness, and appreciation that emphasizes empathetic assistance towards autistic passengers. LATAM has been publicizing its new initiative on its website and has also made available a guide to assist parents and caregivers of autistic individuals to make their flying experience with LATAM as easy as possible.

Autism Double Checked co-founders Alan Day and David Tait have been making travel easy for autistic individuals for many years now. Through their three levels of readiness, Autism Double Checked has been preparing travel companies to expect the unexpected, be non-judgmental and autism-inclusivity aware and ultimately serve families with special needs better. With three levels of Autism awareness – “Autism Aware, “Autism Ready”, and “Autism Double Checked”, Autism Double Checked helps companies start at smaller levels of awareness and can slowly graduate to higher levels of empathetic assistance for autistic travelers and their families. Here is another example of how Autism Double Checked prepared an Autism Awareness Guide for the Kennedy Space Center.

Recent surveys (source in video below) have suggested that 87% of families with autistic children don’t take vacations. However, 93% of the respondents said they would love to travel more if autism friendly facilities were available to them. And what is that one thing that will boost their confidence in traveling? 95% said “trained staff in autism awareness”, and this is what Autism Double Checked is helping companies accomplish.

Watch the video below and visit https://autismchecked.com to learn more about Autism Double Checked.

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If you are a regular snapchatter, you know how much fun all the lenses can be that come with Snapchat. These lenses offer creative ways in which you and your friends can express themselves to each other. To bring a higher level of accessibility and inclusivity into their lenses ecosystem, Snapchat introduced the ASL Alphabet lens last week to enable its community to learn ASL.

Built in partnership with SignAll, this lens uses Augmented Reality to identify handshapes to fingerspell words. The lens comes with three modes that enable users to learn handshakes, practice fingerspelling, and play games that can help them memorize words.

I tried it myself and was immediately hooked! The lens detects handshapes really well and instantly, making the entire experience seamless and easy. The easiest way to get started with ASL Alphabet is by going into Lenses, clicking Explore and searching for ASL Alphabet or directly from Snap’s website on your phone.

Watch the video below to learn from Jennie, Director of Engineering at Snap AR, ASL Alphabet’s journey and how the Deaf community is helping enhance Augmented Reality and bringing linguistic equity into our society.

Source: Snap

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Young adults with autism face many barriers to competitive employment, but for West Side Chicago public high school students who get jobs through Urban Autism Solutions, access to transportation isn’t one of them thanks to a generous gift from Lyft.

“The goal of our LyftUp program is to increase access to transportation for those who need it,” said Lamar Brown, Community Strategist at Lyft. “We’re thrilled to partner with Urban Autism Solutions to remove transportation barriers for young adults to get to work and support their vital work across Chicago.”

Urban Autism Solutions works with young adults from West Side Chicago public high schools who have autism and other learning differences. These students come to the UAS West Side Transition Academy from their schools to participate in community immersion programs, receive speech-language and occupational therapy, engage in social-emotional learning and develop communication and transferrable job skills. Many of these students, who range in age from 18 to 22 years old, have not yet held a job. Not all of them will.

According to research from the A. J. Drexel Autism Institute, young adults with autism have the lowest rate of employment compared to their peers with other disabilities, with only four out of 10 working in competitive employment in their 20s. Not every student who works with UAS is employment-ready. For those that are, the UAS team identifies employers who are willing to hire young adults with autism and related challenges and then works with students to help them prepare their resumes, submit an application. Once the student is hired, UAS provides on-the-job support.

Thanks to Lyft, students can get access to free rides to and from work, eliminating one of the most common barriers to employment for this population.

“Every student we help get hired is bucking a pernicious trend of unemployment for young adults with autism and other communication challenges,” says Heather M. Tarczan, executive director of Urban Autism Solutions. “But what really breaks our hearts is when we have a job-ready student an eager potential employer, but the student can’t work because of concerns with taking public transportation. The generous gift from Lyft has effectively removed that barrier, and allowed us to place more students into their very first jobs.”

Alejandro, 21, is one of the students who uses Lyft to get back and forth to work.

UAS helped Alejandro, a student at the Ray Graham Training Center, secure a job at Walmart Neighborhood Market in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago in January. He works bagging groceries and bringing in shopping carts.

At seven o’clock in the evening on a Wednesday, Alejandro clocks out at his job and texts Tucker Kelly, a job coach at Urban Autism Solutions, to let him know he’s ready to request a Lyft ride. Without Lyft, Alejandro would have to take two different buses to get home from work, which gives him pause. “Usually, my family picks me up on the weekends, but I’m not comfortable taking the bus by myself when they can’t pick me up,” says Alejandro.

Once the car arrives and Alejandro gets in, he’ll be home in about 15 minutes compared to up to 45 minutes on public transportation. “I like feeling safe in the car,” says Alejandro. “Waiting for the bus and sometimes on the bus, you don’t know what can happen and I sometimes have anxiety.”

Many students Urban Autism Solutions works with live in high-crime neighborhoods, and some parents are concerned about the safety of public transportation. Some parents prohibit their son or daughter from working if they can’t drive them to and from work themselves, making employment all but impossible.

Tarczan says that being able to offer students free rides through Lyft is a game-changer.

“We spend the majority of our lives in adulthood, and employment is a huge part of adulthood for any person,” says Tarczan. “When we can get a student their first job and remove that transportation barrier while they are transitioning to life as an adult, that’s going to have a deep and lasting impact on that young adult for years to come.”

#  #  #

About Lyft

Lyft was founded in 2012 and is one of the largest transportation networks in the United States and Canada. As the world shifts away from car ownership to transportation-as-a-service, Lyft is at the forefront of this massive societal change. Its transportation network includes the largest shared mobility network in the United States and brings together ride share, bikes, scooters, car rentals and transit all in one app.  Lyft is singularly driven by its mission: to improve people’s lives with the world’s best transportation.

About Urban Autism Solutions

Since its establishment in 2012, Urban Autism Solutions has served more than 1,000 young adults through innovative, person-centered programs that focus on the acquisition of life skills, community integration, social interaction, and vocational training. Whether we are serving West Side Chicago public high school students at our UAS West Side Transition Academy or at Growing Solutions Farm, or offering opportunities to the broader autism community for socialization through our Network 1212 social programs, UAS believes that all young adults living with autism and other learning differences are valued members of society. 

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What started as a casual conversation among a few women is now a reality – a reality that is meant to provide a calm space for autistic individuals.

The Autism Nature Trail or “ANT” is a mile long trail situated within Letchwood State Park in Castile, NY. The trail is the brainchild of Loren Lamy Penman, Susan Hernstein, and Gail Servanti who thought of creating a dedicated space for individuals, especially children on the spectrum after noticing several of them enamored by the quiet and peace provided by Letchwood. Further research confirmed that moving water, deep nature, and pine trees might be having a positive effect on people, so the trio set out to figure out how to formally create this space for children.

What does the trail have?

The trail has several stations that engage each individual’s senses (auditory, visual, tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive) including a sensory station where a variety of items found in the park can be touched and smelled, Sunshine Slope with cuddle swings and alone zones, Music Circle with nature inspired instruments, Celebration Station with two chalkboards and several others.

Go to the Autism Nature Trail website for an interactive version of this map.

Even though this trail is meant for children on the spectrum, everyone is welcome here. The trail has had more than 4,000 visitors since its opening in October 2021 and many have been adults, senior citizen couples being the most common user.

The simple yet thoughtful design of the trail is meant to be replicated and several parks in the US and Canada are planning to do just that.

What do you think of this park? Would you want to replicate this too in your community?

Watch the videos below to learn more about ANT.

Source: Lonely Planet

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When Biel, Jaume Ping and Constanza Lucero’s son, was a toddler, he used to fall over a lot and had trouble navigating environments. Soon after being diagnosed with low vision, the parents founded Biel Glasses – a company that makes smart glasses to improve mobility and personal autonomy for their son and others with low vision.

Biel Glasses makes smart glasses that can detect obstacles in a person’s environment and notify them so they can navigate more easily without bumping into obstacles. They do this by using mixed reality, 3d Vision, and artificial intelligence algorithms that identify obstacles in the form of overlay text and graphics over the real time feed being captured by the glasses.

How Do Biel Glasses Work?

In the current state, these glasses look like a virtual reality headset with the following modules

Capture: Captures the user’s visual feed

Processing: This module analyzes the information captured and returns signals to the display module.

Display: Displays obstacles and other elements to the user through various graphic signals.

Next step for Biel Glasses is to make these smart glasses less bulky.

Biel Glasses is only now starting the commercialization process with help from the Catalan government and if all goes well, can possibly introduce the glasses to the market by summer of this year.

Watch the videos below to learn more about Biel Glasses.

Source: Interesting Engineering

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Last week’s news involved mice playing a crucial role in paving a path towards curing paralysis. This week’s MVP is sheep! You read that right – a team of Australian researchers at The University of Sydney implanted bionic eyes in a flock of sheep that resulted in exceptionally sharp eyesight.

As part of a medical trial, these sheep spent three months with artificial bionic eyes. The main purpose of this trial was to see if this bionic eye, named Phoenix 99, caused any physical reactions in the sheep. Since the bionic eye was well tolerated, the team will apply for approval to perform clinical trials on humans next.

The Phoenix 99 is wirelessly linked to a small camera attached to glasses. This camera captures the visual scene in front of the wearer, converts them into electric signals and sends them to the brain where the signals are converted into a vision of the scene.

The bionic eye market is expected to be $426 million by 2028 and technologies like Phoenix 99 will certainly contribute to make bionic eyes more common place and affordable in the future. Today, there are 2.2 billion people around the world who have near or distance visual impairment.

Read the published paper in Biomaterials and watch the video below for more details on Phoenix 99 and this trial with sheep.

Source: University of Sydney, Futurism, BBC

The post Phoenix 99 Is A Bionic Eye That Aims To Help Blind People See In The Future appeared first on Assistive Technology Blog.

Matricelf, an Israeli biotechnology company, recently performed a new type of test with 3D printed human spinal cord tissue on paralyzed mice that enabled them to walk again, paving a way for what could possibly be a remarkable way of treating humans with spinal cord injuries in the future. This 3D bioprinting technology, developed by Tel Aviv University was tested on mice with both acute and chronic paralysis. The results from the tests showed that all mice with acute paralysis regained the ability to walk. The success rate in mice with chronic paralysis was 80%.

The technique involves 3D printing cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) derived from patients to produce living tissues which ultimately help create the spinal cord implant. The diagrams below show the process in detail. Currently undergoing patent approval, this same technique was used in 2019 to produce the world’s first 3D printed heart in 2019.

Matricelf is talking to the US Food and Drug Administration to start its first human clinical trial of its 3D printed spinal cord implants by the end of 2024 while continuing to conduct tests on lab rats. Tens of thousands of paralyzed individuals can benefit from this technology in the future who are keen to restore their motor, sensory, and autonomic functions.

Learn more about Matricelf in the video below and read more about this study in the paper Regenerating the Injured Spinal Cord at the Chronic Phase by Engineered iPSCs-Derived 3D Neuronal Networks.

Source: 3D Printing Industry

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Two certified speech language pathologists who also happen to be certified fitness trainers are making it easy for disabled adults to get into fitness and strength training.

Sarah Parison and Lillie Visa started ABLE FIT around an year ago in Phoenix, AZ to create a comfortable space for disabled individuals where thy could not only workout but also forge friendships with others in the area. ABLE FIT’s goal is to provide each member with the right support to increase their strength, motor coordination, and confidence.

Some members are autistic while others have Down syndrome or cerebral palsy. “Motor issues make it hard to speak. The gym makes my brain work to form words more easily. Having friends makes my life worthwhile. It has made me happy”, says Kade, a nonspeaking member of the gym. Another member, Leanna, likes going to classes here so she can get stronger for her job at the grocery store. She also likes that she’s met new friends at the gym!

Learn more about ABLE FIT in the video below and check out their website for more information. They also post a lot of content from their classes on their Instagram.

Would you want to start a similar space in your local area? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: CBS Evening News, ABLE FIT

The post ABLE FIT Is Creating A Comfortable Fitness Space For Disabled Adults To Workout And Make Friends appeared first on Assistive Technology Blog.

A new technology called Action Audio took a giant leap recently to make a sport as enthralling, fast paced, dramatic and visual as Tennis a lot more accessible and enjoyable for people with visual impairment

Action Audio is a new ball tracking technology that tracks the ball’s position and converts it into 3D audio in real time. What does that mean? Many important aspects of a sport like tennis – position of the ball, how close it is to the line, ball speed, trajectory, and shot type (backhand or forehand) are tracked by this technology and presented in different sounds so a blind person can follow along without assistance from another person.

So what are all the sounds that Audio Action presents to blind sports enthusiasts? Below are some samples that you can try. (headphones recommended)

Test clip

Ball Proximity

Ball Movement

Shot Type

Now that we know what to expect from Action Audio, how does it sound in a real match? The clip below shows Action Audio in action during a match between Marin Čilić and Roger Federer in a 2018 match.

Four factors influenced the genesis of this technology.

Social consideration: Watching sports is a global phenomenon that enables many people to bond over shared interests. Action Audio is designed so that blind people could easily participate in these social events.

Existing Sound Languages: The global blind community is used to certain sounds in their respective sports and Action Audio has brought that consistency into tennis.

Accentuated Tension Points: Sports events come with a lot of tension and drama, especially when there is a nail biting finish. Action Audio is designed to present that same level of excitement, uncertainty, and pressure in the form of audio!

Selective Auditory Attention: Audio Action filters out unnecessary sound so the listener could focus on the sporting action.

Action Audio was used for the first time at the 2022 Australian Open. People could just go to the Australian Open website and start listening to the matches.

What kind of impact can a technology like this have on blind sports lovers? Find out for yourself in the short movie below.

What other sports or areas could use this technology? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: Independent, Action Audio

The post New Technology Action Audio Describes Sports To Blind Audience appeared first on Assistive Technology Blog.

“Jack LOVES Joe. He loves everything about him.”

Hello Games, a British video game company relaunched a video game after receiving a request from the parent of an autistic child.

Joe Danger is a fun, zero to hero style side scrolling game that involves guiding Joe Danger, the protagonist, through many obstacles to defeat his nemeses, members of Team Nasty! Originally launched on the Playstation, this game was launched for the iPhone in 2013 and was an immediate hit. However, because of Hello Games’ other commitments and some updates from Apple, Joe Danger was not updated for a long time and subsequently pulled off the App Store. There was no more Joe Danger for the world to enjoy.

Fast forward to January 27, 2022, and Joe Danger relaunched on the iOS on the request of a parent of an autistic child! Founder Sean Murray recently announced on Twitter that after receiving an email (email text at the bottom of this post) from a parent requesting Hello Games to bring back Joe Danger, sharing details about how the game not only helped him and his autistic child Jack strengthen their father-son bond, but also enabled Jack to interact and have fun with friends and family. Understanding the impact games like Joe Danger make in people’s lives, Hello Games modernized the game for latest Apple devices and made it available on the App Store. This vibrant, side scrolling game that only requires the touch of a finger costs $1.99 and can be played on iPhone, iPad and Mac.

When I read the source story, I downloaded it and got sucked in right away! It’s a simple yet very fun and looks amazing – it is very easy to get immersed into the game to make sure Joe jumps over all the obstacles and collects all the coins!

Here’s the full email text:

Hello “Hello”,

My name is <REDACTED>.I am a <REDACTED> from the <REDACTED> and I am writing this letter on behalf of my son, Jack. Jack is 8 years old, is about the sweetest kid on the planet, and has been diagnosed with Autism.

As you probably know, children with autism deal with a great many struggles, chief among them are great difficulty with social interactions. However, one the of the things that has enabled Jack and I to bond is our shared love of video games, specifically Joe Danger. Jack LOVES Joe. He loves everything about him. He has a collection of toy motorcycles that are his “Joe Dangers;” every motorcycle we see on the street is “Joe Danger”. One of the first things | hear everyday when I walk in the door after a long day at work is “Come on, daddy, let’s go play Joe Danger!” Just being able to say that sentence is a MASSIVE deal for child with autism.

Joe Danger has allowed Jack to interact and have fun with friends and family alike, whether its racing against each other, Team Nasty, or just “unplugging” for a bit and getting some “Huge Air.” In short, playing with Joe has allowed Jack to experience “normal kid stuff.”

As a parent, its hard to put into words the feeling I get seeing the pure joy on Jack’s face Joe Danger brings, knowing the other struggles he experiences every day. But I can assure you, the feeling is a good one.

Now is the part where I ask for help. Not only has Joe Danger helped Jack with friends, but it has become an important coping mechanism for him. The iPhone version of Joe Danger has become a reward for Jack getting through situations that those not on the spectrum take for granted. Sitting in a loud restaurant, walking into a crowded room, sitting through class work can all be significantly stressful, and I am definitely that parent who says “Get through this and you can have the phone for a bit”, but I don’t care– it helps him.

There have been times too innumerous to count where I know Jack is uneasy with a given situation, because he will just look at me and say “Then I get Joe Danger?” Its his way of saying “this is going to suck for me for a bit, but I know I can get through it.” And he does, and Joe Danger helps him do it. The problem is that ever since iOS updated a while back, Joe Danger hasn’t worked with the new versions, and one isn’t even able to find it on the App Store anymore. As children with autism have difficulty with change, any other version just won’t do.

The App store, rather casually I must admit, suggests “contacting the developer” to update the app to get it to work, as if that were something that was done everyday. But Jack asked me to do it for him, so here I am.

I don’t even know if its even something that would be possible, or, if possible, how much time and effort would have to be put into getting Joe back up and running (and riding) with the new versions of iOS, but it would mean the world to at least one little boy. And if that doesn’t pull at your heart strings enough, think of all the positive press! If that doesn’t work, I’m sure there is SOME money to be made by getting Joe Danger back on the app store…I figured appealing to both sentiment and cynicism would effectively hedge my bets.

Anyway, if nothing else I want to thank you and the team for the endless hours of entertainment and joy that you have provided my son, and for all the times you’ve helped me and Jack be able to forget about the difficulties, therapy appointments, doctors visits, and all the rest for a bit and just let him “be a kid”. I can honestly sav it has made a difference in his life. Helping children with disabilities may not be something that you realized you would be doing when vou made Joe Danger all those years ago, but it something that you do, and I am grateful for it.

Source: Indy100

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