06.07.2006

Design , Noteworthy , Technology

Accessibility for the Elderly, Visually-Impaired

Two interesting products that address accessibility for the visually impaired and the growing elderly population. SpeakOn, developed by blind entrepreneur Chris Mairs, is a new device that challenges the paradigm of current screen readers such as JAWS to make the web accessible to the blind. According to Mairs:

"To use a screenreader you have to understand the visual paradigm - what dialogue boxes are, radio buttons and all the rest. That's the wrong model as far as I'm concerned - what you really want is a model that is intrinsically orientated towards a one-dimensional audio stream."

In Italy, La Repubblica reports that an Italian non-profit is about to release a Linux-based OS designed for the elderly -- in particular those over 55 who have never accessed a PC before and have trouble understanding terms like "blog", "chat", "email" and URL".

From BBC News: Blind inventor makes web accessible.
From Experientia: Eldy, an operating system for the elderly.

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