Holiday Wishes

cat half in a basket on the floor

Continued Universal Design of Products I love gadgets and technology that make life easier. Some of the items we’ve added to our house recently are the Amazon Echo and Smart Plugs. My husband has difficulty with fine motor control and balance. We tried other options like a touch lamp and motion detection. Coming into a…

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The Struggle is Real – Grocery Shopping while Disabled

full grocery store aisle with extra display in the middle

By  Lucia Rios, Guest Blogger The first time I was left on my own to shop, my wheelchair accidentally hit a large Rubbermaid display.  It came crashing down and anyone within earshot probably heard.  I had two thoughts in that moment – Rubbermaid makes a lot of noise and did anyone notice it was me?!…

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Point Louder!

hand with finger pointing right

While facilitating a training session with a group, I was told to “point louder”, a humorous way to let me my pointing was not effective communication, since some members of the group were blind. Audio description is the auditory narration of visual representations such as television programs, films and live performances. During gaps in dialogue,…

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What’s Cooking?

By Guest Blogger: Kellie Blackwell, Disability Network Capital Area When it comes to cooking, I have often shied away from trying many things. I have a gas stove and this can present some challenges with low vision, another reason is that I like being able to follow a recipe. It was not until I began…

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Want to Walk and Roll? Prepare for a Search

“You are in a competitive bid area” we were told as we looked for a vendor who would accept Medicare for a family member who needs a walker. (The Medicare competitive bid program began a six-month phase-in period across the country, including rural areas, on January 1, 2016.) We found the one vendor in the…

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There’s an App for That!

Person's hands on an iPad

Looking for ideas for apps for that new tablet or phone? There are so many apps and so little time. Where do you start? Here are some ideas, though certainly not everything that could help. I hope it will get you started at least. What is you are trying to do? Begin with the end…

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Creative Adaptations Spark Innovation

Alexander holding device to his ear

“Necessity is the mother of invention” an English-language proverb, is certainly true when it comes to technological innovation. People who have disabilities are often the spark as they have the necessity or need to be able to do something and this has led to innovative solutions. Many of these innovative solutions have become technology that…

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Ditto – A Bluetooth Vibrating Cell Phone Signaler and Alarm Clip

The box with Ditto device "wear it anywhere Never needs charging"

Guest Blogger: Liz Kobylak, Hearing Technology Resource Specialist The exhibit hall at the 2016 national convention of Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) convention was filled with interesting displays of products that can benefit people who have hearing loss. One nifty de-vice that caught my eye was the “ditto”, a battery operated Bluetooth vibrating cell…

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Finding Grab Bars

4 different color grab bars with arm and hand grasping one

By Kathryn Wyeth, MATP Team Leader In my last post, “Simple Things”, I wrote about finding a toilet paper holder that works as assistive technology. I also mentioned that we put in plywood behind all the walls so we can securely place grab bars now and in the future. The search for grab bars wasn’t…

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Google Home: Useful Services

4 colorful circles with speech bubble "Hi, how can I help"

Virtual Assistants and home devices are evolving rapidly. Alexa had a sizeable jump on the market and is doing very well with a huge number of “Alexa Skills”. But Google Home also has capabilities that can be of use to people with disabilities and you don’t have to enable them as you do with Alexa.…

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