Tag: Disability

Whether it’s in the airport or on the road, inclusion is gaining ground. But for people with limited mobility, a dip in the sea still presents a significant challenge. Albeit not in Greece - thanks to a startup that provides automatic seawater access stations. At the beach, users can switch from their wheelchairs to a mobile sun lounger which...

Children with visual impairments can now converse more equally with their peers. Meanwhile, a Lisbon-based PhD student is investigating how mixed-visual ability children can learn to code collaboratively. Pair-work fosters cooperation, either remotely with an audio connection or locally. Her system comprises two boards with building blocks and a box with a webcam which is connected to a computer....

Rail journeys should be more comfortable in future. People with limited mobility, however, don’t just need help at train stations. Which is why a British consortium has developed a new concept to improve accessibility at airports. The consortium’s electric one-seater vehicle is self-balancing and comes with luggage space at the rear. Its design means users can dine or shop like other airport...

Thanks to a special armband, people with limited hearing capacity could play a more active role in conversations. Now, a Portuguese research institute is helping children with visual impairment converse with their non-visually impaired counterparts. Key to the enterprise: a modified, commercially-available robotic toy. It moves between children as they speak and uses an in-built microphone to determine who...

Spoons can be savoured and coffee cups crunched. Now, a woman with Down’s Syndrome and her startup are making life for Americans and Canadians that much sweeter. After struggling to find a job, the 33-year-old decided to go freelance, developing a unique cinnamon-chocolate-chip cookie and making the national news in the process. To date, she has sold more than...

It’s inspiring to see how people with disabilities are getting the chance to display their talents on stage or present their art to a wider audience. Now, an economic collective in London has set itself the goal of addressing the inequalities in the business world that affect the 1.3 billion people globally who live with disabilities. Together with 500...

A computer game is raising childrens’ awareness of diabetes. Now, using smartphones, a research team from Washington University has developed a low-cost hearing screening system especially suitable for infants. Microphone probes are connected to standard earphones and coupled with an app. Two different tones are sent into the ear at the same time. All being well, a third tone...

People with Down’s Syndrome can play golf and older women can work as models. Just as a double amputee ex-paralympian can shine on Broadway. The female athlete in question is currently realising her dream on the stage in New York by starring in the play “Cost of Living.” Her role? A woman who is confined to a wheelchair following...