Assistive Technology News – January 2023 round up

Assistive technology news, policy and events. 

Policy and Campaigns  

• Google has opened an Accessibility Discovery Centre in London. The centre will conduct research into new inclusive innovations and provide areas where visitors can learn about accessible technology.
• During a Parliamentary debate to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Minister for Disabled People, Tom Pursglove MP, announced plans to publish an assistive technology needs assessment for the UK.
• The government has published a blog outlining changes to regulations on the accessibility of public sector websites that have been made necessary by Brexit.
• A new report published by the House of Lords Adult Social Care Committee has identified improving access to assistive technology as one of the keys to a better social care system in England.

Tech Developments and Innovations  

• Sony has used this year's annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas to unveil a new PlayStation 5 controller for disabled people, allowing gamers to adapt their setup to their individual needs.
• Also at CES 2023, eSight launched lightweight digital spectacles that use high-resolution screens, an onboard camera, and personalised colour and contrast settings to enhance the wearer’s vision.
• Microsoft Teams has added a new sign language view that helps signers keep one another in a fixed location on the screen throughout every meeting.
• The banking technology company Thales has introduced a voice payment card for visually impaired people that works in tandem with a smartphone app to make it easier for users to make independent, secure, and safe payments.

Training, Events, and Professional Development 

Free webinar: Higher Education PSBAR accessibility requirements webinar with UCISA and The University of Sheffield, 7 February 2023 

• Join AbilityNet, UCISA and the University of Sheffield to discuss the latest in Digital Accessibility in the HE/FE sector.

Thursday Thirties, every Thursday 

• CENMAC hosts a new series of weekly thirty-minute webinars focusing on educational assistive technologies.

My Voice, My Identity, 24 January 2023

• SpeakUnique and Smartbox explore how quality, personalised synthetic communication aid voices are helping people with limited or no speech retain their identities.

ATIA 2023, 31 January - 4 February 2023

• One of the world's largest conferences on assistive technology meets in Florida, with selected sessions streamed online.

Calendar

• Our Accessibility and assistive technology calendar lists free webinars, training, awareness days and other events.

Tech Tip

How to use the "Speak items under the pointer" feature in macOS 15 Ventura

• Audio feedback can be a useful accessibility feature for a variety of reasons, from selecting "OK" on a notification to surfing the Web and reading a PDF. In macOS 13 Ventura, you can set up your computer to speak the item that is currently under the pointer. This includes paragraphs of text, image descriptions, and buttons. Read about how to use this feature on AbilityNet's My Computer, My Way website.

Get in touch

• Email Clive if you have a comment about the stories in this newsletter - or to suggest a contribution for next month.

Further resources 

• Join our dispATches mailing list to receive the latest news and events from the world of assistive technology.
• Read Clive's blog article on '2022 Assistive Technology review: Barriers, highlights and beyond'.
• Find out more about AbilityNet's free live webinars.
• Discover more AbilityNet training. 
• Unsure where to start with digital accessibility? Speak to our experts for help.

AbilityNet provides a range of free services to help disabled people and older people. If you can afford it, please donate to help us support older and disabled people through technology