Handcontrols for an Airplane

Wired has a good article on a guy whose rigged an airplane to fly using hand controls entitled "New Hand Controls Allow the Disabled to Fly"

"Flying an airplane, like driving a car, requires using your hands and your feet. While cars can be modified so the disabled can drive, there have been few options for people who can’t use their legs but still wish to fly. Scott Johnson wants to change that.

Most people are familiar with the stick or yoke used to make the airplane pitch up and down or bank left and right. But airplanes also have two pedals that direct the rudder, which is critical in controlling the aircraft in turns or a tricky crosswind. The Minneapolis flight instructor said he’d received phone calls from people who dreamed of becoming pilots but were told they couldn’t because of their disability, so he decided to find a way to open the sky to them."

Thanks for supporting Maine VRC.

Braille Fail

I'm all for awareness of Braille, but on a billboard? Does this go along the lines of Braille Tattoos?

Via Fail Blog.

Thanks for supporting Maine VRC.

Grants for families living with autism

ACT Today is accepting grant applications for families living with autism.
Families must provide documentation of diagnosis and demonstrate need, but looks like an opportunity to get some assistance with funding for items or services not covered by insurance or other services for individuals with autism. Applications must be postmarked by October 26.

Application packet (pdf)


Via Wheelie Catholic

Thanks for supporting Maine VRC.

2009 NDEAM Poster Available

The 2009 National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) poster is now available to order online at no cost. The theme for this October's NDEAM is Expectation + Opportunity = Full Participation. The poster can also be downloaded in PDF format in English and Spanish. For more information about employing people with disabilities read the publication Diversifying Your Workforce--A Four-Step Reference Guide to Recruiting, Hiring, & Retaining Employees with Disabilities.

Thanks for supporting Maine VRC.

Labelmaker for the blind

Danni Luo's labelmaker for the blind: "

Interesting design concept for an Embossing Braille Printer for the blind and visually impaired. It uses voice recognition to input information in to the device.

"Most of the time, the blind can distinguish items by touch alone, but when they encounter items with similar shapes, they may have difficulties. The blind can also identify some items by smell or taste, but sometimes that can be risky.
Embossing braille printer is a handheld Braille printing device, which can help the blind to distinguish items with similar characteristics by using special embossed labels. With similar items such as pill bottles, CDs, or files, the blind can input concise external information through a voice-recognition recorder.

Interesting device, but I'm not sure of the overall utility of it. There are already Braille labelers out there, though not as easy to use as voice recognition. The other concern I would have is the accuracy of the recognition. At this point, this device is a concept design, however as voice recognition becomes better, and costs for technology come down, it may be a product whose time has yet to come. Either way, I'm glad to see the design community thinking about the needs of individuals with disabilities.

Get more information @ Core77"

Thanks for supporting Maine VRC.

Accessing Pdf with Screen Readers- Guide from Adobe

I love the irony that Adobe puts out a guide called "Accessing PDF documents with assistive technology: A Screen Reader Users Guide (PDF, 368K) "

One would think, if you can't access pdf documents with your screen reader than you're not going to be able to access the guide which tells you how to do it, which is in pdf format.

Adobe Accessibility Resource Center

Thanks for supporting Maine VRC.

Helen Keller Video

"An intriguing historical artifact found floating on YouTube like driftwood. Helen Keller — inspiration to generations and inspiration for an entire genre of schoolyard humor — and her teacher and friend Anne Sullivan in a clip from 1930 in which they describe the way in which Helen learned how to speak."

Via BoingBoing and Colihouse

Thanks for supporting Maine VRC.