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YOUR SOURCE FOR THE BEST ASSISTIVE TECH NEWS, REVIEWS AND INTERVIEWS FROM TOP BLIND AND LOW VISION EXPERTS. AN ENTERTAINING AND TRUSTWORTHY DISCUSSION ON EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

Employment

Accessibility Unlocked Offers Support to Game Developers with Disabilities

A new initiative in Australia and New Zealand has launched to better support developers with disabilities in the local games industry.

Accessibility Unlocked is a new group that wants to “connect disabled developers within the community to each other as a support system, network, and reminder that we’re not alone.”

The team has also launched a new website that will gather resources, primarily focused on the Australia and New Zealand markets, that offer information and guidelines on various accessibility issues — from employment in the industry to the depiction of disabilities in games. read more

Opportunities Available for Blind and Visually Impaired Through Olmsted Center for Sight

The Olmsted Center for Sight is going through an extreme makeover, designed to provide more opportunities and better service.

The center was founded more than 110 years ago and provides a full range of services for the young and the old, and those with varying degrees of sight impairment.

Olmsted also has a manufacturing component, filling contracts for government agencies and many local companies- and they are now hiring.

Unlike some other work programs for people with challenges, Olmsted pays competitive wages for its workers. read more

UK Government to Fund the Cost of Assistive Technology for disabled Employees

Access to Work provides financial support to ensure someone’s disability or health condition does not hold them back at work and can cover assistive technology, workplace adaptations, transport, and interpreters.

Previously, medium and large employers were required to pay a mandatory contribution towards the cost of assistive technology required by disabled employees.

As part of the government’s drive to ensure disabled people can benefit from the latest advances in technology, this cost will now be waived for all employers under the new Tech Fund. read more

Google Launching Job Search Feature in Canada

Google is wading into Canada’s employment market with a new search feature and a $1 million investment into a forthcoming jobs platform.

The technology giant announced Thursday that it had rolled out new search capabilities for Canadian users, allowing job seekers to browse postings that can be filtered by commute distance, job title and time commitment within the Google search engine.

Google also revealed its philanthropic arm will be financially backing Toronto’s MaRS innovation hub as it develops an employment platform that will launch next year and aims to help workers navigate the changing job market. read more

3M Presented with NIB Award for Commitment to Creating Employment Opportunities for Blind Workers

National Industries for the Blind (NIB), the nation’s largest employment resource for people who are blind, recognizes 3M’s significant impact on the employment of people who are blind with its highest honor, the R.B. Irwin Award.

The award honors 3M’s longstanding commitment to creating employment opportunities for people who are blind. 3M is the second organization, and the first corporation, to receive the Irwin Award. The award is named for Dr. Robert B. Irwin, executive director of the American Foundation for the Blind in the 1930s and a member of the team who worked toward the formation of NIB. read more

Blind and Visually Impaired Participating in Employment and Training for Over 100 Years

For more than a hundred years, blind and visually impaired people in Maryland have been participating in employment and training opportunities at Blind Industries and Services of Maryland.

At the organization’s Halethorpe facility, participants take free classes in Braille, cane travel, independent living skills and computer technology. Instructors who are blind teach real-world skills like cooking, home organization and navigating the world without the use of sight.

On the large production floor, blind and visually impaired associates manufacture cleaning supplies and paper goods for Maryland state agencies. They cut and sew military uniforms for the federal government and produce custom-labeled bottled water. read more

VIP: Those Who CeekTechnology, Shall FindTechnology

In this week’s VIP, Nelson and James are joined by Christopher McMillan. Listen in as they discuss the top stories on Cool Blind Tech, and as always, they will bring you some great Cool Picks.

Top Stories

ACB Radio Offers a Live Audio-Described Broadcast of the Upcoming Solar Eclipse

On August 21, much of the United States will experience total darkness in the middle of the day as a full Solar eclipse of the Sun sweeps across the country.
A Solar eclipse is always an exciting event, and people who are blind want to be able to experience it as well.

Just released! BlindSight, a Free Android App That Implements Advanced AI Features

Neuro X Labs have just released BlindSight, a free Android app that implements advanced AI features, narrating the scenes fed to it by the phone camera. It requires no internet connection, collects no user data and the app is only 50MB. The app is in its early stages but Neuro X Labs are looking for feedback. read more

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