Ability Technology

13/03/2023

CES brings the best and most innovative tech to Vegas every year. But it also has some of the worst.

01/08/2022

"Photography has just made me realise that it is something I can absolutely do," she says. "The drone can take me to places that I can't physically get to and create images I ordinarily wouldn't be able to."

Sarah's limb-girdle muscular dystrophy means she can't hold up a normal camera. But taking up drone photography helped her discover a whole new world of creativity — and freedom.

22/07/2022

Wonderful to see innovation in how music can change the lives of those living with dementia. Vera Music is a new app that taylors music content in response to a persons age and where they have lived.

While we've known that music can help dementia patients, finding the right type of music can be a problem. A new Australian app has come up with a solution."...

04/07/2022

Why casting disabled actors matters.

"The practice of having non-disabled actors play disabled characters is all too common in the film industry — but for a disabled audience these portrayals often ring false, and when confronted with an able-bodied actor imitating your body, it is often more than a little disturbing."

The practice of having non-disabled actors play disabled characters is all too common in the film industry — but for a disabled audience these portrayals often ring false, and when confronted with an able-bodied actor imitating your body, it is often more than a little disturbing.

29/06/2022

This amazing device is not available until later in the year. But it’s great to see Microsoft taking accessibility seriously! The Adaptive X-Box Controller was wonderful – for gamers – but this is for a much wider group. It has a lot of flexibility. Let’s hope it is the beginning of a series of imaginative devices and options from Microsoft.

Microsoft has a good track record of accessible tech with the Xbox Adaptive controller, and it's now unveiled the adaptive mouse and button. And endlessly cu...

14/08/2021

"The National Disability Insurance Scheme is cutting services without consultation, leaving those with disabilities in a continued fight for funding, while fraudulent providers face little scrutiny."

The National Disability Insurance Scheme is cutting services without consultation, leaving those with disabilities in a continued fight for funding, while fraudulent providers face little scrutiny.

30/05/2021

We're proud to have contributed to The Human Rights and Technology Report, 'a culmination of a three year investigation into human rights risks imposed by new and emerging technologies'. You can download the full report here and look out for our quote on page 173 🙂

The Human Rights and Technology Project Final Report is the culmination of a three-year national investigation into human rights risks posed by new and emerging technologies.

06/05/2021

22/04/2021

Learn more about our NDIS brokerage service, how we got started and what we can do for you.

https://www.ability.org.au/single-post/ndis-brokerage-service

In 2019 we helped a father whose daughter was recommended an iPad through the NDIS. The iPad was approved, but they couldn’t buy it from any of the usual retail outlets – they had to buy it from a registered provider in the NDIS system. We helped him and thus our brokerage service was born. With...

14/04/2021

This is a useful go-to by for understanding the difference between a medical model vs social model of disability 🙂

11/03/2021

How has Ability fared through COVID-19? It's a question we get asked a lot. Graeme has shared some thoughts 🙂

https://www.ability.org.au/single-post/ability-through-covid-19

People often ask how Ability has coped with Covid-19. As with most organisations, there have been changes in the way we have had to go about our work. As a small organisation, it has been easier in some ways to make these changes and adapt to the new context. For example, we were able to move into Z...

28/02/2021

This is a great new product from Oricom Phones for Seniors, wireless headphones that amplify sound for people with hearing difficulties. If this is something you'd like to try, we can broker this for you through the NDIS. Contact us here: https://www.ability.org.au/ndis-brokerage

Buy an Oricom TV7400 Amplified Wireless Headset with Fast Charging Cradle and other Oricom Care Products, TV Headsets Online in Australia.

25/02/2021

Some exciting news from Apple combining computer technology with augmented reality:
"Cognixion will revolutionize the human-computer relationship by not just enabling a computer to say, "hello", but enabling a person with a speech or language disability to say, "hello" - some for the very first time, and some now able to restore their ability to say it (again).
Introducing Cognixion One - The world's first wearable speech generating device that combines a wireless wearable brain-computer with augmented reality."
See it in action here:

09/12/2020

Look to Speak helps people communicate using their eyes to select phrases that are then spoken from their device. Today Look to Speak is available to everyone and is compatible with Android 9.0 and above.
Check out this blog article for more information on the development and a tutorial video.

Look to Speak, an app that lets people use their eyes to select pre-written phrases and have them spoken aloud, is now available.

01/12/2020

Fantastic to see Digby's work in the Archibald Prize this year. This is a nice snapshot of the story behind it.
https://fb.watch/25DM6En7eG/

18/11/2020

An excellent initiative to supply fresh, ready made meals for people with a disability on the NDIS. Well done Able Foods!