Google Glass: Possible Uses for the Hearing Impaired

Google recently introduced the world to its latest technology, Google Glass, an augmented reality head-mounted display. Glass allows its wearer to perform tasks he or she would typically use a smartphone to do such as take pictures, record video, search the Internet, and view directions. Glass works through voice commands allowing the user to perform these tasks hands-free and on-the-go. The technology of Google Glass has the potential to extend beyond these recreational uses to change the future of assistive technology.

Glass does not use typical in-ear headphones to transmit sound. Sound is transmitted through bone conduction technology, which transmits sound to the brain by vibrating the bones above the ear.  There are hearing-aids out there that use this type of technology to assist people with hearing loss and, with the additional features Google Glass could provide, it could be the next big thing in assistive technology for the hearing impaired.

In future models of Google Glass, it is possible that it could include a speech-to-text function. This function would take in dialogue from a person speaking to the wearer and translate that audio dialogue into text. That text could then be displayed in front of the wearer’s eyes via Glass as it already displays search results and messages. Google does have a patent for such technology, according to an article from Ars Technica.

Take a glimpse into the future through the eyes of Google Glass!

Eyes Free Typing On-The-Go with Fleksy!

For the visually impaired, screen readers are one of the most important assistive technologies out there. A screen reader is used to type, as it reads each letter and word out loud as you type on a keyboard. Screen readers are useful and convenient when working on a desktop computer or laptop where it’s easy to use headphones. On the other hand, when you need to type on-the-go on a phone or tablet, using headphones and listening to each letter is time consuming and inconvenient.

Fleksy is a keyboard app for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch that enables you to type quickly without having to see the keys, or even typing the correct letters. Fleksy has the ability to predict what you are trying to type based on what area of the keyboard you touch, even if you don’t type one letter correctly. It’s that accurate! For someone who doesn’t look at the keyboard anyway, it even has a full-screen option where the keyboard is invisible.

The Fleksy app was recently made available for free through the App Store with the hope of making smartphones more accessible to everyone. Fleksy released a statement this past week that mentions its hope to integrate the Fleksy keyboard directly into the iPhone software. The addition of the Fleksy keyboard to the iPhone software would take smartphone accessibility to a whole new level!

Check out the Fleksy blog here for more information on the product and the video below for a demo of the Fleksy keyboard in action!

Equal Opportunity from Start to Finish

In order to achieve equal opportunity for people with disabilities in the workplace, there first needs to be equal opportunity for these people to find work. With technology becoming increasingly important, the job search and application process is moving from print to online. For a visually impaired person, using the Internet is not always an easy task because many job search sites and company employment sites are not accessible with screen reading software. If a visually impaired person is unable to navigate and read the website because of this incompatibility with screen readers, visually impaired people are at a serious disadvantage in the job search process.

A Massachusetts press release on January 30, 2013, focused on Monster.com, a job search engine, becoming the first in its industry to be fully accessible to the visually impaired. Within the next two years Monster.com will have a fully accessible website and mobile site for its users who need screen reading software to navigate. Eliminating the disadvantage of not being able to search for jobs online is a big step toward equal opportunity for the visually impaired in the employment process.

Monster.com is setting an example for other companies and job search websites to become fully accessible in the future, opening more doors for the visually impaired community to find jobs.

Check out the full article here to see everything Monster.com is doing to support the cause!