Access Bollywood: app opens up cinema to millions of blind Indians

Web applications designed for people with disabilities have helped users to live fuller lives and reduce the stigma attached to living with a disability. The apps have spread information, make education more effective, and created connections between people.

In 2016, Kenya's government instituted a broadcast programming code that required reporting programs to include sign language interpretation. Through this code, people with hearing impairment have access to news and information to be well-informed and civically engaged.

Minnesota is purchasing “track chairs” with all-terrain treads for its parks that people with disabilities can use for free to access more areas and trails.

2020 was the first presidential election where a limited group voted using a smartphone app created by Voatz, expanding access to people with disabilities, those in Covid-19 quarantine, and people out of state due to an emergency. Advocates say it is cost-effective and secure, though many disagree. Voters are biometrically identified and matched to legal records. Ballots are cast on mobile devices and stored on the blockchain until Election Day, when they are printed and counted with other mail-in ballots. Use is expected to increase in the future and pilots are planned in Brazil and other locations.

The Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library is a branch of the New York Public Library system that offers a wide array of services for vision-impaired adults and children. They hold the largest physical collection of braille books in the country, as well as thousands of downloadable digital braille books, audio books, and newspaper subscriptions. Included amongst these offerings are also the Talking Books program which records and distributes their collection of 200,000 recorded books, hardware and software tech to help illustrate things like tactile maps or diagrams, and simple community classes.

Through the use of smart glasses, the London’s National Theatre is making theater going accessible to the hard of hearing. A play’s dialogue is displayed in the glasses, and software links the timing of the words being displayed with when they are actually being said on stage.

A new app provides a way for visually impaired people to see into space. Using sound and vibration, the app Astreos provides the location and information about heavenly bodies in the night sky.

Software and apps are helping millions of Americans trying to solve civil problems on their own.

The ReelAbilities Film Festival promotes awareness and increases the representation of people with disabilities in movies. The festival, which has expanded to several cities across the country, shows award-winning films by and about people with disabilities and also hosts post-screening discussions to bring the community together to celebrate diversity.

Crowdsourcing data allows developers to help those with limited mobility find accessible routes. The AccessMap Seattle project, in collaboration with the Taskar Center for Accessible Technology at the University of Washington and OpenStreetMap, has tested and is improving a map where users can find and edit information about the elevation of rotes, sidewalks, and crosswalks to serve those who are challenged with their mobility.