BBC
5 February 2017
Radio / Over 15 Minutes
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
New apps like Tap Tap See and Be My Eyes are helping blind people solve everyday problems by combining smartphone video technology with an army of volunteers. The app allows a blind individual to take a photo or video of an item that the person needs to "see"; it then either automatically interprets the photo and announces it aloud to the user, or, if the app itself cannot identify the object, sends it to a real person somewhere in the world who can.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/virtual-assistant-a-3-d-avatar-the-best-classmate-for-deaf-students-1.2256365
Yanivis Izaguirre
The Irish Times
20 June 2015
Text / Under 800 Words
In Honduras, tens of thousands of people have hearing disabilities. The National Autonomous University of Honduras has developed software that converts spoken language into an avatar on the computer who signs for the hearing impaired. Teachers in classrooms can teach hearing impaired students with this new software.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/01/opinion/legal-aid-with-a-digital-twist.html?_r=0
Tina Rosenberg
The New York Times
1 June 2016
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Software and apps are helping millions of Americans trying to solve civil problems on their own.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04r1sh9
Nick Holland
BBC
5 February 2017
Radio / Over 15 Minutes
New apps like Tap Tap See and Be My Eyes are helping blind people solve everyday problems by combining smartphone video technology with an army of volunteers. The app allows a blind individual to take a photo or video of an item that the person needs to "see"; it then either automatically interprets the photo and announces it aloud to the user, or, if the app itself cannot identify the object, sends it to a real person somewhere in the world who can.
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/jul/12/dutch-app-elderly-hack-pedestrian-crossings
Gordon Darroch
The Guardian
12 July 2017
Text / 800-1500 Words
In the Netherlands, city councils are piloting remarkable new technology to make roads safer and friendlier for cyclists and pedestrians through the use of apps that improve the efficiency and sensitivity of traffic lights to the elderly, disabled, and young children. Improved traffic flow is a key part of the way forward into a greener, safer urban future.
http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/09/27/transportation-for-the-aging-population-000531
Kate Francis
Politico
27 September 2017
Text / 1500-3000 Words
The way cities are built in the United States makes getting around without driving a car difficult. This means that, for an increasingly aging population, mobility can be a significant issue, leading to challenges such as missed medical appointments and loneliness that can actually decrease lifespan. But in the age of the sharing economy, ride services such as Lyft and Uber reach out to the demographic that arguably needs them most, partnering with medical centers and hospice providers to get smartphone technology - or more "old school" alternatives such as hotlines - into the hands of senior citizens.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/07/health/africa-cancer-drugs.html?_r=1
Donald G. McNeil Jr.
The New York Times
7 October 2017
Text / Over 3000 Words
Two major pharmaceutical companies are offering discount cancer drugs in some African countries in an initiative modeled on the aids campaign. In African countries access to cancer treatment is scarce due to high prices of medicine, lack of medical staff and equipment and lack of awareness about the disease among the population; leading to higher death rates than in the developed world. The partnership to combat this also includes the American Cancer Society and IBM who are working to simplify cancer treatment guidelines and to make them available as an online tool to any hospital with an internet connection
http://uproxx.com/life/dallas-lighthouse-for-the-blind-video
Alia Stearns
UPROXX
5 December 2017
Multi-Media / 3-5 Minutes
A startling 70% of blind persons in the United States are unemployed. The Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind is helping shift the understanding of what types of jobs are available to this population with a revolutionary factory built specifically for its blind employees. Each machine is retrofitted to be used safely and easily, empowering individuals to become more independent. This video takes you inside the factory to meet some of the workers.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05qs5bd
William Kremer
BBC
17 December 2017
Radio / Over 15 Minutes
When you step on an airplane, you might not be thinking about people who use wheelchairs, neither are airlines. People who need to use wheelchairs have faced a number of challenges on airplanes, like lost and damaged wheelchairs, not being able to use the restroom, and feeling dehumanized. Some people, are taking matters into their own hands.
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/07/23/425287726/an-artificial-limb-can-bring-hope-but-whos-going-to-make-it
Amy Yee
NPR
23 July 2015
Text / 800-1500 Words
Prosthetics can change lives, but in some countries there aren't enough people trained to make the needed limbs, braces and splints. To address the shortage in Bangladesh, the Center for the Rehabilitation of the Paralyzed is partnering with Red Cross and international donors to offer free training for local clinicians, and free treatment for patients.
https://www.azernews.az/ijd/133425.html
Karla Pequenino
AzerNews
16 June 2018
Text / 800-1500 Words
ColorADD is a system of symbolic shapes representing colors for those that are challenged to perceive shades or are colorblind. The system is used extensively throughout Portugal on subway maps, crayons, and other appropriate places as well as being available as an app.
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