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AXS Map is an app available for iOS and Android that allows users to rank the accessibility of local businesses. Using the location of the device users can search for nearby businesses and rank the accessibility of the location in very basic terms. More detailed accessibility information and information for people with a wider range of disabilities would improve the app. While accessibility standards established by the government are exact and technical, AXS Map uses a star rating system. For example, a businesses that is easily accessible to people with disabilities would earn a five star ranking. The app also allows users to rank a business based on the noise level, which can be helpful for people with hearing impairments, and by light which can be helpful for people with visual impairments. I was recently involved in a "Mapathon" were a group of people used the app to map parts of the city. This experience helped me understand the value of the app, as some businesses had s...

Today, Apple previewed iOS 8, the next operating system for iPhone , iPad , and iPod touch. iOS 8 builds on existing accessibility features to offer some exciting new possibilities for iOS users with disabilities. Many websites will have general information about iOS 8, but this post will focus on accessibility related changes to iOS. iOS 8 includes new keyboard options, improved text-to-speech voices, improved Guided Access features, and improved Siri functionality among other accessibility related features. Apple can always add or alter features before the general release. The new operating system will be available this fall for the general public. QuickType and Keyboard Apple's iOS 8 will include a built in predictive keyboard called QuickType. This new software keyboard will predict words for the user as they type. Once the word you want to enter appears in the suggestion bar above the keyboard, you simply tap it to insert that word. This feature will cut down on key strok...

Bookshare recently announced that they will be providing free membership for disabled veterans who are currently attending a United States college or university. Bookshare also serves disabled civilian students and others with print disabilities by providing free downloadable accessible books. Veterans who qualify, but are not enrolled in school will have access to a 30 day free trial. After the trial veterans continue using Bookshare for a $50 yearly membership fee. Especially on Veterans Day it is great that veterans who are disabled will be able to access over 215,000 accessible books from the Bookshare library. Bookshare's press release says, "Accessible books can break down reading barriers and open a new lifeline to reading to go back to school, learn a new vocation or read for pleasure." A membership provides an individual with electronic books that can be read with text-to-speech or used with a braille device. This makes reading possible for people who are blin...

Here are the top 10 posts on the Assistive Technology Blog as rated by number of views. Thanks to everyone who read the blog. Please check back in the new year for more cool posts. iOS 5 Tips: Use Assistive Touch to Replace a Broken Home Button, Lock Button or Volume Button What is Assistive Touch? What does iPhone 5 and iOS 5 Mean for Assistive Technology? Read PDF Files Aloud with vBooks PDF Voice Reader iPhone 4S Accessibility Features iOS 5 Tip: Look Up Any Word Android Becomes More Accessible With 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Assistive Touch Improvements in iOS 6 The Kindle Fire Is Not Accessible Prizmo : Fast, Accurate, Full Featured OCR App for iPhone Review What was your favorite post of 2012 let us know in the comments.

Apple's iOS 6 improves on the Assistive Touch feature that was originally introduced in iOS 5 . Assistive Touch allows people with physical disabilities  to use an iPhone , iPad or iPod Touch . People with physical disabilities may not be able to use two fingers to pinch or to zoom, or may not be able to double tap a button, but Assistive Touch makes these tasks easier. Among the improvements are quick access to Siri , multitasking and screenshots. Assistive Touch still gives users the ability to make custom gesture. Assistive Touch now is compatible with VoiceOver so you can use both features at the same time. To activate Assistive Touch go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Assistive Touch. Click here to learn more about Assistive Touch. Watch the above video to learn more. Click read more below to view screen shots.

Did you get the iPhone 5 today? Below is a list of apps to make the most out of your new iPhone 5. Read2Go (Bookshare) - $19.99 Read2Go  is the best way to access  Bookshare.org  books on your  iOS  device. Bookshare  provides free accessible eBooks for people with print disabilities. Click here to learn more about  Bookshare . Once you download the app you can download over 150,000 books directly to your device. The best part of  Read2Go  is that students can easily read books anywhere because of the portability of  iOS  devices. To learn how to become a member  click here . Learning Ally Audio - Free Learning Ally  (formally  RFB&D ) provides audio books to people with print disabilities. Members must pay a yearly fee in order to download books. To learn about how to become a member of Learning Ally  click here . Prizmo - $9.99 Prizmo  converts a picture of a document into text which can be read using...

Apple announced the iPhone 5 at an event today in California. The iPhone 5 includes and bigger screen, better camera, faster processor, thinner design and more. The iPhone 5 will run on iOS 6 Apple's mobile operating system which includes accessibility features such as VoiceOver , Guided Access and Speak Selection. Click here to learn more about  iOS 6 . The iPhone 5 will be available for pre-order on September 14th and for sale on September 21th starting at $199. Click read more below to view more images of the iPhone 5.

Today, Apple  announced that iOS 6 , the software that runs iPhone , iPad and iPod Touch, will be released on September 19th. The free software update will include new accessibility features such as Guided Access, Speak Selection with highlighting and improved Siri. Click here to learn more about Guided Access . iOS 6 will also include Made For iPhone Hearing Aids which allow hearing aid users to better use the iPhone. Along with accessibility improvements iOS 6  includes an updated maps app and more. Click read more below to view more images of iOS 6 from Apple.

Keyboard  shortcuts are a tool for improving typing speed on your iOS device. To create a keyboard shortcut go to Setting > General > Keyboard > Shortcuts. To add a new short cut click the plus button in the top right. You can create a short cut to write "see you" when you type the letters "cu." You could also create a short cut for your email so you can enter your email quickly with just a few key strokes. Watch the above video to learn more.

Prizmo and TextDetective are optical charactor recognition ( OCR ) apps for the iPhone . These apps use the iPhone camera to take a picture of a document and then convert the text on the paper to digital text. Because the apps rely on the iPhone camera they work best on the iPhone 4S . The apps were compared using a complex image with multiple images and columns. Both apps were used in a room with good lighting. Watch the video above to learn more about each of the apps. Prizmo costs $9.99 in the App Store. Click here to download Prizmo. Prizmo is the fastest most accurate user friendly OCR app that I have ever tested. It is designed for sighted users. It allows you to crop and edit the picture before you start the OCR process. Once the text has been recognized you can read it using text-to-speech, email it or copy the text. It is important to note that users with visual impairments may have a hard time taking pictures of the documents they want to OCR . It also is impossible fo...