News
General Election 2024: who should disabled social care users vote for?
Update: This article has been updated to include the Green Party’s policies on social care. As a disabled person who relies on social care for the basics in life that many take for granted—such as help with getting out of bed in the morning, getting dressed, washed, eating, and going to the toilet—I have been charged hundreds of pounds a month by my local council for this essential help. Furthermore, means testing prevents me from saving for my future with a cap on the amount of savings allowed. With this unfairness in the forefront of my mind, it will come as no surprise that of all the various policies put forward by the main political parties at the General Election on 4th July, it is their policies on social care that are pivotal for determining my quality of life and access to essenti...
How Apple’s AI-infused operating systems at WWDC will revolutionise accessibility for disabled people
As Apple prepares to launch new AI-infused operating systems at WWDC 2024 in a couple of days from now, it’s essential to consider what these advancements could mean for accessibility users. Current tech solutions for disabled people, while helpful, often fall short in delivering efficient and frustration-free communication. This blog post explores the potential of AI to transform technology and enhance the lives of those with severe and complex disabilities. Limitations of current accessibility technology Existing tech solutions that disabled people rely on for communication, such as Apple’s Voice Control, often fail to meet their needs effectively. These tools can be slow and inaccurate, disrupting the flow of conversation and causing significant frustration. I often struggle to dictate ...
Top four feature requests for Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses
As technology continues to evolve, the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are at the forefront of integrating fashion with advanced functionality. Here are my top four feature requests for these innovative glasses. While these suggestions stem from accessibility needs, they have the potential to enhance the user experience for everyone. 1. Emoji support in messaging One of the exciting features that Meta should consider is the inclusion of support for emojis in messaging. Currently, the glasses can recognise and read emojis from received messages aloud, but there is no functionality to dictate emojis when composing your own messages. Adding this feature would make messaging more expressive and enjoyable. Emojis bring a touch of fun and colour to conversations, and their inclusion would enrich the ...
Empowering voices: Apple’s pioneering accessibility enhancements for speech recognition
Last August, I published an article on The Register, drawing attention to a pressing issue affecting 250 million individuals globally: the inadequacy of voice recognition technology for those with non-standard speech. This is a significant challenge for individuals with conditions such as cerebral palsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), stroke survivors, and those with muscular dystrophy like myself. Despite advancements in AI and voice recognition, these technologies often fail to support those who need them most. In my Register piece, I outlined several critical issues with current voice recognition systems: Limited flexibility Many voice recognition systems are narrowly designed, failing to accommodate the varied speech patterns of users with non-standard speech. This has left many ...
England’s broken social care system punishes disabled people and their carers and needs urgent reform
One Monday morning, before Mrs Joy Smith’s council-funded carer had arrived to help her wash and dress, debt collectors arrived at her home demanding payment of the overdue money owed to the council for her basic care. Not a real case, nor the opening line of a new work of fiction, but typical of what goes on. This is the reality of social care in England today. In a society where the care of our most vulnerable is already undervalued, the recent scrutiny over fines levied on tens of thousands of unpaid carers for unwittingly breaching earnings rules by just a few pounds a week highlights a deeper crisis in social care, revealing a system more focused on penalising people than supporting them. Recent criticism from MPs on the Public Accounts Committee underscores the detrimental effects of...