Some disabilities are not readily noticed. It might be a weak heart that limits an otherwise strong person. It might be a learning disability that holds back a high IQ from being fully utilized. In communication, intellect and mental development, a disability more often and more easily escapes notice. It...
Assistive Technology & UD, Part II: Physical
When an able-bodied person thinks about disability, it’s physical disability that comes to mind for most. A whole range of physical limitations blurs into a blue and white symbol of a person in a wheelchair, special parking spaces near entrances, and the odd cavernous feeling bathrooms. This oversimplification misses the...
Boomers Know
Baby Boomers have had quit a run and it is far from over. They created civil rights, a sex revolution and aerobic exercise. Their presidents included Kennedy, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Clinton and Bush. Their health improved and they are living longer. They are wealthy. In 2007 the first boomer collected...
AARP’s Life @ 50+
I would like to say that a conspiracy took place – at least there’s intention and action in a conspiracy. At this year AARP Life@50+ annual convention in Washington DC, twenty-five thousand attendees left knowing as much about universal design as when they walked in (nearly none). I really doubt...
Assistive Technology & UD, Part VI: Top-Ten List
How to do a top-ten list for assistive technology? First, I wanted the list to reflect a universal design focus. Next, I wanted the technology to be new and presently available; I considered not just a technology’s use but also its wider social impact (I know, I am missing some...
Tags: Apple, assistive technology, AT, Dragon, facebook, kaletsch, konrad, Konrad Kaletsch, Microsoft, phone, Skype, top-10, twitter, universal design
Are Home Improvements UD?
A blog was written, The Best Return on Home Improvements. “Oooo!” I emphatically exclaimed, anxious to read about maximizing the value of my home. If you notice, I was hooked by an opportune distraction from my work. As I read the top 10 tips, I felt as if I was...
Assistive Technology & UD, Part IV: Vision Loss
“Darn. Where did I leave my eyeglasses now?” This is a familiar cry for many people who use eyeglasses to help with certain tasks such as driving or reading. Eyeglasses are such a simple piece of assistive technology. So simple, we take them for granted. So simple, we even make...
Bill Statements: Are They Getting More Confusing?
Today is a rant ‘n rave: bill statements. I’m talking credit card bills, mortgage statements, cell phone, utility bills … all of them! They get harder and harder to read. And, it’s not just me getting older. Account numbers, the ones you copy onto your check, used to be trouble...
Tags: account, bill, Chuck Schumer, design, invoice, kaletsch, konrad, Konrad Kaletsch, statement, universal design
Assistive Technology & UD, Part I: What Is It
It’s expensive to have a disability. Why? Is it cheaper to design and build for the masses than it is to design for inclusivity? Or, are our designers and builders just ignorant and don’t know any better? Or, is it because we still think that people with disabilities are rare?...
Assistive Technology & UD, Part III: Hearing Loss
My grandfather, a Russian immigrant, had diminishing hearing as he aged. As a lover of gadgets and an early adopter of technology, he soon fitted himself with a modern (1960’s) electronic hearing aid. He had a microphone concealed as a tie pin, a gizmo in his pocket, and a loudspeaker...