Global Resources and Promising Practices for Building and Refining Accessible and Inclusive Smart Cities from Darren Bates LLC.
Self-Driving Cars: The Impact on People with Disabilities Our New Study Reveals Self-Driving Cars Could Open 2 Million Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities Introduction Self-driving cars have almost become a staple of everyday conversation. You hear about them on the radio, read about them in the newspapers, and you see them on TV, and not just in sci-fi movies.…
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Autonomous Bus Trial Takes Off Free trips on a futuristic shuttle were on offer last week in Ipswich, as the Ipswich City Council trials electric autonomous vehicles. According to Ipswich Mayor Andrew Antoniolli the demonstration of the electric self-driving shuttle technology is an exciting component of the city’s smart city program. “As a smart city, driverless technology is a long-term…
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CONNECTHINGS LAUNCHES PILOT PROGRAM BRINGING CAPITAL METRO BUS INFORMATION TO PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED IN AUSTIN Network of beacons at bus stops deliver real time schedule and alert information to riders via the BlindSquare app Demostration is part of AustinCityUp’s vision of using innovation to facilitate a truly inclusive community while raising the quality of life…
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A new 20-cent fee could soon be tacked on to every taxi and ride-hailing service trip to fund improvements to accessible cab service for Calgarians with disabilities. A city committee voted unanimously Wednesday to fund a $1.5-million incentive program aimed at getting more accessible taxis on the road. The per-trip surcharge was approved at a meeting that saw several Calgarians…
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Cities capture people’s imaginations because they are a whirlwind of change, adaptation, and challenge. Cities change on almost a daily basis, with the influx and exit of commuters. To survive over time, cities have to adapt to economic change, migration patterns, and citizens’ needs. Cities also have to face society’s toughest problems—poverty, crime, homelessness, and more—all while delivering the public…
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The winner of the Canadian Smart Cities Challenge will likely be the city that best aligns technology, efficiency, equity, and inclusion while not losing sight of residents. The long-awaited Canadian Smart Cities Challenge is in full swing. Infrastructure Canada has made millions of dollars available to cities that create the best pitch to improve the lives of their residents through…
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The goal of Smart City engagement is to meaningfully connect all citizens, the local developer community, artists and cultural institutions, entrepreneurs, start-ups, universities, and companies to improve the lives and the quality of life of all Smart City citizens. Darren Bates LLC In June 2015, the ministry of urban development came out with guidelines for a smart city. These guidelines…
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At the Council, we often look at smart street lights as a great first smart cities project. From energy efficiency to manageability, they deliver visible, quick-wins. And they’re also a platform for growth, a vehicle for collecting and communicating data. The possibilities of what you can do with that platform are limitless, as you’ll read below. Several of our…
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The Wikipedia Page for Web Accessibility is a great introduction to what Web/Digital Accessibility is if you haven’t heard of it. It is very important stuff. About 2-3% of The Entire Population reports a visual disability and that is not to mention those who have other disabilities that create barriers to using technology (Erickson, W., Lee, C., von Schrader, S.…
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Bitcoin may be touted as a global and accessible currency, but some of its users are being badly underserved. Michael Staffen is a bitcoin user who is blind. He posted about his frustration with bitcoin wallets, which currently don’t offer any accessibility options to visually impaired people, on reddit: “I am a fully blind person who uses a screen-reader and…
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This publication is of critical importance as it contributes a clear overview of the main issues at stake. Namely, that governments, civil society organizations, and the private sector have a role to play in ensuring that accessibility is not an afterthought but a central component of their work. It also provides guidance on how to address the accessibility lack, in…
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With the growth of smart cities, how do we build smart citizens to match? Date Published: 1st March, 2018 When you work in a certain sector, there’s a tendency to assume everyone thinks like you; has the same knowledge. If you work in social media, you might presume everyone’s on Twitter, if you’re a footballer, you might expect everyone to…
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Perhaps you’ve never considered making your mobile website accessible. Here’s a brief intro into what mobile accessibility means—and why it’s critical that mobile website owners and developers consider accessibility for people with disabilities from the get go. The Rise of Mobile-Friendly Websites Internet users are on their mobile devices more than their desktops, and spending on mobile marketing is…
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It is difficult to summarise a three days conference that combined so many different contributions, views and discussions, but we would love to share some key impressions.In the High Tech Solutions session for example, Rodrigo Huebner Mendes who is paralysed from the neck down, shared his experience of driving a Formula 1 car with his mind. Dr. Christopher Lee, expert…
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Imagine this scene, 20 years from now: You wake up, open your window, and look out over your city. I can guess that it’s a fantastic place. Note that I said “fantastic,” not “smart.” From my own future-vision window of 2038, I see Rome. Its bi-millennial history is reflected in every stone. But this future Rome is also a city that…
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Accessibility is key when it comes to urban city planning. It’s only natural that combining physical and information infrastructure is at the heart of improving accessibility. Technology can help cities improve and become what are nowadays called smart cities. more The two factors that comprise accessibility are distance and mobility – people want to go to places, and they want them…
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For many persons with disabilities to make a choice, on for example where to shop, where to eat, where to hold a meeting, which vehicle to use, which airline to use, which product to buy and numerous other transactional scenarios, it boils down to pertinent issues of how such businesses or companies respect and support the rights of persons with disabilities. Successful…
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