Global Resources and Promising Practices for Building and Refining Accessible and Inclusive Smart Cities from Darren Bates LLC.
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called for closer collaboration between the cities of London and San Francisco, highlighting the importance of stronger relationships based on shared values of openness and inclusivity, and the need for cities to work together to promote greater gender diversity Speaking at the SXSW tech conference earlier this week, the Mayor talked about the growing…
Read More
Advancements in technology can play a deep and meaningful role in the independent mobility of people who are blind or have low vision. That is why we created Soundscape, a free app available today on iOS and iPhone in the UK. Soundscape empowers more people to explore the world around them through a 3D audio experience. The app enriches your…
Read More
As cities work to add technologies to improve residents’ lives and mobility, many are putting a renewed focus on inclusivity and equitable innovation distribution. Yet despite this inclusivity push, experts say people with disabilities remain an overlooked group, especially during city planning processes. “Very few [cities] are thinking about all of their citizens, including specifically, citizens with disabilities,” said…
Read More
Thoughtful Leadership Is the First Step Toward Equitable Smart Cities Smart city solutions could be contributing to the digital divide. Local and conscious solutions can bring equity back in focus. Brooks Rainwater is the senior executive and director of the National League of Cities’ (NLC) Center for City Solutions. Rainwater drives the organization’s research agenda, community engagement efforts, and leadership…
Read More
Worldwide, over 1 billion people live with a disability. Demographic change leads in some parts of the world to an ever-aging population while in other parts birth rates are still well above four children per women. Thus, many people face immense barriers to take part at social and economic activities. Accessibility to public transport and the usability of public infrastructure…
Read More
“A SMART CITY IS A CONNECTED CITY AND A CONNECTED CITY IS AN ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE CITY” The goal of Smart City citizen/community 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…
Read More
New York City adds sign language video calling service Dive Brief: New York City has added a video communication service, ASL Direct, for hearing impaired residents who use American Sign Language (ASL) and want information about or access to city services. Users connect with a person fluent in ASL through a webcam conversation. The service also has a…
Read More
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.…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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.…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More