Apple announces new features for people with cognitive disabilities; hearing, vision & speech issues

Apple announced on Tuesday it has previewed new software features for cognitive disabilities like vision, hearing , mobility accessibility, and those for people who cannot speak, or were at risk of losing their ability to speak.

The features, it said, will be rolled out later in the year.

“At Apple, we believe technology should be designed to help everyone do what they love. We’re excited to preview new accessibility features to help even more people follow their dreams,” CEO Tim Cook said in a tweet.

In a press release, the company explained these in greater details:

Assistive Access (for cognitive disabilities): Under this, Phone and FaceTime have been combined into a single Calls app. For those who prefer to communicate visually, Messages include an emoji-only keyboard, and the option to record a video message for their loved ones. For home screen and apps, users get to choose between a more visual, gird-based layout, and a row-based layout (for the ones who prefer text).

Live Speech and Personal Voice Advance Speech Accessibility for disabilities: For users unable to speak, this option allows them to type what they want to say, and they also get to save some commonly-used phrases.

You can also create a ‘Personal Voice,’ doing so by reading along with a randomised set of text prompts to record 15 minutes of audio on iPhone and iPad. By integrating seamlessly with Live Speech, it allows you to speak in your ‘Personal Voice’ during conversations with loved ones.

Point and Speak in Magnifier (for disabilities like blindness and ones with low vision): This ability makes it easier for people with vision difficulties to ‘interact’ with physical objects that have several text labels. Built on the Magnifier app, it combines with Magnifier features such as People Detection, Door Detection, and Image Descriptions, and helps users navigate their physical environment.

With Thanks Reference To : https://www.hindustantimes.com/technology/apple-ceo-tim-cook-new-features-cognitive-disabilities-vision-speech-hearing-issues-101684291506339.html