May 16, 2023
press release
Apple has introduced new features for cognitive accessibility, including Live Speech, Personal Voice, and Point-and-Speech Magnifier.
New software features for cognitive, speech and visual accessibility are coming later this year
Cupertino, California Apple today envisions software features for cognitive, visual, auditory and mobility accessibility, creative tools for individuals who cannot speak or may lose their ability to speak. These updates draw on hardware and software advancements, include on-device machine learning to ensure user privacy, and expand Apple’s long-standing commitment to making products for everyone.
Apple works closely with community groups representing many users with disabilities to develop accessibility features that have a real impact on people’s lives. Coming later this year, users with cognitive impairments will be able to use the iPhone and iPad with greater ease and independence. Non-speaking individuals can type to speak during calls and conversations; And people at risk of losing their ability to speak can use Personal Voice to create a unified voice that sounds just like them to communicate with family and friends. For users who are blind or have low vision, the acquisition mode offers point-and-speech, which recognizes directional cues and reads them aloud to interact with physical objects such as furniture.
“At Apple, we believe the best technology is technology built for everyone,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook.
“Accessibility is part of everything we do at Apple,” said Sarah Herlinger, Apple’s executive director of global accessibility policy and initiatives. “These new features were designed with input from members of the disability community at all levels to support a diverse set of users and help people connect in new ways.”
Assistive access supports users with cognitive impairments
Assistive accessibility uses innovations in design to transfer apps and experiences to their essential features to ease cognitive load. The feature reflects feedback from people with cognitive disabilities and their trusted supporters – focusing on activities they love – and is the foundation of iPhone and iPad: connecting with loved ones, taking and enjoying photos, and listening to music.
Assistive Access includes a customized experience for Phone and FaceTime, all into one Calling app, as well as Messages, Camera, Photos and Music. The feature features a distinct interface with high-contrast buttons and large text labels, as well as tools to help loyal fans customize the experience for the individual they support. For example, for users who prefer visual communication, Messages includes an emoji-only keyboard and the option to record video messages to share with loved ones. Users and loyal fans can choose between a more visual, grid-based layout for their home screens and apps, or a row-based layout for users who prefer text.
“The intellectual and developmental disability community is bursting with creativity, but technology presents physical, visual or cognitive barriers for these individuals,” said Kathy Schmid, senior director of national program initiatives at The Arc USA. “To have a feature that provides an intuitively accessible experience on an iPhone or iPad—that means opening the doors to education, work, security, and autonomy. It means expanding the world and expanding capabilities.”
Access to live chat and private audio preview
With Live Speech on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, users can type what they want to be spoken aloud during phone and FaceTime calls, as well as in-person conversations. Users can save frequently used phrases for quick recall during fun conversations with family, friends, and colleagues. Live Talk is designed to support the millions of people around the world who cannot speak or have lost their speech over time.
For users who are at risk of losing their ability to speak – such as recent ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) or other conditions that can slowly affect the ability to speak – it’s an easy and safe way to create a personalized voice. They.
Users can create a personal voice by reading along with randomly generated text prompts to record a 15-minute voice on the iPhone or iPad. This speech accessibility feature uses on-device learning to keep users’ information private and secure, and integrates with Live Speech so that users can speak with their personal voice when interacting with loved ones.1
“At the end of the day, the most important thing is to be able to connect with friends and family,” says Philip Green, board member of the group Gleeson’s charity and ALS advocate, who has made significant changes to his voice since being diagnosed with ALS. Investigation in 2018. “Telling them you love them, in a voice that sounds like you, makes all the difference in the world – and being able to create your own artificial voice on an iPhone in 15 minutes is extraordinary.”
Access mode introduces point and speak for users who are blind or have low vision
Makes it easier for visually impaired users to interact with physical objects with multiple text labels in Point and Speak. For example, when using a home appliance—like a microwave—Point and Speak integrates input from a camera, a lidar scanner, and an on-device machine to announce the text on each key as users move their finger across the keyboard.2 Point and Speak is built into the Magnifier app on iPhone and iPad, works well with VoiceOver, and can be used with other Magnifier features like people search, door detection, and image descriptions to help users navigate their physical environment.
Additional features
- Users who are deaf or hard of hearing can pair. Made for iPhone hearing aids Customize them directly for Mac and listening comfort.3
- Voice control It adds phonetic suggestions for text editing so that users who type by voice can choose the correct word from several that may sound similar, such as “do” and “dew”.4 In addition, in Audio control manualUsers can learn tips and tricks for writing on iPhone, iPad and Mac with voice commands as an option.
- Users with physical and motor disabilities Switch control It can turn any Switch into a virtual game controller to play your favorite games on iPhone and iPad.
- For users with low vision, text size Now it’s easy to edit in Mac apps like Finder, Messages, Mail, Calendar, and Notes.
- Users sensitive to fast animations can automatically. Pause images with moving objectsLike GIFs in Messages and Safari.
- b VoiceOver Users, Siri voices natural and expressive speech feedback is at a high speed; Users can customize the speed at which Siri speaks, with options ranging from 0.8x to 2x.
Celebrating International Accessibility Awareness Day
To celebrate World Accessibility Awareness Day this week, Apple is introducing new features, collections and more:
- Time of signal It will launch on May 18 in Germany, Italy, Spain and South Korea to connect Apple Store and Apple Support customers with on-demand sign language interpreters. The service is available to customers in the US, Canada, UK, France, Australia and Japan.5
- Choose Apple store locations They’re offering informational sessions all week to help patrons find accessibility features around the world, and Apple Carnegie Libraries is offering an Apple session today with a sign language presenter and interpreter. Justina Miles. And with group reservations — year-round — Apple Store locations are a place for community groups to learn together about accessibility features.
- shortcuts He adds Remember This, which helps users with cognitive impairments create a visual notebook for easy reference and reflection in Notes.
- this week, Apple Podcasts Presents a series of presentations on the impact of accessible technology; of Apple TV App is showing movies and serials made by famous story makers of disabled community. Apple Books Gives attention Being Heman: Memoirs of an Unrepentant Disability Rights ActivistIn memory of disability rights pioneer Judith Heyman; And Apple Music Features cross-genre American Sign Language (ASL) music videos.
- in this week Apple Fitness +, trainer Jamie-Ray Hartshorne incorporates ASL as he highlights the features available to users as part of his ongoing efforts to make fitness accessible to all. Features include audio cues, which provide more succinct descriptive verbal cues to support users who are blind or have low vision, and walk and run time sections for wheelchair users such as “time to walk or push” and “time to run or push”. . In addition, Fitness+ coaches include ASL in every workout and meditation, all videos include closed captioning in six languages, and coaches show modifications in training so that users of different levels can join.
- of App store It features three leaders of the disabled community: Aloysius Gunn, Jordyn Zimmerman and Bradley Haven. — Individuals who are speechless will each share their experiences and the transformative effects of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) applications in their lives.
About Apple
Apple revolutionized personal technology when it introduced the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. Apple’s five software platforms – iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS – deliver seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with new services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple’s more than 100,000 employees are committed to making the best products on earth and leaving the world a better place than we found it.
- Personal voice can be created using Apple Silicon using iPhone, iPad and Mac, and is available in English.
- Point and Talk with LiDAR Scanner is available in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Cantonese, Korean, Japanese and Ukrainian on iPhone and iPad devices.
- Users can pair iPhone headsets with select Mac devices with the M1 chip and all Mac devices with the M2 chip.
- Voice control phonetic suggestions are available in English, Spanish, French and German.
- Signed sessions are conducted using American Sign Language (ASL) in the US and Canada, British Sign Language (BSL) in England, French Sign Language (LSF) in France, Japanese Sign Language (JSL) in Japan, and Australian Sign Language (Auslan) in Australia. On May 18, the sign language will be available in German Sign Language (DGS) in Germany, Italian Sign Language (LIS) in Italy, Spanish Sign Language (LSE) in Spain, and Korean Sign Language (KSL) in South Korea.
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