Apple has previewed a wide range of new accessibility features ahead of its Worldwide Developers Conference next month.
The updates, which will be available later this year, include those for cognitive, vision, hearing and mobility accessibility, as well as the latest tools to help those who are non-speaking, or are at risk of losing their ability to speak, the company said on Wednesday.
They will be available on Apple's iPhones, iPads and Macs. Apple is expected to showcase the new features at the WWDC, which runs from June 5 to 9 at its headquarters in Cupertino, California.
“Apple works in deep collaboration with community groups representing a broad spectrum of users with disabilities to develop accessibility features that make a real impact on people’s lives,” the company said.
More than one billion people live with some form of disability, corresponding to about 15 per cent of the global population. They are considered to be the world's biggest minority, according to the World Health Organisation.
Technology can help them dramatically in communicating and carrying out their daily lives, it said. Companies like Apple have been conducting research and integrating next-generation accessible technology into their devices.
“The best technology is technology built for everyone,” Apple chief executive Tim Cook said.
The company's accessibility services “build on our long history of making technology accessible, so that everyone has the opportunity to create, communicate and do what they love”, he said.
Assistive Access for users with cognitive disabilities
Assistive Access will give a customised experience while on a call or on the FaceTime app, which have been combined into a single app named Calls. It will also be featured on messages, camera, photos and music.
The feature offers a distinct interface with high-contrast buttons and large text labels, plus tools to help “trusted supporters tailor the experience for the individual they support”.
For example, on Messages, if a user favours communicating visually, they can use an emoji-only keyboard or record a video message.
Let them hear what you type with Live Speech
Live Speech will allow users to type a message then have it spoken on phone and FaceTime calls. Commonly used phrases can be saved so they can easily be accessed and sent during conversations.
Personal Voice, meanwhile, is aimed at users at risk of losing their ability to speak or other conditions that can progressively impact speaking ability. Users can create a “personal voice” by reading a randomised set of text to record 15 minutes of audio on an iPhone or iPad.
Apple said these tools use machine learning to keep user information private and secure, and that they were designed “to support millions of people globally who are unable to speak or who have lost their speech over time”.
Detection Mode for users with vision challenges
For those with vision disabilities, Apple has introduced point-and-speak on its magnifier feature, which lets users interact with physical objects that have several text labels.
Citing an example of a microwave oven, Apple said point-and-speak combines input from the camera, the light detection scanner known as Lidar and machine learning to announce the text on each button as users move their finger across the keypad.
Point-and-speak can also be used with other accessibility features, including voice over, people detection, door detection and image descriptions to help users navigate their physical environment.
Other new features announced include the ability to pair made-for-iPhone hearing devices directly to Mac, and an easier way to adjust text size across certain apps and phonetic suggestions on voice control that lets users choose the right word out of several that may sound alike.
Also, users with physical and motor disabilities who use switch control can turn any switch into a virtual game controller to play games on an iPhone or iPad, while those who are sensitive to rapid animations can automatically pause images with moving elements, such as GIFs, in Messages and Safari.
Apple also revealed several new accessibility features on its devices last year aimed at assisting users who are physically challenged.
The specs: 2018 GMC Terrain
Price, base / as tested: Dh94,600 / Dh159,700
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Power: 252hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 353Nm @ 2,500rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.4L / 100km
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Education reform in Abu Dhabi
The emirate’s public education system has been in a constant state of change since the New School Model was launched in 2010 by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. The NSM, which is also known as the Abu Dhabi School Model, transformed the public school curriculum by introducing bilingual education starting with students from grades one to five. Under this new curriculum, the children spend half the day learning in Arabic and half in English – being taught maths, science and English language by mostly Western educated, native English speakers. The NSM curriculum also moved away from rote learning and required teachers to develop a “child-centered learning environment” that promoted critical thinking and independent learning. The NSM expanded by one grade each year and by the 2017-2018 academic year, it will have reached the high school level. Major reforms to the high school curriculum were announced in 2015. The two-stream curriculum, which allowed pupils to elect to follow a science or humanities course of study, was eliminated. In its place was a singular curriculum in which stem -- science, technology, engineering and maths – accounted for at least 50 per cent of all subjects. In 2016, Adec announced additional changes, including the introduction of two levels of maths and physics – advanced or general – to pupils in Grade 10, and a new core subject, career guidance, for grades 10 to 12; and a digital technology and innovation course for Grade 9. Next year, the focus will be on launching a new moral education subject to teach pupils from grades 1 to 9 character and morality, civic studies, cultural studies and the individual and the community.
One in four Americans don't plan to retire
Nearly a quarter of Americans say they never plan to retire, according to a poll that suggests a disconnection between individuals' retirement plans and the realities of ageing in the workforce.
Experts say illness, injury, layoffs and caregiving responsibilities often force older workers to leave their jobs sooner than they'd like.
According to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research, 23 per cent of workers, including nearly two in 10 of those over 50, don't expect to stop working. Roughly another quarter of Americans say they will continue working beyond their 65th birthday.
According to government data, about one in five people 65 and older was working or actively looking for a job in June. The study surveyed 1,423 adults in February this year.
For many, money has a lot to do with the decision to keep working.
"The average retirement age that we see in the data has gone up a little bit, but it hasn't gone up that much," says Anqi Chen, assistant director of savings research at the Centre for Retirement Research at Boston College. "So people have to live in retirement much longer, and they may not have enough assets to support themselves in retirement."
When asked how financially comfortable they feel about retirement, 14 per cent of Americans under the age of 50 and 29 per cent over 50 say they feel extremely or very prepared, according to the poll. About another four in 10 older adults say they do feel somewhat prepared, while just about one-third feel unprepared.
"One of the things about thinking about never retiring is that you didn't save a whole lot of money," says Ronni Bennett, 78, who was pushed out of her job as a New York City-based website editor at 63.
She searched for work in the immediate aftermath of her layoff, a process she describes as akin to "banging my head against a wall." Finding Manhattan too expensive without a steady stream of income, she eventually moved to Portland, Maine. A few years later, she moved again, to Lake Oswego, Oregon. "Sometimes I fantasise that if I win the lottery, I'd go back to New York," says Ms Bennett.
Fight Night
FIGHT NIGHT
Four title fights:
Amir Khan v Billy Dib - WBC International title
Hughie Fury v Samuel Peter - Heavyweight co-main event
Dave Penalosa v Lerato Dlamini - WBC Silver title
Prince Patel v Michell Banquiz - IBO World title
Six undercard bouts:
Michael Hennessy Jr v Abdul Julaidan Fatah
Amandeep Singh v Shakhobidin Zoirov
Zuhayr Al Qahtani v Farhad Hazratzada
Lolito Sonsona v Isack Junior
Rodrigo Caraballo v Sajid Abid
Ali Kiydin v Hemi Ahio
SQUADS
India
Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur
New Zealand
Kane Williamson (captain), Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Henry Nicholls, Ish Sodhi, George Worker, Glenn Phillips, Matt Henry, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Trent Boult
How Beautiful this world is!
Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
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Results:
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 (PA) | Group 1 US$75,000 (Dirt) | 2,200 metres
Winner: Goshawke, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer)
7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas (TB) | Listed $250,000 (D) | 1,600m
Winner: Silva, Oisin Murphy, Pia Brendt
7.40pm: Meydan Classic Trial (TB) | Conditions $100,000 (Turf) | 1,400m
Winner: Golden Jaguar, Connor Beasley, Ahmad bin Harmash
8.15pm: Al Shindagha Sprint (TB) | Group 3 $200,000 (D) | 1,200m
Winner: Drafted, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (D) | 1,600m
Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Sandeep Jadhav
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,000m
Winner: Oasis Charm, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
10pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (T) | 1,600m
Winner: Escalator, Christopher Hayes, Charlie Fellowes
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
'Champions'
Director: Manuel Calvo
Stars: Yassir Al Saggaf and Fatima Al Banawi
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
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