FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Steve Jacobs, President
IDEAL Group, Inc. and,
CEO, Apps4Android, Inc.
steve.jacobs@apps4android.org
Jeff Higginbotham,
Ph.D.
State University of New York at Buffalo
Center for Excellence in Augmented Communication (CEAC)
Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Communication Enhancement (AAC-RERC)
cdsjeff@buffalo.edu
“Raising the Floor, Reducing the Cost, and Leveling the Playing Field for Individuals with Disabilities”
HILLIARD, OH July 16, 2010 - IDEAL Group Apps4Android, Inc. announced today that it will be partnering with Jeff Higginbotham and University at Buffalo’s Signature Center for Excellence in Augmented Communication (UBCEAC) to enhance the functionality of iAugComm, their Android-Based AAC application running on Android wireless tablets. iAugComm enables individuals who are non-verbal or whose speech is difficult to understand to communicate easily and effectively using a simple, icon-based interface.
According to Steve Jacobs, President, IDEAL Group, Inc., and CEO, Apps4Android, Inc., “High-quality Android tablets are now being manufactured and sold for less than $100. This opens up opportunities for innovation and systems change in the AAC marketspace. Given the state of our economy, we cannot afford not to explore new uses for new technology.”
Jeff Higginbotham, a partner in the AAC-RERC stated, “Partnering with IDEAL in support of enhancing the functionality of iAugComm will enable us to put a low-cost, high-quality, AAC device in the Android marketplace and into the hands of all consumers needing or wanting one. We are committed to developing iAugComm-based on our research and research-based practice. We want iAugComm to be an easy to use, efficient and inexpensive AAC technology for both practitioners and consumers.”
Apps4Android, Inc. is
dedicated to developing low/no-cost, high-quality,
Android applications that enhance the
quality-of-life, independence, quality of education, and employability of
individuals with disabilities... and everyone else! Apps4Android is the
world’s largest developer of speech-enabled Android applications in the world
with 777,000 users in 45 countries. For more information:
http://apps4android.org/
This work is supported in
part with funds from the
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U.S.
Department of Education to the
Rehabilitation Engineering Research
Center on Communication Enhancement (AAC-RERC).
http://aac-rerc.com.
The mission of the UB CEAC is to better
understand how individuals with complex communication needs use technology
in their conversations and social interactions. Through detailed
observations, technology testing and prototype development, CEAC uses
these results to develop new technologies and provide information to the
research and practitioner community.
http://cdswebserver.med.buffalo.edu/drupal/?q=node/177
The contents of this news release do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Education National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), nor does mention of company names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
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