Google.org Pledges $20 Million to Support Disability Technologies
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The World Health Organization estimates 1 billion people across the world live with disabilities, and Google’s philanthropy division, Google.org, just pledged $20 million to help improve their situations. The money is spread across 29 programs working on disability technologies — the average amount they’ll each receive is $750,000, with six of the grant winners getting more than $1 million, reports.
The programs fall into five categories of disabilities — hearing, mobility, cognitive, vision and communication — and the winning programs tackle a variety of issues. Here are a few examples:
- connects people who need prosthetics with low-cost 3D-printed solutions.
- is building an open-source add-on that turns any manual wheelchair into a power chair.
- wants to roll out more detailed GPS instructions to ensure the visually impaired don’t get left behind when independently navigating the real world.
- is developing a digital, interactive system to help young people on the autism spectrum train for job interviews.
- is making low-cost custom footwear that enables people with leprosy to maintain their ability to walk.
In related accessibility news, Google recently rolled out the beta for its , which allows users to navigate their phones via voice commands.
The World Health Organization estimates 1 billion people across the world live with disabilities, and Google’s philanthropy division, Google.org, just pledged $20 million to help improve their situations. The money is spread across 29 programs working on disability technologies — the average amount they’ll each receive is $750,000, with six of the grant winners getting more than $1 million, reports.
The programs fall into five categories of disabilities — hearing, mobility, cognitive, vision and communication — and the winning programs tackle a variety of issues. Here are a few examples:
- connects people who need prosthetics with low-cost 3D-printed solutions.
- is building an open-source add-on that turns any manual wheelchair into a power chair.
- wants to roll out more detailed GPS instructions to ensure the visually impaired don’t get left behind when independently navigating the real world.
- is developing a digital, interactive system to help young people on the autism spectrum train for job interviews.
- is making low-cost custom footwear that enables people with leprosy to maintain their ability to walk.
In related accessibility news, Google recently rolled out the beta for its , which allows users to navigate their phones via voice commands.
