For the increasing population of individuals with visual impairments, engaging with the digital world presents significant challenges. Screen readers, which are essential tools for visually impaired users, often prove to be complex and inefficient, typically requiring an average of six minutes to thoroughly navigate a new webpage. This slow and cumbersome process can hinder productivity, independence, and overall accessibility for those who rely on these assistive technologies.

Moreover, large language model (LLM)-based agents, which hold great promise for assisting with web navigation and interaction for visually impaired users, currently suffer from limited coverage. They often struggle to accurately interpret and support a wide variety of web pages and applications, leaving many users without reliable and effective assistance.

Addressing these issues is crucial to creating a more inclusive digital environment where people with visual impairments can interact seamlessly, efficiently, and with greater independence and confidence.

SpeakyAI offers a powerful solution to these challenges. It is a patented EU, UK and US speech-based Personal Assistant mobile App designed specifically for visually impaired users. SpeakyAI enables users to navigate any digital content – whether it’s a mobile app, a digital document, or a website – in detail, all through natural spoken conversation.

This advanced technology not only enhances digital accessibility but also promotes greater autonomy and inclusion for visually impaired individuals in their everyday digital interactions.

Worldwide, approximately 250 million people are visually impaired.

SpeakyAI is now ready for launch across all English-speaking markets. Mediavoice, with its strong social focus, plans to sell the product to those who can afford it and donate it to those in need.

Mediavoice is actively seeking commercial partners and foundations to facilitate the global launch of SpeakyAI. The goal is to bridge the digital divide and enhance the quality of life for all blind and visually impaired individuals—supporting their access to information, training, inclusion in the workforce and promoting their independence.

No one left behind!

The International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations is engaged in research projects that focus on understanding the importance and significance of cultural activities in improving quality of life for people living with ALS/MND (PALS) and their caregivers (CALS). In an environment where there is significant global iniquity in access to information and care and affordable technologies, the Alliance is being increasingly challenged to provide leadership and direction to the broader community because of its unique perspective as a truly global organisation.

Through a “design-thinking” approach, the Alliance is bringing together tangible examples of how innovation in technology relates to the creation of art, music, games, etc., allowing the pursuit of creative interests for PALS. Using Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and insights from the Alliance’s bi-annual Fundamental Rights survey, this research focuses on personalizing the experience of PALS. By bringing individual needs to the forefront, we aim to enhance quality of life and potentially transform their journey based on their unique objectives and desires. In support of this, there are a number of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, Brain Computer Interaction (BCI), Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), home-automation systems, communication and voice-preservation technologies, which represent new opportunities regarding the value and contribution they have the potential to make to improving Quality of Life for PALS and CALS around the world. However, in equal measure, they can be said to pose challenges and raise important questions about fair use, ethical handling of data, security and privacy, equitable access at a global level, and the impact they may have on our “human-ness”!

More Session Details: https://aaate2025.eu/enhancing-quality-of-life-%cf%84hrough-insights-%ce%b2ased-on-the-als-mnd-personal-needs-matrix/

Dysphagia has negative consequences for the quality of life of people who have had a neurologic disease (i.e. exitus of stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson disease) and their family members or caregivers. Indeed, it can be very burdensome to manage these patients at home about modified food consistency and protected food intake postures that clinicians recommend. Digital technology can reduce this care burden by making the instructions and information provided by the rehabilitation team available in video at any time.

The aim of this project is to make available a web platform with a panel of about 25 sample videos that are easy to understand, with simple and short verbal instructions (accessibility for people with aphasia or non-Italian speaking caregivers) and easily accessible via a single link or QR code (one for each patient). Clinicians, based on their own clinical and functional assessment, will be able to choose the appropriate content for the individual case, thus building a customised counselling project.

The patient and/or his or her caregiver, at home, using a PC or a simple smartphone, will only be able to access the content selected for them by the clinical team; anyway, It will always be necessary to contact the service in charge of the patient in the event of an worsening or modification of the clinical-functional situation.

It is a tool that can facilitate management of dysphagia at home, that improves the daily stress of the patient and his or her caregiver, and also reduces possible complications related to dysphagia mismanagement at home.

The tool is going to tackle a sensitive aspect of home-caring: the substantial lack of “supportive” services to address problems in caring their relatives at home. Considering the burden and the responsibility that is normally associated to routinary operations of chronic conditions, it could be envisaged the emerging of new tools (hopefully integrated) as an extension of in-patient care that could relief expectations of home-carers (informal and formal) that are asked to be prepared and “specialised” in daily life operations. The platform is configured as a modern technological support of asynchronous tele-assistance, and is in line with current Italian regulations on telemedicine and telerehabilitation with respect also to the management of sensitive data and professional liability.

We are at the end of a full year trial of the platform with about 100 users and more than 15 professionals (i.e. speech therapists) involved. Result of SUS based questionnaire proposed to professionals is in progress.