i3 - September/October 2018 - 50

Business

By Steve Ewell

CT R E P O RTS

Voice Technology
Enabling Independence

2018
CTA Events

s the boomer generation reaches retirement age and focuses on
aging independently at home, or in another community of their
choosing, there is a growing demand for technologies that help
enable independent living. This is needed both for the boomers' safety
and security, but also for loved ones and other caregivers. One technology
that is quickly gaining adoption in this space are voice assistants.

There are many brands competing in the
voice space, whether on dedicated hardware,
phones, tablets or other devices at home or on
the go. All have integrations with other technologies, creating greater control over the environment for both them and their caregivers.
The CTA Foundation supports this technology to better meet the needs of older
adults and people with disabilities. Two of
our 2018 grant recipients are using this
technology to serve their communities.

Benetech

The Bookshare program makes more than
630,000 titles available to people with
reading disabilities. Participants can access
books in various formats including large
type, braille, audiobooks and with our support through voice assistants. Whether it's
enabling greater access to a student reviewing materials for their homework or an
adult getting the latest bestseller, this service enables access to information which is
critical to connect people at all ages.

Front Porch Center for Innovation
and Wellbeing

In 2017 Front Porch ran a pilot in their
Carlsbad By the Sea Retirement Community
using Amazon Alexa and smart home products.

The pilot found more than 71 percent of participants feel more connected to family, friends
and the community based on the technology.
Because of those results, the CTA Foundation
has funded their Voice-activated Independence
and Smart Home Engagement (VISHN) initiative, which will bring these technologies to
400 additional homes across both senior living and affordable housing communities.
"We are very excited by the positive
impact this work is already having on the
lives of older adults and their loved ones,"
says Kari Olson, chief innovation and technology officer, Front Porch and president,
Front Porch Center for Innovation and
Wellbeing. "The VISHN project is a fabulous
example of what can be achieved when key
stakeholders across the ecosystem, from
older adults, to families and caregivers, to
solutions providers, funders and more, work
together in partnership to co-create adoption models for emerging solutions like
voice-first and smart home technologies."
The CTA Foundation is excited to see the
emergence of these technologies across the
consumer technology landscape. Join us as
we help support the use of technology in
improving the lives of older adults and people
with disabilities across the country. Learn
more at CTAFoundation.tech.

CES Unveiled
Amsterdam
September 27

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Technology &
Standards Fall Forum
October 1-5
Hollywood, CA

CES Unveiled Paris
October 3
Paris, France

Innovate Celebrate
October 15-17
Boston, MA

CT Hall of Fame Dinner
November 7
New York, NY

CES Unveiled
New York
November 8
New York, NY

CES Unveiled
Las Vegas
January 8
Las Vegas, NV

CES® 2019
January 8-11
Las Vegas, NV

CONTACT:
For more information
on CTA events,
call 703-907-7600
or visit CTA.tech.

Support the CTA Foundation, be
recognized as a philanthropic
leader in our industry and enable
us to aid more older adults and
people with disabilities:

VISIT
www.SupportCTAF.org
to give online or get
information on sending
stocks or checks.

SHOP
at smile.Amazon.com
and select the Consumer
Technology Association
Foundation to give 0.5%
of your shopping at no
extra cost to you.

CONTACT
us for information
on how to set up
donations through
your payroll.

FOLLOW
us on Twitter @CTAFoundation and
share the work the industry is doing
to use technology to improve lives.
REQUEST your copy of our 2018 CTA
Foundation Report, highlighting our programs.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

I T I S I N N O VAT I O N

Courtesy of Front Porch

SUPPORT THE CTA FOUNDATION

http://cta.tech http://www.twitter.com/CTAFoundation http://smile.Amazon.com http://www.SupportCTAF.org

i3 - September/October 2018

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