Accessibility boost for Apple mobile devices

24th June 2012

Roberta: Last week Apple announced an update to its mobile device operating system, iOS6. The iOS6 update comes with loads of accessible features that will improve the way people with a disability use their i-devices, including iPhone and iPad. And I have with me today Clarizza Fernandez from Media Access Australia to tell us all about it. Welcome Clarissa. Now, tell us about the update to Apple’s mobile operating system.

Clarizza: So the update to the Apple operating system for their  mobile devices, it’s called the iOS6, it’s just the software that they use on their mobile devices, so like the iPhone and iPad. It’s really exciting because in this current update there’s many features that have been updated to increase the accessibility of these devices.

Roberta: Now what sort of accessibility features can we expect then?

Clarizza: Firstly we’ve got Siri, which is the voice activation software. In this update Siri will be able to lodge applications and it’s also integrated with a new application that Apple are releasing called Maps. So this means that you can use your voice to look at Maps and see street directions and particularly with this new Maps app you can see turn by turn directions, and that comes with some visual and spoken output. You can ask Siri things about where the nearest petrol station is or where the nearest landmark is. You can also use Siri to do local search for movies and restaurants using the Yelp crowded sourced rating and review service.

The other thing is the VoiceOver app, which is screen reading software on Apple iPhone and iPad, it can be used with Zoom, which is a screen magnifier and with assistive touch, which is another accessibility app that comes inbuilt with iPhone and iPad. Probably the most exciting thing is that there’s a new app called Guided Access, which is really exciting because you can turn off and turn on certain parts of the screen so that, for example, if a teacher is teaching a student how to use an iPhone or an iPad they can activate different parts of that screen and also disable different parts of that screen so that the student won’t be able to activate a feature by accident.

Roberta: Well I think you may have answered by next question but there may be something else you might like to add about how Siri will enhance the way a blind or vision impaired user uses their iPhone or iPad.

Clarizza: I think I’d like to highlight that Siri, so the improvement to the Siri is that you can use your voice to control or navigate your phone and that’s really exciting because ordinarily someone will be able to use their touch and their eyes to look at a phone and see where they want to go, but with Siri being able to launch applications it means you can just use your voice to open your calendar or open your reminders.

That’s exciting because it opens up those features of the phone to people that are blind or vision impaired, for example. I think the integration of Siri with VoiceOver, so that you could use a screen magnifier Zoom and the specific touch app is really exciting because in the previous versions of VoiceOver and Zoom, those things could only be used separately. So once Zoom has been opened your phone will use VoiceOver, or your iPad will use VoiceOver to say that it’s been activated, and that’s really exciting.

Roberta: It is indeed. Well when can we expect the update to be available to download, Clarissa?

Clarizza: So far the month we can expect this to be available in iTunes is September in Australia.

Roberta: Oh that’s not too long ahead is it.

Clarizza: No, that’s exciting.

Roberta: It’s certainly worth waiting for. Well for more information on developments in digital technology, like the Apple devices, visit Media Access Australia website, mediaaccess.org.au or email info@mediaaccess.org.au, or you can use the old fashioned phone, 02) 9212 6242. Well thank you for all that today, Clarissa.

Clarizza: Thanks Roberta.

Roberta: I’ve been speaking with Clarissa Fernandez from Media Access Australia and Media Access Australia are supporters of this program.