Microsoft Windows

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Cortana now available to Australian Windows 10 users

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Support for Cortana for Australian users has been added in the latest November update for Windows 10, allowing the feature to be officially enabled locally.

Cortana logo above the text "Hi, I'm Cortana."

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Digital technology
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Blind or vision impaired
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Solutions
Inclusion
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Audio description on iview now available on desktops

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The trial of audio description on the ABC’s online iview service which commenced in April has now been extended to desktop computers.

Man on sitting on a couch, smiling whilst wearing headphones connected to a laptop

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TV & video
Web
Australian policy and legislation
News
Television
Disability
Solutions
Inclusion
Audio description
Digital media and technology: 
Microsoft Windows
Mac OS X

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Blind Citizens Australia wraps up successful convention in Perth

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The Blind Citizens Australia (BCA) annual convention was held over the weekend at the Mercure hotel in Perth, with approximately 120 attendees discussing a range of issues.

Much of the focus related to the 40th anniversary of BCA with presentations and discussions relating to how products and services for people who are blind or vision impaired have progressed over that time, current issues both locally and internationally, and the significance of BCA in the future.

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Digital technology
Web
News
Practical web accessibility
Media Access Review
Disability
Blind or vision impaired
Solutions
Inclusion
Audio description
Digital media and technology: 
App reviews
Standards
Techniques
Technologies
iTunes
Assistive technology
Screen readers
NVDA
VoiceOver
iOS
Android
Operating systems
Microsoft Windows
Mac OS X
Devices
Android tablets
iPad
Smartphones
Android smartphones
iPhone

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Q&A with award winning accessible game developer and author Quentin Christensen

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Media Access Australia spoke with Quentin Christensen, accessibility advocate, indie developer, winner of the ACCAN Apps for All Challenge in accessible gaming and author of the ‘Making Windows 10 Easy’ series of books.

RapiTap! game with a 3x3 grid displayed. Four yellow circles are present, with one in each corner square. One red cross is in the middle square.

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General
Web
News
Q&A
Audio navigation
Disability
Blind or vision impaired
Solutions
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Digital media and technology: 
Accessible gaming
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Microsoft Windows

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Windows 10

The latest version of Microsoft Windows is Windows 10, with Home and Pro versions featuring on Microsoft desktop, laptop and tablet devices. Windows 10 includes all the accessibility features in Windows 7 and the accessibility features in Windows 8.1 but has some helpful new features which include:

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Digital technology
Digital media and technology: 
Technologies
Web browsers
Operating systems
Microsoft Windows

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Windows 10 Home and Pro – hands-on accessibility test

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Shortly after the launch of Windows 10 on July 29th, Dr Scott Hollier put together his thoughts, findings and hands-on impressions regarding the accessibility of Microsoft's latest operating system.

Windows 10 desktop with the Start menu expanded

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Digital technology
Web
News
Disability
Sensory impairment
Blind or vision impaired
Deaf or hearing impaired
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Inclusion
Digital media and technology: 
Standards
WCAG
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
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Microsoft Windows

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Windows 10 launches with accessibility improvements

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The Windows 10 update has begun to roll out on a number of devices and has some significant improvements to the accessibility features previously available in Windows 8.1, particularly around the inclusion of the Siri-like Cortana digital assistant, more versatile dictation support and minor updates to existing accessibility features.

Windows 10 logo

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Microsoft Windows
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NVDA 2015.1 screen reader released: hands-on first impressions

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NVDA, the free screen reader for Windows which is one of the world’s most popular, continues to receive significant improvements with the latest version, 2015.1. Dr Scott Hollier provides a hands-on review and initial impressions of the latest software update from NV Access.

Headset resting next to a Windows-based laptop

While not a proficient screen reader user, I find it useful from time to time when trying to read web pages, documents and emails which are text-heavy, so I was interested to take the new version of NVDA for a spin on my Windows 8.1 machine.

Taxonomy: 
Web
News
Practical web accessibility
Disability
Blind or vision impaired
Audio description
Digital media and technology: 
WCAG
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
Techniques
Technologies
Assistive technology
Screen readers
NVDA
Microsoft Windows

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Mobile device usage surges in Australia

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The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has released new research showing the growing use of tablet computers which, in turn, emphasises the need for improved mobile device accessibility.

Microsoft Surface tablet resting upright on a wooden surface

Taxonomy: 
General
Digital technology
News
ACMA, Australian Communications and Media Authority
Disability
Blind or vision impaired
Deaf or hearing impaired
Digital media and technology: 
iOS
Android
Microsoft Windows
Devices
Tablets
Android tablets
iPad

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Digital technology highlights of 2014

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As the year draws to a close, it’s a good time to reflect back on the significant accessibility improvements that we’ve seen in digital technology across the major operating systems in computers and mobile devices.

Woman reclining on a wooden park bench outdoors, with an iPhone 6 in left hand

Taxonomy: 
General
Digital technology
News
Disability
Blind or vision impaired
Deaf or hearing impaired
Digital media and technology: 
Technologies
Assistive technology
Mobile operating systems
iOS
Android
Operating systems
Microsoft Windows
Mac OS X
Devices
Android tablets
iPad
Smartphones
Android smartphones
iPhone
eReaders

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