Blind/vision impaired Digital Technology & Online Media news

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US adopts rules to make electronic devices more accessible

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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted a set of rules which will make a wide range of electronic devices more accessible for the Deaf or hearing impaired and blind or vision impaired.

The rules cover any device which is used to receive or play digital video, including televisions, set-top boxes, computers and smartphones. From now on, these will need to have on-screen text menus and program guides which are audibly accessible (i.e. the user can opt to hear them spoken), and a single button, key or icon to activate accessibility features such as closed captions.


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Our study into education for blind and vision impaired children

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Media Access Australia has today released a landmark study into how the access needs of blind and vision impaired students can be met in Australian schools. Launched at the Blind Citizens Australia convention yesterday, it is hoped that the study informs how new technologies and systems are adopted.

While there is no official statistic for the number of blind and vision impaired children in Australia, a reasonable estimate is 4,000. The vast majority of these school age children attend mainstream schools.

The study explores how the challenge of providing access to media and technology for blind and vision impaired students is met across the public, Catholic and independent sectors. The study draws on interviews with mainstream and specialist teachers and service providers.


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Web awards encourage accessibility in Australia

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The annual Australian Web Industry Association’s (AWIA) Awards were held last night in Sydney. This was the culmination of a number of state finals held in the previous month. The Awards recognise achievement and innovation by web agencies over the last year.

Media Access Australia supports the Awards and is a sponsor of the Government category. Our project manager Dr Scott Hollier was one of team of experts who assessed the accessibility of each nominated website.

Accessibility, which in past years had its own award, was a strong theme through the ceremony, advocated passionately by AWIA Chairman Bret Treasure. He told the audience that accessibility was a key criterion for judging and that all of the chosen entries had to have some notable levels of accessibility to eligible.

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OS X Mavericks released with improved accessibility

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Apple has updated its operating system for laptop and desktop computers to OS X Mavericks. The update includes a number of improvements which make Macs easier to use for people with a disability.

Accessibility improvements

Closed captioning support

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