Blind/vision impaired Digital Technology & Online Media news

Error message

Deprecated function: Array and string offset access syntax with curly braces is deprecated in include_once() (line 14 of /home/mediacc/public_html/themes/engines/phptemplate/phptemplate.engine).

National Broadband Network to improve lives of people with disabilities

no

The rollout National Broadband Network (NBN) presents an opportunity for the Federal Government and telecommunications industry to make a real difference to Australians with disabilities. Craig Wallace, a marketing professional and wheelchair user, argued in an article on the ABC’s Ramp Up website that these benefits need to be considered from the outset if they are to be unlocked.

In the article, Wallace argues that the NBN has the potential to bridge gaps between city and country, rich and poor, abled and disabled. “Work to address those barriers needs to happen now so that we build in the access features up-front and don't repeat the mistakes we made with poorly planned inaccessible built infrastructure and housing. Building it and assuming they will come is not enough.”

Taxonomy: 

Top of page

Google launches an accessibility survey

no

Google has announced a survey for users who are blind or vision impaired to better understand computer usage and assistive technology patterns in the blind community.

The survey, developed with the American Council of the Blind, takes approximately 20 minutes to complete and can be accessed online on your computer or mobile device, or by telephone.

Google encourages all people who are blind or vision impaired who use assistive technology to access the web to participate in the survey. The responses will help it to understand the needs of the community and further develop the accessibility of its products.


Top of page

Canadian Government launches new standard on web accessibility

no

 The Canadian Government has announced that all public facing government websites will comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines(WCAG) 2.0 level AA. The new requirements came into effect on 1 August 2011 and will be implemented in three phases over two years.

The Standard on Web Accessibility outlines the requirements for government departments, and is supported by a guidance document outlining specific deliverables, tools and solutions. The Government suggested that the departments start implementing the guidelines immediately, giving priority to core content and most important information.

Digital media and technology: 

Top of page

Users and industry rush to support assistive technology

no

NV Access, the developer of the free NVDA screen reader, has received US$21,200 in donations from users in addition to funding from several organisations since its request in January. This will lead to a number of improvements to accessibility for those who are blind or vision impaired.

One of the supporting organisations is software company Adobe which has contracted NV Access to enhance NVDA's support for Adobe products. This will improve access to PDFs, electronic forms, e-books and other digital documents for users who are blind or vision impaired. NV Access will also work on improving Adobe Flash Player’s accessibility issues.

Digital media and technology: 

Top of page

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Blind/vision impaired Digital Technology & Online Media news