In a discussion paper, ‘Contemporary community safeguards inquiry’, the ACMA notes that one of its ‘enduring concepts’ is: “Australians should enjoy reasonable and equitable access to the media and communications infrastructure, services and content necessary to promote their effective participation in society and the economy.”
People with a print disability include those who are blind or vision impaired, have impaired mobility such as diminished dexterity, or cognitive disabilities such as dyslexia. The purpose of the conference was to provide information and generate discussion on how people with print disabilities can access information and services through technology
Speaking at the conference were Media Access Australia’s chief executive Alex Varley and project manager Dr Scott Hollier.
It’s that time again for the people of the Northern Tablelands state election. Some people view it as a right, others say it is an obligation. Either way, the law requires we cast our ballots in a by-election.
Here in New South Wales, the NSW Electoral Commission has spent considerable time developing an online voting application for use in state elections and by-elections. It’s called iVote, and was first used at the last state election in 2011 to great success.
There are many countries that now have regulations in place for audio description, including Italy, Poland, Spain, the UK, Sweden, Germany, Canada, France, Ireland, Portugal and the USA. However, most of these are for public channels only and Portugal has not implemented its requirements. Only five of the countries listed have some audio description (AD) on commercial channels. Poland and Spain have a handful of programs, whereas the UK, Canada and USA have a form of across-the-board service.
