The feature is available on Boeing 787s, which have recently been introduced to Air Canada’s fleet. An Air Canada spokesman, Peter Fitzpatrick, said, “We use a female voice in English and male voice in French. Voices are fed from the text-to-speech software that Air Canada licenses to operate its content management system.”
Speaking ahead of his presentation on web accessibility at the Disability Inclusion and Liveable Communities Forum in Sydney on 12 September, Media Access Australia accessibility expert Dr Scott Hollier said meeting accessibility compliance was easier than many councils thought.
The two-day conference features streams covering access through technology, creative practice, audience development, international collaborations, disability-led practice and community connections. The extensive program features 85 speakers from across Australia and the world.
Vlug stated he could not enjoy programs such as major league baseball playoff games without the inclusion of captions, arguing that Deaf Canadians are equal to those who can hear since their taxes funded the broadcaster, entitling them to the full experience of CBC programming.
The case was won and the lawyer granted CAD$10,000 by the CHRT for pain and suffering. CBC appealed the tribunal’s settlement but later dropped the bid when it settled with Vlug out of court for a lower amount.
Ai-Media CEO Tony Abrahams said he was “delighted to be able to additionally service our broadcast, education, corporate and government clients from this dynamic city”.
The provision of captions via speech-to-text in the classroom, workplace, at conferences and in meetings has increased access to information and services for people with hearing impairment and other needs. This access affords people the opportunity to participate fully and make equitable contributions in their chosen fields or places of learning.
The awards, presented at the M-Enabling Summit, seek to recognise innovators who develop communications technology for people with disabilities.
This year, seven award categories were available, including Advanced Communication Services (ACS), Employment Opportunities, Closed Captions, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Mobile Web Browsers, Social Media and Video Description.
The winners were:
The Inclusion in Education: towards equality for students with disability paper is a literature review of over 170 pieces of research. The report identifies that the greatest barrier to children with disability being included at school is discriminatory attitudes.
The report states:
Apps For All challenges developers to create mobile or tablet apps which can be accessed by as many people as possible, including people with disabilities.
Announced by Johanna Plante, Chairperson of ACCAN, and Graeme Innes, Disability Discrimination Commissioner, the focus of the challenge is to raise awareness about the universal benefits of accessible apps.
“The Apps For All challenge will not only highlight why accessibility is so important, but trigger a flood of innovative and groundbreaking ideas around how apps and technologies can truly benefit all,” saidPlante.
