Digital technology

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eReader producers continue fight to avoid accessibility

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eReader manufacturers Amazon, Kobo and Sony have petitioned the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to seek  exemption from laws requiring products to be accessible to users with disabilities.

The issue for the companies centres around the 21st Century Video and Communications and Video Accessibility Act requiring any product offering ‘advanced communication services’ to be “accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities”.  However, the companies argue that their budget eReaders, including the Amazon Kindle, are used primarily just for reading, and therefore the Act should not apply. The companies argue that adding accessibility features would lead to products being more expensive, heavier and with shorter battery life.

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Accessibility celebrated at game developer awards

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The development of games designed to include people with disabilities will be recognised at this year’s Australian Game Developers Awards with the introduction of the Accessibility Award.

Presented at the Game Connect Asia Pacific (GCAP) conference, the awards recognise excellence and innovation in games developed in Australia. For the first time, they have added accessibility as an award category. According to the conference website, accessibility is defined as “mainstream games that make an effort to avoid unnecessarily excluding people with motor, cognitive, hearing speech or vision impairments.”

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Australia and New Zealand Internet Awards winners announced

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Organisations that recognise the need to address web accessibility and digital inclusion were among those celebrated at the Australia and New Zealand Internet Awards (ANZIAs) held last night in Wellington, New Zealand.

The awards, run by the .au Domain Administration (auDA) and InternetNZ, are designed to recognise the achievement of organisations which use the internet to benefit the community in innovative ways.

Work Ventures won the Internet Access and Digital Skills award for its program to help reduce the digital divide, which includes provision of free access to the Internet at technology hubs, refurbished computers for disadvantaged people, and training. The program particularly targets indigenous youth in remote areas, refugees and seniors.


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Apple’s ‘budget’ iPhone 5C still not affordable

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Apple unveiled its iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C at this week’s launch, with many disappointed about the pricing of its very first ‘budget’ phone, the iPhone 5C. Despite being regarded as one of the most accessible smartphones to people with disabilities, Apple’s smartphones still remains expensive in comparison to others on the market.

Leading up to the announcement, it was hoped that the lower cost iPhone 5C would allow low income earners access to a smartphone with impressive accessibility features. This would have been a significant development for Australians with disabilities.

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