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Transcript of: Election websites accessibility report

Philip: I’m speaking with Dr Scott Hollier, the Digital Accessibility Director for Media Access Australia, and author of an investigation into the state of accessibility of websites related to the last federal election in 2013. Well, he’s done it again and has put the major parties, along with the Australian Electoral Commission and the ABC’s Vote Compass, under the accessibility spotlight. Scott, what is the state of play in terms of digital access this time around?

Taxonomy:

Digital technology

Practical web accessibility

Sensory impairment

Blind or vision impaired

Deaf or hearing impaired

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Election websites accessibility report – improving but still difficult to use

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Media Access Australia’s Director of Digital Accessibility, Dr Scott Hollier, recently tested a number of websites related to the upcoming Federal Election to determine their accessibility. When compared with similar tests he did in 2013, improvements have been made. Yet people with disabilities or impairments still face challenges to determine their voting preferences based on online information, as Dr Hollier explains in an informative article and podcast.

Image of the words: why, where, what, how, when, who, in voice bubbles

Taxonomy:

Digital technology

Practical web accessibility

Blind or vision impaired

Deaf or hearing impaired

Read more about Election websites accessibility report – improving but still difficult to use

Vivid Sydney includes AD at the festival

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Last week Sydney saw the launch of Vivid, which is claimed to be the largest Winter festival of light, music and creativity in the country. Although Vivid is a typically visual festival, this year the organisers have made sure that individuals with a disability, including those who are blind or vision-impaired, can still be involved and enjoy the festival through audio description (AD).

Image of Vivid Sydney Festival logo

This new offering is in-line with the Sydney Opera House recent accessibility 3-year strategy plan which covers all elements of disability access for the venue, its productions and experiences.

Taxonomy:

Blind or vision impaired

News alert taxonomy:

Blind/vision impaired TV, DVD, Cinema & the Arts news

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A disabled gamer influenced Naughty Dog to improve accessibility in Uncharted 4

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Video game developer Naughty Dog has recently updated the accessibility options, thanks to the insight from a gamer with cerebral palsy. After feeling frustrated with the game, he decided to reach out to the game developers in order to make the game more accessible for people with disabilities.

Close up of two Playstation controllers resting on a table

Josh Straub, former Game Informer intern, found that due to the inaccessible controls he couldn’t use the controller to ”smash through doors” which were necessary to complete particular levels.

Taxonomy:

Digital technology

Digital media and technology:

Accessible gaming

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ACMA publishes preliminary captioning exemption orders for Telstra Pay TV

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The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has published preliminary exemption orders for 34 channels provided on Telstra Pay TV for mobile phones. These include both free-to-air channels such as ABC1, and channels available on Foxtel.

Silhouette of a man standing in front of a curved wall of lots of different TV screens. Image Credit: Telstra Pay TV

Taxonomy:

Catchup services

Deaf or hearing impaired

Closed captions

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More than 2,300 people have signed to legislate closed captioning in NZ

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On Global Accessibility Awareness Day, 19 May 2016, the New Zealand Captioning Working Group submitted a petition to Mojo Mathers, Green MP, with more than 2,300 signatures in a bid for the House of Representatives to legislate closed captioning across all relevant media.

A Woman holds and points a remote control at a TV screen

Taxonomy:

International policy and legislation

Catchup services

Deaf or hearing impaired

Closed captions

Read more about More than 2,300 people have signed to legislate closed captioning in NZ

“Okay Google, turn on Voice Access”

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As part of its focus to make Android devices more accessible to people with disabilities, Google has launched Voice Access Beta, a new accessibility service that allows Android users to control all of the functionality of their device by voice alone.

Google Voice Access Beta Logo

The new app allows users to change settings, writing texts, scrolling to the end of a page, using the camera, contacts and more. This will allow a greater inclusion to users unable to operate the touchscreen due to a disability.

Taxonomy:

Digital technology

Blind or vision impaired

Speech recognition

Digital media and technology:

Microsoft Windows

Android tablets

Android smartphones

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Cognitive Disability podcast with Dr Scott Hollier

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A comprehensive new booklet aims to demystify Cognitive Disability by providing a practical resource for organisational support. The author of the guide, Dr Scott Hollier, is Media Access Australia’s Director of Digital Accessibility, and also wrote the ground-breaking Service Provider’s Accessibility Guide last year. He shares his thoughts on the condition and the new guide in an insightful podcast.

A head and shoulders photo of Dr Scott Hollier

Taxonomy:

Sensory impairment

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5 ways to experience digital accessibility on Global Accessibility Awareness Day

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As today is Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), we thought that we would encourage some involvement amongst the community so that you can gain a first-hand awareness of accessibility. We hope this is an eye-opener and maybe a little bit of a mid-week challenge.

A young woman holds a smartphone in her hand

Taxonomy:

Digital technology

Practical web accessibility

Blind or vision impaired

Deaf or hearing impaired

Closed captions

Audio description

Speech recognition

Digital media and technology:

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MAA launches the Cognitive Disability Digital Accessibility Guide

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Cognitive disability can be a difficult condition to understand. This is particularly the case for organisations wanting to be able to find out how to better address the communication needs of their managers, staff and consumers with a cognitive disability, in a media context. That’s why Media Access Australia created a practical resource for organisational support: the Cognitive Disability Digital Accessibility Guide, which is free to download from the Media Access Australia website.

Front cover image of the Cognitive Disability Digital Accessibility Guide

Taxonomy:

Professional services

Digital technology

Practical web accessibility

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