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2017 Sydney Access and Inclusion Campaign launched

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Accessible Arts in partnership with the City of Sydney launched the new Accessing Sydney Collectively (ASYD.CO) knowledge exchange partnership program on 8 March 2017, as part of the Sydney Access and Inclusion Campaign.

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New report on the trial of A.D. on ABC iview

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Media Access Australia was one of seven leading advocacy organisations that have just tabled a report, including consumer feedback, perspectives and analysis, of the Government-funded trial of Audio Description (AD) on the ABC's iview service, from April 2015 to July 2016.

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Television

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Audio description

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

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New Australian app for A.T. users to better equip themselves

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A new consumer app is helping Australians with disabilities to identify the range of Assistive Technology (AT) equipment and technology options available, with the aim of improving their independence and wellbeing.

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Design-a-thon event showcased innovative thinking

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The recent Enabled Design-a-thon event was held in Sydney on 25-26 February 2017 with two Media Access Australia accessibility specialists taking part – Heidi Laidler and Monica Regalado. It attracted 16 teams of from 4-10 members who worked over the two days to design and develop prototypes of solutions to assist people with disability.

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Check out the world’s least accessible website

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Mehmet Duran, a developer in the accessibility team at the UK Government’s Digital Service group, created a website with two colleagues that is the most inaccessible on the planet. He did so in order to check the accuracy and efficacy of automated testing tools, and the results were surprising.

Screenshot of 'the world's least accessible website'

A screenshot of 'the world's least accessible website'

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Don't miss Meeting Place 2017 on 2 March in Perth

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Hosted in partnership with the Perth International Arts Festival and DADAA WA, Arts Access Australia’s Meeting Place 2017 will be held next week in Perth and promises to be a memorable and thought-provoking event.

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Windows 10 free upgrade offer still on for AT users

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Microsoft continues to support a free upgrade to Windows 10 for people who are using Assistive Technologies (AT) in Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, despite officially ending their promotional offer on 29 July 2016.

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A laptop running Windows 10

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Latest on iOS 10, 7 & Plus 7 phones and new Apple Support app

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A lot of new things are happening in the Apple universe. There's an iOS 10 Home ‘button‘ and Voice Control update, along with a wonderful new Apple Support app that is ideal for people with a hearing impairment as well as those suffering from anxiety.

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2017 Consumer Electronics Show showcases digital assistants

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The world’s largest technology tradeshow, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was staged in Las Vegas in January and is now 50 years young. In addition to the weird and the wonderful, there was plenty of innovation on display, plus a whole lot of love at the event for digital assistants including Amazon Echo’s ‘Alexa’, as Media Access Australia’s Specialist Advisor - Digital Accessibility, Dr Scott Hollier reports.

Amazon Echo with ears drawn on each side

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Magnifier feature in Apple iOS 10 – a hidden gem

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Towards the end of 2016, Apple's iOS10 mobile operating system was released. One of its ‘box of tricks’ that didn’t get much publicity is a helpful new access feature called Magnifier. This hidden helper has been a hit with those who have discovered it, and is designed for people who are vision impaired plus seniors who have trouble reading small print.

Image of Magnifier enlarging an image and words on an iPhone