Accessibility in the News
XML Feed
What is RSS and how do I subscribe?
Displaying 1 to 20 of 2368 News Items
Page:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
>
...
Department of Justice seeks public comment on making the web part of covered regulations within the ADA
http://webaim.org/blog/dept-of-justice-considers-web-for-ada/
From WebAIM - Web Accessibility in Mind: Along with many of you, WebAIM celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). While we have much to be thankful for, many of us in the web accessibility movement have often wondered when the Federal Government would provide direct clarification on the applicability of the Internet to the ADA. We do have the 1996 letter to Senator Harkin by the Department of Justice to point to the plausibility that the Internet is a covered entity. We all anxiously await each time there is a high profile court case to see if case law might emerge to support web accessibility. But today, of all days, the federal government announced something that should give those of us in the web accessibility movement even greater reason to celebrate.
Contributed on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:46:42 GMT.
U.S. looks to improve disabled access to Internet
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66M5JY20100723
The Obama administration on Friday proposed trying to enhance access for people with disabilities to websites for hotels, retail stores and other public sites as well as improve access to movie theaters. Most of the proposals are aimed primarily at improved access for those who are deaf and the blind. With the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act on Monday, the Justice Department issued four proposals for public comment aimed at finding ways to keep up with advancing technologies so people with disabilities are not left behind. "Just as these quantum leaps can help all of us, they can also set us back -- if regulations are not updated or compliance codes become too confusing to implement," Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement.
Contributed on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:17:32 GMT.
Apps 4 Access Will Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
http://www.disabled-world.com/news/events/2010/accessibility-innovation.php
Disability Power and Pride (DPP), with support from ATandT, is hosting Apps4Access on Capitol Hill, an event highlighting the important role that applications play in improving accessibility. Apps4Access, hosted in the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, DC, will showcase applications, across a variety of platforms, that are designed to improve accessibility. Attendees will have the opportunity to experience firsthand how innovations improve the lives of persons with disabilities. Representatives from a range of companies will demonstrate apps and discuss the bright future that apps will bring for improved accessibility. Following the showcase, there will be a moderated panel discussion on what steps can be taken to improve quality and increase awareness of existing applications. The panel will feature experts from the disability community as well as the telecom and applications industries and representatives from Federal agencies are expected to play a critical role.
Contributed on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:15:53 GMT.
Introducing The Workshop's free accessible media player
http://www.theworkshop.co.uk/introducing-free-accessible-media-player
We've developed an accessible media player and we're making it available to download for free right here on our website. We started building our player towards the end of 2009 and have already used it as part of our work with clients. But with few robust, accessible players out there, we began to think about how we could do more with what we'd created. Making the pledge In March this year, we attended NDI10, a digital participation conference, where we pledged to make our accessible player available to all delegates. The idea was to make it easier for attending organisations to have a well designed, accessible media player on their website. Before releasing it into the wild, we wanted to test the player with users with disabilities, as well as our own quality team.
Contributed on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:14:27 GMT.
House Energy and Commerce OKs Communications Disability Access Bill
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/455056-House_Energy_Commerce_OKs_Commun...
The House Energy and Commerce Committee Wednesday approved HR 3101, a bill that updates disability access to communications services elements of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, but with changes that address some of the issues that industry had with the bill. The legislation, the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010, now goes to the House floor for a vote. A Senate version has already passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee. Among other things, the bill requires the captioning of any online video that is closed captioned on TV, and asks the FCC to study captioning of Web-original video. It also requires smart phones and other mobile devices to be accessible to those who are disabled, if that is achievable, and restores the FCC's video description rules thrown out by the courts in 2002.
Contributed on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:12:49 GMT.
Universal instructional design principles for Moodle
http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/869
This paper identifies a set of universal instructional design (UID) principles appropriate to distance education (DE) and specifically tailored to the needs of instructional designers and instructors teaching online. These principles are then used to assess the accessibility level of a sample online course and the availability of options in its LMS platform (MoodleTM) to increase course accessibility. Numerous accessibility-sensitive plug-in modules are found to be available to Moodle users, though relatively few features were included in the sample course analysed. This may be because they have not been made available to instructors at the institutional level. The paper offers a series of recommendations to improve the accessibility of online DE to learners with diverse abilities, disabilities, and needs.
Contributed on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:11:27 GMT.
AbleGamers Kinects with Microsoft
http://www.ablegamers.com/xbox-360-news/ablegamers-kinects-with-microsoft.html
It's been a few days since Microsoft announced its new Xbox 360 device: The Kinect. Not surprisingly, some new information has leaked out from E3 but sadly nothing we have enjoyed hearing so far. Many of you have been tweeting, emailing, and Facebooking us asking what AbleGamers opinion on the Kinect would be. One reader even questioned why I personally think the voice commands were more mentionable than the motion detection itself. In my world, voice commands are a form of accessible technology enabling me to play more complex games and to use remote controls. The truth is, like most technology for those who are disabled; it's going to be what you can make of it and not what it actually is. Nevertheless, we decided to reach out to Microsoft and talk to them about why new technologies in the gaming sector are often so unfriendly to those who are disabled in the gaming community.
Contributed on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:10:43 GMT.
Towards Global Access for the Print Disabled: A Policy Update from an engineer, Jim Fruchterman of Benetech
http://benetech.blogspot.com/2010/06/towards-global-access-for-print.html
The international copyright negotiations in Geneva around a proposed Treaty for those who are Visually Impaired ("TVI") have been steadily heating up. Counterproposals have been made, governments have been engaging with rights holders, consumers and NGOs (or not!) and there's a general feeling something is going to happen. I'm heading to Geneva later this month for the next major meeting at the World Intellectual Property Organization ("WIPO"), to hear the latest and make my three-minute oration as an accredited NGO representative (first time for me!). My recommendation to the advocacy community is to continue to pursue a "yes-and" approach, as we have so far with the TVI and the Stakeholders' Platform. However, my suggestion is to pursue the U.S. Joint Recommendation and the TVI, but drop the Stakeholders' Platform.
Contributed on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:09:22 GMT.
Charity praises mobile applications
http://www.computeractive.co.uk/computeractive/news/2264660/charity-praises-deve...
The growth of applications and websites for phones and other mobile internet enabled devices is good news for web users with disabilities, a leading charity has said. Robin Christopherson, of Abilitynet, said rather than excluding people with disabilities, mobile apps make it easier for them to use the internet. We talked to Mr Christopherson about whether by ignoring the needs of people with disabilities, app and mobile website developers could end up in breach of the Equality Act, which comes into force on 1 October, and replaces certain laws including the Disability Discrimination Act. However, as the head of accessibility services for the national charity, which helps adults and children with disabilities use computers and the internet, Mr Christopherson told Computeractive he was "excited" about mobile developments.
Contributed on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:07:00 GMT.
Partisan Bickering Erupts at Online Accessibility Hearing
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/453615-Partisan_Bickering_Erupts_at_Onl...
Sparks flew at a hearing June 9 on HR 3101, The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, a bill that would update communications accessibility provisions in the 1996 Communications Act and apply them to access to broadband. Seeming to bely House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher's (D-Va.) introductory remarks about the bipartisan work being done on the bill, some questioning from the bill's sponsor, Ed Markey (D-Mass.), drew criticism from ranking Republican Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) and prompted Republican Lee Terry of Nebraska to say he felt he had been "politically slimed" by Markey. Consumer Electronics Association President Gary Shapiro has major problems with the bill, which he outlined at the hearing. He said the bill as drafted deters innovation because of overbroad mandates that require every device to be accessible to all disablilities. Markey said that was just not true. He also asked Sergeant Major Jesse R. Acosta of the American Council of the Blind, a veteran who is blind who was testifying for the bill, what he would say to Shapiro and CEO of members like Sony and Microsoft when they argued for for voluntary solutions. He then asked Shapiro what he would say to Acosta.
Contributed on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:05:39 GMT.
Republicans accuse Markey of rigging hearing for the disabled
http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/102455-republicans-accuse-ma...
Tempers flared during a Thursday hearing on a bill to make the latest technologies more accessible to the deaf and blind, with Republicans accusing Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) of rigging the discussion to favor people with disabilities. Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.), the ranking member of a House subpanel on communications, technology and the Internet, honed in on a witness lineup that featured Consumer Electronics Association CEO Gary Shapiro and Jesse Acosta, a retired army sergeant major who lost his vision serving in war. "The gentleman from Massachusetts is setting up a war hero against a person who is the CEO of an association," said Stearns during a hearing on Markey's Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009. Pressing further on the issue, Stearns said, "You've got to be very careful not to move on an emotional basis. Creating an emotional setup between a CEO and a war hero isn't the way to do it." Echoing the complaint, Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) accused Markey of "intimidation" after he invited Acosta to directly address Shapiro."Mr. Shapiro, you just saw how the new tone in Washington is," Terry said. Markey's bill updates technology requirements so that consumer electronics are accessible for people with disabilities. For instance, the legislation would ensure the availability of closed captioning on the latest devices and bring captions to online video. Industry heads and advocates for the blind and deaf split over whether the legislation is ready to move ahead, with CTIA executive vice president Bob Franklin and U.S. Telecom President Walt McCormick pushing for changes to it.
Contributed on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:04:23 GMT.
CEA's Shapiro Asks Congress to Redo H.R. 3101 and Recognize That Innovation Leads to Accessibility, Not the Other Way Around
http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/4198347
Pledges Industry Support for Accessibility through Creation of Voluntary Standards and Free Market Innovation. "Our objective is to meet the needs of disabled Americans while retaining the freedom we need to continue as the greatest innovation creator," said Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) President and CEO Gary Shapiro in testimony delivered today before a congressional committee. Testifying on behalf of CEA, Shapiro made his comments before a hearing held by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Communications, Telecommunication and the Internet exploring, "The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009." Shapiro agreed on the value of a centralized database of all products and services for Americans with disabilities. He explained CEA's concern that H.R. 3101, by requiring all Internet connected products and services be accessible by Americans with all disabilities, would freeze technology and deter innovation and entrepreneurs. Shapiro suggested several alternatives to the end goal of providing Americans access to information, education and entertainment. "The legislation before us - H.R. 3101 - is extremely broad in its scope; chilling innovation and the entry of new products. More, it ignores the increasing number of products on the market which serve the needs of many in the disability community." Note: while we disagree with this argument, we are posting this article in the interest of giving the NCDAE community the full scope of this critical issue
Contributed on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:01:50 GMT.
Accessibility for the visually impaired has come a long way, thanks to Apple, but not far enough
http://www.smartplanet.com/people/blog/pure-genius/accessibility-for-the-vision-...
My friend Travis Fugate, a former member of the Kentucky National Guard, was hit in the face by an improvised explosive device in 2005, just south of Baghdad. He had some vision remaining after the injury, but because of complications in the following years, he lost all his sight. As someone who had never considered accessibility, Travis was appalled by how difficult it was to complete basic tasks, such as finding contacts on his cell phone. Today, he lives through his iPhone. He uses the oMoby app to identify products, ooTunes for radio streaming, Navigon for finding his way and Tweetero to keep up with friends and family. I wanted to learn more about accessibility, so yesterday I talked to Paul Schroeder, vice president of programs and policy at the American Foundation for the Blind. He is also the senior contributing editor for AccessWorld: Technology for Consumers with Visual Impairments, published by AFB Press.
Contributed on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:48:46 GMT.
Seven strategies for Accessible information using the CRPD
http://www.lowvisionary.com/?p=251
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) has been ratified by 87 countries to date. Disabled people in these countries can make the most of the accessible information provisions in the preamble and articles nine and 21 of the Convention. There are real opportunities created by the CRPD to engage with government, local and national, the wider public sector and the private sector to promote access to information. Working with other people who are disabled who experience barriers to information and with their supporters, people with disabilities can take charge of their own access to information. Taking an active and leadership role will mean people with disabilities' human rights progress will be faster. Nothing about us without us!
Contributed on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:47:40 GMT.
iPad apps may need to be made accessible to meet disability obligations
http://www.nomensa.com/news-and-events/industrynews/2010/6/ipad-apps-may-need-be...
A draft British Standard on web accessibility warns organisations to consider how easily users with disabilities can access their websites on mobile phones, tablets and TVs. Ignoring their needs could breach BS 8878 and the Equality Act, it says. The British Standards Institute (BSI) has launched a second consultation on 'BS 8878 Web Accessibility - Code of Practice'. It is a non-technical standard that explains how organisations should create policies and production processes to identify and remove barriers that result in websites excluding people who are disabled and elderly. The first draft of the Standard was released in December 2008 and generated a vast amount of interest. That draft has now been considerably restructured to address issues including user-personalisation and dealing with user complaints.
Contributed on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:46:15 GMT.
Kill Accessibility
http://manwithnoblog.com/2010/05/20/kill-accessibility/
Let's get some reality on the web accessibility debate. We all know about WCAG 1, we have all at least had a look at the associated checklists. If you are lucky you may have glanced at WCAG 2. We all have been developing and designing our sites with semantic content, in compliance with W3C guidelines, using progressive enhancement for the interactive components, unobtrusive Javascript, and graceful degradation of the pages for legacy browsers. Maybe used some of the attributes of ARIA. Sure that's a no brainer. We know that doing this will solve most of the accessibility issues. So much so that one would think that the cause for accessibility and universal design was over. Right? No - wrong.
Contributed on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:44:50 GMT.
Website accommodation rules on the horizon
http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/article/20100606/OPINION02/6060308
Almost every company has a website these days. We buy, sell, promote, show videos, convey information, and do just about everything electronically that's historically been done only in brick and mortar stores, offices and plants. It's easy to presume that many of the laws and requirements that businesses work with daily in the physical world can be overlooked in the virtual business world, but that's not always the case, according to the Department of Justice. Most employers take great care to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act in their physical business world. They install elevators and ramps, include Braille on signs and ATMs, provide special parking spaces, and offer many other reasonable accommodations to allow the public with disabilities equal access to products and services. Few employers however, give much thought to whether their website is accessible, and if it can be used on an equal footing with persons who aren't disabled. The Department of Justice hasn't overlooked this though, and intends to issue regulations about website accessibility as soon as September of this year. The DOJ is the enforcement agency for Title III of the ADA covering public accommodations.
Contributed on Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:40:35 GMT.
iPad apps may need to be disabled-accessible: Possible legal duty, says BSI
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/06/03/ipad_accessible/
A draft British Standard on web accessibility warns organisations to consider how easily users with disabilities can access their websites on mobile phones, tablets and TVs. Ignoring their needs could breach BS 8878 and the Equality Act, it says. Standards body BSI has launched a second consultation on 'BS 8878 Web Accessibility: Code of Practice'. It is a non-technical standard that explains how organisations should create policies and production processes to identify and remove barriers that result in websites excluding people who are disabled and elderly. A first draft of the Standard was issued in December 2008 and attracted what BSI described as "an unprecedented amount of interest." That draft has been extensively restructured, according to BSI. The latest draft addresses new issues including user-personalisation and dealing with user complaints.
Contributed on Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:35:26 GMT.
Devs urged to keep web access in mind
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/blogs/security-bullet-in-10000166/devs-urged-to-keep-web-...
Web developers should remember to test apps to see whether people who are disabled can use them, according to legal expert Struan Robertson. Apps for popular devices such as the iPhone need to comply with disability regulation, Robertson said on Tuesday. "Developers need to consider whether iPhone apps are accessible, and test them with users with disabilities," said Robertson. "For example, if [a user] is blind, the app needs an audio function." Technology lawyer Robertson was involved with the development of the BSI's Web Accessibility code of practice, which is currently under review. The BSI has asked interested parties to comment on the code of practice.
Contributed on Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:33:53 GMT.
U.S. Proposed Agreement Fails to Adequately Promote Disabled People's Rights
http://www.publicknowledge.org/node/3126
If you had a vision-impairment, how easy would it be for you to get a readable copy of your favorite book, whether in Braille or in some accessible digital format? Chances are that it would be quite difficult, partly due to insufficiently flexible copyright laws. It is infringement in many countries to make Braille or disabled-accessible digital copies of copyrighted works without permission from the copyright owner. These laws make access to copyrighted works much more difficult for those who are print-disabled than it is for others. There are two proposed methods of dealing with this problem on an international level: a binding treaty proposed by four countries last year, and the non-binding alternative agreement introduced by the U.S. on May 27th. Unfortunately, this non-binding agreement has several defects that make it an inadequate remedy. It does not require parties to have any standard limitations and exceptions to copyright, it discriminates between physical Braille copies and digital copies, and it only allows non-profit entities or government agencies to make disabled-accessible digital copies. Because of these features, the U.S. proposal fails to meet the needs of those who are visually disabled for equal access to copyrighted works.
Contributed on Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:32:47 GMT.
Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 > ...