Digital Accessibility News

photo of man listening to headphones while working at computer
Inclusive hiring policies should fundamentally be about helping all job seekers and employers find ways to mutually meet each other’s needs. A true commitment to inclusion should extend internally to making sure that facilities, policies and procedures are as accessible as possible....
screenshot of Pokemon video game
Over the past decade or so, we’ve seen game accessibility come on leaps and bounds across the industry. Game designers are beginning to realise that by making their games accessible, and doing this from the very beginning of the design process, everyone has a better gameplay experience. Accessibility features in games can take many forms, from colourblind options to customisable subtitles to extensive button remapping....
illustration of A blue animated bird stands on a patch of grass under a sunset sky.
Elon Musk’s Twitter took another turn for the worst this past week when the company announced an update to its developer agreement which reads in part that “you will not or attempt to (and will not allow others to)… use or access the Licensed Materials to create or attempt to create a substitute or similar service or product to the Twitter Applications.” The translation from...
photo of Bernard Chiira, Director of Innovate Now, Africa’s first accelerator for disability technology startups
People with disabilities are entering a new world of opportunity as they rely increasingly on advances in technology — including mobility devices as well as hardware, software, and peripherals — all geared to addressing their needs. This sea change is evident in the conversation shift about disability from cost to value, from liability to innovation potential. There are several exciting trends driving this change:...
photo of PlayStation 5 console
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email One of the biggest names in video gaming is working to make its offering more accessible to people with disabilities. Sony introduced an accessibility kit this month designed to work out of the box with its PlayStation 5 console. The customizable controller is intended to “help many players with disabilities play games more easily, more comfortably, and for longer periods,” wrote...
photo of two people reading a book and a smartphone
An assistive technology solutions provider has launched a new reading app that creates an inclusive opportunity for the millions of adults and children who have dyslexia at CES 2023. FACIL’iti’s new app, MYdys, is a “first of its kind” free dyslexia app that uses optical character recognition (OCR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies to enable users to customise captured textual content from a variety of...
photo of an Irish farm and road
The internet has not always been widely available. In fact, it was not until the 1990s that the widespread use of the internet intruded into the lives of most advanced societies and economies. Since then, the proliferation of digital experiences has utterly transformed the way in which we interact with each other, consume content and do business. The evolution of technology has had numerous ramifications...
photo of TransLink bus stop sign
TransLink is testing an accessibility tool – the first of its kind in Canada – that can help customers with sight loss better navigate the transit system independently. Starting in late February, customers can download the NaviLens app through the Apple Store or Google Play to scan specialized coded decals, resembling QR codes, at three transit locations. Once the decals are scanned, the app provides...
photo of woman applying makeup
A major beauty brand is debuting a device aimed at ensuring that individuals with disabilities can apply makeup all by themselves. L’Oréal says it has created a handheld smart makeup applicator that can help people with limited hand and arm mobility easily and independently apply their own lipstick....
photo of hands holding glasses reading medical bills
Kyle Frownfelter guides people through whatever tech problem comes their way. “You've got JAWS on your system, right? So JAWS is a screen reader for visually impaired, blind, visually impaired folks,” Frownfelter explained. “And what it does is it reads the screen and the contents of the screen in a synthetic voice.” As an Assistive Technology Instructor for the Northeastern Association of the Blind, he...
photo of Omni Hotel front
Omni Hotels’ website is not compatible with screen-reading software that audibly reads websites’ content, a new class action lawsuit claims. Plaintiff Danie Rodriguez sued Omni Hotels on claims the company violates the Americans with Disabilities Act....
photo of assorted nuts
Shivan Bassaw, a visually impaired individual, filed a class action lawsuit against Nuts.com, alleging the website makes it impossible for visually impaired or blind individuals to complete a transaction. Bassaw claims he wanted to purchase products from Nuts.com but could not because the website is not compatible with screen-reading software. He says that because of the Nuts.com website’s visually dominant design and coding flaws, the...