Digital Accessibility News

As some newsroom roles go the way of the dinosaurs, other new jobs are being born. This is the first in an occasional series of Q&As with people who are the first to hold their title in their newsroom. Foreman makes the case that accessibility in journalism is important for everyone: Making news products more accessible, after all, often means making them more user-friendly and efficient....

February 1, 2023—Indianapolis, IN—A historic Indiana lawsuit seeking increased ballot accessibility for voters with print disabilities has settled. As a result of the settlement, the state has agreed to acquire a new remote accessible ballot marking tool that will allow these voters to cast their absentee ballots privately and independently. Voters will be able to access and mark their ballots digitally with their own assistive...

With at least 4.9 billion active internet users worldwide as of 2021, digital accessibility is more important than ever. Over 1 billion people around the world are part of the disabled community, and each one of these individuals deserves equitable access to in-person and online spaces. And as the world population ages, the need for accessible websites will only continue to increase. Digital accessibility stands out...

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....

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....

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...

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:...

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 Hideaki Nishino, senior vice president of...

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 mediums...

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...

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 audio...

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....