Freedom Scientific Announces Apple iOS Training Bundle
Freedom Scientific has released the Apple iOS Training Bundle, a new training solution specifically designed to teach people with visual impairments how to use VoiceOver and the Apple iOS on devices such as the iPhone and iPad.
This solution, provided in DAISY audio format, contains over 10 hours of one-on-one training on a 2GB SD card along with a PLEXTALK portable DAISY book player. All training is performed by certified instructors from Freedom Scientific.
Training includes setting up an iPhone, using gestures and Siri, and important apps including iTunes, iCloud, Safari, Calendar, and the App Store.
The Apple iOS Training Bundle is available for purchase immediately. It costs $599 and ships on a 2GB SD card along with a PLEXTALK portable DAISY book player. For more information, please visit the Freedom Scientific website or call 800-444-4443. Please stay tuned to AccessWorld for an in-depth evaluation of the training bundle in an upcoming issue.
Announcing the Publication of Accessibility Requirements for People with Low Vision
Accessibility Requirements for People with Low Vision describes what people with low vision need for electronic content, tools, and technologies to be accessible. It includes an overview of low vision and describes specific user needs. Additional information is available from Accessibility for People with Low Vision. The document is a Public Working Draft. Readers are encouraged to send comments or questions.
US Department of Labor's New Web tool Helps Employers, Recruiters Ensure Accessibility of Online Applications and Recruiting Systems for Job Seekers with Disabilities
The US Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy recently announced the launch of TalentWorks, a free online tool that helps employers and human resources professionals ensure accessibility in their web-based job applications and other recruiting technologies for job seekers with disabilities.
Created by ODEP's Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT), TalentWorks provides general background on accessibility and e-Recruiting, as well as practical tip sheets for making online job applications, digital interviews, pre-employment tests, and resume upload programs accessible. PEAT created the tool after its national survey of people with disabilities found 46 percent of respondents rated their last experience applying for a job online as "difficult to impossible."
Christopher P. Lu, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor, formally unveiled the new tool during his keynote address on March 22, 2016, in San Diego at the 2016 International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference hosted by California State University, Northridge.
M-Enabling Summit Conference and Showcase Will Be Held June 13–14, 2016 in Washington, DC
The M-Enabling Summit, a conference and showcase promoting accessible technology and environments for seniors and users of all abilities, will be held on June 13–14, 2016 at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel, in Washington, DC.
With its theme of "Accessible Technologies and Environments for All," the 2016 M-Enabling Summit will provide a platform for empowering mobile technologies and focus on next-generation innovations and breakthroughs for users of all abilities. Supported by major disability and senior organizations, as well as industry associations and the private sector, the Summit is expected to attract hundreds of participants from more than 40 countries, underlining the global scope of new mobile opportunities for users and developers alike.
The Summit's program will focus on accessibility innovations, with over 120 speakers, private sector leaders, app developers, policy makers, mobile accessibility experts and disability advocates sharing their knowledge and experience.? Confirmed presenters include representatives of leading organizations facilitating the accessible technology market.
Experts will discuss accessibility solutions highlighting four major tracks: Mobile enabling solutions, IoT and Smart Cities, Innovation, and Scaling up Accessibility for Business and Government.
2016 M-Enabling Summit key topics:
- Mobile enabling solutions leveraging latest OS and human interface features
- IoT, Smart Homes, and Smart Cities
- Wearables
- Ecosystem in support of Innovation
- Scaling up accessibility in large organizations
- Compliance trends
- Higher Education best practices in leveraging information technology for inclusion
The 5TH edition of the M-Enabling Summit is organized in cooperation with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Proposal to Unleash the Set-top Box
The FCC recently released a notice seeking public comment on a proposal that is intended to allow consumers to buy the set-top box used to access Cable and Satellite television on the commercial market as an alternative to leasing it from their provider. According to the FCC proposal, the intent is to give consumers the opportunity to choose how they access their television service. For example, under the new proposed structure, a consumer might watch their cable or satellite service through the provided set-top box or app, or they might choose to purchase a set-top box or app sold by a third party. The FCC is proposing a series of rules to foster competition in the pay TV market and to ensure that consumers' privacy is protected while also protecting service providers against theft of their programming.
The outcome of this FCC effort also has direct implications for people with vision loss. As a result of the Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010, cable and satellite providers are required, by the end of 2016, to provide an accessible set-top box to their customers with vision loss when requested. The FCC proposes to include accessibility requirements and it seeks input on how to do this for commercial boxes. It also seeks input regarding the best way to handle apps or software programs that enable access to cable or satellite television since it may not be able to regulate an app-based program. The deadline for filing comments is April 22, and the deadline for filing reply comments is May 23.
If you are interested in these or other happenings at the FCC, you can search their website www.fcc.gov for press releases, rules and explanations. You can also file complaints about communications services, including accessibility. There is also a site designed for consumers at https://www.fcc.gov/consumers.
Take the AFB FamilyConnect Short Survey!
AFB FamilyConnect staff requests your assistance and participation in a survey for its website. The goal of FamilyConnect is to provide an online community for the parents of visually impaired children, and to provide parents, grandparents, and other caretakers a place to find the comprehensive and up-to-date resources and support they need, 24 hours a day.
To help us improve FamilyConnect services and outreach we have hired the respected outside evaluation firm of Rockman et al to develop a survey to help us better understand the needs and perspectives of individuals like you who have accessed the site.? We also want to assess the level of your satisfaction with site features, as well as capture any knowledge or tangible benefits you, your child, or family may have acquired as a result of your interactions on FamilyConnect.
Again, the purpose of this survey is to provide information, which can help us monitor and improve the quality of FamilyConnect for you or your child as well as for future users.
The survey should take no longer than 15 to 20 minutes to complete. By completing this survey you will be automatically entered into a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card.
In addition to the survey, we may, at a later date, ask some of you to participate in a follow-up phone interview with the evaluator. Interview participants will receive a $50 Amazon gift card.
Please note that all data that we collect will be kept completely confidential. We will not use any identifying information in our analyses or reports. No one other than the evaluator and AFB staff will see this information.
If you have any questions about this survey please contact Scott Truax.
Thank you for your participation and support!?Your feedback will provide useful information to AFB in our efforts to continue to help you and your loved ones manage the practical and emotional challenges of blindness and visual impairment.
