New Technology Allows Students Who Are Visually Impaired to Take Tests Online
For the first time, visually impaired students will be able to take the same specialized online tests as their peers.
The Northwest Evaluation Association, which administers assessments in several subjects like reading and math for grades 3 through 12, has enhanced its flagship Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment by allowing visually impaired students to take the tests on computers. Read more about these accessible online tests.
Ai Squared joins VFO, home of Freedom Scientific and Optelec
VFO, home of the Freedom Scientific and Optelec brands, recently announced it has acquired Ai Squared, a developer of screen magnification and screen reading software. Together, the companies offer the world's broadest suite of assistive technology products for the visually impaired. Each of the companies has a history of providing technology solutions that enable blind and low vision individuals to reach their potential – to gain an education, obtain employment, succeed in professional careers, and live independently.
"Delivering great solutions, services and support is our passion," said David Wu, CEO of Ai Squared. "Now that Ai Squared has joined VFO, we will have even greater ability to fulfill our commitment to deliver the most innovative and useful solutions for users with visual impairments."
E*TRADE Announces Accessibility Initiative
E*TRADE Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:ETFC) recently announced an initiative to enhance its website, mobile applications, and desktop trading and investing platforms to make them more accessible for customers with disabilities.
E*TRADE worked with representatives of the blind community to enhance its platforms for traders and investors with visual impairments.
Pratik Patel, a long-time E*TRADE customer who is blind, says: "Having full access to financial investing tools is important for everyone. I'm happy that E*TRADE will make its web and mobile platforms more accessible, particularly for people who are blind or partially sighted, when it comes to all aspects of trading and investing."
"I congratulate E*TRADE for its commitment to access and usability, and for its leadership role in making its financial tools available to everyone," says Victor Tsaran, another blind E*TRADE customer who, like Mr. Patel, assisted in the initiative.
E*TRADE adopted the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.0 level AA as its website accessibility standard, and has made substantial enhancements in meeting this standard.
The WCAG 2.0 Guidelines ensure that websites are more accessible to persons with visual and other disabilities and do not affect digital content or the visual layout of the websites, mobile applications, or other online tools. The Guidelines are of particular benefit to blind computer users who use screen reader voice output, braille output or magnification technology on their computers and mobile devices and who, like many individuals with mobility impairments, rely on a keyboard instead of a mouse for navigation.
W3C is an international community that develops open standards to ensure the long-term growth of the Web. The Web Accessibility Initiative is a program of the W3C that works with site owners, developers, people with disabilities and other interested parties to develop accessibility standards, including WCAG 2.0.
More information on E*TRADE's enhancements is available on E*Trade's new Accessibility Information Page.
