The Assistive Technology Support Initiative by the Ottawa Network for Education (ONFE) works with the province of Ontario’s formal education system to enhance the academic success of students through the use of computer-based assistive technology for school work.
Through a small handheld device, people who are blind or vision impaired can receive description of outdoor locations and choose the type of information they would like to receive. This includes information about attractions, restaurants and entertainment.
The devices, provided at no cost to guests, have been available in over 30 indoor attractions and rides since 2009. They include audio description for the blind and vision impaired, and amplified sound and closed captioning for the Deaf and hearing impaired.
The types of websites that fall under the requirements include public facing websites, intranets and extranets. While ‘A’ level is the minimal requirement for these sites, the government has identified ‘AA’ as the preferred option.
The WA strategy is based on the Federal Government’s National Transition Strategy (NTS), which will aim to have WCAG 2.0 ‘A’ compliance by the end of 2012.
The case was brought against JetBlue Airways in October 2010 for the inaccessibility of their website and airport check-in kiosks for people who are blind or vision impaired.
The hearing is set for 22 July 2011 in the federal house in San Francisco. Further details about the court hearing are available from the Law Office of Lainey Feingold.
JetBlue is not the only travel website that has accessibility issues.
