Research & Policy

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Government announces the Terms of Reference for the Convergence Review

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The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) today released the Terms of Reference for the Convergence Review. The Convergence Review will examine Australia’s regulatory approach to convergent media, with the Terms of Reference setting the scope of the review.

Convergence refers to the “development of digital broadcasting, data compression and internet-based technologies, coupled with improved infrastructure capability, [which] means that content and services that were previously constrained to one delivery channel can now be delivered over many different platforms”. Examples of convergent media include online TV catch-up services and smartphones, which have phone and Internet capabilities.

Taxonomy: 
Australian policy and legislation
News
Sensory impairment
DBCDE, Department of Broadband Communications and the Digital Economy
Research & policy
News

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Free and low-cost screen reader use increases according to survey

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WebAIM has released the results from its third screen reader user survey conducted in December 2010.

The latest survey, with 1245 valid responses, was a follow-up to the original WebAIM Screen Reader User Survey of January 2009 and the follow-up survey from October 2009.

The survey showed that the usage of free and low-cost screen readers such as NVDA and VoiceOver has increased significantly since the last survey.

Taxonomy: 
News
Blind or vision impaired
Digital technology
News
Digital media and technology: 
NVDA
Mac OS X
Screen readers
VoiceOver

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Disney being sued over lack of accessibility

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Three women in the United States are suing Disney for discrimination against those who are blind or vision impaired.

According to the press release about the class action suit, the plaintiffs are claiming that the parks themselves are discriminatory against people who are blind and vision impaired by “refusing to reasonably accommodate the needs of guests with guide dogs, refusing to provide functional audio technology, refusing to provide Braille menus, schedules and maps, and more”.

Taxonomy: 
International policy and legislation
Blind or vision impaired
Americans with Disabilities Act
Web
News
Legal

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UK study looks at 3D audio description guidelines

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A study released by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in the UK has indicated that audio description users do not believe that visual effects in 3D cinema and TV should be audio described.

The study involved two focus groups consisting of 10 blind and partially sighted people who regularly watch audio described programs on TV or DVD. Clips from 3D movies were shown to the groups and the history and process of 3D explained.

Taxonomy: 
Television
Blind or vision impaired
Cinema
Audio description
News

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