News

Error message

Deprecated function: Array and string offset access syntax with curly braces is deprecated in include_once() (line 14 of /home/mediacc/public_html/themes/engines/phptemplate/phptemplate.engine).

Legal win for Deaf couple against hospital with ineffective communication

no
Show on home page

A high-profile hospital in Texas has settled a lawsuit which alleged that their communications for Deaf patients were ineffective, in a landmark legal outcome with far-reaching implications for the medical profession. It has been reported that the July 2017 settlement will encourage others, who are being discriminated against in terms of inaccessible processes and information, to take similar action.

Lawsuit sign

Lawsuit sign

The Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, in Edinburg Texas, is a physician-owned hospital with a prominent Cancer treatment centre, and this lawsuit settlement comes after six years of the plaintiffs trying to get the facility to be more accessible for people who are Deaf or hearing-impaired.


Top of page

PCWA web access course wins top honour

no
Show on home page

The Professional Certificate in Web Accessibility (PCWA) web and digital access course has been officially praised for ‘Educational Achievement’ as part of the recently announced Knowbility 2017 Heroes of Accessibility honours list.

6 people using devices

Six people using devices

Digital media and technology: 

Top of page

Nominate for the Australian Mental Health Prize

no
Show on home page

The second annual Australian Mental Health Prize was launched in late June, with nominations now open. This award event seeks to recognise Australians who have made outstanding contributions to either the promotion of mental health or the prevention and treatment of mental illness, in areas such as advocacy, research or service.

Kim Ryan with her 2016 award and PM Malcolm Turnbull

Kim Ryan with her 2016 award and PM Malcolm Turnbull

Last year’s prize award winner was Kim Ryan, the President of the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses. She said winning the prize helped to elevate the important role of mental health nurses.

Taxonomy: 

Top of page

Nominations now open for National Disability Awards

no
Show on home page

Individuals, teams and organisations who are making a real difference in quality of life outcomes for those with disability are encouraged to enter the 2017 National Disability Awards. Winners will be announced on the International Day of People with Disability later on in the year and you can nominate online right now, until midnight (AEST) Sunday 6 August 2017.

Image of IDPwD logo

IDPwD logo

The International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) is being held on 3 December, to help break down disability barriers and celebrate ability. The awards are backed by the Australian Federal Government and winners will be announced on the day.

Taxonomy: 

Top of page

New funding cap of National Relay Service leads to fears of reduced services

no
Show on home page

While the Government’s recent recommitment to support the National Relay Service (NRS) is welcomed, there are fears that services will have to be cut. This is because the Government will have NRS funding capped at the 2012 level of $20 million (ex GST) per year, rather than a user-need model, and this will lead to less people being able to access and use this service.

Image of National Relay Service logo

National Relay Service logo


Top of page

ACMA releases review of captioning rules

no
Show on home page

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has just released the final report into its statutory review of captioning rules. While ACMA, as the independent statutory authority, does not recommend specific legislative amendments in the report it has just tendered, it has made three key findings.

Image of ACMA logo

ACMA logo

ACMA requested submissions from the public in June 2016, and the issues it looked at during the review included captioning rules for multichannels, the framework for granting captioning exemptions and target reductions to broadcasters, along with the complexity of rules for captioning on subscription television services.

The findings of ACMA’s report include:


Top of page

Digital Inclusion Forum prompted excellent debate

no
Show on home page

The FACS NSW Digital Inclusion Forum, in Sydney on 15 June, brought together expert panellists and interested participants from Government, the business sector, NFPs and academia, for a series of valuable discussions on barriers to digital access for people with disability and future developments in digital access and inclusion.

Image of Brendan Fitzgerald, Dr Manisha Amin, Deborah Fullwood, Gerard Goggin

Panel-2 members: Brendan Fitzgerald, Dr Manisha Amin, Deborah Fullwood and Professor Gerard Goggin.


Top of page

16 big announcements by Apple at WWDC17

no
Show on home page

Apple’s big conference in California, the 2017 Apple Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), attracted a host of brilliant minds representing many diverse perspectives, passions, and talents, with the mega tech company stating that it’s still focussed on helping change the world for the better and announcing a range of hugely anticipated product enhancements and extensions.

Apple CEO, Tim Cook, on stage at WWDC17

Apple CEO, Tim Cook, on stage at WWDC17

WWDC17 ran from 5 to 9 June and Apple CEO Tim Cook delivered an inspiring opening keynote address at the San Jose Convention Center in which he outlined the company’s plans for the rest of the year.


Top of page

Be part of 24 hours of inclusive design

no
Show on home page

A free 24-hour online community event on accessibility is being staged on 9 June 2017 by The Paciello Group one the world’s leading Assistive Technology providers for vision impaired people. It promises to be an inspiring event and is open to everyone.

A person thinks of usability and user experience

A person thinks of usability and user experience

Inclusive Design 24 is an innovative event sponsored by The Paciello Groupto celebrate worldwide efforts to ensure people with disability have full and equal access to the web.


Top of page

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - News