Policy & Legislation

The discount airline failed to make changes to its website after the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in the UK recommended a specific set of modifications in a report that was commissioned by BMI Baby.

RNIB initially voiced concern about BMI Baby’s website in 2010 after a number of customers complained about accessibility barriers on it. The airline then commissioned RNIB to carry out an accessibility audit of its website.

The Minister for Disability Reform, Jenny Macklin, and the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers, Jan McLucas, launched the new Remote Hearing and Vision Services for Children Initiative yesterday.

The initiative aims to improve health care services for children with hearing and vision impairment living in regional and remote areas in Australia. It is often difficult for families with children who need specialist treatment to travel the distance to access essential services.

Top 5 tips for contacting organisations about website accessibility

People with disabilities often find it frustrating when inaccessible websites prevent them from finding information or completing a task.  If you find an accessibility issue on a website, it may be worth contacting the website owner to see if the problem can be resolved. 

Consider the following tips when going through this process:

Exemptions which were previously granted to the broadcasters by the AHRC expire on 31 December 2011. In the new application, the broadcasters advise that they have complied with all the terms of the current exemptions, which include meeting staged increases in captioning levels, consulting with deafness community groups and reporting on the consultations to the AHRC.

The conference brings together a range of professionals across information technology, with the increased numbers showing the shift, particularly in government and finance, towards considering the needs of people with a disability in web design and development.

The communiqué is reproduced below.

Communiqué from the Accessible Cinema Advisory Group (ACAG) October 2011

What is happening in the Accessible Cinema Advisory Group (ACAG)?

The fourth meeting of ACAG, chaired by Senator Jan McLucas, was held in Sydney on 28 September 2011. Updates were provided by cinemas and discussions held about issues raised through feedback provided by patrons and their peak bodies about the roll-out of accessible technology in the cinemas.

The Television Access Services: Report of the first six months of 2011 revealed that 11 channels provided captions on more than 99% of programming and 35 channels at least doubled the minimum requirement of providing audio description on 10% of programming. All channels with sign language obligations met the minimum requirements.

The five discussion papers are on: