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February 2013
Date Published	News headline and description
18 February 2013	American Foundation of the Blind launches note-taking app A specialised iPhone and iPad app called AccessNote has been launched by the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), enabling blind and vision impaired users around the world to write notes on their phones. With a host of accessibility features including compatibility with braille displays and keyboard navigation, AccessNote is an affordable alternative to traditional note-taking devices.
18 February 2013	MasterChef highlights online access gap One of the contestants on Network Ten’s MasterChef: The Professionals, Bonny Porter, has a hearing impairment, but like other Deaf and hearing impaired Australians she is unable to watch the show with captions online.
15 February 2013	Job hunting made accessible in USA A job search and recruitment website in the US has made job hunting easier for people with a disability by making the site more accessible. Working with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), Monster – known as CareerOne in Australia – is the first job search website in the US to incorporate the needs of blind and vision impaired job seekers in the design and development of its website.
14 February 2013	World’s second audio described TV channel launches in Czech Republic The radio and television broadcaster Czech Radiokomunikace has launched an audio description channel, the second in the world after Canada’s AMI-tv. All programmes on the channel will have an additional audio track describing visual elements for its blind and vision impaired audience.
13 February 2013	UK cinemas consult on closed caption technology The UK’s Cinema Exhibitors’ Association (CEA), representing around 90 per cent of cinema operators, is undertaking research into technologies that assist people who are Deaf or hearing impaired enjoy movies.
12 February 2013	Accessible DVD releases for January 2013 During January Media Access Australia found 23 movies on the new-release entertainment shelves at our local DVD store that were audio described and captioned, out of 71 in total.
11 February 2013	Educational app review: captions for learning Educational apps are increasingly being used by teachers as a fun and interactive way of engaging students, but captions are often lacking on the video content found within them.
07 February 2013	Web accessibility certificate: 2013 registrations open Media Access Australia, in partnership with the University of South Australia, has launched its Professional Certificate in Web Accessibility for 2013, an online qualification for professionals wanting to make their web content accessible to people with a disability.
07 February 2013	Apple TV software update improves accessibility Apple TVs are now easier to use for everybody after a software update to the device improved access features. Included in this update is support for Bluetooth keyboards and improved access to the Accessibility Menu.
06 February 2013	Audio description at the Adelaide Fringe The parade of the Adelaide Fringe will be audio described, bringing access to the opening night festivities for people who are blind or vision impaired for the first time. The parade will see King William Street transformed into the world’s largest dance floor with DJ Trip and thousands of street performers getting the city’s biggest party started.
05 February 2013	Accessible cinema questionnaire results From June to December 2012, Media Access Australia ran a questionnaire for the general public on technology issues surrounding the use of closed captions and audio description in cinemas. The answers have now been collated and shared with members of the Accessible Cinema Advisory Group, as well as post-production houses creating captioned and audio described movies.
04 February 2013	Canadian counterpart honoured with Jubilee Medal The CEO of our sister organisation, Media Access Canada, Beverley Milligan has been awarded with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. The medal recognises the enormous contribution Milligan has made to the lives of Canadians with sensory impairment. Over 20 years, Milligan has been a pivotal force in making closed captions a guarantee on Canadian TV.
01 February 2013	Older people with sight loss excluded online Research conducted by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and BT Group in the UK has highlighted the impact of older people being excluded online.

January 2013
Date Published	News headline and description
31 January 2013	National audio description survey for cultural venues Australia’s galleries, museums and theatres are being called on to participate in a national survey of how audio description (AD) is used to bring access to cultural venues for people who are blind or vision impaired.
31 January 2013	The challenges of voice recognition in captioning Voice recognition software is becoming the staple of captioning providers but the technology is far from perfect, writes Television Project Manager and veteran captioner Chris Mikul.
31 January 2013	Persistence pays off for Californian accessible cinema fan A Californian teenager who lobbied his local cinema and council to get captioned movies shown at his favourite cinema complex has been rewarded and will now be able to enjoy his first movie on the big screen since he was four years old.
30 January 2013	Amazon acquires text-to-speech software company Amazon has announced it has acquired IVONA Software, a text-to-speech and voice recognition company, suggesting the accessibility of its future products and services could improve.
24 January 2013	Museum Victoria crowd-sources text alternatives Museum Victoria has come up with an innovative way of making their online collection available to people who are blind. The museum has launched 'Describe Me', a website that allows volunteers to write text alternatives for images posted on Museum Victoria's website.
23 January 2013	Fetch TV applies for caption exemptions Fetch TV, a subscription service which delivers its content over the internet, has applied to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for exemptions to caption requirements for 21 of its channels, and a caption target reduction for one additional channel.
21 January 2013	Introducing Glassbrick, Australia’s home-grown screen magnifier Have you ever used a piece of technology and thought “I could make a better one of these”? Sierra Asher, a 27-year-old game designer from Brisbane, did just that. The end product is Glassbrick, a screen magnifier for Windows that can meet the demands of hardcore gamers.