Apple wins award for accessibility advances

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Monday, 4 July 2016 14:57pm

The American Council of the Blind (ACB) has awarded Apple the coveted Robert S. Bray Award for their continued accessibility innovations, which will be presented on 4 July during the ACB’s annual conference and convention in Minneapolis, USA.

Close up of an iPhone 6 being used by a woman

The Bray Award is given to a person or business that has improved or expanded the level of accessibility of communication technology or devices for people who are blind or have a vision impairment, therefore allowing greater inclusion for all.

This isn’t the first time in recent years that Apple has been recognised for its accessibility improvements. Last year Apple won the Helen Keller Award by the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) due to its commitment to including accessibility features in its products to support people who are blind or vision impaired.

On the ACB website, Kim Charlson, the organisation’s President, said that “the American Council of the Blind applauds Apple for its innovative approach to product accessibility, giving people who are blind equal access to mainstream technology.”

Apple is often credited with being one of the pioneers in including full-featured accessibility support in its computer and mobile operating systems, with significant milestones including the introduction of a full-screen zoom feature in Mac OS 10.2, the inclusion of a full-featured screen reader in Mac OS 10.4, and its revolutionary introduction of an accessible touch screen through the provision of the VoiceOver screen reader in the 2009 Apple iPhone 3GS. Minor accessibility improvements were also announced at the WWDC 2016 conference across a variety of Apple products.

You may also like to read:

  • Everything you need to know about iOS accessibility, covering the iPhone and iPad
  • Useful vision, hearing and mobility access information for Mac OS X
  • Accessibility features found in wearable technology, covering the Apple Watch, Android Wear and Google Glass

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