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The British communications regulator, Ofcom, has decided to extend the access requirements it places on UK broadcasters to channels providing services to other countries in Europe.

America’s communications regulator, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced the winners of the FCC Chairman Awards for Advancement in Accessibility. Recognising projects that show innovation in technology for the benefit of people who have a disability, the awards will be presented on 19 December by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.

The Vodafone Foundation Smart Accessibility Awards were held yesterday in Belgium to celebrate innovative apps for Android smartphones designed to make things easier for people with a disability.

A major initiative recently launched in London is raising awareness of the need for technology design that includes people with a disability.

An important part of life for many older Australians is keeping in touch with family and friends, researching hobbies and interests and staying up-to-date with news.  In July, we launched a project to help older people get online and stay online as they begin to experience age-related disabilities.

Amazon has announced it will add accessibility features to its Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD tablets, increasing access to content on the tablets for blind and vision impaired users. This comes after the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) in the US announced it would stage a protest against Amazon's plan to push the use of its Kindle devices and eBooks at schools.

The question of whether automated tools help or hinder the production of access services, such as audio description, was a much discussed topic at the Languages and the Media conference held in Berlin in November.

There is an international push for web professionals to incorporate the needs of people with a disability into their practice. Media Access Australia launched Access iQ™ in July to equip them with the knowledge, skills and connections necessary to help create a web without limits.

When Hurricane Sandy bore down on the USA’s east coast, people turned to social media such as Twitter for the latest information. Sadly, due to the lack of social media accessibility, many couldn’t make use of these potentially life-saving tools. To rectify this, volunteers have come together to create the Emergency 2.0 Wiki Accessibility Toolkit.