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Latest News

January 2013
Date Published	News headline and description
17 January 2013	New year, new accessible cinemas 2013 is set to be a landmark year for accessible cinema in Australia with two major cinema chains on track to complete the installation of audio described and closed captioned screens at all of their complexes. On top of this, 15 new cinemas will commence accessible movies by the end of March.
15 January 2013	Winners of the inaugural Golden Apple awards AppleVis has announced the winners of its first ever Golden Apple awards, celebrating innovations that enable and empower blind and vision impaired Apple users. The winners were determined by popular vote amongst AppleVis readers.
10 January 2013	New captioned cinema technology launched in Italy Italian company Universal Multimedia Access has teamed with electronics giant Epson to launch MovieReading, a new competitor in the market for cinema captioning technology.
10 January 2013	How to make a submission about caption quality The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has invited public comments on its new draft captioning standard. This is a perfect opportunity for people to let the government body which regulates the TV industry know what they think its priorities should be when dealing with issues relating to caption quality. Below are our tips for making submissions to the government.
09 January 2013	Pressure increases on Amazon with AppleVis campaign eBook giant Amazon has been under increasing pressure from disability groups due to its failure to provide accessibility features in its Kindle devices and apps. The latest comes from a campaign run by AppleVis to have Amazon’s Kindle app for iOS devices made accessible for blind users.
08 January 2013	Where to access bushfire information As a heatwave brings the threat of bushfire to huge parts of the country, most people rely on ABC Local Radio for vital information. Below is a list of alternative sources for up-to-date information on areas at risk of bushfire for people who are Deaf or hearing impaired.
07 January 2013	Festival season made accessible through audio description and captions This year’s Sydney and Perth festivals will provide audio description and open captions on a range of performances for patrons who are blind, vision impaired, Deaf or hearing impaired.
03 January 2013	Deaf consumer groups file complaint against Amazon for lack of captions Seven American deaf consumer groups have filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), accusing Amazon of violating new captioning rules.

December 2012
Date Published	News headline and description
21 December 2012	Happy holidays from Media Access Australia Our Sydney and Perth offices are closing between now and January 2. We will be unable to answer phone calls and respond to emails during this time. For accessible movie sessions over the Christmas period please visit the Hoyts, Event, Reading and Village cinema websites. Wishing all our readers and their families happy and safe holidays. -Alex, Natalie, Ally, Chris, Scott, Anne, Karina, Angela, Clarizza, Katie and Eliza
21 December 2012	Conference looks at voice recognition and live captioning The increasing use of voice recognition technology to create captions for live programs was a major topic at the CSI User Experience Conference, an independent event held on 5 December in London where the latest developments in TV access were discussed.
21 December 2012	Ofcom extends access requirements to programs made for Europe 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.
20 December 2012	Boxing Day blockbusters: sessions with captions and audio description Two of 2012’s most anticipated movie releases, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Les Miserables will both be released to cinemas with audio description and closed captions on 26 December.
19 December 2012	US regulator announces winners for innovation in technology 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.
19 December 2012	The top 12 media access stories of 2012 The past year has been a big one for people with a disability when it comes to accessing media. Here is our list of the top 12 developments across TV, online video, social media, web accessibility, cinema and education.
19 December 2012	Assistive Android apps recognised 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.
18 December 2012	Top 12 of 2012 #12 – US regulator takes the lead on online captioning The USA has seen a number of developments this year which will increase the availability of captions online. With the world’s most popular content coming out of Hollywood, these changes have significant international implications.
17 December 2012	New initiative promotes technology designed for everybody A major initiative recently launched in London is raising awareness of the need for technology design that includes people with a disability.
17 December 2012	Top 12 of 2012 #11 – the ABC helps get captions in schools In partnership with Education Services Australia, the ABC launched an education website in November. With closed captions provided for all videos, ABC Splash has drastically increased the availability of captioned resources for students.
14 December 2012	Top 12 of 2012 #10 – helping seniors get online 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.
13 December 2012	Top 12 of 2012 #9 – the cinema access revolution The end of the year marks the halfway point of Australia’s world-leading Cinema Access Implementation Plan. The strategy is seeing access technology introduced to the country’s biggest cinema chains, revolutionising the cinema experience for those who are blind and vision impaired.