Skip to Content Skip to Main Menu Skip to Submenu Skip to Search View Mobile site

You are here:

Latest News

May 2012
Date Published	News headline and description
17 May 2012	Google maps app takes accessibility indoors An upgrade to the Google Maps app for Android smartphones has the potential to increase mobility for blind and vision impaired users through the introduction of navigation for indoor environments. The app combines global positioning system (GPS) technology with voice-guided directions to help people find their way around indoor spaces.
16 May 2012	Outcry as Irish TV reduces captioning TV Access, a coalition of organisations in the disability and ageing sector, has strongly condemned new Access Rules released by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) which will see reduced levels of captioning on television and no increase in the already low levels of sign language and audio description.
15 May 2012	Accessible Cinema Advisory Group’s latest communique The Accessible Cinema Advisory Group (ACAG) is a body convened by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs to oversee and advise on the implementation of captioning and audio description in Australian cinemas. The group has released a fourth report to the public from its meeting held in March.
10 May 2012	Free screen reader released for BlackBerry smartphones The company behind the popular smartphone BlackBerry, Research in Motion, has released its first screen reader application for the BlackBerry operating system.
10 May 2012	Exhibition celebrates the art of audio description An art gallery in Poland has shown an exhibition featuring only audio description of artworks. The exhibition is intended to reveal how visual art is made accessible for people who are blind or vision impaired and celebrate audio description as an art form in its own right.
09 May 2012	9 May marks the first Global Accessibility Awareness Day What started as a simple blog post calling for developers to raise awareness about the importance of creating accessible websites for people with a disability, has turned into the first ever Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). A community of web professionals has formed to take part in raising awareness of the importance of making the web usable for everyone, regardless of ability.
08 May 2012	More captioning on pay TV An agreement reached between the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) and the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association (ASTRA) will see captioning levels on FOXTEL and AUSTAR increase over the next three years.
03 May 2012	Closed caption movies not an option on Google Play Google’s new multimedia content platform, Google Play, has failed to include closed caption facilities on its movie rental service, which was launched in Australia last week. While they are available on the platform, users are unable to easily search for closed captioned movies through its current interface, presenting accessibility barriers for people who are Deaf or hearing impaired.
02 May 2012	Government releases draft changes to caption legislation Yesterday the Federal Government released a draft bill to amend the Broadcasting Services Act to include caption quotas and caption quality requirements. These are changes that deafness organisations and advocates have long been calling for.
02 May 2012	Registrations open for leading arts and disability conference The annual Leadership Exchange in the Arts and Disability (LEAD) conference has been announced for 21 – 24 August in Boston, USA, bringing together people whose common goal is to create cultural arts programs that are inclusive of people with disabilities and seniors.
01 May 2012	Disability ignored in Government’s Convergence Review The Government yesterday released the long awaited Convergence Review, disappointing many by neglecting to address access problems for people with disabilities.

April 2012
Date Published	News headline and description
30 April 2012	Sony’s caption glasses reach first US cinema Sony has officially launched its much anticipated cinema access technology which displays captions on a pair of glasses, replicating the look of open captions. One cinema chain in the USA has already signed on to install the device.
26 April 2012	New talking set top box on sale in Australia Hills Antenna and TV Systems has released a new digital set top box which features talking menus and program guides, making them accessible for the blind and vision impaired.
24 April 2012	App review: Remember the Milk Our digital technology and online media team have tested the usability of various task management apps for blind and vision impaired users. Due to the inbuilt accessibility features found in iOS devices, only apps available on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch have been reviewed.
20 April 2012	Joy of theatre brought to Deaf kids A new program will see targeted children’s performances captioned so that more kids who are Deaf or hearing impaired can develop a love of theatre.
20 April 2012	Accessibility lost in the mobile app race Managers in information and communications technology need to combat the ‘gold rush mentality’ that has caused mobile app developers to release products that are unusable for people with a disability, a report argues.
18 April 2012	Audio description at the MCA The newly expanded Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Sydney has greatly enhanced its services for blind and vision impaired art enthusiasts with a new program of audio described tours.
17 April 2012	Government to provide free accessible set-top boxes Senator Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, has announced that talking set-top boxes will be distributed to blind and vision impaired people as part of the Household Assistance Scheme being co-ordinated by his department’s Digital Switchover Taskforce.
13 April 2012	Blog empowers blind and vision impaired young people A UK organisation has launched a blog catering to the interests of young people living with blindness or vision impairment. With a focus on technology and inclusion, Mind’s Eye aims to empower young people as they venture out into the world away from their family home.
11 April 2012	New app increases access to theatre for the hearing impaired A new service from Adelaide-based The Captioning Studio allows patrons to access theatre captions on their iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch in selected venues. The app gives Deaf and hearing impaired theatre goers the freedom to sit in any seat in the theatre to enjoy a captioned performance.