Disability

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Commonwealth Bank disrupting EFTPOS usage for the blind and vision-impaired

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The Commonwealth Bank is continuing to roll out their EFTPOS tablet despite repeated concerns voiced over the past 18 months that this payment solution is inaccessible to people who are blind, vision-impaired or have other disabilities that make touchscreen-only use unworkable for them.

Woman tries to use touchscreen on Albert tablet

Woman tries to use touchscreen on Albert tablet


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Technology is key to creating ‘most accessible neighbourhood’

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The CNIB, Canada’s National Institute for the Blind, is turning to a combination of inclusive design and the latest technology to transform a small but popular section of one of Toronto’s busiest streets, into that country’s most accessible precinct, where blind and vision-impaired people can navigate easily and interact independently.

CNIB Beacon

CNIB Beacon - photo by Chris Young of the Canadian Press

The CNIB institute is preparing to roll out 200 small (7x7cm) 'Beacons' into stores and restaurants (at no charge to each business) in the neighbourhood, which will provide vision-impaired customers with practical information on the premises they enter.


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Legal win for Deaf couple against hospital with ineffective communication

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A high-profile hospital in Texas has settled a lawsuit which alleged that their communications for Deaf patients were ineffective, in a landmark legal outcome with far-reaching implications for the medical profession. It has been reported that the July 2017 settlement will encourage others, who are being discriminated against in terms of inaccessible processes and information, to take similar action.

Lawsuit sign

Lawsuit sign

The Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, in Edinburg Texas, is a physician-owned hospital with a prominent Cancer treatment centre, and this lawsuit settlement comes after six years of the plaintiffs trying to get the facility to be more accessible for people who are Deaf or hearing-impaired.


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Nominate for the Australian Mental Health Prize

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The second annual Australian Mental Health Prize was launched in late June, with nominations now open. This award event seeks to recognise Australians who have made outstanding contributions to either the promotion of mental health or the prevention and treatment of mental illness, in areas such as advocacy, research or service.

Kim Ryan with her 2016 award and PM Malcolm Turnbull

Kim Ryan with her 2016 award and PM Malcolm Turnbull

Last year’s prize award winner was Kim Ryan, the President of the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses. She said winning the prize helped to elevate the important role of mental health nurses.

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Nominations now open for National Disability Awards

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Individuals, teams and organisations who are making a real difference in quality of life outcomes for those with disability are encouraged to enter the 2017 National Disability Awards. Winners will be announced on the International Day of People with Disability later on in the year and you can nominate online right now, until midnight (AEST) Sunday 6 August 2017.

Image of IDPwD logo

IDPwD logo

The International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) is being held on 3 December, to help break down disability barriers and celebrate ability. The awards are backed by the Australian Federal Government and winners will be announced on the day.

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Digital Inclusion Forum prompted excellent debate

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The FACS NSW Digital Inclusion Forum, in Sydney on 15 June, brought together expert panellists and interested participants from Government, the business sector, NFPs and academia, for a series of valuable discussions on barriers to digital access for people with disability and future developments in digital access and inclusion.

Image of Brendan Fitzgerald, Dr Manisha Amin, Deborah Fullwood, Gerard Goggin

Panel-2 members: Brendan Fitzgerald, Dr Manisha Amin, Deborah Fullwood and Professor Gerard Goggin.


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Be part of 24 hours of inclusive design

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A free 24-hour online community event on accessibility is being staged on 9 June 2017 by The Paciello Group one the world’s leading Assistive Technology providers for vision impaired people. It promises to be an inspiring event and is open to everyone.

A person thinks of usability and user experience

A person thinks of usability and user experience

Inclusive Design 24 is an innovative event sponsored by The Paciello Groupto celebrate worldwide efforts to ensure people with disability have full and equal access to the web.


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Facebook

What is Facebook?

Facebook is a popular social networking tool that allows users to create a personal profile, add other users as friends, exchange messages, and share information and media. Facebook also allows members to participate in interest groups, follow particular organisations and play simple online games.

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Free captioning and description editing tool launched

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The National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) in the USA has just launched CADET (Caption and Description Editing Tool) which was previously only available as a Beta project. This official launch version of CADET was developed with partial funding from the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office with the rest coming from crowd-funding, and is available via a free download.

Dashboard of CADET being used

Dashboard of CADET being used

CADET has taken over two years to develop from the initial beta test, and is the result of a mix of grant funding and crowd-funding from an Indiegogo campaign launched in late 2015. It is a free, downloadable caption-authoring software tool that can also be used to generate audio-description scripts.


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US restaurant chain has trouble on the menu

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The Olive Garden restaurant group in the US is accused of having a website that is inaccessible to the vision impaired, with a lawsuit filed in Florida in April 2017. The company is alleged to be violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which is the US equivalent of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) in Australia.

Red slash through wheelchair

Red slash through wheelchair

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