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Accessibility in the News
06/23/2010
AbleGamers Kinects with Microsoft
It's been a few days since Microsoft announced its new Xbox 360 device: The Kinect. Not surprisingly, some new information has leaked out from E3 but sadly nothing we have enjoyed hearing so far. Many of you have been tweeting, emailing, and Facebooking us asking what AbleGamers opinion on the Kinect would be. One reader even questioned why I personally think the voice commands were more mentionable than the motion detection itself. In my world, voice commands are a form of accessible technology enabling me to play more complex games and to use remote controls. The truth is, like most technology for those who are disabled; it's going to be what you can make of it and not what it actually is. Nevertheless, we decided to reach out to Microsoft and talk to them about why new technologies in the gaming sector are often so unfriendly to those who are disabled in the gaming community.
06/23/2010
Towards Global Access for the Print Disabled: A Policy Update from an engineer, Jim Fruchterman of Benetech
The international copyright negotiations in Geneva around a proposed Treaty for those who are Visually Impaired ("TVI") have been steadily heating up. Counterproposals have been made, governments have been engaging with rights holders, consumers and NGOs (or not!) and there's a general feeling something is going to happen. I'm heading to Geneva later this month for the next major meeting at the World Intellectual Property Organization ("WIPO"), to hear the latest and make my three-minute oration as an accredited NGO representative (first time for me!). My recommendation to the advocacy community is to continue to pursue a "yes-and" approach, as we have so far with the TVI and the Stakeholders' Platform. However, my suggestion is to pursue the U.S. Joint Recommendation and the TVI, but drop the Stakeholders' Platform.
06/23/2010
Charity praises mobile applications
The growth of applications and websites for phones and other mobile internet enabled devices is good news for web users with disabilities, a leading charity has said. Robin Christopherson, of Abilitynet, said rather than excluding people with disabilities, mobile apps make it easier for them to use the internet. We talked to Mr Christopherson about whether by ignoring the needs of people with disabilities, app and mobile website developers could end up in breach of the Equality Act, which comes into force on 1 October, and replaces certain laws including the Disability Discrimination Act. However, as the head of accessibility services for the national charity, which helps adults and children with disabilities use computers and the internet, Mr Christopherson told Computeractive he was "excited" about mobile developments.
