PR Newswire
“508 Refresh” Expected To Accelerate Adoption of AudioEye Products & Services in the Corporate and Government Sectors February 19, 2015

TUCSON, Ariz., Feb. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — AudioEye, Inc. (OTCQB: AEYE) (“AudioEye”) today announced that the U.S. Access Board (the Board) has released for public comment a proposed rule updating accessibility standards for information and communication technology (ICT) in the federal sector covered by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. The refresh also covers guidelines for telecommunications equipment subject to Section 255 of the Communications Act.

U.S. Access Board Releases Proposed Updated Accessibility Requirements for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) full article

By Todd Bookman

It’s either 1983 or 1984, and Austin Seraphin begs his mom to take him to the electronics store to check out an Apple IIe computer.

“She said they were so surprised, they were so shocked. And I said, ‘Yeah, they must have been shocked that a blind person especially a blind kid wanted to use a computer.’ And she said, ‘No, they were shocked to have customers,'” he says with a laugh.

The Apple IIe was a big deal in the mainstreaming of computers, but it was a really big deal for seven-year-old Seraphin. The machine was one of the first home units to have a slot for a sound card, allowing special software to read aloud whatever was on the screen.

Should Websites Be Required to Provide Better Access to the Disabled? full article

Team of Jonsson, BBS Professors Receives $522,000, 2-Year Grant from National Institutes of Health for Project Feb. 6, 2015

Dr. Issa Panahi, associate professor of electrical engineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering, is part of a UT Dallas research team looking to tap into the power of smartphones to boost the quality of hearing assistive devices.

Many scientists agree: The smartphone offers many applications and has become one of the most sophisticated technologies out there.

With the support of a $522,000, two-year grant from the National Institutes of Health, a UT Dallas team wants to harness the power of smartphones to help improve the quality of life of people who wear hearing assistive devices (HAD), including hearing aids, cochlear implants and personal sound amplifiers.

Scientists Target Smartphone Technology to Improve Hearing Devices full article

While 2014 was certainly a noteworthy year under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“Title III”), July 26, 2015, will mark the 25th anniversary of the ADA (“25th Anniversary”), an event that will almost certainly be celebrated with significant developments impacting the scope of Title III’s coverage.

Read more at
http://www.aoda.ca/as-the-ada-turns-25-website-accessibility-issues-pose-legitimate-risks-for-the-financial-services-industry/

By Michael Hansen

Over the last couple years, I’ve come to a conclusion about life as a blind person: it isn’t the physical lack of sight that’s the biggest difficulty I face; but rather, it is attempting to overcome peoples’ negative stereotypes and misconceptions about what I can – and cannot – do that is the real problem.

When I think of situations where negative stereotypes about blind people come into play, the use of technology isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. I tend to think about education, or employment, or parenting long before I think of access to the latest and greatest tech. But, as a recent Wired article about a new Braille-writing app demonstrated, misconceptions still abound about what technology blind people are able to gainfully use.

You Know, Blind People Can Actually Use Touchscreens full article

By Tova Cohen
TEL AVIV Thu Jan 22, 2015

(Reuters) – Israeli technology firms catering to the country’s disabled war veterans are exploring ways to bring their innovations to the mass market with applications that make mobile phones easier to use.

Israel, with its thriving start-up scene and large number of military veterans, is a natural incubator of technology for the disabled, some of which is proving useful to able bodied users as well.

“That’s the secret sauce to go to scale,” said Andrew Johnson, an analyst with market research firm Gartner Inc.

Israel’s Mobile Technologies For Disabled Find Mass market Appeal full article

Elizabeth Ganga,
eganga@lohud.com
January 20, 2015

Websites are the portal to government, providing information as basic as the day for garbage pickup and services like paying taxes.

But for people with visual impairments or a host of other disabilities that can affect their use of computers or mobile devices, it’s still hit-or-miss what they will find when they open the website of their local government, school district or library.

People with visual impairments sometimes use screen readers programs that read aloud the text on the screen to navigate the Web, and they find many websites are not designed with them in mind.

Accessibility of Government Websites Often Fall Short full article

Nova Scotia to launch text-to-911 service today for hearing impaired Angela Crozier <@CrozierAngela>
January 15, 2015, 10:44 AM AST

Halifax is considering providing a real-time text service of city hall meetings for hearing impaired people.

Two Halifax councillors want to improve accessibility to council meetings for the hearing impaired.

Coun. Darren Fisher (Dartmouth East) and Coun. Steve Craig (Lower Sackville) raised concerns Wednesday that they need to find a better way to involve deaf residents in their proceedings.

Chief administrative officer Richard Butts’ budget includes a proposal to provide real-time texting of city hall meetings.

Live Text May Make Council Meetings More Accessible full article

Bill Holton

In the August issue of AccessWorld , we described the new voice guide features available on new Samsung TVs. More recently, Comcast has announced the availability of its own talking TV interface.

There certainly has been a lot of activity on the accessible media front. Here’s why: the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA) includes a number of provisions regulating the production and availability of accessible broadcast media and devicestelevision sets, set-top boxes, digital video recorders (DVRs) and descriptive video for broadcast and non-broadcast channel programing.

Is Accessible TV Viewing Finally on Its Way? full article