Archive for October, 2009

Yesterday, the Web Accessibility in Mind organization, (WebAIM), a group focusing on improving accessibility of web content for persons with disabilities, published the results of their Screen Reader User Survey, a follow up to a similar survey conducted earlier this year. VoiceOver was shown in the survey to have a fifty percent increase in users [...]

Hot on the heels of the AppleTV update, Apple has released iTunes 9.0.2. The release notes state that this version includes support for AppleTV software version 3.0, adds the option of a dark background for Grid View, and improves support for accessibility. The accessibility enhancements, aside from the darker background for the grid view, are [...]

Today, Apple Inc. announced the release of the AppleTV software version 3.0. The new features include a totally redesigned and simplified interface, support for iTunes LP and iTunes Extras, and more. Of interest to VoiceOver users is the note that the AppleTV can be controlled via the free Remote app for iPhone and iPod touch, [...]

When the iPhone 3GS began offering VoiceOver support in June, visually impaired users were impressed by the number of applications which were already accessible on the platform. Unfortunately, a few apps have received substantial updates in the interim which have made them inaccessible. Some developers have begun addressing accessibility issues, like FaceBook, while others such [...]

Yesterday, VMWare Fusion version 3 was released for Mac OS X. This version of the popular desktop virtualization software, which allows Mac users to simultaneously run other operating systems alongside OS X, boasts a variety of new features, including Windows 7 support, and has been optimized for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. Unlike its [...]

UK tech publication The Register recently published a piece reporting on something quite important which has unfortunately garnered so little attention that it slipped under our notice. Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding discussed the possibility of a "European Disability Act" to compel EU nations to adopt web accessibility rules resulting in all European [...]

Canadian Television (CTV) is reporting a story that a visually impaired customer was told by a Rogers Communications representative that he would need to pay an additional charge for the iPhone’s VoiceOver functionality, which in reality is included free on every iPhone 3GS. Rogers Communications Inc. has held the exclusive rights to sell the iPhone [...]

Recently, Fring, a popular service for consolidating various chat and social networking services, updated their iPhone/iPod touch application to version 2, which proved to have some accessibility problems with VoiceOver. In a blog post, they acknowledge the problem and are now offering the previous version as a separate app in the AppStore, meant to service [...]

In the latest installment of the Mac-cessibility Round Table Podcast, "Coo Coo for CocoaTouch!", our knights of the round table discuss the recent updates to Mac OS X, the iPhone OS, and iTunes, as well as the iPod touch, the AFB iPhone review, the NFB’s "second look" at VoiceOver, Josh’s cursor tracking experiment on the [...]

Proloquo2Go is an iPhone/iPod touch application designed to transform an iPhone or iPod touch into an augmentative and alternative communication device for persons with speech disabilities. The software has been developed by Assistiveware.com, makers of the popular InfoVox iVox products. Despite its $189.9 price tag, it is a quite affordable alternative to hardware solutions which [...]

The American Foundation of the Blind (AFB) recently offered a

We’ve received confirmation that the new MagicMouse, a multi-touch mouse released by Apple today as part of its desktop Mac revamp, most unfortunately does not support VoiceOver‘s new gesture-based input technology. Users who need or want this functionality will find it only available on Apple’s MacBook, MacBook Pro, iPod touch, and iPhone devices. While this [...]