‘iPhone’ Archives

Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D) has released an iOS application. The RFB&D Audio app is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. It provides access to RFB&D’s downloadable DAISY formatted books. RFB&D members can explore RFB&D’s library of more than 64,000 audio books that are designed for people with print and learning disabilities. [...]

Previously, we reported on a collection of chess and checkers games that had recently become accessible with VoiceOver. Now, Shredder, a chess app for iOS devices, has been updated, and among the application’s new features is accessibility support for VoiceOver. The developer notes: Accessibility / Voice Over support for almost everything. Please provide feedback if [...]

The Saline Reporter, a publication servicing Saline, Michigan and the surrounding area, posted a touching story about Taylor Parrish, a young autistic boy, whose life has been transformed by the introduction of the iPad into his daily school routine. The iPad has given him the ability to communicate effectively for the first time with those [...]

Garmin StreetPilot, a GPS navigation solution for iOS devices, has been updated to version 6.5.4. The developer notes that this version is now VoiceOver accessible. The app offers all the features one would expect, along with some unique capabilities which differentiate it from the competition. Perhaps most notable among these is the fact that it [...]

iOS developer Marcel Nijman has recently updated his assortment of chess and checkers games for iOS to include VoiceOver support. Besides traditional versions, several variations, such as Chinese Chess, are available as well. With increasing frequency, we are seeing developers implement accessibility in their iOS applications, and the result is a rich platform that blind [...]

In a new editorial, we take a look at the width and breadth of Apple’s commitment to accessibility over the last ten years, and try to dispel some of the myths, rumors, and misconceptions which persist in the visually impaired community about Apple and its products.

Audible.com recently updated its mobile web site. Part of this new design is the ability to sample Audible titles on iOS accessibly. Simply tap the "Excerpt" graphic beside any title and the sample begins playing. The mobile version of the site also works quite well under Mac OS X. Instead of fighting with the inaccessible [...]

We’ve recently been made aware of an assistive technology software company named Smarty-Ears LLC., which develops a range of iOS apps to assist children with language or communication difficulties. Smarty-Ears’ apps are designed to improve communication skills in fluency, articulation, language, and more. Smarty-Ears was founded by Barbara Fernandes, a practicing Speech and Language Pathologist. [...]

A new iPhone app, DanKam, is an experimental new way of filtering input from the iPhone’s camera or from previously taken photographs to make the colors more discernible to users who are color blind. The app provides a variety of experimental solutions to assist color blind individuals, including converting colors to different regions in the [...]

In celebration of the season, Digital Miracles, L.L.C. is offering a 33% holiday price reduction on its popular Digit-Eyes application, making it $19.99. The Digit-Eyes iPhone app is a tool for blind and low-vision users to identify and label products and other physical items. You can find Digit-Eyes on the iOS AppStore.

iOS developer Matt Gemmell recently wrote a piece which makes the case for third-party developers to ensure accessibility of their iOS applications, as well as the ways in which they can easily do so. It is a must-read for developers considering application accessibility, and will be of interest to users of iOS in general. It [...]

In this episode of the Round Table, our knights discuss iOS 4.2, the exciting addition of VoiceOver to the AppleTV, and get side tracked once or twice. Blog from OutOfTheDarkness on activating VOiceOver on the AppleTV without sighted assistance, among other things.