Access and Technology briefly
Compiled & edited by Jennifer Geagan (Jennifer@wid.org)
New Accessibility Guidelines Issued by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
In December, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) issued guidelines for Web browsers and media players designed to maximize accessibility for users with disabilities. The User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (UAAG 1.0) include suggestions for making commands executable via keyboard or mouse and ensuring that applications can be used easily with assistive technologies and are available in English, French and Japanese.
"Web browsers and media players serve people as the front door to the Web. But when those tools aren't usable by people with disabilities, it's akin to locking the door and leaving no key," noted Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director. "For the past five years, the technical and disability experts in the Web Accessibility Initiative have provided definitive guidelines for making accessible Web content and designing authoring software that does the same, automatically. Today, with the announcement of the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines, developers have the specific guidance they need to make Web browsers and media players more useful to more people."
To read the entire press release from W3C, visit
http://www.w3.org/2002/12/uaag10-pressrelease. To view the guidelines, please visit
http://www.w3.org/TR/UAAG10/.
Southwest.com Allowed to be Inaccessible to Blind Internet Users
In October, a US federal court in Florida ruled that Web sites do not have to be designed to provide easier access for blind Internet users. Southwest.com, the site of Southwest Airlines, is not a "place of public accommodation" covered under the
Americans with Disabilities Act in a decision that dismissed a case brought by Access Now Inc., a Florida nonprofit advocacy group. Disability advocates argue that Web sites should be covered under the law, and that companies should use available technologies such as screen-readers.
Disability Organization in Uganda Run by Digital Volunteers
Laurie Moy, the executive director of Pearls of Africa, an organization that serves people with disabilities in Uganda, became an online volunteer three years ago through
NetAid.org, which connects people with organizations focused on fighting poverty. The site lists volunteer jobs that can be done from your own PC and often on your own time. Pearls of Africa is run entirely by online volunteers who research and develop programs, solicit donations, and run a children's resource library in Uganda geared toward disabilities. To read the full article, please visit
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/pcworld/20021227/tc_pcworld/108190.
Sudan's National Museum is Ramped Up
In attempt to increase tourism in this war-torn nation, a museum curator of Sudan's national museum recently announced to the Washington Post that the museum has a ramp and is now accessible to adventurous visitors who use wheelchairs. The museum is located in Omdurman near Khartoum, Sudan's capital, and is home to artifacts that span the nation's history. Numerous objects even predate Egyptian civilization, including sections of pyramids and 15 foot statues of kings that date from 5000 B.C.
Hunger Strike by Korean Disability Activist Results in Transit Access
Kyung Seok Park, a wheelchair user and disability activist in Korea, went on a 38-day hunger strike in order to make public transportation in the city of Seoul accessible to people who use wheelchairs. Supported by disability organizations including Disabled Peoples' International (DPI) and the Japan Independent Living Council, the disabled hunger striker's action appears to have been a great success, and authorities in Seoul have agreed to install elevators in all subway stations by 2004 and will include 3 disability activists in a new committee that will work towards introducing low-floor buses in the city. (see separate
interview with Park
in this issue of Disability World)
Sydney's Rail Network Increases Access for Passengers with Disabilities
The introduction of the Millennium Train service in Sydney, Australia has increased access to the city's rail service for passengers with disabilities by including a wide-range of new features for people with mobility, hearing and visual impairments. In addition to the new access features on board the trains, information about rail access has also been included in the system's Internet and telephone service systems to assist passengers in planning their travel.
New Resources for Promoting Accessible Transportation
Access Exchange International's (AEI)
Making Access Happen: Promoting and Planning Transport for All, an illustrated 30-page guide covering case studies from several countries of successful advocacy and implementation strategies for pedestrian and public transport access, is now available. For a copy of the guide, contact AEI at 112 San Pablo Avenue, San Francisco, California 94127-1536 USA; Tel: (415) 661-6355; Fax: (415) 661-1543; Email:
globalride-sf@att.net.
Access Exchange International (AEI) also recently launched a new Website (http://www.globalride-sf.org) that features basic as well as more technical concepts regarding accessible transportation worldwide. The site includes a photo tour that introduces visitors to advocacy strategies, accessible pedestrian infrastructure, transport stations and terminals, buses, and low-cost modes of door-to-door transport. The site also has numerous links to information sources on accessible transportation around the world and will post the AEI newsletter twice a year.
Inclusive Mobility: A Guide to Best Practice on Access to Pedestrian and Transport Infrastructure
by Philip Oxley was recently released in the UK. The guide contains sections on pedestrian ways, tactile paving surfaces, car parking, bus stops, taxi ranks, access to and within transportation facilities, signage and information, lighting as well as other topics related to accessible transportation. The document is available online at
http://www.mobility-unit.dft.gov.uk. A print version may be obtained by writing the Department for Transport, P.O. Box 235, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7NB, United Kingdom or sending a fax to (44) 870-1226-237.
New IT Accessibility Guidelines for Ireland
The Irish National Disability Authority recently released accessibility guidelines for a wide range of information and communication technologies aimed at procurers and developers of such technologies and services. The guidelines cover public access terminals (ATMs, ticket machines, etc.), websites and online applications, telecommunication devices including regular and cellular phones and application software and are located online at http://www.accessit.nda.ie/.
Accessible Mouse for Blind Computer Users in the Works
Scientists at Glasgow University have developed a computer mouse that –jumps” and are combining it with sound to create an interactive "soundscape" using representations of graphs. The mouse vibrates each time meets a line on a graph, alerting the blind user. Lines on a graph are represented by tones and vary in pitch, reflecting whether the line is rising or falling. Several such tones would represent different lines of the same graph, creating the soundscape. A Reuters article on the accessible mouse can be read on the ZDNet website at http://www.zdnet.com.au/newstech/communications/story/0,2000024993,20268080,00.htm
Researchers Work to Enhance Musical Experiences for People with Hearing Impairments
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently reported in Nature that they are working to improve patientsę pitch perception and ability to localize sounds by delivering a sound component called fine structure. With better pitch perception, cochlear implant users could appreciate music and more subtle speech intonations, often critical in languages including Chinese, where the words may have entirely different meanings depending on the inflections used. To read an extensive article from MIT Tech Talk on this innovative research, visit http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/tt/2002/mar13/hearing.html.
Special Edition of Online Journal Focuses on Electronic Accessibility and Educational Technology
The Educational Technology Review, an online journal, recently posted a special issue, "Accessibility...An Integral Part of Online Learning," covering topics such as electronic accessibility, assistive technology, distance learning, and universal design. The issue also includes an online course on electronic accessibility and is located at http://www.aace.org/pubs/etr/issue2/current.cfm.
Mobility and Orientation Information and Resources Online
For information about mobility, orientation and travel for people who are blind or have low vision, the Internet Low Vision Society offers a wide range of information and resources with links on their website: http://www.lowvision.org/mobility.htm.
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