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Top ten apps for visually impaired students
<span class="submitted-by">Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 29/06/2022 - 01:00</span><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><div class="special-container" style="background:#f3f3f2;border-left:10px solid #ffcc00;padding:20px 30px;">This blog has been updated! Originally published 23/07/16. Amended 29/06/22</div><p><img alt="visual impairmant and sight loss affects millions of people in the UK" src="/sites/abilitynet.org.uk/files/admin/vision-02.png" style="width: 267px; height: 267px; margin: 10px; float: right;" /><br />Starting university is a leap into an independent and self-reliant way of life. For students who are blind or visually impaired, some forward-thinking is essential to ensure that you have the right tools to ease this transition. The good news is that modern technology and smartphones have helped to close the gap between disabled students and their peers, particularly in the form of apps. Here's our selection to get you started.</p><p>Several are free in their basic form, some cost a few pounds and one is a heavyweight option. And don't miss number 10!</p><div class="special-container" style="background:#f3f3f2;border-left:10px solid #ffcc00;padding:20px 30px;"><strong>DON'T FORGET DSA</strong>: Any UK student in HE or FE with a visual impairment <a href="/dsa">could be eligible for extra funding from Disabled Students Allowances</a>, which may cover some of these costs and will also recommend other changes to make sure your education is accessible.</div><h2><a href=". AccessNote (Free)<img alt="AccessNote on the iTunes store" src="/sites/abilitynet.org.uk/files/admin/Screenshot%202016-08-23%2008.15.00.png" style="width: 212px; height: 212px; margin: 10px; float: right;" /></a></h2><p>The American Foundation for the Blind launched the official iOS notetaker, AccessNote. It works in collaboration with VoiceOver to create a systematic, feature-rich note taking aid.</p><h2><a href=". Dragon Dictation (Free) on iOS and Android</a></h2><p>Dictate your message, adding punctuation verbally, and receive it on screen instantly. Your delivery options for this message include text, email, copy-and-paste, and social media websites.</p><div class="special-container" style="background:#f3f3f2;border-left:10px solid #ffcc00;padding:20px 30px;"><strong>Can technology help in higher and further education? </strong><br /><br />Absolutely! Learn how assistive technologies can help students and professionals learn and teach more effectively in our how to use assistive technology in higher and further education training course.<br /><br /><a class="inline-styles-button" href="; style="background:#ffcc00;color:#2c2a29;font-size:24px;line-height:29px;padding:20px 28px;">Find out more </a></div><h2><a href=". Evernote (Free)</a></h2><p>The Evernote app stores voice notes, photographs and text providing users with a medium to share them between multiple devices. Photographs are scanned for text using VoiceOver support.</p><h2><a href=". Kindle app (Free)</a></h2><p>The Kindle app allows people to download books from Amazon.com. Supportive features for those with visual impairment include large print, computer generated speech and human narrators.</p><h2><a href=". Audible</a> (Free trial then monthly fee)</h2><p>The Audible app is available on both iPhone and Android devices, providing easy access to a huge selection of audio books including academic titles.</p><h2><img alt="Talking scientific calculator as it appears on the iPad" src="/sites/abilitynet.org.uk/files/admin/Screenshot%202016-08-23%2008.17.23.png" style="width: 299px; height: 220px; margin: 10px; float: right;" /><a href=". Talking Scientific Calculator ($7.99)</a></h2><p>The talking calculator has a range of voices to choose from and allows you to record your own voice. It works with VoiceOver for the blind, or has a high contrast options for those with limited sight. Features include large colourful buttons and the option to use speech for answers, button names and formulas. Button names are read aloud as your finger moves over the screen. Double tapping a button enters the number onscreen.<br /> </p><div class="special-container" style="background:#f3f3f2;border-left:10px solid #ffcc00;padding:20px 30px;"><b>How can technology help my employee with sight loss? </b><br /><br />Discover our Don't Disable Me training course series that focuses on the lived experiences of people with disabilities including those who face visual barriers. In the course, you can learn first hand how technology can support people with sight loss at work, in study and day-to-day life.</div><div class="special-container" style="background:#f3f3f2;border-left:10px solid #ffcc00;padding:20px 30px;"><a class="inline-styles-button" href="; style="background:#ffcc00;color:#2c2a29;font-size:24px;line-height:29px;padding:20px 28px;">Find out more </a></div><h2><br /><a href=". Google Translate (Free)</a></h2><p>Google Translate transforms words and phrases users say aloud into a specified foreign language. This function is particularly useful to visually impaired students.</p><h2><a href=". KNFB Reader App (£79.99)</a></h2><p>This app is a financial commitment, but promises to be ‘fast, accurate and efficient’. It converts printed text into speech to enable access to both single and multiple page documents. It promises to work with ‘the touch of a single button’ and is facilitated by ‘a field of view report, automatic page detection, and tilt control.’</p><h2><a href=". Alarmed: Reminders + Timers</a> (iOS Free + paid for extras)</h2><p>Fully accessible with VoiceOver, this app is an excellent tool for organisation. It includes a notes area with reminders, a repeating alarm feature, a snooze option and a multi-use timer. Advanced features for a small cost provide you with the ability to set interval timers for doing repetitive chores, which could be used to set revision breaks.</p><h2>10. And finally...some more apps and technologies that can help</h2><p>On Tuesday 28 June 2022 AbilityNet, RNIB and Envision discussed how technology can help blind people and people with sight loss. The webinar shares some of the assistive technologies and free tools available that offer support including their free built-in adjustments, apps and resources.</p><p><a class="inline-styles-button" href="; style="background:#ffcc00;color:#2c2a29;font-size:24px;line-height:29px;padding:20px 28px;">Access the webinar recording and transcript</a></p><h2><br />Further resources</h2><ul><li>Find out more about <a href="/dsa">extra funding from Disabled Students Allowances</a> (DSA)</li><li>Learn more about how assistive technology can help people with sight loss in our <a href=" factsheet</a></li><li>Read about how technology can help older people with sight issues in our <a href=" accessible media for people with sight loss in our <a href=" class="social-share clearfix"></div>
Wed, 29 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000
Anonymous
733 at
How 12 organisations are using AI for good
/news-blogs/how-12-organisations-are-using-ai-good
<span class="submitted-by">Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 19/02/2020 - 09:42</span><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>At the launch of this year's <a href=" for Good Accelerator Programme</a> at the <a href=" Reactor in London</a> earlier this month, I heard about the incredible tech ideas the initiative has been helping to develop. </p><h2>What is the AI for Good Programme?</h2><p>The Programme - designed and delivered by Microsoft, Microsoft for Startups and <a href=" Tech Trust</a> - sees a group of purpose-driven organisations take part in a four-month programme of tasks, training and events, which guide and inspire them to use AI for greater social impact. The organisations use technology to take on challenging societal issues across the areas of environmental sustainability, accessibility, humanitarian action and cultural heritage. </p><p>As well as support and technology, the 12 organisations in this year's programme will also be given space to run their business in the Microsoft for Startups office in Shoreditch, London.</p><h2>What is the goal of the programme?</h2><p>Microsoft's aims for the programme are to:</p><ul><li>Give purpose-driven ventures the commercial, technical and social impact support they need to create the future they want to see.</li><li>Make an impact in environmental sustainability, accessibility, humanitarian action and cultural heritage by taking AI solutions in these areas to the next level, advancing and embedding the use of ethical and human design principles in their design.</li><li>Help participants build a repeatable and scalable business enabling a successful, scalable model to their identified target markets.</li><li>Create a platform for AI for Good leadership.</li></ul><h2>The 12 AI for Good organisations 2020:</h2><p><img alt="Good Boost laptop by swimming pool" src="/sites/abilitynet.org.uk/files/admin/goodboostlaptop.jpg" style="margin: 10px; float: right; width: 500px; height: 333px;" />Here's a round up of <a href=" year's cohort</a>, with a brief explanation of what they do:</p><ul><li><a href=" Solutions</a> - change management and customised IP applications around core Microsoft products to create inclusivity and accessibility.</li><li><a href=" Connect</a> - a platform that connects legal professionals to people with legal or justice issues.</li><li><a href="; - wearable AI speech therapist app, like a Fitbit for speech.</li><li><a href="; - online language learning for professionals and organisations, powered by refugee talent.</li><li><a href="; - cloud based platform helping commercial buildings to stop heating empty rooms.</li><li><a href=" Boost</a> - transforms public swimming pools into therapy spaces for the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal conditions through AI powered clinical software on waterproof tablets (pictured).</li><li><a href=" Lamp Post</a> - encourages people to engage in playful, text based conversations with street objects using their mobile phones, to help city decision makers better understand their citizens.</li><li><a href="; - uses AI, and hardware called the 'Miicube' to keep older people safe, active and connected with family and friends.</li><li><a href="; - tracks, treats and prevents poor mental health through a cognitive assessment and training platform.</li><li><a href="; - provides accurate and secure analytics to suggest efficiency improvements for energy networks.</li><li><a href="; - a low cost, digital and fully automated waste sorting solution.</li><li><a href="; - browser extension that allows organisations and to add sign language to their websites.</li></ul><h2>Standout initiatives</h2><p>One of this year's cohort is <a href=" Boost</a>, which was a finalist in AbilityNet's Tech 4 Good Awards in 2019, in the Ageing Society category. Good Boost aims to help prevent and manage MSK (musculoskeletal) conditions through a digital rehabilitation app via an AI personalised water-based rehab exercise. See Good Boost technology in action:<br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="; width="560"></iframe><br />Other standout initiatives included <a href=";, which measures and monitors mental health and performance and provides personalised training via an app to enhance cognitive fitness. </p><p>Another innovative initiative is <a href=" Lamp Post</a>, which is a public engagement platform that allows users to talk to street furniture via text messages to learn more about a city and contribute feedback to city decision makers. It helps to foster community, provide directions around a city, and contributes to public conversation.</p><p><a href=" out more about the AI for Good 2020 programme on the Microsoft website</a>.</p><h2>Further resources</h2><ul><li>Blog: <a href="/news-blogs/eliza-ellie-evolution-ai-therapist">From Eliza to Ellie: the evolution of the AI Therapist</a></li><li>Blog: <a href="/news-blogs/how-ai-could-become-new-accessible-extension-your-mind">How AI could become a new, accessible extension of your mind</a></li><li>Blog: <a href="/news-blogs/future-inclusive-design-ai-wheelchairs-smart-caption-glasses">The future of inclusive design: From AI wheelchairs to smart caption glasses </a></li><li>Blog: <a href="/news-blogs/ethics-machine-learning-and-disabilities">Ethics, machine learning and disabilities</a></li><li>Blog: <a href="/news-blogs/how-safe-found-online-helps-people-dementia-if-they-go-missing">How Safe & Found helps people with dementia if they go missing</a></li></ul><p> </p></div></div></div><div class="social-share clearfix"></div>
Wed, 19 Feb 2020 09:42:46 +0000
Anonymous
1693 at
Website accessibility advice: our experts answer your questions
/news-blogs/website-accessibility-advice-our-experts-answer-your-questions
<span class="submitted-by">Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 09/07/2019 - 06:52</span><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>On our recent <a href="/webinars/what-include-accessibility-help-page-your-website">webinar on 'What to include on the accessibility help page on your website'</a> we shared advice and information about making your website accessible to people of all abilities. There were a lot of great questions asked on the webinar about accessibility help pages, but also about best practice for digital accessibility in general. Sadly we were unable to respond on the webinar to all of these - in this blog our experts give their answers. A recording of the webinar is also included below incase you missed it.</p><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="; width="560"></iframe></p><h2>Are there any specific font recommendations for accessibility?</h2><p>Best practice for accessibility and usability is to choose a sans-serif font - a standard font which does not have extending features called 'serifs' at the end of strokes. It's also important to ensure the font size is coded as relative (e.g. ems, %) rather than fixed (e.g. pixels). More <a href=" on the accessibility of fonts</a> is available on the WebAIM website.</p><h2>What is semantic mark-up?</h2><p>Semantic HTML or semantic markup is HTML that introduces meaning to the web page rather than just presentation. For example, a <p> tag indicates that the enclosed text is a paragraph. This is both semantic and presentational because people know what paragraphs are and browsers know how to display them. Consider a screenreader that announces text on a page aloud to a blind person - if your content is not using the correct markup it will not be announced correctly.</p><h2>Where should the accessibility help page sit in relation to the accessibility statement. Are these two separate things?</h2><p><img alt="A vector graphic of a desktop computer with a website on screen" src="/sites/abilitynet.org.uk/files/admin/Website-graphic-image.jpg" style="width: 350px; height: 233px; margin: 15px; float: right;" />An accessibility help page provides a useful stepping stone on a user journey, offers practical help to your customers and shows them that you have thought about their access needs. The accessibility statement on your website can be a part of your accessibility help page, a page level below or within the same section. Your accessibility help page could give all details in one go or you could break it up into smaller sections, with a separate accessibility statement providing full details. See <a href=" County Council's accessibility statement</a> and <a href="; accessibility statement</a> for some different examples.</p><h2>What about the requirements for HE and Public Sector organisations to create an accessibility statement as part of new legislation?</h2><p>AbilityNet has hosted two webinars recently on this very topic- <a href="/webinars/new-uk-web-accessibility-regulations-he-and-public-sector">our May 2019 webinar on the new UK Web Accessibility Regulations for HE and Public Sector</a> and there is also <a href="/webinars/web-accessibility-regulations-uk-he-and-public-sector-update">our July 2019 update webinar on the UK Web Accessibility Regulations and specifically the requirement for an accessibility statement</a>.</p><h2>Can AbilityNet recommend any way of finding real life testers for our website?</h2><p>Having people test your website is important, as it will give you a real-world view of the accessibility and usability of your site. We can help you with diverse user testing – AbilityNet has hundreds of user testers with a wide range of abilities and access needs to accommodate diverse user testing. Please get in touch with <a href="mailto:sales@abilitynet.org.uk">sales@abilitynet.org.uk</a> for more information about our user testing services.</p><h2>Do you have an example of a video using transcripts and how they do it?</h2><p>Captioning videos and having a transcript is ever important for blind people, but also for those watching a video on mute. Google have some good <a href=" on YouTube video transcripts</a>. Essentially you will need to write and provide them yourself for any video content you create. You can use some speech-to-text software to help speed up this process though.</p><h2>My Computer My Way sounds great. Is there a charge for embedding it?</h2><p><a href=" Computer My Way</a> is your guide to every accessibility feature on every computer, tablet and smartphone. For My Computer My Way to be embedded within your own site’s help section, it requires some collaboration to generate suitable content for your audience. There is consultancy and time associated with this which does incur a cost – please contact <a href="mailto:sales@abilitynet.org.uk">sales@abilitynet.org.uk</a> for more information. You are of course welcome to link to any helpful My Computer My Way pages on your website for free.</p><h2>General advice:</h2><p>To ensure your website is as accessible as possible try to use semantic markup and avoid custom components. By this we mean - if it looks like a heading code it with a suitable tag (<h1>, <h2>, <h3>, etc); if it looks like a table code it as such (<th>, <td>, etc). Where you are struggling with this, WebAIM's <a href=" resources for developers and designers</a> will be useful.</p><p>A tip for images – only informative images need alt text. Screen readers don’t need to know about decorative images (e.g. the picture of a girl holding a balloon) so give them a blank alt attribute (alt="") - this is important so that screen readers ignore them; otherwise they will announce an unknown image. If the image is informative or includes text, ensure the meaning is replicated in the alt text.</p><p>A great win for accessibility and usability is good colour contrast – use online tools which check colours meet the minimum requirements such as <a href=" Contrast-Finder</a>. It will provide you with suitable alternatives if your colour contrast ratio is too low.</p><h2> </h2></div></div></div><div class="social-share clearfix"></div>
Tue, 09 Jul 2019 05:52:14 +0000
Anonymous
1491 at
How Be My Eyes used the Tech4Good Accessibility Award to grow its vision
/news-blogs/how-be-my-eyes-used-tech4good-accessibility-award-grow-its-vision
<span class="submitted-by">Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 02/05/2019 - 08:55</span><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>The amazing <a href=" My Eyes</a> was the winner of Tech4Good Accessibility Award in 2018, following in the footsteps of previous winners such as <a href=" Braille</a> and <a href=" Bank</a>. It's is<img alt="Photo of a man holding up a smartphone to his eyes with an image of someone else's eyes on the phone display. Be My Eyes, lend your eyes to the blind strapline " src="/sites/abilitynet.org.uk/files/admin/Be%20My%20Eyes.png" style="margin: 20px; float: right; width: 350px; height: 197px;" /> a highly popular free app that connects people who are blind or have low vision with over one million sighted volunteers or company representatives, who offer assistance through a live video call. </p><p>Alexander Hauerslev Jensen of Be My Eyes explains that winning the Accessibility Award was a key step in the success of the company.</p><p>“Winning the Tech4Good Accessibility Award has been incredible," he explained. " Being a part of the Tech4Good Awards allowed us to connect with partners and investors, as well as all sorts of inspiring people who all work to make the world a better and more inclusive place.” </p><p>“After winning the award Be My Eyes has hit several incredible milestones. The community to more than 2 million volunteers, we have more than 125,000 blind and low vision users, and we've secured both Google and Lloyds Banking Group as customers on the Specialised Help Platform." </p><h3>So what’s next for Be My Eyes in 2019 and beyond? </h3><p>“Our main priority now is to grow and nurture the community, which means getting the word out to even more users around the world who are blind or have low vision, who will find value in the product.” said Jensen.</p><p>And what are his final thoughts to others thinking of entering? </p><p>“We would highly recommend participating in the awards - whatever your vision for your next big step they are a great way to connect with other people.”</p><h3>About the Accessibility Award</h3><p>This year the Award is sponsored by Microsoft and is open to any individual, business, charity, social enterprise or other public body with a base in the UK. It may refer to the work they do as a whole or one specific project.</p><p>The judges are looking for inspiring examples of accessible technologies that help people with disabilities achieve their goals at work, at home or in education. </p><p>You can find out more about this award category and what the judges are looking for on the <a href=" Awards website</a>.</p><h4>If you want to take advantage of the wide range of benefits that the AbilityNet Tech4Good Awards winners receive <a href=" the awards now</a> before entries close on Friday 10 May. <br /> </h4></div></div></div><div class="social-share clearfix"></div>
Thu, 02 May 2019 07:55:48 +0000
Anonymous
1442 at
Kush Kanodia announced as one of the top 10 most influential Black, Asian Minority Ethnic leaders in the UK tech sector
/news-blogs/kush-kanodia-announced-one-top-10-most-influential-black-asian-minority-ethnic-leaders-uk
<span class="submitted-by">Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 14/11/2018 - 11:37</span><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><img alt="Kush Kanodia banner image - No. 10 in the Inclusive Boards Top 100 Most Influential BAME leaders in Tech" src="/sites/abilitynet.org.uk/files/admin/Kush%20Kanodia%20%28Personalised%20Banner%29.png" style="margin: 10px 20px; float: right; width: 300px; height: 300px;" />AbilityNet Trustee Kush Kanodia has been announced as one of the top 10 most influential Black, Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) leaders in the UK tech sector. The list, produced by board appointments firm Inclusive Boards, will be released today at the House of Commons as part of the official launch of the <a href=" Tech Alliance</a>.</p><p>The Alliance has been set up in response to new research by Inclusive Boards that will show the sector is significantly lagging behind others on diversity within senior leadership. The founder of the Inclusive Tech Alliance (ITA), Samuel Kasumu, who is also a member of the Prime Minister's Race Disparity Advisory Board said: "Technology is increasingly playing an important role in driving our economy and there is a great need to ensure that everyone can fully participate in the jobs and opportunities technology brings. Kush Kanodia and others featured in this list today are role models that will inspire the next generation, and hopefully help to improve diversity within the sector."</p><p>Kush Kanodia said: "I am truly honoured and humbled to have been selected in the top 10 most influential BAME tech leaders in the UK in Parliament today, and to have been featured in the Financial Times. I am a disabled BAME champion, who had both my hips replaced (CAD CAM) in 2002 and am only able to walk today due to assistive technology. I had the honour of being a Torch Bearer for the Paralympic Games in London 2012. Selected due to my dedication to disability rights and my ability to inspire, I have delivered speeches in Parliament and was selected as a role model for the Office of Disability Issues in Government. I am a Social Entrepeneur, who has developed a portfolio career helping several organisations from charities and social enterprises to non-profit organisations. With a passion for innovation, design and technology and a belief that the Social Model of disability combined with the innovations in Assistive Technology can have a transformational and sustainable impact, that can both enable and empower the lives of disabled people globally."</p><p>Those featured in the top 100 include senior leaders from Facebook, LinkedIn, IBM, Twitter and financial services firm EY. Judges include Tim Sawyer CBE (COO, Innovate UK), Sandra Kerr OBE (Race Equality Director, Business in the Community), and Catherine Muirden (Director of HR, Co-Op Foods).</p></div></div></div><div class="social-share clearfix"></div>
Wed, 14 Nov 2018 11:37:12 +0000
Anonymous
1381 at
7 Steps To Digital Accessibility
/resources/digital-accessibility/7-steps-digital-accessibility
<span class="submitted-by">Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 22/10/2018 - 13:03</span><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><img alt="A pile of purple pound coins representing the Purple Pound" src="/sites/abilitynet.org.uk/files/admin/purple%20pound_0.jpg" style="margin: 15px; width: 350px; height: 233px; float: right;" />Over 20% of the world’s population has a disability and in the UK the combined spending power of people with disabilities and their families, also called the Purple Pound, is £249 billion a year. For this reason, ensuring your products and services are accessible and able to be used by people with disabilities makes good business sense.</p><p>Whether you're a small company just starting up or a larger corporation that's been in operation for a long time, we know there may be challenges in sourcing information that will allow you to make your products and services fully accessible. As an Accessibility and Usability Consultant at AbilityNet I've worked with our Digital Accessibility Services team to produce this seven-step guide to making your digital product accessible to all users, including those with disabilities.</p><p><img alt="A mobile phone with someone doing some online shopping" src="/sites/abilitynet.org.uk/files/admin/holiday-shopping-1921658_1920.jpg" style="margin: 15px; width: 350px; height: 233px; float: right;" /> Digital services can provide a level of independence to people with disabilities that they've never experienced before. A person who may not be able to walk to their local bank due to a physical disability can complete financial transactions using a banking app. A person who is blind can shop online rather than in-store using their computer and a screenreader, which is a piece of assistive technology that describes the visual information displayed on a computer screen. In both examples the digital service on offer allows greater ease of access for the customer compared to navigating to a shop in-person and then requiring assistance from someone in-shop. If you don’t design your websites and apps in an accessible way you are not only losing customers - you are denying people with disabilities their independence.</p><h2>1. accessibility shouldn’t be an after-thought</h2><p>Make sure you consider accessibility throughout each part of a project and don’t leave it until the last moment. It will save you a lot of time and money if different access needs are considered throughout research, design, development and testing phases. Retro-fitting accessibility can be stressful, painful and extremely challenging. An inclusive approach which is well-planned will ensure you have a more usable product/service which can be enjoyed by a greater number of your customers.</p><h2>2. use personas</h2><p>Using personas of people with situational, temporary and permanent disabilities will help you to understand the diverse needs of your customers. Conduct user testing on your website or app using people with disabilities when possible. <a href="; free Diverse Personas guide</a> is available online and can be used to help people designing products and services to understand the needs of customers with different disabilities.</p><h2>3. simplify language</h2><p>Try to ensure you simplify language as much as possible so your content is accessible to as many people as possible. At the Government Digital Service (GDS) they try to ensure their content has an average reading age of nine. People with low literacy levels filling in passport forms, as an example, then have a much better chance of completing their tasks. There are a lot of great <a href=" ">tips on language from the GDS</a>. </p><h2>4. colour contrast</h2><p>Ensuring you have good colour contrast makes content easier to read for people with low vision and also for any users accessing your website or app when out in the sunshine. You can check your colours using <a href=" My Colours</a> which analyses the colour contrast of web pages.</p><h2>5. provide descriptions</h2><p>You can provide descriptions to every image using alt text. Decorative images should have empty alt so they can be ignored by screenreaders. This includes adding captions for images on social media. You can review our articles on <a href=" alt text to Facebook images</a> and <a href=" to make your Tweets accessible</a>. A quick web search should produce some great advice for web pages too. </p><h2>6. provide subtitles for video</h2><p>With people increasingly using their smartphones on the move there has been a large increase in stats of video views without sound. Recently it was shared that around <a href=" of Facebook video views are with sound muted</a>. This statistic makes a great case for subtitling your content. You should provide subtitles and transcripts for video content as this helps people who are hard-of-hearing, who may not have English as their first language and the 4 million non-disabled users whose preference is to use subtitles according to the <a href=" for videos particularly help people who are deaf and blind as they can convert the text to braille. YouTube offers a great free service with closed captions which can now be edited, but for embedding captions we recommend adopting others services to assist with captioning video content.</p><p>Quick and easy test: turn off the sound and watch your video. Does it make sense if not provided with subtitles and a transcript?</p><h2>7. use native html</h2><p>When possible ensure you use native html elements such as buttons, links and select boxes, as they are inherently accessible with assistive technologies such as screenreaders. If you need to develop custom elements ensure they have the appropriate ARIA support which will ensure they are accessible by assistive technology. HTML is a preferred format to PDF but if you need to use PDF ensure you tag correctly for accessibility. For more information on understanding how semantic HTLM can be used to enhance accessibility see the <a href=" Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1</a></p><p>Quick test: unplug your mouse and ensure you can fully navigate and interact with buttons, links and forms on your website just by using the keyboard. This will dramatically improve the accessibility of your website for people who cannot use a mouse and for screenreader users.</p><h2>AbilityNet can help</h2><p>At AbilityNet our aim is to make the digital world a more accessible place. We offer a range of free and expert paid-for services for people at home, at work and in education. AbilityNet has a range of resources and expert knowledge we share with our clients and on our website. If you'd like to know more about our services you can contact us by calling 0800 269 545, email <a href="mailto:enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk">enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk</a> or visit <a href=" Digital Accessibility Services section of our website</a>.</p></div></div></div><div class="social-share clearfix"></div>
Mon, 22 Oct 2018 12:03:14 +0000
Anonymous
1266 at
Project Silver - what it means for accessibility and how you can help make the web more inclusive
/news-blogs/project-silver-what-it-means-accessibility-and-how-you-can-help-make-web-more-inclusive
<span class="submitted-by">Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 31/08/2018 - 11:57</span><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><div style="text-align:start; -webkit-text-stroke-width:0px"><div><div><div id="divtagdefaultwrapper"><div style="margin-top:14pt; margin-bottom:14pt"><p><img alt="silve panel " src="/sites/abilitynet.org.uk/files/admin/silver.jpg" style="margin: 10px; width: 300px; float: right;" /></p><p>It’s just a few months since the <a href=" Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG)</a> were publicly released by the World Wide Web Consortium (WC3). But, work has already started on the guidelines’ successor, currently known as Project Silver.</p><p>AbilityNet will be following the guidelines’ development over the coming years (the project might be in development for five years) and will be looking for ways we can contribute our wide-ranging expertise from <a href=" on web accessibility</a> for numerous large organisations. </p><h2>Can you help with Project Silver?</h2><p>Anyone can contribute to the project and, after a year of initial research, it already has some good foundational ideas about what needs development with the guidelines. The project is particularly looking for participation from experts in the accessibility community who can help with:</p><ul><li>Writing plain and simple language. The current WCAG 2.1 uses some complex language and we would welcome simplification for our clients and other organisations.</li><li>Links and resources for supporting content, examples and tutorials. We believe this would hugely help organisations understand accessibility much more clearly and mean that more disabled people could access essential services online. </li></ul><p>The new update comes because a group of people within the WC3 wanted to work on the next major evolution of accessibility guidance with a User Experience model. This meant researching what users needed from accessibility guidance and potentially recommending a major restructuring of WCAG.</p><p>A <a href=" Design Sprint</a> has been already completed, developing a prototype and user testing. This is due in September 2018. </p><h2>Experts and members of public needed</h2><p>If you’d like to contribute to Project Silver, here are some options:</p><p>Task Force Participant: the most time-consuming level of participation. The time commitment is estimated to be 6-10 hours per week. To join the Silver Task Force, individuals must be participants of the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group. </p><p>The Silver Community Group is open to the public, and only requires a (free) W3C account and agreeing to the intellectual property commitment for W3C Community Groups. Participants contribute at the amount of time that is convenient for them. </p><ul><li>Research Partner: The Silver Task Force seeks qualified researchers in accessibility fields to assist with user research and background research on Silver and WCAG 2. </li><li>Silver Stakeholder: people who would provide valuable perspective on a new design of accessibility guidelines. </li><li>Comments on publications: The Silver Task Force invites the public to comment on its work. Announcements on Silver Task Force work will be announced on the Silver Email list (<a href="mailto:public-silver@w3.org">public-silver@w3.org</a>)].</li></ul><p>Publications will be also be tweeted with the #a11y and #wcag hashtags. Silver publications use the #a11ySilver hashtag. All publications include instructions for comments. </p><h2>Writing in plain English</h2><p>Main topics you can help with:</p><ul><li>Writing Silver in plain/simple language. Great for editors.</li><li>Linking to more helpful information that is hard to find.</li><li>Creating a homepage useful for both beginners and experts.</li><li>Developing a method for accessibility experts to contribute new content.</li><li>Changing how to define conformance beyond true/false success criteria statements.</li><li>Improving specification development tools, i.e. a simplified interface to Github so more people with disabilities can participate.</li><li>Helping to organise usability testing of the different ideas.</li></ul><h2>Find out more</h2><ul><li><a href=" the Silver task force objectives here.</a></li><li><a href=" out more about contributing here</a>. </li></ul><p>This blog was written by Marta Valle and Joe Chidzik from AbilityNet's accessibility team</p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="social-share clearfix"></div>
Fri, 31 Aug 2018 10:57:17 +0000
Anonymous
1170 at
Can Alexa improve your health?
/news-blogs/can-alexa-improve-your-health
<span class="submitted-by">Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 20/07/2018 - 11:19</span><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>AbilityNet Accessibility consultant Adi Latif has contributed to a UK government video demonstrating the value of digital tech for people with specific needs. <a href=" video sets out specific goals for the NHS to invest in tech such as Amazon Echo (Alexa) and VoiceOver</a>, showing how accessible technology can deliver health benefits and provide greater independence for people with disabilities.</p><p><img alt="AbilityNet's Adi Latif spoke at the BMA Conference in June 2018 about the role of tech in helping disabled people with their health care" src="/sites/abilitynet.org.uk/files/admin/Adi%20Latif%20speaking%20at%20BMA%20conference%20in%20June%202018.jpg" style="width: 800px; height: 432px;" /></p><p>Adi is an Accessibility & Usability Consultant at AbilityNet. He has a visual impairment and he uses a wide range of tech including VoiceOver on iPhone, Alexa, laptop with screenreader, Be My Eyes app, Seeing AI app, iWatch and a Braille display. </p><p>Adi spoke at the British Medical Association's Annual Conference in June 2018 - sharing his insights about how medical healthcare could be improved in terms of accessibility. He has now worked with officials from the Department of Health to discuss the potential benefits of accessible tech in meeting people's health needs.</p><p>He says that accessible health-related apps and websites would give him control over this vital aspect in life: </p><p style="margin-left: 40px;">‘I can book train tickets. Send and receive emails from my phone or manage my finances through my banking apps, but I can’t manage my medical healthcare. This is a great opportunity for the Government to take a lead in ensuring that NHS services meet the highest standards of accessibility for all patients.'</p><p>He sees lots of opportunities for using Alexa to communicate with the NHS and suggested some ideas for the future: </p><ul><li>Asking Alexa for basic medical advice - for example 'Alexa, I’ve cut my finger, what should I do?’</li><li>Asking Alexa to tell him test results or when his next hospital appointment is as at the moment, so he wouldn’t need to rely on paper.</li><li>Using a video camera (for example on Amazon Show) to connect with an NHS GP to avoid travelling to the surgery.</li><li>The camera would also allow him to show the NHS GP any physical symptoms which he may not be able to see for himself.</li></ul><p>Adi believes that voice interfaces such as Alexa are potentially easier for people, especially for older people, as they may find smart phones or computers hard to operate. Using your is almost like having a conversation, and so can be more natural.</p><p>The video showing Adi’s experience was posted on the <a href=" of Health & Social Care Twitter </a><a href=" an introductory speech by Matt Hancock his new role as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. Matt Hancock is tech-savvy and wants the NHS to use tech to become more productive and accessible for people with disabilities. </p><h2>Useful information</h2><ul><li><a href=" My Eyes is a global network of sighted volunteers</a> who help blind and visually impaired people through their smartphone camera</li><li><a href=" AI is a free Microsoft app</a> which can read the world for blind and visually impaired people</li><li><a href=" does a blind person need an Apple Watch? Robin Christopherson at Tech4Good Awards</a></li></ul></div></div></div><div class="social-share clearfix"></div>
Fri, 20 Jul 2018 10:19:17 +0000
Anonymous
1150 at
Eight things I learned at the 2018 AbilityNet Tech4Good Awards Ceremony
/news-blogs/eight-things-i-learned-2018-abilitynet-tech4good-awards-ceremony
<span class="submitted-by">Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 19/07/2018 - 13:28</span><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><img alt="Profile photo of Marta Valle" src="/sites/abilitynet.org.uk/files/admin/getpreview.ashx_.jpeg" style="float: right; width: 200px; height: 199px; margin: 5px 20px;" />I was present at the 8th annual AbilityNet Tech4Good Awards Ceremony, which took place just 10 days after I joined AbilityNet as an <a href="; target="_blank">Accessibility and Usability Consultant</a> - so a great opportunity to meet some of my colleagues from different locations and attend one of our major events!</p><p>The event was very successful and it was a pleasure to hear about the people and projects that are using digital technology to improve the lives of others and make the world a better place. In this post I've shared eight things I learned at the 2018 AbilityNet Tech4Good Awards Ceremony:</p><h2>1. Technology is changing lives</h2><p>Liz Williams from BT mentioned this idea at the beginning of the ceremony. Reading the stories of <a href=" 35 amazing finalists on the Tech4Good Awards website</a> convinced me that this is an amazing truth: technology is making life easier, safer and better for all of us. Finalists like Be My Eyes or TapSOS deserved a prize, and so I was pleased when they won, but as Liz said "...all our finalists are winners".</p><h2>2. Young talent is mind-blowing</h2><p>I was surprised to see young people in the reception area before the Awards Ceremony started. Before the event I had read about <a href=" finalists in the BT Young Pioneer Award category</a>, but I hadn’t realised the finalists were THAT young. When the Awards Ceremony started I realised that these young people have extraordinary minds. I think it’s fair to say that we were all moved by Lewis Hine's story - the teenager that founded Friend Finder to bring together students that miss school due to long-term health conditions or disability. The team that won the 2018 BT Young Pioneer Award, Water Watcher, impressed us all from the stage when speaking about their project to reduce water wastage worldwide.</p><p><img alt="Kate Russell, Mark Walker and the 2018 BT Young Pioneer Award winners - Water Watcher" src="/sites/abilitynet.org.uk/files/admin/IMG_4086.jpg" style="width: 800px; height: 533px;" /></p><h2>3. It’s not easy to be a judge</h2><p>No thank you, I don’t want to be a part of the judging for next year. How can you choose the best project from each category, when all the finalists are so good? The Digital Volunteer of the Year Award and the Comic Relief Tech4Good for Africa Award are just two examples of extremely challenging categories to choose a stand-out winner from.</p><h2>4. You can vote for your favourite by waving a glowstick</h2><p>When I first saw them, I thought they were candies. ‘How unusual...’ I thought. But no, they were glowsticks and we used them to choose who we wanted to receive the Winner of Winners Award. We all enjoyed the opportunity to participate in the voting and there was much laughter.</p><h2>5. You can win a trophy and give it away</h2><p>Related to my previous point, Christian Erfurt from Be My Eyes won the Winner of Winners Award and surprised us all with an admirable gesture: he gave the trophy to Lewis Hine ‘for his important work with Friend Finder.’</p><h2>6. ‘Rings don’t fall off to the floor’ at AbilityNet</h2><p>I’m not sure if there’s an equivalent expression to this crazy Spanish idiom. If your rings don’t fall to the floor it means that you’re happy to do any task that might be considered minor, whatever your seniority. I didn’t see a single ring on the floor during all the event. Everybody was working with Mark Walker, the event organiser and also the Head of Marketing and Communications at AbilityNet, to make sure the event ran as smoothly as possible. Everyone pitched in, no matter the seniority, no matter the task. I’m pleased to work in such a collaborative environment.</p><p><img alt="The team representing AbilityNet at the 2018 Tech4Good Awards" src="/sites/abilitynet.org.uk/files/admin/IMG_4380.jpg" style="width: 800px; height: 533px;" /></p><h2>7. Networking is better around a chocolate fountain</h2><p>Gary Moore, the CEO of AbilityNet, mentioned the chocolate fountain whilst on stage, and in my opinion it was truly the star of the delicious catering that was on offer after the event. There’s no better way to start a conversation than by sharing your thoughts about the perfect fruit combination to dip into chocolate.</p><h2>8. It’s such an amazing time!</h2><p>Kate Russell, who hosted the awards alongside Mark Walker, said it's not often we hear a genuine good-news story about technology. On the day of the Awards Ceremony we heard not one, but thirty-five good-news stories about technology. Big names like Facebook and Microsoft are using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve accessibility for all users. Robotics is going to change the world, like the amazing Small Robot Company in the agri-tech industry. Digital skills are reaching people that had little access to technology before. The future is promising, and we’ll get another opportunity to reflect on this again as we follow our 10 winners post-win and look forward to the next AbilityNet Tech4Good Awards in 2019. Are you ready?</p><p><img alt="The 2018 AbilityNet Tech4Good Awards winners alongside presenters and judges" src="/sites/abilitynet.org.uk/files/admin/2018%20winners%20judges%20and%20presenters.jpg" style="width: 800px; height: 533px;" /></p><h2>Find out more:</h2><p>For more information about the AbilityNet Tech4Good Awards and this year's winners read the official <a href=" Tech4Good Awards winners announcement</a> on our website.</p><p>You can <a href=" more about all of this year's winners and finalists in this feature on the Guardian website">read more about our 2018 winners and finalists in a feature on the Guardian website</a>.</p><p>For other details about the Awards <a href=" Tech4Good Awards website</a>.</p><p>If you're feeling inspired to use your digital skills to transform the lives of other people then <a href=" out our current vacancies and volunteer opportunities</a>.</p></div></div></div><div class="social-share clearfix"></div>
Thu, 19 Jul 2018 12:28:40 +0000
Anonymous
1149 at
What happens during a DSA needs assessment?
/news-blogs/what-happens-during-dsa-needs-assessment
<span class="submitted-by">Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 23/06/2016 - 09:44</span><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs) can provide additional support and funding to UK students in higher and further education. It is extra funding designed to ensure a level playing field for disabled students and can be used to pay for specialist software, computer hardware and a range of study support and extra resources.</p><p><a href="/HE-services/HE-support-checker">Use our free HE Support Checker</a> to find out if you could be eligible for extra support at university due to a health condition or impairment. If you are eligible you can <a href=" your DSA Needs Assessment with AbilityNet</a> or check out other <a href=" Assessment providers</a>.</p><p>The funding comes from the Government and AbilityNet provides one part of the process - a one-to-one Needs Assessment with one of our assessors. They will identify your needs and prepare a report that recommends the extra support you need. But what happens at an assessment? And how should you prepare for it?</p><p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="; width="560"></iframe></p><p>A Needs Assessment is not the first step in