How we’re going and new frontiersDr Scott HollierBlind Citizens Australia Conference 2015

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• Australia’s only independent not-for-profit organisation devoted to increasing access to media for people with disabilities

• Provides expert knowledge and advice on existing and emerging mainstream technologies

• Works as a catalyst for change in multiple areas of access

Who is Media Access Australia?

Who am I?

• Professional: • Director, Digital Accessibility• W3C Advisory Committee

• Academic: • Edith Cowan University, Adjunct Lecturer• PhD thesis ‘The Disability Divide’

• Personal: Legally blind, first-hand knowledge of access issues

1980s – dawn of software AT

• Hardware-based text-to-speech showcased at 1981 International Year of Disabled persons

• SAM (Software Automatic Mouth) released in 1982 on various 8-bit systems such as Commodore 64, Atari and Apple

1980s – dawn of software AT

• Hardware-based text-to-speech showcased at 1981 International Year of Disabled persons

• SAM (Software Automatic Mouth) released in 1982 on various 8-bit systems such as Commodore 64, Atari and Apple

Brief history of access

• For the mainstream population, Internet was viewed primarily as an information and communication resource

• For people with disabilities, Internet was viewed as a gateway to independence

User experience

• People with disabilities generally use assistive technologies to help use a computer

• Assistive Technology is the practical implementation of technology to support and help people with disabilities

• Old model: specialist AT costs $1000-$2000• New model: OS now contains many of these

tools, and free open-source also viable

Desktop - Windows 7/8.1/10

• Change the icon and text size • Mouse pointer size & movement • High contrast colour themes• ToggleKeys• Visual alerts• On-screen keyboard • Magnifier (touch 8+) • Narrator screen reader (touch 8+)• Cortana (workaround to turn on) • NVDA: free alternative to Narrator

Desktop - Mac

Improvements over Windows: • Better screen reader

VoiceOver • Braille display supportHowever… • VoiceOver doesn’t work with

the Office suite, works mostly with OpenOffice for Mac

Mobile & tablet – Apple iOS

iOS (IPhone/iPad) • Great access: VoiceOver,

zoom, captioned video, colour changes, switch key

• App compatibility improving, AppleVis good crowdsourcing advice website

Mobile & tablet – Google Android

Google Android phone and tablets: • Talkback screen reader, magnifier,

colour contrast adjustments (5.x), global caption support

• Good third-party apps like BIG Launcher

• More affordable than Apple

However…• Only really a viable alternative if

running Android 4.2+

Wearables – current

Apple Watch: • Includes some iOS features

such as VoiceOver, zoom, audio in one ear

Android Wear: • Android 5.1.1+ contains limited

accessibility features including zoom, colour correction options

Wearables – future

• Google Glass rumoured to be making a comeback, good demonstration by Telstra on how it can help blind and Deaf users

• Intel environmental sensing system jacket: parts of the jacket vibrate at different rates to indicate location of things, uses camera, GPS, maps and sensors

Internet of Things (IoT)

• Just starting to see the emergence of IoT

• Washing machine sends tweets to let you know how far through the cycle you are - difficult to read display now accessible

• Microwave connected to web figures out what you’re cooking and cooks it perfectly

Demonstration - mobile accessibility

• Android TalkBack screen reader• ABC Australia app• CNet app

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• ABC iView: ‒ Rollout still happening ‒ Desktop version delayed by a few months‒ 290,000 viewings since April

• NZ has increased to 20 hours plus per week• Apple has started quietly releasing AD titles, just

search “blind viewer”• Netflix is increasing every week • Thailand is starting with AD on public channels

                                                                                                                  

Audio description update

Further information

• E-mail: scott.hollier@mediaaccess.org.au

• Telephone: • (02) 9212 6242 (head office) • (08) 9311 8230 (direct)

• Website: www.mediaaccess.org.au• Twitter: @mediaaccessaus