Adventures in Assistive Technology

So what does Twitter have to do with AT? Like many other social media services, it has issues with accessibility. The main problem with Twitter is that it lacks an accessible interface making Tweeting quite difficult for those who use screen readers like JAWS.

Enter Dennis Lembrée, the owner of web development company Check Engine USA. Dennis's interest in social media accessibility issues led him to create Accessible Twitter works just like Twitter with an accessible interface. The screen layout has been simplified and made consistent, and also has keyboard-accessible links, making it work seamlessly with screen readers. Check out Accessible Twitter through the link below.

http://www.accessibletwitter.com/

Posted by cab870 at 02:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thanks to the new iPod nano (4th generation) and the latest version of iTunes, blind or visually impaired music lovers can enjoy their music and audio books with the benefit of spoken menus. Apple has introduced spoken menus in the new iPod nano (released Fall 2008). This feature lets blind and visually impaired music buffs browse and select menu items without viewing the screen. Instead, a synthesized voice speaks the names of menus, playlists, artists, and songs. In addition, the new iPod nano has a font size setting, allowing the user to increase the font size from standard to large.

According to the Apple Accessibility website, you will need the following to take advantage of spoken menus:

- iPod nano (4th generation)
- iTunes 8
- Mac OS X v10.4.11 or later
- Windows Vista or Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 3 or later)

For information about enableing spoken menus in your iPod nano, go to the Apple Accessiblity website:

http://www.apple.com/accessibility/itunes/vision.html

Posted by cab870 at 01:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)