How to make your documents and content accessible - New Document Remediation Service
Submitted by Mark.Gaddes on Tue, 10/03/2020 - 08:00
In most settings it's mandatory to meet the required standards of accessibility for documents and we understand the biggest challenge you might face is the sheer volume of files created back when accessibility considerations were less of a priority.
It can seem a daunting task, but we can help with the heavy lifting - offering a new Document Remediation service for various file types including Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe PDF, ePub, DAISY, as well as various photo and media file formats.
Are the documents you share accessible to all users?
Many organisations have vast estates of documents that hold current value for users but were created without consideration for those with diverse access needs. For many education providers, public sector organisations and other highly regulated organisations this poses a significant challenge.
It's a good question to ask yourself - 'Is the document I'm about to share accessible to all users?'
With our document remediation service we take your existing documents and complete checks on the content and make adjustments to ensure they meet the required standards of accessibility, and are appropriate for everyone including disabled people and those who use assistive technology.
Document Remediation involves taking your existing documents and ensuring that they meet the required standards of accessibility. Consider a screen reader user who has the content of a document read aloud to them, or someone with hearing loss who would need audio information communicated to them in a different way. We can help you ensure your documents are accessible to all users.
The types of checks we make include ensuring you have an appropriate heading structure, textual image descriptions, correctly tagged lists and tables with IDs, decorative images marked as artefacts, ensuring sufficient colour contrast and much more.
We offer Document Remediation services for a range of file types detailed earlier. The content we are checking ranges from complex STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) content and detailed tables to annual company reports. We are able to check and make adjustments to ensure scanned PDFs, forms and static pages are accessible.
Using our Document Remediation service
In most settings it is mandatory for an organisation to ensure the accessibility of the content in the documents it shares. If you have a vast estate of documents the task can seem insurmountable which is where we are able to support.
We are different to other Document Remediation service providers in that we can work in multiple languages and use diverse user testers to ensure your documents are accessible to disabled people and those with diverse access needs. All documents are checked by screen reader users.
Our testing complies with the techniques developed for the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
Along with offering Document Remediation we're also keen to help your organisation 'shift left' and so April through June 2020 we will host events and publish content offering advice on creating accessible content first time, every time.
We plan to host a free-to-attend webinar, training, and publish content offering top tips, best practice advice and much more - so make sure you’re on our mailing list.
Blind and partially sighted children, and also any children unable to read standard print due to a print impairment, will be able to choose one FREE audio or braille book from the World Book Day list of 10 titles.
RNIB FREE Library Service
The RNIB Library service offers over 60,000 items for free making it the largest library in the United Kingdom for readers with sight loss. The library includes talking books by download, CD and USB as well as free Braille and giant print books.
Free audiobooks, and try before you buy subscription services
Rakuten Overdrive is a digital reading platform for libraries and schools worldwide. It offers ebooks, audiobooks and digital media to 43,000 libraries and schools in 75 countries.
To access them, download the Libby app, which is available for iOS and Android.
The BBC Sounds App has a great variety of free podcasts, including Audiobooks. It includes The Second Sleep by Robert Harris and the classic tale of The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.
Sites offering free audiobooks include LibriVox, which hosts free public domain audiobooks. The library is rich for historical classics such as Charles Dickens, Edgar Allen Poe – as well as poetry books.
You can also stream Audiobooks on Spotify. Titles include Pride and Prejudice, and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
There are also several subscription books services, which offer a 30-day trial if you want to try before you buy.
Perhaps, the best known is Amazon-owned Audible; others such as Calibre also offer a free three-month trial.
Find Free eBooks online
Browse over ver 61,000 free epub and Kindle eBooks for download at Project Gutenberg.
You can search by keyword, browse by author, title and language, view recently added Books and top 100 eBooks.
For audiobooks for kids, visit Storynory. Click on fairy tales to reveal classics including Aesop, the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson.
The site also includes poetry notably The Owl and the Pussycat.
How AbilityNet can help?
AbilityNet provides a range of free services to help disabled people and older people.
Call our free Helpline. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff will discuss any kind of computer problem and do their best to come up with a solution. We’re open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm on 0800 269 545.
Arrange a home visit. We have a network of AbilityNet ITCanHelp volunteers who can help if you have technical issues with your computer systems. They can come to your home, or help you over the phone.
Adi was speaking at the second day of Digital Health Rewired 2020, the show that connects current and future health leaders with the best in disruptive digital health.
Diagnosed at age 8 with a condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa, Adi recalled his early experiences as a visually-impaired healthcare user.
“The doctors would nod their heads and hand Mum a prescription and do all the transactional stuff while I would walk around the sweet aisle; I wasn’t able to understand prescriptions, and I didn’t know what was going on.”
Healthcare services are excluding the visually-impaired
As a visually-impaired adult, Adi said it remains difficult accessing primary care.
“I am thrown back into the dark when it comes to my healthcare,” said Adi. “My independence is stripped away because NHS communication is primarily paper-based.
He continued: "It is bad for the environment and worst of all it makes me disabled.”
Adi is not alone; a recent RNIB survey found that 86% of people who are visually-impaired cannot find information on their healthcare.
“Prescriptions are usually handed to you on a piece of paper,” said Adi. “I spent five years not knowing what the side-effects of a medication I was taking were."
"On another occasion, I had just done a test and a nurse handed me a letter, I asked for an electronic copy so I could use my screen reader.
"She said she didn’t know why I needed it as the letter was for my GP.”
For example, one of the stands we visited included IMMJ Systems, which is helping Healthcare Trusts digitise records at scale.
The main driver is to free up space, and create digital records but it also means that anyone – including those with a visual impairment – can submit a Subject Access Request (SAR) and see this in an accessible format under GDPR.
As Adi pointed to in his speech, the Accessible Information Standard (AIS) introduced by the government in 2016 requires that people with a disability or sensory loss are given information in a way they can understand.
It is now the law for the NHS and adult social care services to comply with AIS.
Elsewhere, Swedish-born LIVI – a company that enables you to see a video GP in minutes is discussing its recent partnership with Boots.
LIVI MD Juliet Bauer, formerly, NHS England's Chief Digital Officer said they’d be piloting the use of LIVI in Boots stores to drive “transformational change”.
“At no point should we send a customer away. Using LIVI, we can stop 80 people from every Boots store going back into the system [by offering an online GP appointment],” said Richard Corbridge, director of innovation and high street healthcare, Boots UK.
As well as being available in store you can access LIVI via its app.
How AbilityNet can help Digital Transformation
Sign-up for our webinars to find out how you can make digital services accessible to all
Submitted by Alex.Barker on Wed, 04/03/2020 - 12:33
Home help robots could become a reality, reports AbilityNet
What do K-9, Metal Mickey and iRobot have in common? All three were designed as companions; for The Doctor, a family and for the elderly. Robots for social isolation are now a reality.
Japan, for example, is already exploring how robots in care homes could combat social isolation.
The Japanese government has funded the development of elder care robots to plug a predicted 380,000 shortfall in specialised workers by 2025, according to Reuters.
Care homes in Japan are using SoftBank Robotics Corp’s Pepper to engage with patients. Pepper is a humanoid robot, which is able to hold conversations through a wearable tablet screen.
Seal of approval for Japan's care homes
Japan's care homes are also embracing the concept of robotic animals to provide companionship.
This includes PARO a robotic seal, which is pretty cute and fluffy as robots go.
Modelled on a Canadian Harp seal, the therapy robot Paro has a rhythm of the morning, daytime, and night and is active during the daytime, but gets sleepy at night.
It has five sensors that are able to react to light, temperature, posture and sound PARO has five kinds of sensors including tactile, light, audition, temperature, and posture sensors. Paro feels being stroked or being held by the posture sensor.
PARO can also recognize the direction of voice and words such as its name, greetings, and praise with its audio sensor.
Do you work in higher or further education? Discover how assistive technologies can help your students and professionals learn and teach more effectively in our great value training course.
Use code AbilityNetTraining10 at checkout.
Others are looking to robots to care for people either at home or in an assisted living environment.
In the US where over 11 million seniors live at home, BUDDY is a robot that aims to provide companionship in the home. BUDDY "walks around the house like a pet" according to the website and is one of the more emotional robots we've featured, here.
He has a range of emotions he'll express during the day based on real-world interactions, and could become grumpy if he's ignored. He doubles as a personal assistant and can interact with your smart home connected devices. BUDDY is also able to detect falls and other unusual activity.
The Care-o-bot from Fraunhofer IPA operates in a number of German assisted living facilities. Already in its fourth-generation, the Care-o-bot is designed to serve food and drink from a kitchen. It can also play memory games with occupants to help keep their minds sharp.
Ten disabled people are controlling the robots in the Dawn Ver cafe in Tokyo with the robots' controllers earning 1,000 yen (£7) per hour. The controllers have a variety of conditions including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a form of motor neuron disease.
The aim is to provide paralysed people with a sense of independence.
Called OriHime-D the 1.2-metre tall robots are the brainchild of Japanese start-up Ory. They were originally designed to be used in the homes of disabled people but were being used in the cafe on a trial basis.
The creators are raising money via a crowdfunding campaign to see if they can get enough to open a Dawn Ver cafe permanently from 2020.
It isn't only the elderly that can experience feelings of isolation. No Isolation's AV1 robot sits in a classroom and provides a connection and a virtual presence for young people with long term conditions.
The small, portable robot can be used as a child’s eyes, voice and ears in the classroom in cases where the student has a long term health condition. It's popularly used by TechShare Pro Special Award winner 2018 Lewis Hine to attend college.
How TechSharePro 2019 inspired the Inclusive Africa Conference Founder
Submitted by Guest Blogger on Thu, 27/02/2020 - 10:30
Guest blog: Irene Mbari-Kirika, Founder and CEO of inABLE
Irene Mbari-Kirika is Founder and CEO of inABLE, a not-for-profit organisation working in Kenya to bring computer assistive technology to disabled students in Africa. A dynamic, global strategic leader and an executive-level innovator, she is a recipient of the Order of the 2016 Grand Warrior of Kenya (OGW) award and has been nominated for the National Diversity and Inclusion Awards & Recognition 2020 in the award category I7: Diversity and Inclusion Digital Inclusion Champion Award.
In March this year, inABLE will be hosting the first ever Inclusive Africa Conference taking place in Nairobi – with the aim to raise awareness, educate and share best practice of how inclusive design can benefit Africa and the lives of disabled people living there. Transforming its place into a crucial component at the onset of any tech design, instead of a token afterthought.
Irene attended TechShare Pro in November 2019 with a keen interest in discovering the hot topics and innovations facing the UK and European accessible tech sector. Here she shares her reflections on the event, and her objectives for the upcoming Inclusive Africa Conference.
What motivated you to attend TechShare Pro?
I wanted to attend to find out more about what is happening currently in the UK and European region in terms of accessible tech. I am based between the US and Kenya, so I know a lot about what’s happening here, but wanted to see what were the big topics and innovations in other regions.
Which speakers at TechShare Pro 2019 had the biggest impact on you?
Haben Girma was important to see. Accessibility is at the heart of her communication – it is everything to her, and without it she would be shut out from the rest of the world.
I’ve worked with blind students for over ten years, and I am constantly telling people that digital accessibility is not an option – it’s something we absolutely must do. When a product isn’t accessible you could be stopping a substantial number of the population from using it. Haben and her outstanding achievements exemplify just why all people, regardless of disability, need to be able to use digital products.
Hearing from Malin Rygg in the Carrots and Sticks panel debate was also very eye-opening. Malin is the Head of Authority for Universal design of ICT in Norway, and spoke about their enforcement of the inclusive design – the challenges and successes they have experienced there. It was interesting because many regions create policies and a legal framework but they are often not monitored or enforced if not followed adequately. It’s really important for us to be aware of this in Africa, where we are at the outset of creating accessible ICT policies – if we have them, we need a framework, and perhaps most importantly, they need to be monitored and enforced.
Seeing Samantha Soloway from Verizon Media speak was another ‘lightbulb’ moment for me. Their Accessibility Labs help to teach corporations what digital accessibility means on the ground and what they need to do to implement it across their own assets. For me, it’s affirming to know that this lab exists in New York, providing a service such as this to corporations. In Africa, it feels like the corporate sector are still slow to see the business case for digital inclusion, so this was a taster of what could is possible, and I’m interested to see how we could replicate in some way here.
Which accessible products or innovations inspired you at the conference?
I loved seeing the students from Digit Music perform their instrumental (video of their performance below). What inspired me about the tech they used is that it builds on to an already existing skill - using a similar controller to make music as they use already on their wheelchairs. It is absolutely meeting the user where the user is, and putting them at the centre of the design. Building on an existing skill to do something as fun as make music, with the whole audience able to participate.
One thing I am always trying to convey is that inclusive design doesn’t necessarily mean starting a whole new product or innovation from scratch. For example, we are finding with the banking sector in Africa that many of the mobile apps are not accessible, excluding a substantial number of the potential client base they are trying to reach. It doesn’t take much to think ‘OK, so what can I do to make my app accessible for all users?’ This is a market that is really not being tapped in to.
The inaugural Inclusive Africa Conference takes place this March 29th – 1st April. Are there any lessons learned from TechShare Pro that might help shape the conference?
One of the things I loved about TechShare Pro was how intimate it was, and the level of expertise in the room. That showed me that I didn’t need to have huge numbers of participants but rather focus on getting the right people there.
The discussions were fantastic and I learnt how important it is to feature the relevant topics that will get people fired up, make connections, learn from each other and move towards change. The discussions at TechShare Pro were advanced, which was perfect for the audience there. In Africa, the same topics apply, but we really need to start from ground level, so people can understand the foundations that underpin it all.
Finally, what is the Inclusive Africa Conference and who is it for?
The first-ever conference of this kind in Africa, it brings together tech giants from around the world to put digital inclusion firmly on the African agenda.
My vision is that it will unite those working in government, the private sector and NGOS - indeed, anyone who provides a digital product or service – around a common objective. A collaborative hub to start thinking about how to make their digital services more inclusive.
There are so many innovative solutions coming out of Africa but most are not accessible. With this conference we want to show the policy makers, private companies, NGOs and disabled people that there is a way and why it is essential we make it our focus. Because if they are inclusive they will serve every African.
For the international community, I invite you to join us. Instead of addressing the needs of Africa with outside solutions, come and work with us to create the change we all want to see.
Submitted by Mark.Gaddes on Tue, 25/02/2020 - 09:30
If you don’t do this already AmazonSmile is a really easy way to shop at Amazon and donate to AbilityNet at the same time, at no extra cost.
It’s really simple - when you shop at Amazon via AbilityNet's AmazonSmile link rather than the normal Amazon site, 0.5% of the sale from qualifying purchases will be donated by Amazon to AbilityNet without any impact on your pocket.
How your donations help us
AbilityNet is the leading UK charity for disability and technology. We support people of any age, living with any disability or impairment to use technology to achieve their goals at home, at work and in education. We do this by providing specialist consultancy, assessment services, free resources and we also have a network of volunteers that provide support to people remotely and in their homes.
As a charity, the revenue from our expert paid-for services is used to support our free services and charitable operations. In choosing to work with or support us you are enabling us to help people with diverse access needs to fully participate in education, work and life - combating isolation and loneliness, and increasing independence. AmazonSmile is a great way to support us with no associated cost and minimal effort. Where someone can donate directly to our cause it is appreciated.
About AmazonSmile
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support a charity of your choice every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.co.uk, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as at amazon.co.uk, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your selected charity.
How do I shop at AmazonSmile?
To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.co.uk from the web browser on your computer or mobile device. You may also want to add a bookmark to smile.amazon.co.uk to make it even easier to return to and start your shopping at AmazonSmile.
Please note: any queries about AmazonSmile are best addressed to Amazon in the first instance, as are questions about items you are wanting to purchase, orders placed, returns, etc. AbilityNet is simply enrolled in AmazonSmile to receive donations as a charitable organisation. Visit AmazonSmile Help for assistance with orders, contact information, returns and refunds, etc.
Which products on AmazonSmile are eligible for charitable donations?
Millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations to charities by Amazon. You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for smile.amazon.co.uk donation” on their product detail pages. Recurring Subscribe-and-Save purchases and subscription renewals are not currently eligible.
Can I use my existing Amazon.co.uk account on AmazonSmile?
Yes, you use the same account on amazon.co.uk and AmazonSmile. Your shopping cart, Wish List, wedding or baby registry, and other account settings are also the same.
How do I select a charitable organisation to support when shopping on AmazonSmile?
On your first visit to smile.amazon.co.uk you need to select a charitable organisation to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. Amazon will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.co.uk will result in a donation. AmazonSmile will occasionally contact you about donation amounts disbursed to your chosen charity or about the programme.
How can AbilityNet help you with your technology?
We provide a range of free services and resources to help people to achieve their goals.
Call our Advice and Information Helpline on 0800 269 545. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff will discuss any kind of computer or IT problem with you and we will do our best to come up with a solution. We’re open Monday to Friday during UK office hours.
Request a home visit or remote support from our network of volunteers who can help if you are having technical issues with a device or want support to complete a task using technology.
My Computer My Way is a free interactive guide to all the accessibility features built into every major smartphone, desktop computer, laptops and tablet device.
European Accessibility Law may not become UK Law post-Brexit
Submitted by Robin Christopherson on Tue, 18/02/2020 - 17:10
The European Accessibility Act is all set to create an equal digital landscape for older and disabled people.
There are an estimated 80 million Europeans with disabilities, and over 190 million older people.
Brexit means we may need to subtract from those numbers those who happen to be living in the UK.
What is the European Accessibility Act?
The Act aims to “remove and prevent barriers for the free movement of accessible products and services.”
It will also create standards. Currently, an example of divergent rules is the case of web accessibility, where Member States use different versions of the W3C/WCAG guidelines.
Countries will have three years to enshrine it in their local legislation, followed by a further three years to put it into full effect; ensuring that it is monitored and enforced.
Who will benefit from the Accessibility Act?
It’s a win-win situation. Businesses will benefit from standard rules on accessibility in the EU leading to costs reduction, easier cross-border trading and more market opportunities for their accessible products and services.
Persons with disabilities and the elderly will benefit from: more accessible products and services in the market, accessible products and services at more competitive prices, and fewer barriers when accessing transport, education and the open labour market.
Now here’s the rub. Resulting from a freeze on the automatic adoption of any new EU directives post-Brexit, the European Accessibility Act may not be brought into UK law.
We’ll face the bizarre situation where companies creating products for Europe will need to meet higher standards abroad than in their home market.
The freeze doesn't, however, mean that accessibility will slip down the corporate agenda.
As the Act points out, in 2020 approximately 120 million persons in the European Union will have multiple and/or minor disabilities.
That's £17.1 billion compelling reasons for a business to embrace accessible standards.
Learning accessible lessons from the rest of the world
Accessibility needn't be a casualty of Brexit. Implementing legislation is only one means of tackling the barriers created by people and organisations who don’t consider accessibility & inclusive design when building digital services & products.
Our panel at last year's TechShare Pro conference offered a perspective on this question from around the globe - including the US, Europe, Israel and Norway.
Listen to the TechShare Procast podcast to hear the session. (Transcript available to download).
Are UK citizens with disabilities or impairments of less value than their European counterparts? Add in the mix the fact that inclusive products are more accessible for everyone to use, and it’s easy to predict that Digital UK Plc will lose its competitive edge along with any moral standing it may have had.
Listen to technology regulations expert, Heather Burns, discuss how the Brexit timing has put paid to the European Accessibility Act becoming UK law...(download transcript)
How AI could become a new, accessible extension of your mind
Submitted by Robin Christopherson on Thu, 13/02/2020 - 10:00
Virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri are now part of our everyday lives. It’s as natural to talk to a device and receive a spoken (or on-screen) nugget of info, as it is to whip out our phone to check the weather, Google that thing or listen to music. A new project from the clever guys at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), however, cuts out all that unnecessary need for spoken phrases and responses – that’s so last decade - and, for those who physically can’t speak, this evolution is truly a revolution.
Meet your AI alter ego
Students from MIT have created a prototype device, dubbed AlterEgo, that can recognize the words you mouth when silently talking to yourself—and then take action based on what it thinks you’re saying. No sounds, no lip movements are required. Imagine an interface to your computer, smartphone or virtual assistant that you can seamlessly use wherever you are and however noisy your surroundings – neat. Now imagine that you actually can’t speak (like the very funny and award-winning Lost Voice Guy) – this tech suddenly opens up all the options of natural language commands, text dictation and super-high productivity that is currently available to everyone else.
One of the people we need to thank for this magical new method of human-computer interaction is Arnav Kapur, a master’s student at the MIT Media Lab — a division of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that focuses on the intersection of people and their tech — and author of the paper that outlined their work to date.
Kapur stresses that the device doesn’t read thoughts or the random, stray words that just happen to pass through your mind. “You’re completely silent, but talking to yourself,” he says. “It’s neither thinking nor speaking. It’s a sweet spot in between, which is voluntary but also private. We capture that."
Electrodes on the face and jaw pick up otherwise undetectable neuromuscular signals triggered by internal verbalizations. A bone conducting speaker then speaks the AI output directly into your head, leaving your ears free. Let’s digest that last bit for a second; not only can it pick up unspoken phrases, but the response from your computer, phone or virtual assistant of choice can be silently piped right into your head without your even seeming to be wearing any sort of headphones or earbuds. This truly is the first ‘internal’ AI.
AlterEgo on the TED stage
Enough talking, silent or otherwise, let’s hear direct from the man himself, speaking on the TED stage in June 2019.
Pretty amazing; a swift, silent user interface for all your computing needs.
My take on this transformative tech
Not yet on the market, it’s unclear just how the MIT boffins (or more likely their venture capital investors) will choose to position this tech. One could readily imagine that a few tweaks would enable it to present itself as a standard Bluetooth headset – it has the usual elements; a microphone and a speaker. Bluetooth speakers and headsets are two-a-penny so this would be supremely simple to do if they chose to.
Instead of the typical physical buttons for play/pause, volume up/down, skip ahead/back and to invoke Siri, say, it could readily employ verbalised commands instead. The device is already processing your silently spoken commands to send as text output to your computer or phone, so why not keep some few phrases aside for the common operations above and, instead of sending the text, just send those equivalent standard Bluetooth device commands instead? Easy.
Then you could use AlterEgo with Siri or Google Assistant on your phone (and control media etc, of course) just as you can currently do with any Bluetooth device. Amazon certainly wouldn’t want to be left out of the party - so Alexa integration would surely be close behind.
Whether the feedback from your phone in response to your unspoken commands is purely audio, or whether (as with Siri or the Google Assistant etc) there’s stuff going on on your screen too, is again up for grabs in the implementation.
There’s such a strong argument for a completely hands-free, eyes-free use-case, however, that one would imagine that would be the primary, futuristically sci-fi application of AlterEgo we’d all want out of the box.
The power of voice-first technology
I’d like to wrap up this brief post with a few links to some of the more recent articles I’ve written on the power and potential of voice technologies and the coming age of ambient computing. There is huge potential to help those with disabilities, or with less support or confidence, to more fully engage with the digital world and be more connected with family and friends. Check them out and, if you want more, there’s plenty more in my post feed:
New record set for UK driverless car and what this means for people with disabilities
Submitted by Robin Christopherson on Wed, 12/02/2020 - 15:53
A Nissan LEAF all-electric vehicle, equipped with all the necessary sensors and systems for full autonomous driving, has just set a new UK record journey of 230 miles across our uniquely challenging mix of roads and traffic – signifying just how viable these technologies are for everyone who either wants or needs to be driven autonomously.
A road trip with a difference
A self-driven car has completed a 230-mile self-navigated journey across the UK, making it the longest and most complex autonomous journey on UK roads. The Nissan LEAF car drove unassisted from their technical centre in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, to the Nissan factory in Sunderland.
The journey included a number of different road types; including motorways, complex roundabouts and high-speed country lanes with no road markings, white lines or kerbs. For those of us still thinking of autonomous driving as being some sort of glorified cruise control to keep us a safe distance behind the car in front, combined with a lane-keeping capability that requires well-marked roads, think again.
Photo source: Nissan
Two engineers were on-board, monitoring the vehicle's actions at all times, but the self-driving tech (GPS, radar, ‘light detection and ranging’ – LIDAR - and camera technologies) meant that the car was able to change lanes, merge, stop and start as necessary. It even stopped at several service stations along the way to recharge its batteries.
Photo source: Nissan
Bringing true diversity to driving
As a blind person, I couldn’t be more excited by news stories such as this. The arrival of driverless vehicles to UK streets is inevitable and within our lifetimes – maybe even within this decade. The technology is moving apace – all we really need now is the legislation which, unless it releases the handbrake soon, won’t be in place before the tech is fully baked and ready for our roads.
Whether you’re able to drive today or, conversely, have no inclination ever to learn or own a car, or you have a disability or impairment that means that passing your test will never be on the cards, we’ll certainly have options when it comes to the road transport of tomorrow.
This new record is a very tangible illustration of the viability of this tech - and so let’s hope it helps accelerate the wheels of legislation and public acceptance on the road to a greener, more inclusive future for all of us.
A bit more about the project
The vehicle and its impressive road trip was part of the HumanDrive project; jointly funded by the UK government through the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) and Innovate UK, along with nine other consortium partners.
"The HumanDrive project allowed us to develop an autonomous vehicle that can tackle challenges encountered on UK roads that are unique to this part of the world, such as complex roundabouts and high-speed country lanes with no road markings, white lines or kerbs." - Bob Bateman, Project Manager for Nissan Technical Centre, Europe.
Business Minister, Nadhim Zahawi said: “Safely completing the longest autonomous drive in Britain is an incredible achievement for Nissan and the HumanDrive consortium, and a huge step towards the rollout of driverless cars on UK streets. This project is a shining example of how the automotive industry, working with government, can drive forward technology to benefit people’s mobility - while helping to slash carbon emissions.”
According to the Ofcom Access Services Report of 2018, about 25 per cent of content was broadcast with audio description on TV in the UK with BBC, ITV and Channel 4 leading the way on their streaming services in addition to linear broadcast.
Shifting expectations around audio descriptions for accessibility
Last year, we celebrated 25 years of audio description on broadcast TV. It is also 15 years since we saw the first UK theatrical release with description, Harry Poter and the Philosopher's Stone.
Steady progress on the delivery of tracks on content has meant that we now have a generation that has grown up with an audio description and that refuses to waste time on content that is not made accessible for them.
What is also helping immensely is that the user group is more vocal now than ever before.
Legislation prompting audio descriptions
Expectation is one of the motivators behind the movement. However, the UK is also benefitting significantly from legislation notably the UK Communications Act of 2003 while the US introduced CVAA (21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act 2010).
UK broadcasters have been required to audio describe 10-20 per cent of their programming, depending on their license and other voluntary commitments negotiated by the UK Government, for some time now. Following the launch of US Services such as Netflix and Apple+, which deliver audio description on a large part of their shared US content [because of CVAA], the UK Providers are now in a rush to fix the accessibility of their own non-linear delivery channels.
The recent Ofcom report shows there has been remarkable progress to meet these needs, particularly by ITV Hub and All4.
Still, most providers attributed the recent progress and increase in accessibility to innovation and meeting user requirements rather than legislation.
Sarah Herrlinger, Director of Accessibility, Apple, mentioned that compliance rarely inspired true innovation with rest of panellists agreeing that viewer experience was paramount in driving the efforts.
However, legislation could also be a great leveller and give those broadcasters that have resisted calls for accessibility and audio description the much-needed push to finally take the plunge.
We need to monitor how much multimedia material is accessible
During our session, we also heard from Nigel Meggitt, Executive Product Manager, BBC, who talked about the need for greater transparency where, in the future, providers would be supporting each other by making their usage data available for the wider industry.
For example, how much of BBC content on Netflix is watched with audio description and subtitles?
If the usage is high, then it might encourage other providers to make their content available with access features as well, and if it isn’t high enough then is there a piece of work to be done to understand the reasons for this lack of engagement?
In either case, users of access features would benefit from greater transparency.
While there are many initiatives looking at ways to improve the viewer experience of audio description users, particularly at the role of binaural and spatial audio, Enhancing Audio Description Project was among one of the first back in 2017.
In most settings it is mandatory for an organisation to ensure the accessibility of the content in the documents it shares. If you have a vast estate of documents the task can seem insurmountable which is where we are able to support.
This year will mark the twenty-third 
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Adi was speaking at the second day of Digital Health Rewired 2020, the show that connects current and future health leaders with the best in disruptive digital health.
As a visually-impaired adult, Adi said it remains difficult accessing primary care.
Positive changes are coming, however.
Others are looking to robots to care for people either at home or in an assisted living environment. 
organisation working in Kenya to bring computer assistive technology to disabled students in Africa. A dynamic, global strategic leader and an executive-level innovator, she is a recipient of the Order of the 2016 Grand Warrior of Kenya (OGW) award and has been nominated for the National Diversity and Inclusion Awards & Recognition 2020 in the award category I7: Diversity and Inclusion Digital Inclusion Champion Award. 
of her communication – it is everything to her, and without it she would be shut out from the rest of the world. 
was another ‘lightbulb’ moment for me. Their Accessibility Labs help to teach corporations what digital accessibility means on the ground and what they need to do to implement it across their own assets. For me, it’s affirming to know that this lab exists in New York, providing a service such as this to corporations. In Africa, it feels like the corporate sector are still slow to see the business case for digital inclusion, so this was a taster of what could is possible, and I’m interested to see how we could replicate in some way here. 
If you don’t do this already AmazonSmile is a really easy way to shop at Amazon and donate to AbilityNet at the same time, at no extra cost.
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support a charity of your choice every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at 
The 
Persons with disabilities and the elderly will benefit from: more accessible products and services in the market, accessible products and services at more competitive prices, and fewer barriers when accessing transport, education and the open labour market.
Businesses that 
based on what it thinks you’re saying. No sounds, no lip movements are required. Imagine an interface to your computer, smartphone or virtual assistant that you can seamlessly use wherever you are and however noisy your surroundings – neat. Now imagine that you actually can’t speak (like the very funny and award-winning 
method of human-computer interaction is Arnav Kapur, a master’s student at the MIT Media Lab — a division of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that focuses on the intersection of people and their tech — and author of the paper that outlined their work to date.
necessary sensors and systems for full autonomous driving, has just set a new UK record journey of 230 miles across our uniquely challenging mix of roads and traffic – signifying just how viable these technologies are for everyone who either wants or needs to be driven autonomously.
Over time, we've seen momentum build towards making video accessible to people with sight loss including the growth in audio-described content. 
Last year, we celebrated 25 years of audio description on broadcast TV. It is also 15 years since we saw the first UK theatrical release with description, Harry Poter and the Philosopher's Stone.