The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) has announced its official call for nominations for the 2013 Access Awards, which honor individuals, corporations, and organizations that eliminate or substantially reduce inequities faced by people who are blind or visually impaired.
Since its enactment more than 35 years ago, Public Law 94-142, now the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), has transformed educational opportunity for all children and youth with disabilities.
This past May, WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind) conducted a survey of preferences of screen reader users. 1,782 valid responses were received for this survey, which was a follow-up survey to the original WebAIM Screen Reader User Survey of January 2009 and its follow-up surveys from October 2009 and December 2010.
According to this most recent survey:
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. recently announced an initiative to make its website more accessible and inclusive for all customers. Schwab's initiative will particularly improve the client experience for Schwab customers with disabilities. Schwab has adopted the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.0 level AA as its website accessibility standard and has begun working to meet this standard.
Research In Motion (RIM) launched BlackBerry® Screen Reader, a free software application that helps customers who are blind or visually impaired operate their BlackBerry® smartphones by providing an audible output of displayed visual information.
FAER State Conference
Registration is now open for the joint 2012 AFB Leadership and Florida AER Conference.
Tradewinds Island Resorts
St. Pete Beach, Florida
May 4–5, 2012
(Pre-conference on May 3)
Come hear experts in the field, such as pre-conference keynote speaker Dr. Karen Wolffe and conference keynote speaker Kevin O'Connor, as they lead informative and enlightening sessions on topics such as:
The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) launched a redesign of its main website, www.afb.org, earlier this month. The new design offers a more interactive, engaging experience, making it easier for visitors to locate information on everything from accessible technology to raising a child with visual impairments to webinars on the latest research in the blindness field.
Registration is now open for the 2013 AFB Leadership Conference and Illinois AER Annual Meeting. Visit the conference website to register, read the meeting agenda, and reserve your hotel room at the special group rate. Join experts and colleagues for intensive pre-conference sessions on April 18 and full-conference sessions on April 19 and 20.
Topics include:
Recent technological advances are sweeping the nation, changing the way people buy products and services. Self-service kiosks with automated, touch-screen interfaces now allow people to bank, shop, and conduct a wide range of transactions independently, without the assistance of a clerk. This technology is fast becoming an integral part of our every day lives.
Many thousands of Americans who have combined loss of hearing and vision may soon connect with family, friends, and community thanks to the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program. Mandated by the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) established this new program to provide support for the local distribution of a wide array of accessible communications technology.