High-tech, high-touchtone
AskMeNow is a new service that allows users to ask questions by phone (usually having to do with travel-related services, stock quotes, etc.) and receive automated text responses on a cellphone or Blackberry within seconds. For more difficult questions, you can reach a person who will send you your answer within about 5 minutes. Not cheap for frequent users ($.49 per question), but the technology has interesting implications for people who are blind, cognitively disabled, or just not that comfortable with the Internet.
Boston’s South Station boasts accessible transportation kiosks
Four new information kiosks deliver real-time travel updates to MBTA customers, including text-to-speech. Even better is the PDA download capability: put your train schedule right onto your large print or talking pocket device!
New NYC broadband task force
The New York City Council has established a task force on affordable broadband service. Although accessibility is not a major part of its mission (and why not, hmm?), the first task force document does cite FCC Commissioner Copps’s words: ““Each and every citizen of this great country should have access to the wonders of telecommunications – whether they live in the rural countryside or the inner city; whether they are high income or low income; whether they have disabilities, whether they are young or old. I’d go even further: I don’t think it exaggerates much to characterize access to telecommunications in this modern age as a civil right.”
San Francisco’s public Wi-Fi network must be accessible
San Francisco released the first RFP for a public wireless network to require accessibility. The RFP clearly states (in Section 39) the responsibility of bidders to meet ADA and all other accessibility regulations.
Accessibility? No, expedience!
NY1, a prominent New York news website, switched to a bare-bones layout when deluged by commuters wanting information on last week’s transit strike because “people are mostly interested in the text information, and we’re giving them that first and foremost.” Nice to think that this probably facilitated access for screen reader users as well, especially since a spot check today, post-strike, showed that NY1 doesn’t really believe in ALT attributes.
When News Breaks, Flashy Content Loses Out (may require free registration)
California creates Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee
The California Secretary of State announced the establishment of an advisory committee to provide assistance to the state on voting access issues: physical access, technical issues, and voter education.
Portable TTYs in UK
New software that extends the text handling capacity of mobile phones so that they can be used with relay services: