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September 2, 2010
Test the Product Design using POUR Accessibility Design Review
Filed under: Accessibility, Accessibility Testing — Priti Rohra @ 3:13 pmDesign defines the architecture of any product. It is at the design stage, where key user interaction, content display and layout of the content as whole is decided. All the decisions at the design stage are taken by keeping the “Target Audience” i.e. “Users” at the forefront.
Users of a product can include people of different age groups, geographical locations, diverse culture, speaking different languages and even people with range of abilities or disabilities as commonly referred to. Key to effective product design is ability to cater to needs of variety of users.
Often people with disabilities as a group are overlooked considering them as a bare minority when it comes to outlining the product design. Aren’t they part of the target audience that your product aims to cater to?
Following are some interesting facts of a study commissioned by Microsoft Corporation and conducted by Forester Research that reveals the number of adult computer users with disabilities in the United States (US):
- 1 out of every 4 people has visual impairment
- 1 out of every 4 people has mobility impairment
- 1 out of every 5 people has hearing impairment
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/enable/research/
“As per the World Health Organization (WHO), 10 per cent of the world population or 650 million people are disabled!”
Source: http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/facts.shtml
In today’s competitive era, no product can afford to miss out on such a huge number of potential users. Isn’t it?
Product designers, UI designers, Product managers, and Marketing managers must aim to cater to the needs of people with disabilities along with other user groups while outlining product design.
For instance, it is at the design stage one decides if they want to opt to use a menu for displaying website’s navigation options. However, which type of menu will be accessible for people with disabilities using different assistive technologies or input devices is a point of consideration.
Similarly is the colour contrast between the foreground text and background sufficient to meet the needs of users with different types of colour blindness?
How can we help?
BarrierBreak’s POUR Accessibility Design Review helps to analyze the product design by keeping different Accessibility standards and guidelines, such as WCAG 2.0 & Section 508 in mind.
With years of expertise in Accessibility testing and in-depth knowledge about the functioning of different Assistive Technologies (AT), by reviewing the product design our team will help to evaluate how different AT’s will interact with the product.
In addition, our Accessibility experts will provide you with practical recommendations that will help eliminate potential access barriers in the design which might restrict one or multiple user groups from accessing the product.
On the basis of the design review, our team can help you draw the road map for implementing Accessibility throughout the PDLC, avoid product retrofitting cost, comply with the Accessibility guidelines and standards and increase your customer base.
No CommentsMarch 15, 2010
Breaking News: SightSavers Dolphin Pen at an unbelievable price of Rs.9750*
Filed under: Accessibility, Assistive Technologies, News, Visual — Shilpi Kapoor @ 10:27 amThe SightSavers Dolphin Pen is a lightweight pen drive with a screen magnifier and screen reader, and Braille support designed to benefit those living in some of the developing countries.
It enables visually impaired people in India and other developing countries to gain the same access to computers as sighted people – and so to develop their skills and employment prospects.
This is an exciting venture because it is the first time a world-ranked assistive technology manufacturer has collaborated with an NGO (non-government organization) to make high-quality product such as this available at a cost price. In India the same is being launched with BarrierBreak Technologies providing training and support for the SightSavers Dolphin Pen.
Now, Blind and low vision computer users can now carry their assistive software on a pen drive and use it on any PC.
It is a combined screen reader and magnifier helps to reduce eye strain by allowing users to increase magnification or add speech during the day as eyes become tired.
It also includes a full screen reader for people who are blind, which can cope with text and Braille input together with speech and Braille output.
- Provides English and Hindi Support
- Voices provided are Sangeeta for Indian English accent and Lekha for Hindi
- Works on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7
Price of SightSavers Dolphin Pen: Rs. 9750*
* This price can ONLY be availed by Persons with Disabilities by providing the disability certificate.
What will this get you?
You will get a USB Pen with the SightSavers Dolphin Pen which includes screen reader, magnifier and Braille support. You will get updates for free.
Where can you buy this?
Get in touch with BarrierBreak Technologies at +91-22-26860485/6 and sales@barrierbreak.com
February 23, 2010
Are you person with disability and looking for a Job?
Filed under: Accessibility, General, News — Mamta Tandel @ 6:56 pmEnAble India is a non-profit organization for the economic independence and dignity of persons with disabilities. We cater to the needs of all kinds of disabilities such as visually impaired, hearing impaired, physically disabled, developmental delays, mental illness and more across India.
EnAble India works with more than 150 companies across India for the training and placement of persons with disability.
To avail our training and placement services, you will need to register with EnAble India: Candidates can email their resume and details to registration@enable-india.org or may call 080 42823636 for an appointment to get registered. Candidates need to provide the following documents for registration: Photocopy of Medical Certificate of Disability, Resume, Photocopy of Education Certificates, Two Passport Size Photographs.
During registration, we will profile the candidate and understand their skills, aptitude and interests and accordingly recommend the jobs along with any training if required.
IMMEDIATE REQUIREMENT: Last date 28th Feb 2010
EnAble India, Bangalore is the campus recruitment center for Mphasis for 2010. Persons with disability who are technical graduates and have passed out in 2009 or applying for final year examination can apply. Tentative interview dates will be March 5 or 12th.
About Mphasis: Mphasis is a HP company who is an equal opportunity employer, Mphasis believes in diversity hiring and has been working with several organisations across the country to bring the diverse workforce within the company. They are open to all kinds of disabilities such as vision impairment, hearing impairment, physical disability and so on. Currently Mphasis has the following job opportunities: Programmer, Tester, IT Help desk and other technical positions.
Eligibility: Technical graduates (B.E, M.E, B.Tech, M.Tech, B.C.A, M.C.A etc.) who have passed out in 2009 or candidates applying for final year examination.
Work location: Bangalore
Job type: For freshers
Note: Candidates who pass the entry criteria to attend interview will have to undergo 2 days training prior to the interview to brush up their technical skills and to prepare for the interview.
Last date to apply for this event is 28th Feb 2010
Interested candidates can send their resumes to registration@enable-india.org with the SUBJECT LINE: Mphasis campus recruitment drive. For further queries, please contact EnAble India on 080 42823636, 98453 13919
No CommentsExperience Zone at Techshare India 2010
Filed under: Accessibility, Assistive Technologies, Techshare India — Mamta Tandel @ 9:53 amStill remember my first involvement in the Experience Zone at Techshare India 2008. A lot has changed since then in our lives but the experienced remained the same in fact more fabulous. Scores of people dropping in at the Experience Zone, some to find a suitable product for themselves, or worried parents to find products which would make their child lead a better life.
This time around we at BarrierBreak Technologies wanted to make different products and software relate to day-to-day lives of people with disabilities. As a result, products were displayed and categories with a backdrop of living room, bedroom and office areas.
Techshare India 2010 Experience Zone also included small items like Nail Clipper with a magnifier, liquid level indicator for the visually impaired, Flashing door bell and plug-in amplifier for hearing impaired. Along with these, GoTalk product range from Attainment Company rocked for the learning disabled, where parents took manuals and price list for making purchases. Optelec’s Clearview also was a hit in the Office area for low-vision on-lookers.
Adaptive keyboard and mouse, Trackball, Color identifier from Caretec, Screen readers such as Supernova, colorful keys of Clevy keyboard (attracted children), QualiWorld software, tactile sheets that visually impaired users could use to learn computers, bendable cutlery items such as spoon and forks were some of the other products that created an impact for all people visiting the Experience Zone.
My best experience however was a gentleman who had completely lost his eyesight visiting the Experience zone and looking for products for hearing impaired, especially got excited when I showed him the Flashing door bell. On enquiry and much to my amazement, he said his wife was hearing impaired and that Flashing door bell and Telephone plug-in amplifier would be an ideal product for her!
We were also happy to see people attending other conferences within the premises of India Habitat Center were keen and happy to visit the Experience Zone and gained knowledge about the different products available for people with disabilities.
Overall, a fabulous experience being at Techshare India 2010! Hope to see you all there next time with more fabulous products that make a difference in the lives of all people including those with disabilities.
Regards,
Mamta Tandel
No CommentsDecember 24, 2009
Accessibility Knowledge Series VI – Solutions For People With Low Vision
Filed under: Accessibility, Accessibility Knowledge Series, Visual — Shilpi Kapoor @ 4:52 pmMuch often, we attend meetings and conferences; Today, mostly every speaker uses Power Point Slides to express what they will have to say. Although they speak most of the time, there would be some important content / pictures that convey information more than the talk.
Telescope or hand held magnifiers would be of immense help for people who are partially sighted to get access to these presentations.
Telescopes come in variety of ranges such as 2x, 4x etc. and they can either be hand held or can be mounted into spectacle frame and the distance can be adjusted as needed. These gadgets could also be of help to school going children who have difficulty to see the board.
Secondly, to read business cards and other printed material, portable magnifiers such as Optelec’s Portable Magnifiers could be helpful.
Using this, one can adjust size of the font, adjust the contrast as needed such as black on white, white on black, yellow on blue etc. Even one can take the snap of the material and read at a convenient distance.
Reference:
This Accessibility Knowledge Series has been provided by Srinivasu Chakravarthula, Accessibility Manager, Yahoo! India R&D
Disclaimer: The views expressed herein are solely those of the author as an individual with interest in accessibility and assistive technology and do not claim to represent those of Techshare India, BarrierBreak Technologies or Net Systems Informatics.
Contribute
Got an idea/product that would bring a change for persons with disabilities? Send it across to techshare@barrierbreak.com
December 17, 2009
Accessibility Knowledge Series V – ARIA
Filed under: ARIA, Accessibility, Accessibility Knowledge Series — Priti Rohra @ 6:57 pmInformation on the web has become intuitive and users are no longer required to submit the data for further processing on the server in order to access the same. The web today includes features of an application and at the same time provides a platform for instant exchange of data, such as photographs, instant messaging, videos, music etc. In technical terms, it happens with the use of Ajax, JavaScript, RIA, DHTML or even a combination of all of them.
Ever thought, how would people with disabilities interact with such dynamic web content?
For example, how would a person using a keyboard carry out a drag-n-drop function? Or how would someone using a screen reader read the dynamically updating information on a web page?
In order to make the dynamic web content accessible for people with disabilities, Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) group of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has laid down specification for Accessible Rich Internet Application (ARIA).
ARIA specification includes techniques to define Roles, States and Properties for different web elements which will make the information available to platform Application Programming Interface (API). Assistive Technologies and Browsers render the information through APIs and convey it to the users.
Some of the benefits of implementing ARIA include:
- Assistive technologies can identify the dynamically updating web page content and inform users about the same;
- Helps Assistive Technology to identify the type of different widgets/controls, such as drop-down menus, tree views, toolbar etc and inform users about the same;
- Keyboard access to different sections of a web page, such as search, navigation, main content, application, footer etc as well as interactive widgets/controls
The WAI-ARIA specification is still at a working draft stage and already user agents, such as web browsers and Assistive Technologies have started implementing the same.
Reference:
This Accessibility Knowledge Series has been provided by Priti Rohra, Senior Accessibility Consultant, BarrierBreak Technologies
Disclaimer: The views expressed herein are solely those of the author as an individual with interest in accessibility and assistive technology and do not claim to represent those of Techshare India, BarrierBreak Technologies or Net Systems Informatics.
Contribute
Got an idea/product that would bring a change for persons with disabilities? Send it across to techshare@barrierbreak.com
December 2, 2009
Register Today – Techshare India 2010 Announces Early Bird Registrations
Filed under: Accessibility, Techshare India — Shilpi Kapoor @ 6:08 pmTechshare India 2010 – Registrations Now Open!
On the eve of World Disability Day, Techshare India opens registrations for its latest event Techshare India 2010 to be held in New Delhi on 15th and 16th February 2010.
- Register Today – Early bird discount available upto 25th December 2009
- Special offers for NGO’s and Persons with Disabilities
- Get your entire team for Techshare India 2010 and avail group discounts
Techshare India 2010 Conference Early Bird Registration Fees
- Corporate / Government / Education Institutes -
Rs. 5460* - NGO’s / Persons with Disabilities -Rs. 2730*
* Fees inclusive of service tax.
For registrations visit: http://techshare.barrierbreak.com/confreg.php
The 2-day conference will consist of a number of accessibility presentations and workshops, under the tracks:
- Strategies for inclusive growth
- Empowerment for all
- Unlocking the potential of technology
We received a record of large number of abstract submissions covering a variety of disabilities. Examples of presentations that will be delivered are:
- Shravan – Array of solutions for Hearing Impaired
- Looking beyond screen readers
- National Policy on Electronic Accessibility and case study on implementing accessibility on Indian Government
- Multimedia Accessibility: captioning, audio description and more
- Introduction to DAISY and DAISY book libraries in India
Who Should Attend?
- Usability / Accessibility Experts
- Government Officials
- CEOs / CIOs
- NGOs / Disability Organizations
- CSR Heads
- People with Disabilities
- HR Heads / HR Managers
- Special Education Providers
Techshare India 2010 will also host a range of exhibits featuring the best in cutting-edge developments in assistive technology across India and beyond.We want to bring together a bouquet of products from switches, track balls, adaptive keyboards, sip-n-puff, screen readers, DAISY players, AAC devices, software for learning disabled to independent living products.
Exhibitors will include our main sponsors and Dolphin Computer Access, Optelec, AbleNet and PRI Liberator.
To exhibit at Techshare India 2010 write to us at exhibitor_techshare@barrierbreak.com
Look forward to see you at Techshare India 2010!!!
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