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Accessible Paths at 100 Acres

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Jul 192010

IMA and 100 Acres

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA). According to the museum, “100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park is one of the largest museum art parks in the country, and the only one to feature the ongoing commission of site-specific artworks.”

One of the most interesting pieces of information I received about the art park was about the accessible trails. The IMA has always done a fabulous job of explaining their accommodations for people with disabilities, and with the recent extension of 100 Acres they continue to keep accessibility in the forefront.

I did take the ADA trails to test how accessible they were. Some areas of the trails are paved while other parts are packed gravel. Anywhere there are steps, there is a ramp equivalent. The ADA trails are also more shaded than the non-ADA trails.

I encourage you to take some time and enjoy the 100 Acres park. Please read our post about accessibility in Indiana museums while you plan out the rest of your summer!

New Readability Tool Built Into Safari 5

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Jul 132010

Safari Reader

Readers, a new feature of Safari 5, removes visual distractions from Web pages. These distractions can be difficult for people with cognitive disabilities or anyone that gets distracted by many advertisements and images strung along the outskirts of a webpage.

Safari Reader removes advertisements and other visual distractions from online articles. This enables the reader to get the whole story and nothing but the story.

It works like this: While browsing the web, Safari detects if you are on a web page with an article. If you click the Reader Icon near the web address field, the article will appear instantly in one continuous, clutter-free view. You are then able to see every page of the article, without the other advertisements and images there to cause a distraction. Onscreen controls also allow you to email, print, and zoom while viewing the article. You are also able to change the text size, to read more easily, and Safari will remember your setting the next time you view an article in Safari Reader.

You can find out more information about how to use this feature by visiting the Apple Website.

Free Microsoft Accessibility Training

Accessibility Reviews, Accessibility Services, INDATA Projects No Responses »

Jun 212010

Viewing Accessibility on XP

What: A special training will be held by the INDATA Project at Easter Seals Crossroads to provide individuals with disabilities the opportunity to learn more about the accessibility features already built into Microsoft Windows products. We will also provide you with a kit that features instructional media on how to access those accessibility features.

When: Friday, June 25, 2010 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Where: Easter Seals Crossroads, 4740 Kingsway Drive, Indianapolis IN 46205

If you are interested in learning how to: make your computer easier to use with alternative input devices, operate the on-screen keyboard, use text or visual alternatives for sound alerts, and magnify the computer screen contact Carol Girt at 888-466-1314 or cgirt@eastersealscrossroads.org

Check out the Microsoft Accessibility Site!

Accessible CAPTCHAs

Accessibility Reviews 1 Response »

Jun 082010

You may recall a blog post we wrote a few months ago about audio CAPTCHAs and the problems they present. We came to the conclusion that the audio CAPTCHAs option is usually too distorted for most people to interpret. Since then we have discovered a few alternatives that may be more accessible.

Images

This type of CAPTCHA will typically ask users to select a specific picture from a series of images. For example, there may be three pictures of animals and the test will ask you to pick the picture with ducks in it, which a spam bot could not do. Confident CAPTCHA is one service that does this. While this form of CAPTCHAs might make it easier for someone who has a print disability, these photographs don’t always have alt tags for screen readers.

Multiple Choice

CAPTCHAs sometimes take the form of an incomplete sentence in which users are to select an appropriate answer to fill in the blank (sound like English class?) For example, you may be given the sentence “The _____ barks at cats that walk by.” Choices might include “truck”, “yellow”, and “dog”. This is purely text based, so a screen reader would be able to identify it like any other sentence on the screen.

Logic Puzzles

CAPTCHAs that use logic puzzles are similar to the multiple choice version in that they require you to answer a question correctly. An example would be “The last letter in ‘happiness’ is?” Another example would be a math puzzle, like “Six plus 10 is?” Text CAPTCHA has over 150 million questions that are geared towards 7-year-old level.

There are several variations on the CAPTCHA tests mentioned above. Although none of them are completely without issue, they certainly appear to be more accessible than the distorted images or audio clips. We will continue to keep our ears to the ground and follow up on future developments.

Accessibility Features on the iPad

Accessibility Reviews, Assistive Technology Products 3 Responses »

May 192010

iPad

The INDATA team just got an iPad! We quickly learned that this is a wonderful assistive technology device that is easy for almost anyone to use. Not only is it conveniently lightweight, making it very portable, but it also has several accessibility attributes available for people with disabilities. I’ll take you through some of these features now.

Getting to the Accessibility menu is just a couple of taps away! First, tap the Settings button on the home page. The screen will besplit into two sections, and you will see “Accessibility” on the right side. From there you will be given different options to personalize your user experience on the iPad. The first option is for VoiceOver.

VoiceOver menu on iPad

VoiceOver is a great tool for people who have low vision, a print disability, or any type of disability that makes reading a challenge. When turned on, VoiceOver will read aloud the items you tap on the screen. This mode changes your gestures a little; for instance now you must double-tap to access something.

For those who struggle with reading black print on a white background, you can easily flip the colors so that the text is white on a black background. You can also use Zoom, which will magnify the screen for you. After activating Zoom, just double-tap the screen with three fingers to magnify whatever it is you wish to get a closer look at. Then you can drag the screen up or down with three fingers to scroll. Another great tool on the iPad is Closed Captioning for watching movies and shows, which you can turn on under the Video menu.

The last feature I want to mention is the word prediction tool. Typing on the iPad may take some getting used to, so this is very useful for avoiding typos. As you type, any time you hesitate a word suggestion will pop up, which you can select by pressing the Enter button.

Word prediction on the iPad

The iPad is similar to its predecessors, the iPhone and iPod touch, however the larger screen makes reading, typing, and controlling the applications much easier for people with disabilities. We look forward to seeing how this device can be used to help others gain independence.

Conference Feature: AbleGamers Foundation sponsors Game Accessibility Arcade

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Apr 282010

AbleGamers Foundation

The AbleGamers Foundation will be introducing the AGF Game Accessibility Arcade to the 2010 INDATA Conference July 29^th and 30^th in Indianapolis IN.

This hands-on presentation focuses on demonstrating accessible technology and games that can be used to play the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox, Sony PS3, and computer games. The AbleGamers Foundation will be featuring hardware from Broaden Horizons, Evil Controllers, Peregrine and many more, as well some great software, including the newly launched My Golf Game, from VTree LLC.

About AbleGamers: The AbleGamers Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that runs AbleGamers.com, which provides news, reviews, and advice on disabled technology and the accessibility of mainstream video game titles. As an alternative to Serious Gaming, mainstream video games supply many disabled individuals and veterans with rehabilitation as well as social stimulation in situations where they may be otherwise shut out of society’s idea of normal everyday life.

Want to attend the Game Accessibility Arcade? Follow this link here to learn about registration and other fun happenings at the INDATA Conference!