Weekend Gazette – Link Collection for January 9

We present to you a menu of tidbits collected in recent days that are too short for blog posts and sometimes too long for a tweet (when we want to add clarifying comments). Headings provide a light grouping to help you skim the offerings. Bon appétit!

Technology, Tools, and Devices

• SSB BART Group recently announced the release of a free online accessibility testing tool, AMP Express. This is an excellent way to break down resistance to accessibility testing. Do not forget that the last step in any accessibility testing is using that grey matter between your ears!
• Five key trends in assistive technology. (Psst. They are convergence, UDL (Customizability and Universal Design for Learning), research- or evidence-based design, portability, and interoperability.)
• A Web Browser for People with Intellectual Disabilities.
• How much of your page content is “above the fold”? Another (Google) application to shock you out of your complacency.
• Accessible Mobile Phones – a short list about mobile phones from the National Council for the Blind in Ireland. This list is included here, not as an advertisement, but to provide an example of what accessibility features are of interest or importance in a mobile phone.
• Tactile access to the iPhone – how the blind use an iPhone.
• (YouTube video) DROID and Android Accessibility Surprise. This is a video review by someone who has tested the phone; you must watch it or listen to it to discover what the surprise is!
• The future of brain-controlled devices: Cool technology from the future for people with disabilities. Includes a splash or two of ethical concern.
• Eyeanventures says Google Accessible Web Search will promote SEO for sites coded for accessibility.

Captioning

The year in captions for 2009.

Usability and Design

• What are the essential points of usability? Watch this recording of Steve Krug and “The Least You Can Do About (TM) Usability” from the Business of Software conference in Boston, September 3-4, 2008 (includes pet peeve – audience asks questions with no microphone and speaker doesn’t repeat questions. Grrr!)
• The election design gallery at AIGA is an impressive collection of the hard work put into repairing voting ballots.

E-Learning

• Interested in e-learning? You might want to subscribe to the e-inclusion blog from Scotland – it’s dedicated to inclusive e-learning.
• What do you think will happen in 2010? The eLearn magazine made some predictions.

Interviews with Accessibility Movers and Shakers

• From India comes a great interview with accessibility expert Shilpi Kapoor. In other news from India, the Ministry of Social Justice and Impowerment launched “the first website of a Ministry of the Government of India that fulfills accessibility norms for Persons with Disabilities.”
• From China comes an interview with Frances West, Director, IBM Human Ability & Accessibility Center (HA&AC). The article’s title is “Advancing Technological and Societal Inclusion in China”.
• Visionaware had an interview with Pratik Patel. Mr. Patel is the Director of Information Technology Access for the City University of New York and member of the Governor’s Advisory Council to the New York State Department of Education. His passion for knowledge is what makes him an interesting person to follow on Twitter and elsewhere. You know you’ll learn something from him!
• Disaboom recently interviewed Dr. Brightman, Senior Policy Director for Special Communities at Yahoo!, Inc. in a two-part article. The first interview with Dr. Brightman discusses his roles as “Assistive Technology Pioneer, Advocate for People with Disabilities”. The second interview with Dr. Brightman discusses how his workplace, Yahoo!, “gets” disability, accessibility, and assistive technology. This goes in the category of “must-read”.

Mobility

Wheelchair access to concerts – article highlights the issues facing concertgoers with wheelchairs, as well as the (lack of) understanding at concert venues.

Reflections

“Nil by mouth” is a post by Roger Ebert about not eating and drinking. Read it.

Weekend Fun

• Tired of long documents discussing HTML5? Why not play an HTML5 song on a ukelele? Or a ukelele and a banjo?
• Braille t-shirts?
• An accessible, Internet-aware, version of Monopoly!
• Dog lovers, get out your tissues for a video of Ricochet the SURFice dog, or visit Ricochet’s website.

Link Contributors

This post was glued together with links or inspiration from many people. They are listed with their Twitter names.

@merylkevans
@mpaciello
@spedteacher
@visionaware
@sprungmarkers
@smiffy
@joemsie
@vick08
@BlindTwit
@a11y
@brucel
@danachis
@AAPD
@ClearHelper
@kprobiesch
@AccessDemand
@visionaware
@Meera404
@IBMAccess
@cinteractionlab
@Shilpi_Kapoor
@grwebguy
@LisaGualtieri

Thanks to all of you!