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Access Information News. The Week's News in Access Information. Symbol: Revolving Blue Globe. Six square boxes of the same size stacked two over four show people with different abilities using access information to improve their life. In the background, forty-eight square boxes of the same size stacked in six rows of eight. Inside each box is a photo of a person with a disability using access information to improve their life.

Access Information News for Monday, November 28, 2022 - Volume 886

The Week's News in Access Information
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1) Top 5 Most Clicked Access Information News Articles From Last Week

A.) 5 Takeaways From Screen Reader Usability Interviews | Jess Budd | Senior Front-End Engineer Specializing In Web Accessibility (7.2% of all clicks.)
Editor: This article does an absolutely extraordinary job describing how screen reader users interact with websites. | Jess Budd: Earlier this year I worked on the re-development of my workplace's primary website navigation. We went from a simple, single-tier nav with no drop-downs to a two-tier nav with a drop-down mega menu. I was pretty confident we were ticking the major boxes of complying with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), but I also know that technical compliance does not necessarily equal a good user experience for people with disabilities. As part of the overall user testing strategy, it was important to us to include people with disabilities. Of the five usability interviews we conducted with frequent screen reader users, some common patterns stood out to me:
https://jessbudd.com/blog/screen-reader-usability-testing-observations/

B.) 7 Best iOS 16 Apps and Features for Accessibility (7.0% of all clicks.)
Technology has helped society in so many ways, but tech developments are a true blessing for those with impairments and conditions or who require help with daily tasks. Whether you have a loved one you take care of or you need assistance yourself, some iOS 16 apps and features have made certain tasks significantly more convenient. Apple always seeks to accommodate those with accessibility needs, as the company continuously adds features that aim to help with their lives. If you're interested in learning more about how you can use your iPhone with iOS 16 installed to help with everyday needs, then keep reading:
https://appletoolbox.com/best-ios-16-apps-and-features-accessibility/

C.) Making New York City Crosswalks Accessible For The Blind (4.9% of all clicks.)
Hundreds of junctions in New York City will become accessible to blind people, in a new project powered by technology developed in Israel:
https://nocamels.com/2022/11/making-new-york-city-crosswalks-accessible-for-the-blind/

D.) The Man Behind Mastodon Built It for This Moment (4.4% of all clicks.)
Eugen Rochko looks exhausted. The 29-year-old German programmer is the founder of Mastodon, a distributed alternative to Twitter that has exploded in popularity in recent weeks as Elon Musk's ownership of the platform has rained chaos on its users. Rochko began developing Mastodon shortly after leaving university in 2016. He was a fan of Twitter but wanted to create a platform not controlled by any single company or person, reasoning that online communication is too important to be at the whim of commercial interests or CEOs. He believed that the lack of profit motive and canny design could discourage harassment and abuse, and provide users more control:
https://www.wired.com/story/the-man-behind-mastodon-eugen-rochko-built-it-for-this-moment/

E.) Blind Veteran Prepares To File Lawsuit Against Columbia County Sheriff's Office Following Arrest (4.1% of all clicks.)
The attorney representing a blind veteran has sent a notice of intent to pursue damages against the Columbia County Sheriff's Office after the man's cane was mistaken for a pistol:
https://www.wcjb.com/2022/11/16/blind-veteran-prepares-file-suit-against-columbia-county-sheriffs-office-following-arrest/

2) Sponsorship Package Updates

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3) AccessWorld November 2022

November 2022 updates include: Editor's Notes: News Regarding Hearthstone Access | AccessWorld's 2022 Online Shopping Guide | A Look at New Features in the JAWS 2023 Release | Envision Glasses: Getting Smarter all the Time | Easy Smartphone Input with Hable One:
https://www.afb.org/aw/23/11

4) Introducing The New Menus4ALL App Providing 750,000 Accessible Restaurant Menus | Stephanie Jones

Publisher: Menus4ALL is a founding sponsor of the new Access Information News publication and a long time Top Tech Tidbits supporter. They've been working on this solution for some time and we are all so very happy to finally see it come to fruition. | Stephanie Jones: My name is Stephanie Jones and I am co-founder of an accessibility solutions company, Menus4ALL. Our mission is to provide folks accessible restaurant menus. Previously we offered 50,000 US accessible menus on our website for 3 years. This Fall we beta tested with the BVI community an iPhone app, available now in the App Store. The Menus4ALL iPhone app features 750,000 fully accessible restaurant menus. 500,000 menus in the U.S. and 250,000 menus in Canada. It supports Apple's dynamic type, VoiceOver, Voice Control and common Braille displays. And it's affordable for all at $2.99 a month, with a one time 14-day trial:
https://www.applevis.com/forum/ios-ipados/introducing-new-menus4all-app-providing-750000-accessible-restaurant-menus

5) Mastodon Is Now Mushroom FM's Social Network Of Choice. Here's Why We've Done It, The Benefits To You, And How To Join Us There

What's happening? That seemed an appropriate heading to start this post given the subject matter. Today, we are announcing that Mastodon will now be Mushroom FM's primary social media platform. We're not abandoning Twitter, at least at this stage, but it will all be automated. We will continue to tweet announcements from our blog, as well as show reminders half an hour before they start. But for live, interactive events, mastodon will now be our social network of choice. Change can be unsettling, and we want to make sure that our loyal listeners understand why we've decided to do this, the benefits for you of this decision, and how you can join us on Mastodon if you are not already there:
https://mushroomfm.com/MastodonMove

6) Twitter's Layoffs Are a Blow to Accessibility | Wired

Editor: This article chronicles some of Twitter's contributions to accessibility over the last couple of years. It is good to see coverage of accessibility setbacks in mainstream publications like Wired. | Wired: The company recently took major steps to make the platform more inclusive after pressure from disabled users. Then Elon Musk gutted its accessibility team:
https://www.wired.com/story/twitter-layoffs-accessibility/

7) Leaving Twitter's Walled Garden | What is the Fediverse, Federation and Mastodon?

A wave of people have announced that they're leaving Twitter to check out something called Mastodon, and that leaves many wondering, what is Mastodon anyway? More importantly, what is the "fediverse" and what is "ActivityPub"? This explainer will help you make heads or tails of this new approach to communications and social media:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/11/leaving-twitters-walled-garden

8) Right Info Wrong Location: Accessibility Hints | The Idea Place | Kelly Ford

In my web use, I've noticed a growing trend to add instructions to more experiences on the web. This week it was more than 250 words on reading a table on a financial web site and another couple hundred words on a calendar control for an airline company. Most often, this is coming in the form of an ARIA-Label or other hidden text, aimed at explaining how to use the experience with a screen reader in particular. This is typically scoped to some sort of custom control that the site has opted to use. On the surface, this might sound great. We have some complex experience and want to give users some tips so we'll jam in a set of instructions. We don't want to clutter the visual experience with information that isn't relevant if you are not using a screen reader though, so we'll hide this info with some web technique we've learned about from someplace:
https://theideaplace.net/right-info-wrong-location-accessibility-hints/

9) A Guide to Understanding Your Current 2022 Aira Plan

Definition of Retail, Community and Legacy Plans, and Basic Information about Changes Coming in Early 2023:
https://aira.io/a-guide-to-understanding-your-current-2022-aira-plan/

10) Accessibility Virtual Reality: Augmented Reality Captioned Glasses

The augmented reality technology wave provides us with a chance to build accessible hardware and software solutions from the ground up, rather than as an afterthought. Xander and XRAI Glass are aiming to caption the world through smart glasses. Here's your chance to get a glimpse of these augmented reality (AR) glasses:
https://equalentry.com/accessibility-augmented-reality-captioned-glasses/

11) Joe Strechay Helps Actors and Production Teams Accurately Portray Blindness

This AFB Career Connect article describes the work on popular television shows and movies done by Joe Strechay to make them more realistic in terms of how they represent blindness:
https://aphcareerconnect.org/blog/careerconnect-blog/joe-strechay-helps-actors-and-production-teams-accurately-portray-blindness/

12) Understanding Disability: Ableism | TPGi

A common definition of ableism is that it is discrimination and social prejudice against people with disabilities. That's undoubtedly true, but ableism can also be described as discrimination in favor of non-disabled people. The distinction lies in how ableism — sometimes subtly, sometimes blatantly — puts forward the myth of the superiority of non-disabled people and the inferiority of disabled people:
https://www.tpgi.com/understanding-disability-ableism/

13) ESA Names Astronaut Candidate With a Physical Disability, in a First

"Science is for everyone," Paralympian and surgical trainee John McFall says. "And space travel, hopefully, can be for everyone:"
https://www.cnet.com/science/space/esa-names-astronaut-candidate-with-a-physical-disability-in-a-first/#ftag=CAD590a51e

14) Hiking For Visually Impaired People: How One Writer Is Fighting For Her Right To Roam | Caroline Butterwick

Hiking is great exercise and a way to get outdoors. Visually impaired writer Caroline Butterwick considers how she and other people with disabilities can make the most of hiking, and her sense of belonging in the natural world:
https://www.stylist.co.uk/fitness-health/hiking-visually-impaired-people-benefits/732076

15) New Regulations For Kiosks And Self-Service Transaction Machines? We've Been Here Before.

This is an article about action by a government agency in the United States called The US Access Board. The Board is thinking about making new rules about self-service kiosks so they are accessible for disabled people. Kiosks are machines designed for people to do things like order food and get health information without help. Disabled people often cannot use them. The Access Board started to make rules on this topic twelve years ago. But they never finished. In September of 2022 the Access Board published nine questions that would impact any new rules about kiosk access. The public can submit comments by November 21 of this year. Even though there are no regulations yet, many legal cases require kiosks to work for disabled people:
https://www.lflegal.com/2022/11/kiosk-anprm-2022/

16) An Audiobook Narrator For Authors Like Margaret Atwood And Elena Ferrante Says Any Self-Starter Can Break Into The Field And Make A Lucrative Living — But The Work Can Be Draining

Hillary Huber has narrated almost 700 books after starting out in commercial voiceover work. She says the hardest part is not mixing up complicated sentences or character voices. A self-starter attitude is key to entering the field. "It's about forging relationships," she said:
https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-become-audiobook-narrator-voiceover-actor-pay-2022-11

17) ReSound Gift of Hearing Campaign Begins November 18th 2022

ReSound announced that it will again look to partner with hearing care professionals in the Gift of Hearing campaign, a nationwide effort to donate hundreds of hearing aids to people living with hearing loss who are experiencing financial hardship:
https://www.resound.com/en-us/press/resound-gift-of-hearing-campaign-begins-november-18

18) Integrating Emergent Literacy into Adaptive PE

This activity integrates adapted physical education, speech therapy and emergent literacy for students with visual impairments and multiple disabilities:
https://www.pathstoliteracy.org/integrating-emergent-literacy-adaptive-pe/

19) This 22-Year-Old Product Designer Created Toys To Help Visually Impaired Babies Enjoy Their Food

While most of us take eating for granted, many visually impaired babies develop an aversion to mushy or slimy foods. CNA Women speaks to Lim Jin Ying about how inclusive design can help such babies and children overcome these and other common barriers:
https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/women/inclusive-product-design-visually-impaired-children-eating-lim-jin-ying-338076

20) Department Of Special Education Offering New Master's Program In Low Vision And Blindness

The Department of Special Education at Illinois State is excited to offer a master of science in education in low vision and blindness. This fully online, five-semester program will provide current teachers an opportunity to add a state of Illinois endorsement in low vision and blindness while obtaining a master's degree:
https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2022/11/department-of-special-education-offering-new-masters-program-in-low-vision-and-blindness/

21) Tulsa Transit Debuts New Technology For Visually Impaired Passengers

With its partnership with Aira, an online service that provides live, real-time assistance to those with visual impairments, Tulsa Transit is now part of the Aira promo and designated facilities within the Aira online application for users:
https://ktul.com/news/local/tulsa-transit-debuts-new-technology-for-visually-impaired-passengers

22) Online Only Retailers Have a New Defense Against Website Accessibility Claims in California

On August 1, 2022, the California Court of Appeals issued the decision in Martinez v. Cot'n Wash, Inc. (2022) 81 Cal.App.5th 1026 [297 Cal.Rptr.3d 712]. In Martinez, the plaintiff claimed that Cot'n Wash's website (dropps.com) was inaccessible because it did not comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. Cot'n Wash disputed Martinez's claim, but also argued that California's Unruh Civil Rights Act did not apply because there was no evidence of intentional discrimination, and Title III of the ADA did not apply to Cot'n Wash because it was an online only business selling cleaning products to customers who order online, but without any retail or physical locations:
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/online-only-retailers-have-a-new-6118339/

23) Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) Kiosk Accessibility Deadline Looms | 25% of Airport Kiosks Must Be Accessible by December 2022 | TPGi

The Air Carrier Access Act of 1986 (ACAA) is one of the more detailed laws providing specific requirements for deploying accessible self-service kiosks. An update in 2013 set two deadlines for accessible kiosks.
https://www.tpgi.com/air-carrier-access-act-acaa-kiosk-accessibility-deadline-looms/

24) Reference Objects for Students with Multiple Disabilities and Visual Impairments | Paths To Literacy

Learn about this key chain of reference objects referring to daily routine actions and the concrete symbols of yes and no for students with multiple disabilities and visual impairments and complex communication needs:
https://www.pathstoliteracy.org/reference-objects-for-students-with-multiple-disabilities-and-visual-impairments/

25) 4 Ways to Make Online Banking Accessible

Here are some tips, written by an actual screen reader user, of things you can do to make your banking website accessible:
https://blog.usablenet.com/4-ways-to-make-online-banking-accessible

26) Learn to Read Braille with Dottie and Dots | Paths To Literacy

This book can be downloaded for free to teach children the dot configurations of the braille alphabet:
https://www.pathstoliteracy.org/learn-read-braille-dottie-and-dots/

27) Amazon And National Association Of The Blind (NAB) Bring Interactive Learning With Alexa To Over 100 Schools In Uttar Pradesh

After a successful pilot with 10 schools in Basti, Gorakhpur and Lucknow, Amazon and NAB UP will place Echo smart speakers in 93 additional schools, reaching 34,000+ students in the state:
https://www.timesnownews.com/technology-science/amazon-and-national-association-of-the-blind-nab-bring-interactive-learning-with-alexa-to-over-100-schools-in-uttar-pradesh-article-95658976

28) Happy 82nd Anniversary to Raising Expectations and Shaping Our Future | National Federation of the Blind | YouTube | President Mark Riccobono

President Mark Riccobono shares a message to reflect on our anniversary and goals of our future in the designated museum space. The space is empty with an exposed, fire proofed tall ceiling, dry-walled walls, support pillars, and unfinished concrete flooring:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eiPR1maBtU

29) A Beginner's Guide to Kiosk Accessibility: Part 1 | TPGi

You might pick up the new camera you ordered at a buy-online-pick-up-in-store kiosk locker. Or use a self-service kiosk to order a Reuben at the sandwich place near work. Or check into your eye appointment with a healthcare check-in kiosk. Kiosks allow people to complete everyday tasks independently, and that's why self-service kiosks need to be accessible for people with disabilities:
https://www.tpgi.com/a-beginners-guide-to-kiosk-accessibility-part-1/

30) Meetup.com Raises Concerns with New Accessibility Overlay

Meetup.com raised some concerns with the WordPress community (and the broader community of accessibility professionals) this week after it added an accessibility overlay to its website. The overlay, powered by EqualWeb, displays a list of settings that can be toggled, ostensibly to address various accessibility needs:
https://wptavern.com/meetup-com-raises-concerns-with-new-accessibility-overlay

31) Meetup.com Accessibility Overlay Update

On November 24, 2022 Meetup.com requested that we update the "Next Steps" portion to focus on feedback around accessibility of their platform broadly, instead of the accessibility overlay, as that is no longer in place:
https://make.wordpress.org/community/2022/11/23/meetup-com-accessibility-overlay-update/


➜ Featured Webinars, Training Courses and Events

✍ Submit your access information related Webinar, Training Course or Event for consideration within this section using this form: https://accessinformationnews.com/submit-event or locate "Webinar / Training Course Submission Form" within the main menu of the Access Information News website.


1) ACB's 2022 Audio Description Awards Gala

November 29 2022 | The American Council of the Blind (ACB) proudly announces the second annual Audio Description Awards Gala on November 29, 2022. The Gala will once again celebrate outstanding achievements in audio description in media and expand awareness of its benefits. In recent years there has been enormous success in expanding audio description for audiences who are blind, low vision, or have other sensory disabilities that create barriers to full inclusion in visual media. "The Audio Description Awards Gala will celebrate the best of the best within the art and science of inclusive audio-described media," said Eric Bridges, ACB's Executive Director. "Together we will work to expand awareness of the transformative value that audio description brings to the lives of people with disabilities:"
https://acb.org/save-the-date-2022-AD-Awards

2) Linking Up with LinkedIn to Increase Employment Opportunities For Blind or Low Vision Users | Mississippi State University National Technical Assistance Center on Blindness & Low Vision

November 30th 2022 | 11AM PT, 12PM MT, 1PM CT, 2PM ET, 7PM GMT | We are having our final webinar of the year, and you are invited! Brief Summary: The NRTC will partner with NSITE to discuss how people with vision loss can increase employment opportunities by using LinkedIn. Registration: Visit the Webinars & Podcasts page to learn more about this webinar, and register today:
https://www.ntac.blind.msstate.edu/consumers/webinars-podcasts

3) PDF Accessibility Training for Organizations | Access Ingenuity

November 30th 2022 | 10AM PT, 11AM MT, 12PM CT, 1PM ET, 6PM GMT | Creating accessible PDF documents is essential for most organizations' digital accessibility process. However, organizations often struggle to get their staff trained and efficient at creating accessible PDFs and other accessible digital content. The first step is identifying document creators within the organization and the types of documents they're developing. Depending on the findings, standard and advanced PDF accessibility training may be required. Join Michael Parker from Access Ingenuity to review lessons we learned from creating digital accessibility training and how to apply them to your organization. Learning Outcomes: Understand the components of a comprehensive PDF accessibility training program. Understand the importance of creating accessible templates and using accessible color palettes. Breaking the training down into manageable chunks - from beginners to advanced users. Meeting ID: 883 8806 6414 | Passcode: 878053 | One tap mobile: +16699009128,,88388066414#,,,,*878053# US (San Jose) | Dial by your location: +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose). Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88388066414?pwd=RU9tQU02ZDlRVjZzWlpwZHVGZjBSUT09

4) Using JAWS Inspect and JAWS Connect for Testing | TPGi

December 1st 2022 | 9AM PT, 10AM MT, 11AM CT, 12PM ET, 5PM GMT | Presenter: Charlie Pike, Platform Success Lead Using transcripts of JAWS speech, you can quickly pinpoint accessibility and usability issues. This demonstration will walk you through some simple tests using both JAWS Inspect and JAWS Connect, explaining how these tools can be integrated into your test processes. Register today:.
https://www.tpgi.com/webinar-december-1-at-12pm-et-using-jaws-inspect-and-jaws-connect-for-testing/

5) Blind Health Expo | The Accessible Pharmacy

December 2nd 2022 | 7AM PT, 8AM MT, 9AM CT, 10AM ET, 3PM GMT | The Accessible Pharmacy Blind Health Expo will be the largest virtual expo of healthcare information, products, services, and medication for individuals who are blind, deafblind, or have low vision. Join thousands of other attendees and register now for free!
https://www.accessiblepharmacy.com/blind-health-expo/

6) Microsoft Accessibility for Nonprofits Webinar

December 6th 2022 | 9AM PT, 10AM MT, 11AM CT, 12PM ET, 5PM GMT | If you are part of a disability nonprofit organization, please join us for our Microsoft Accessibility for Nonprofits Webinar on Tuesday, December 6th. In this introductory session, you will learn about: Accessibility Nonprofit Tech Accelerator 2023 grant program that provides selected organizations with technology grants and dedicated specialist staff to support your mission. Access to Microsoft Philanthropies grants and discounts across our nonprofit cloud products including Azure, Dynamics 365, and Microsoft 365 for all registered 501 c3 organizations. Microsoft Accessibility team will share our commitment to disability nonprofit partners, our work on AI for Accessibility & Innovation. Register today for the Microsoft Accessibility for Nonprofit Webinar:
https://learning.eventbuilder.com/event/67484

7) The Current Legal Landscape for Digital Assets Accessibility Risks and How to Provide an Accessible Experience for Retail Customers

December 6th 2022 | 8AM PT, 9AM MT, 10AM CT, 11AM ET, 4PM GMT | Presenter: Matt Ater, Lori Sommerfield, and Kim Phan Join Matt Ater of Vispero, along with Lori Sommerfield & Kim Phan, partners at Troutman Pepper, for a discussion concerning the current state of legal risks for accessibility non-compliance and practical tips for making your retail business digital assets accessible for people with disabilities. We will discuss the current state of website and mobile application accessibility litigation, as well as the increasing threat of enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act for digital assets by the U.S. Department of Justice under the Biden administration. Learn how to mitigate legal risks by meeting digital accessibility requirements and creating a usable and accessible retail experience. Register today:
https://www.tpgi.com/webinar-december-6-at-11am-et-the-current-legal-landscape-for-digital-assets-accessibility-risks-and-how-to-provide-an-accessible-experience-for-retail-customers/

8) ONYX Family of Magnifiers: Portable & Powerful (ACVREP CE Approved, Assistive Technology Webinar) | Access Ingenuity

December 7th 2022 | 10AM PT, 11AM MT, 12PM CT, 1PM ET, 6PM GMT | The ONYX family of video magnifiers combines ease of use with powerful yet portable features to help people retain their independent lifestyle - reading, writing, viewing photographs, and engaging in hobbies. Did you know there are three different ONYX models? The ONYX Deskset and ONYX OCR offer larger screens and can adapt to multiple environments and tasks for productivity at school, work, and home. Modern camera technology and HD displays provide a clear, crisp picture with a wide range of magnification and color-coded controls. The ONYX Pro takes portability to the next level by combining it with the Surface 7 tablet to provide the ultimate tool for mobile magnification and reading tasks. During this webinar, we discuss the features and benefits all the ONYX models can give in specific situations. Join Ian Ramos and Joe McDaniel from Vispero as they dive deep into these powerful tools to help those challenged by vision loss. Note that everybody is welcome and can benefit from this presentation. If you are a teacher of the visually impaired (TVI), this presentation is approved for ACVREP continuing education credit. Learning Outcomes: Features of all ONYX models. How to determine which model fits your needs best. How adding speech capability can take you further. Benefits of portable, powerful visual tools. Meeting ID: 821 2886 0126 | Passcode: 792304 | One tap mobile: +16699009128,,82128860126#,,,,*792304# US (San Jose) | Dial by your location: +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose). Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82128860126?pwd=UHBhYXBzTHVGb0tCaktXZVc1anQ0dz09#success

9) 2022 Sight Tech Global — Shaping New Technologies to Create a More Accessible World for People with Blindness and Visual Impairments

December 7th 2022 and December 8th 2022 | Sponsored by Google, APH, Amazon, Humanware, Microsoft, Fable, LinkedIn, and Waymo, Sight Tech Global is the first global, virtual conference dedicated to fostering discussion among technology pioneers on how rapid advances in AI and related technologies will fundamentally alter the landscape of assistive technology and accessibility. Register for free:
https://sighttechglobal.com/

10) 2022 Digital Accessibility Legal Update with Lainey Feingold | Free Webinar

December 8th 2022 | 11AM PT, 12PM MT, 1PM CT, 2PM ET, 7PM GMT | What We'll Cover: A lot has happened in the digital accessibility legal space this year — have you kept up? Most recently, a new digital accessibility law was introduced in the United States Congress. If the law passes as written, it will result in digital accessibility regulations for both websites and software applications. Commercial providers who design, develop, and modify certain websites or applications are part of the proposed legislation. Speaker: Lainey Feingold. Lainey Feingold is a disability rights lawyer who has worked in the digital accessibility space since 1995. She is also an author and international speaker. Lainey, along with her blind clients and co-counsel, helped negotiate the first web accessibility agreement in the United States more than twenty years ago. She has worked with dozens of companies on their accessibility initiatives since that time. Lainey is the author of Structured Negotiation: A Winning Alternative to Lawsuits. Her book shares stories and strategies from twenty-five years of collaborations and relationship-building to help create an inclusive digital world. Register here:
https://go.3playmedia.com/wbnr-12-08-2022-lainey

11) 20 Websites to Bookmark for 2023 | Technology User Group, Maryland State Library

December 10th 2022 | 7AM PT, 8AM MT, 9AM CT, 10AM ET, 3PM GMT | Technology keeps changing and so do the websites that are useful in our everyday lives. Find out why these 20 websites are so important for 2023. All events are currently being held via teleconference until further notice. No programs will be held in person. Please dial (319) 527-4994 📱️ at 10 AM ET:
https://www.marylandlibraries.org/Pages/Technology%20User%20Group.aspx

12) Lego Braille Bricks Live Session 3: Creative Manual Activities for Christmas | APH

December 12th 2022 | 8AM PT, 9AM MT, 10AM CT, 11AM ET, 4PM GMT | Christmas is a great time to create crafts. Let's share amazing and fun tactile ideas adapted to visually impaired children:
https://www.aph.org/lego-braille-bricks-live-sessions/

13) Basics of Accessibility Testing | TPGi

December 13th 2022 | 9AM PT, 10AM MT, 11AM CT, 12PM ET, 5PM GMT | Presenter: Aaron Farber, Senior Accessibility Platform Consultant. Accessibility testing is a critical step in delivering a modern online experience. This webinar goes beyond testing checklists to answer the fundamental questions people have when they start testing for web accessibility. For accessibility testing to be effective, organizations must understand what makes a digital experience equal. We'll cover web accessibility, the role and structure of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and how to quantify the risk associated with a guideline. Additionally, we'll discuss the following: How to set the scope for accessibility testing and feel confident you are covering the "right parts" of a website/web application. We'll document mouse-only, keyboard-only, and assistive technology testing plans. We'll delve into how web pages expose "semantics" and the tools to understand if your site is properly conveying its meaning to assistive technology. How to get expert support beyond your team to be sure that your accessibility testing results are accurate and more! Learn how to use the tools, access resources, and receive clear steps to perform a full-scale WCAG audit. Register:
https://www.tpgi.com/webinar-december-13-at-12pm-et-basics-of-accessibility-testing/

14) Creating Accessible Promotional Materials (Digital Accessibility Webinar) | Access Ingenuity

December 14th 2022 | 10AM PT, 11AM MT, 12PM CT, 1PM ET, 6PM GMT | As a document author, learn about choosing colors, selecting images, and laying out your brochure, poster, or flyer in an engaging yet accessible way. Join Rachel Reeves in reviewing the most accessible way to create PDF Promotional Material. Learning Outcomes: Review color contrast requirements. Address mistakes commonly made in the Layout/Reading Order of one-page posters or flyers. Understand obstacles commonly encountered if using authoring tools such as Canva or Illustrator. Analyze poor templates that have images and fonts that make PDF remediation difficult. Meeting ID: 865 1628 1737 | Passcode: 967492 | One tap mobile: +16699009128,,86516281737#,,,,*967492# US (San Jose) | Dial by your location: +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose) | Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86516281737?pwd=NTZDdzRmZUdieFBTWnRiMzFsQVhHdz09#success

15) Training Course: Catching Up with JAWS Chapter 4 for JAWS 2022 and 2023 | Hartgen Consultancy

December 14th 2022 | 11AM PT, 12PM MT, 1PM CT, 2PM ET, 7PM GMT | Catching Up with JAWS is priced £35 which is approximately 40 American dollars. Now is your chance to get some high quality training on some of the latest features within the screen-reader JAWS for Windows which have been introduced over the past two years. This follows on from our previous popular training courses on this subject. These training courses are still popular and people are purchasing the older volumes in the series even today:
https://www.hartgen.org/catchup4

16) ZoomText, JAWS & Fusion: Latest Features (Assistive Technology Webinar) | Access Ingenuity

December 21st 2022 | 10AM PT, 11AM MT, 12PM CT, 1PM ET, 6PM GMT | It's that time again. Not only is it the holidays but also the time when there are important updates for ZoomText, JAWS, and Fusion. Join Ian Ramos and Zhi Huang from Access Ingenuity to explore what's new in the 2023 updates and some features within the past few years. Learning Outcomes: Briefly explain the differences between ZoomText, JAWS, and Fusion. Compare the different licenses and how you can find out if you are eligible for the latest updates. Explore new 2023 features such as Tethered View, Smart Glance, Notification History improvements, New Tables Only option for Smart Navigation, etc. Review recent features, including Docking the Quick Access Bar, Voice Assistant, Sound Splitter, New Vocalizer Expressive Voices and Languages, and more. Meeting ID: 827 9977 1867 | Passcode: 853407 | One tap mobile: +16699009128,,82799771867#,,,,*853407# US (San Jose) | Dial by your location: +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose) | Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82799771867?pwd=VVNHeWhjVVVLc1JDUUtSMlllMnlQZz09#success

17) Lego Braille Bricks Live Session 4: Braille Around the World | APH

January 4th 2023 | 8AM PT, 9AM MT, 10AM CT, 11AM ET, 4PM GMT | Let's celebrate Louis Braille's Day and explore different braille codes around the world:
https://www.aph.org/lego-braille-bricks-live-sessions/

18) Lego Braille Bricks Live Session 5: School Aged Numeracy | APH

February 1st 2023 | 8AM PT, 9AM MT, 10AM CT, 11AM ET, 4PM GMT | Using LEGO Braille Bricks to do math: let's discover some of the many uses of these little bricks to develop numerical and geometry skills, understand symmetry, and much more:
https://www.aph.org/lego-braille-bricks-live-sessions/

19) Lego Braille Bricks Live Session 6: Daily Living Activities | APH

March 6th 2023 | 8AM PT, 9AM MT, 10AM CT, 11AM ET, 4PM GMT | Let's explore daily-living activities using LEGO Braille Bricks and share our best practices, experiences, tips:
https://www.aph.org/lego-braille-bricks-live-sessions/

20) 2023 3rd Annual Axe-Con | Building Accessible Experiences | The World's Largest Digital Accessibility Conference

March 15th 2022 and March 16th 2023 | Deque Systems, the trusted leader in digital accessibility, has announced the third annual axe-con conference will return on March 15-16th, 2023. With the success of axe-con over the past two years, Deque will continue to host the conference as a free virtual event again next year. Axe-con is an open and inclusive digital accessibility conference that welcomes developers, designers, business users, and accessibility professionals of all experience levels to a new kind of accessibility conference focused on building, testing, and maintaining accessible digital experiences:
https://www.deque.com/blog/save-the-date-for-axe-con-2023/

21) Lego Braille Bricks Live Session 7: Music | APH

April 5th 2023 | 8AM PT, 9AM MT, 10AM CT, 11AM ET, 4PM GMT | Let's discover together how to make music with these famous bricks! Come and share your creative ideas:
https://www.aph.org/lego-braille-bricks-live-sessions/

22) Lego Braille Bricks Live Session 8: STEM | APH

May 3rd 2023 | 8AM PT, 9AM MT, 10AM CT, 11AM ET, 4PM GMT | Have you ever thought of doing science, computing, or technology with LEGO Braille Bricks? Expert guests will join us for an amazing session:
https://www.aph.org/lego-braille-bricks-live-sessions/

23) Lego Braille Bricks Live Session 9: Orientation & Mobility | APH

June 7th 2023 | 8AM PT, 9AM MT, 10AM CT, 11AM ET, 4PM GMT | LEGO bricks to build plans, visualize routes, it's not new! But with LEGO Braille Bricks you can also create labels, add letters, words... Then it becomes really great:
https://www.aph.org/lego-braille-bricks-live-sessions/


Access Information News Sponsor Classified Ads:


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Sponsor: Pneuma Solutions

➜ Finally! Holding Businesses Accountable

Those who need accessibility accommodations aren't strangers to jumping in with self-advocacy to achieve it. But, what about the rest of us? When explaining the benefits of a reasonable accommodation to one's place of work or school. This is where our self-advocacy kits come in. Pneuma has written up customizable email templates you can modify according to your situation. We cover a variety of different advocacy scenarios. Simply choose your scenario, answer a few simple questions, adapt the language, address it to the right person, and submit it! Self-advocacy has never been easier:
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Email Newsletter: Click here to receive periodic news via email concerning Pneuma Solutions products for business, consumers and education.

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About: Backed by two decades of creating award-winning accessible cloud technologies for people with visual impairments, Pneuma Solutions is the global leader in accessible cloud-based solutions. Pneuma Solutions was founded by long-time accessibility developers Mike Calvo and Matt Campbell. For more information on their individual profiles, click on their respective bio pages. We're proud to be the first company to develop cloud-based accessibility at the network level. Our tools provide organizations, like yours, a way to deliver secure, accessible information right from your network or from our secure servers. You can provide your print disabled consumers, students, employees, and citizens with a multitude of accessible options. Additionally, we offer a suite of cloud-based applications to blind and print disabled consumers directly from our website. Our consumer products are designed to make the day-to-day lives of blind and print disabled individuals more accessible and simpler to manage. Access to information is not a privilege, it's a right. It's also your right to obtain affordable, accessible cloud solutions to serve your end user. When organizations like yours implement our tools, together we help make it a more inclusive world for people with disabilities. Want to know more about how we can help you become more inclusive?

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Our WayTag products come as stickers, buttons, magnets, and clips. Choose the style that works for you, or pick up a Starter Pack to try out all the different types. Our store is for US orders only. For international needs, check out our international distributors:
https://www.wayaround.com/shop/

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Accessible labels for the blind, deafblind, and anyone with vision loss. Your biggest problem isn't poor eyesight. It's that so much of the information in the world is visual. But you shouldn't have to wait around for someone else to get the information you need. Or carry around a bulky, outdated device. There is a better way to get accurate and complete information every time. So you can reduce stress and gain independence.

Download The App (Apple): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wayaround-tag-and-scan/id1294361140?mt=8

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About: Access Information News is the world's leading not-for-profit access information news publication that reaches over 29,000 access professionals, educators and enthusiasts, all over the world, each week. Access Information refers to informational topics that directly affect the lives of people with disabilities. Access Information includes any and all information related to bettering the lives of people who are blind, low vision, deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, neurodivergent and/or disabled. Access Information News is a Mind Vault Solutions, Ltd. Publication.


Access Information News is the world's leading not-for-profit access information news publication that reaches over 29,000 access professionals, educators and enthusiasts, all over the world, each week.

Access Information refers to informational topics that directly affect the lives of people with disabilities. Access Information includes any and all information related to bettering the lives of people who are blind, low vision, deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, neurodivergent and/or disabled.

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Access Information News is the world's leading not-for-profit access information news publication that reaches over 29,000 blind, low vision, deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, neurodivergent and/or disabled professionals, educators and enthusiasts, all over the world, each week. Subscribe here. Review the archive here. Access Information News is a Mind Vault Solutions, Ltd. Publication. Publisher: Aaron Di Blasi. Contributing Editors: John Hanlin, Jenna Lang and David Woodbridge. Access Information News is a sponsor and reader supported publication.

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