Early last year, I had the pleasure of attending the launch of Telstra’s new 2017-2019 Disability Inclusion Plan. I was familiar with Telstra’s commitment to disability employment, but was not aware of the other ways in which the company was committed to creating a more accessible and inclusive community. Following the launch, I wanted to
A11y Voices Archive
Navigation Through the Nations: Transit Using Zoom
By Peggy Soo In this day and age we use our phones for just about everything. We check our emails, the time, how much we exercise (or not!), our social media account or just to read a book. I think the only thing my phone can’t do is make my bed or cook my dinner!
Navigation Through the Nations: Expedia
Up until about a year ago, I’ve always preferred to book flights and accommodation over the phone. Even then, that can sometimes feel like a chore. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve called an airline to inform them that I will require assistance because I’m blind, to then be told by the customer service
Inclusive and Accessible Games: Introduction
I was never into games as a kid. I’d go to friends’ houses and they would play games such as Mario and the Legend of Zelda on their Nintendo’s. Kids would get into trouble in class for playing with their Gameboys. When I tried to participate in game play, I quickly became bored. The music
Navigation Through the Nations: Edmonton, Canada
By Wade The Canadian transit landscape is a patchwork quilt of public and privately run systems that often don’t communicate, but things are looking up. A prime example of accessible systems that didn’t used to mesh is my hometown, Edmonton Alberta. For about 20 years, I lived in a suburb of Edmonton called St. Albert,
Navigation Through the Nations: Perth, Western Australia
By Grace I have lived in a variety of places in my life including a medium sized college city called Madison Wisconsin, a little town called Wausau, The fairly large city of Denver Colorado and finally Perth Western Australia. I have to say that of all of the places I have lived, Perth has the
Navigation Through the Nations: a Travel Toolbox
When I travel, I often use multiple apps to plan my journey, to check a timetable on the fly, or find out what station I’m at when there are no audible announcements. The simplest way for me to look up a timetable is with an app called MelbournePT, developed by Steam Film. At the time
Low Vision: mobile adaption on iPhone
A thing that is often forgotten by people who don’t directly work in accessibility is that computer accessibility isn’t just about blind folk using screen readers. There’s a wild and wacky world of many varying and intersecting disabilities: no vision, low vision, deafness, hardness of hearing, cognitive problems, difficulty with fine motor control, language skills,
Navigation Through the Nations: Introduction
Prior to 1901, when a person who was blind wished to travel interstate by rail or boat in Australia, they were required to pay an astronomical travel bond of 400 pounds. Thanks to the tireless work of little known advocate and pioneer Tilly Aston – who had been blind since the age of seven – this bond was eventually
Confessions of a PA: the Complexities of Tracking Time
I’m not just talking about those moments when it’s late in the afternoon and your sugar and caffeine high is wearing off. You stare vaguely at the computer screen for what seems like an eternity – but it’s only been five minutes – trying to focus on writing a blog post. What I am talking