This Month's Roundup Powered by: Abercrombie & Fitch Co.

Welcome to Disability: IN’s monthly round-up of digital accessibility news for December.

At Disability:IN we know that digital accessibility impacts all aspects of disability inclusion. If you have questions about our digital accessibility program, please contact Jeff Wissel, our Chief Accessibility Officer.

Just in time for the holiday gift-giving season! Check out the Disability:IN Disability-Owned Business Enterprises Holiday Gift Guide.

The Disability:IN Supplier Diversity program is the leading third-party certifier of disability-owned business enterprises (DOBE®s), including Veteran Disability-Owned Business Enterprises (V-DOBE®s) and Service-Disabled Veteran Disability-Owned Business Enterprises (SDV-DOBE®s)

JP Morgan Chase has signed onto the Procure Access Statement!

We are pleased to announce that JP Morgan Chase has signed onto the Disability:IN Procure Access Statement. The addition of JP Morgan Chase makes twenty-one companies who are participating in the Procure Access Initiative to collaborate with other buyers and sellers to prioritize accessibility in the procurement process. To learn more, visit the Procure Access initiative.

Disability:IN Partners Use Technology to Enhance Identification and Location of Products We Use Every Day

• In 2021, P&G launched Pantene Pro-V Miracles line with NaviLens in the UK

• In 2022, P&G launched new packaging for Ariel PODs, called Eco-Clic. It is an accessible and sustainable cardboard box that is adult-friendly and child safe. It features tactile markings to help vision-impaired users identify the purpose of the product at home as laundry, but also features NaviLens to help users find the item on the shelf and learn more about it.

Coca-Cola has become the first drinks business to launch on-pack technology for visually impaired customers.

In partnership with Navilens, the FMCG giant has rolled out codes across 24x330ml and 30x330ml packs of its Christmas can multipacks, allowing customers to scan the code using their mobile phones.

From up to four meters, the code allows customers to find out the information via the code even when unfocused. https://www.grocerygazette.co.uk/2022/11/02/coca-cola-visual/

The news comes as Kellogg’s announcement to permanently add technology to its cereal boxes to make them accessible to blind and partially sighted people.

The new boxes will allow a smartphone to easily detect a unique on-pack code and playback labeling information to shoppers with sight loss.

Digital Accessibility Information and Resources

The Disability:IN digital accessibility team knows that the amount of accessibility resources can be overwhelming. Each month we share just a few of the many free resources from our Resource Library, our blog, our partners, or other sources that we think are great. Don’t forget to explore the Disability:IN Resource Library where you can filter resources by “accessibility” and find content created by Disability:IN and our partners.

Here are some resource suggestions for this month. If you are a Disability:IN partner and would like your accessibility resources featured in our monthly roundup, please let us know at [email protected].

Other accessibility highlights for this month are:

Zoom Launches new Sign Language Interpretation View

Zoom Video Conference launched a new feature offering more viewing capabilities when using Sign Language Interpreters.

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/9644962487309-Managing-sign-language-interpretation

Microsoft Teams Announces New Sign Language View

Microsoft announces sign language view, a new meeting experience in Microsoft Teams that empowers signers — people who are Deaf/hard of hearing, interpreters, and others who use sign language — to keep one another prioritized on center stage, in a consistent location, throughout every meeting: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-teams-blog/introducing-sign-language-view-for-teams-meetings/ba-p/3671257

26 New Accessibility Tools on iPhone

While it is not usually the first thing everyone looks at after installing a new iOS software update, I would give the new accessibility features on your iPhone priority attention because there are some highly valuable tools that even users without disabilities can enjoy. https://ios.gadgethacks.com/how-to/your-iphone-has-26-new-accessibility-tools-you-shouldnt-ignore-0385071/

Audible Now Works Independently on Apple Watch with Streaming and One-Tap Downloads

Amazon’s Audible has delivered a valuable update for Apple Watch users. Shifting away from the reliance on a connection with your iPhone, the popular audiobook app now works independently on Apple Watch for both streaming and downloading content: https://9to5mac.com/2022/11/17/audible-apple-watch-streaming/

New Mix-And-Match Computer Accessories Give People with Disabilities Easier Ways to Work and Create

These wireless accessories can replace or augment a traditional mouse and keyboard for users with limited mobility or anyone who wants to use a PC more easily and efficiently: https://news.microsoft.com/features/new-mix-and-match-computer-accessories-give-people-with-disabilities-easier-ways-to-work-and-create/

AI Language Models Show Bias Against People with Disabilities, Study Finds

Algorithms that drive natural language processing technology — a type of artificial intelligence that allows machines to use text and spoken words in many different applications — often have tendencies that could be offensive or prejudiced toward individuals with disabilities, according to researchers at the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST). https://www.psu.edu/news/information-sciences-and-technology/story/ai-language-models-show-bias-against-people-disabilities/

Over 300 RBC Bank Branches Across Canada Now Offer Greater Independence for Canadians with Vision Loss

305 RBC branches (about 25% of the Canadian network) recently introduced the BlindSquare app to their customers to offer greater independence for those with vision loss. It is estimated that 1.5 million Canadians identify as having some form of sight loss, which can be a barrier when entering unfamiliar locations such as shops, banks, new streets, etc. RBC has taken the innovative stance to change this with their recent integration with BlindSquare. https://www.blindsquare.com/2022/11/01/over-300-rbc-bank-branches-across-canada-now-offer-greater-independence-for-canadians-with-vision-loss

Air B&B Launches New Adaptive Category to Filter for a Collection of Homes Designed for Wheelchair Access

They partnered with Matterport to conduct 3D scans in all these homes to verify features such as threshold heights and doorway widths. And with clear images and floorplans on each listing, it will now be so much easier to confidently book somewhere says. https://www.axios.com/2022/11/16/airbnb-adapted-wheelchair-travel

Github Is Experimenting with A New Way to Let Programmers Create Code with Their Voice Inside Copilot

This system, now available in VS (Visual Studio) Code, will make it possible to control an IDE (Integrated Development Environment) with your voice. It has accessibility benefits for coders: https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/9/23449175/hey-github-voice-copilot-code-programming-system.

T-Mobile Shares MagentaA11y.Com, an Open Resource Accessibility Checker

Before your apps go live, simplify accessibility testing with MagentaA11y.com.

With accessibility requirements for Web, iOS and Android apps, MagentaA11y.com provides an intuitive way for teams to get accessibility right during development.

MagentaA11y is open-sourced and maintained by the T-Mobile Accessibility Resource Center.

Other Digital Accessibility Conferences and Events