New information is added to the PhoneAbility website regularly. News of general interest follows here, with more detail in the News section. Technical information and news about accessibility can be found in the members' secure section.
Go to the Members' Section to view PhoneAbility's response to the 2011 Review of the GARI Database; the Ofcom Consultation on the Review of Relay Services; and the DCMS Consultation on Appeals, as well as notes on Ed Vaizey's Round Table Discussion on Relay Services.
The Vodafone Smart Accessibility Awards is a new contest to promote the development of IT Applications to improve the lives of those with disabilities and those people who are older. More at http://developer.vodafone.com/smartaccess2011/
According to the latest communications market report from regulator Ofcom, the UK’s communications market has been totally transformed in the last decade. The report is here.
Media regulator Ofcom is proposing to help phone users with hearing and/or speech impairments by improving text relay services and introducing video relay for British Sign Language (BSL) users. The consultation is here.
This year's Parliamentary report on R&D in assistive technology (AT) has been published on the Department of Health website here and is available on the FAST website, together with previous reports, via this link.
PhoneAbility has responded to the Secretary of State's Open Letter inviting views on aspects of developments in digital communications in advance of the preparation of the new Communications Bill. More details in the members' section.
The Cardiac project is developing a roadmap for research on accessible user interfaces. More details in the members' section
The European Research Area in Ageing (ERA-AGE 2) has launched Europe’s first joint research programme in the ageing field by publishing a call for multidisciplinary research applications on “Active and Healthy Ageing Across the Life Course”. More details in the members' section
eHealth Week 2012 will take place in Copenhagen on May 7 till May 9 2012. More details in the Members' section
To develop a common European approach on accessibility of self-servce terminals, a working group has been formed to develp appropriate guidelines and standards. The group will also address the use of mobile phones to access services. Anyone interested in joining this group should contact Julian Jones juliang.jones@btinternet.com
The Cardiac project has updated the list of standards relating to accessibility of information and communication technology systems and has also published details of standards under development in this area – see members' secure section for links
A workshop directed at companies whose business involves the development of software components or complete solutions for AAL (Ambient Assisted Living) is being held in Brussels o 7 June. More details in the News section
