# E-Access Bulletin – Issue 198, March 2018

e-Access Bulletin is produced with the support of [Thomas Pocklington
Trust](http://www.pocklington-trust.org.uk).

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## Issue 198 contents


### Section One: News

01: Boost UK industry through assistive tech, MPs and academics declare.
- Cross-parliamentary group talk tech and the UK Industrial Strategy.
02: 3D audio maps out the world in new app for visually impaired users.
- ‘Audio beacons’ and directional sound cues help users navigate
cities.

03: Online toolkit aims to shake up Hollywood’s diversity issues.
- Changing how people with disabilities are portrayed on-screen.



### Section Two: News in brief

04: Mapping Out – Wheelchair access routes in Google Maps;
05: Awards Season – Tech4Good Awards 2018 launched;
06: Embracing Human Diversity – accessible tech and human rights.

### Section Three: The Inbox – Readers’ forum

07: Literary Endeavours – Braille transcription request.

### Section Four: Report

08: Understanding screen-reader navigation – a tale of two rooms.
What is it really like to use a screen-reader? Ryan Jones
from accessibility agency The Paciello Group sets out a series of scenarios
to illustrate how screen-reading software perceives online content, and how
this can help in creating clearer web pages for all.
[Contents ends]




## Section One: News


### 01: Boost UK industry through assistive tech, MPs and academics declare

Driving economic growth through technology, the disability employment gap,
and robotics in healthcare were some of the topics discussed at the latest
meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technology
(APPGAT).

The aim of the meeting was to explore assistive technology in relation to
the UK Industrial Strategy, unveiled by the Government in November of last
year, which set out plans to boost the UK economy and industry. Key to the
strategy is £725 million of planned investment from an Industrial Strategy
Challenge Fund and four “grand challenges” that will affect global
development: artificial intelligence; clean growth; ageing society; and the
future of mobility.

Chaired by APPGAT co-chair and renowned Paralympian Lord Chris Holmes, the
meeting began with a panel of MPs (including the Minister of State for
Disabled People, Health and Work) and academics giving a short speech about
assistive technology, before a Q&amp;A session.

Hazel Harper from Innovate UK (the government’s technology and innovation
body) explained that £98 million of the Industrial Strategy’s funding
will go towards healthy ageing. She said: “Older people will be able to
lead fuller lives, supported by ‘smart home’ technology, wearable
devices and tech-enabled healthcare services. We need to develop products
and services that are desirable long before they are needed.”

Bill Esterson MP, Shadow Business and International Trade Minister, talked
about the value of exporting assistive technology. He said: “Assistive
technology is one of the UK’s success stories, but we can do so much more.
In a market where the World Health Organisation states that more than one
billion people need one or more assistive products, there is a huge
opportunity.”

Nigel Harris, chief executive of charity Designability, spoke about the need
to push assistive tech into the mainstream: “The biggest barrier we’re
facing is general public awareness of the benefits of assistive technology.
There is a reluctance to fund it and perceptions are often poor. Until we
can unlock this mainstream consumer market, we won’t fully realise the
potential.”

Professor Catharine Holloway, co-director of the Global Disability
Innovation Hub (GDI), talked about the GDI’s varied work with assistive
tech in the future of mobility, and related opportunities in the Industrial
Strategy. She said: “The UK has a pivotal role to play in scoping out what
the market for assistive tech will be globally.”

David Frank from Microsoft talked about artificial intelligence (AI),
stating that “Assistive technology is at its best when powered by AI, so
[Microsoft] was pleased to see that AI was a theme in the Industrial
Strategy.” He also pointed out that assistive tech isn’t just for those
with accessibility needs. He said: “It’s also about a wider use of
technology to empower all of us to be more productive at work or in our
private lives, and that’s something that the Industrial Strategy gets
at.”

Alex Burghart MP talked about assistive technology and employment, stating
that government needs to increase its expertise and “get up to speed on
what’s already out there.” In relation to the Industrial Strategy,
Burghart asked: “We have four ‘grand challenges’ – why not have
assistive technology running through all of them or alongside as an
additional challenge?”

Sarah Newton, Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work, also
stressed the need for assistive tech to be integrated into the Industrial
Strategy. She said: “It shouldn’t be a separate thing, it should be
embedded in everything we do, because it has the potential to transform so
many people’s lives.”

Newton also highlighted the fact that “there is still a very stubborn
disability employment gap,” before discussing the government’s Access to
Work scheme, which funds equipment for people with health conditions in
employment. Newton explained that “there’s no list which restricts how
Access to Work can be used … I’d be happy if people contact me to ask,
‘Why isn’t this [technology] on there?’ I don’t think it’s a list
with an end, because innovation is happening every day.”

Afterwards, questions from attendees covered a wide range of topics,
including the potential of robotics to assist in healthcare. One question
from the floor claimed that “Japan has announced that by 2020, four out of
five care recipients will be supported by robotic technology,” before
wondering if the UK could follow a similar ambition, in order to both
healthcare and the UK tech industry.

Elsewhere, there was discussion on the need for effective provision of
assistive technology in schools, with one attendee lamenting the lack of
training available for teachers in classrooms where assistive technology is
used.

[Read more about the UK Industrial Strategy at
GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/the-uks-industrial-strategy).

[Read more about the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technology
at the APPGAT website](http://www.policyconnect.org.uk/appgat/home).

[Comment on the ‘APPGAT and Industrial Strategy’ story now at e-Access
Bulletin Live](http://www.headstar.com/eablive/?p=1517).



### 02: 3D audio maps out the world in new app for visually impaired users

Soundscapes and audio landmarks are two of the features in an innovative new
navigation app designed for users with sight loss.

Designed by Microsoft, the Soundscape app maps out locations using 3D audio
to help users build a picture of their surroundings, allowing them to locate
specific places, such as restaurants, shops and specific addresses.

The 3D element provides various beneficial features, such as calling out
points of interest and street names as the user passes them, either on foot
or on public transport. Users are advised to wear a pair of stereo
headphones when using the app.

A key feature of Soundscape is the ‘audio beacons’ that users can set
at specific points. For example, a user might choose a café or known
address to set as a beacon. A ‘3D audio cue’ generated by the app then
tells users where this beacon is as they move around, with the sound
appearing to come from the direction of the beacon. This helps the user
create a mental picture of their surroundings and allows them to navigate
towards familiar locations.

Speaking to e-Access Bulletin, Jarnail Chudge, an Innovation Architect at
Microsoft, said that the app differs from traditional “turn-by-turn
navigation” technologies. He said: “Soundscape is different, in that it
helps people build a mental appreciation of their environment, empowering
their own way-finding choices. It’s about giving a person choice rather
than prescribing the direction they take.”

Microsoft point out that Soundscape is not meant to act as a sole form of
navigation and is intended to complement other methods, such as a guide dog
and cane. Chudge said: “People still need to develop the skills to travel
around safely and take part in mobility training. Our work with Guide Dogs
and other partners shows that when using Soundscape, people still make key
decisions, such as when to cross a road, what route to take and where they
want to travel.”

The app includes other more traditional mapping features, such as the
‘Around me’ and ‘Ahead of me’ functions, which describe points of
interest surrounding and in front of where the app is being used.

Microsoft worked with Guide Dogs UK and [LightHouse for the Blind and
Visually Impaired](http://lighthouse-sf.org/) to help develop the app and
ensure that it was tested by visually impaired users.

[Read more about the Soundscape app at the Microsoft Research
website](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/product/soundscape/).

[Comment on the ‘Microsoft Soundscape app’ story now at e-Access
Bulletin Live](http://www.headstar.com/eablive/?p=1512).



### 03: Online toolkit aims to shake up Hollywood’s diversity issues

A free online resource has been launched to help the film and entertainment
industries hire more people with disabilities.

Created by non-profit organisation RespectAbility, the Hollywood Disability
Inclusion Toolkit features information on specific disabilities, details
about apps that can benefit users different conditions, a documentary on
‘the evolution of disability in entertainment’, best practice examples
of disability represented in TV and film, and links to organisations that
can help with hiring people with disabilities.

Lauren Appelbaum, one of the toolkit’s authors and RespectAbility’s
Communications Director, told e-Access Bulletin that people with
disabilities had “consistently been overlooked” in Hollywood, despite
consumers with disabilities representing a $1 billion segment of the market.

Appelbaum explained that, as well as helping to shape a more
diverse entertainment industry, the toolkit aims to improve how people with
disabilities are portrayed in film: “Storytellers often make glaring, yet
easy to avoid, errors when covering our community,” she said. “A judge
can be in a wheelchair, a barista can have Down’s syndrome and a teacher
can have one arm – all without the focus being on the fact they have a
disability. TV and film will be much more authentic when every crowd shot
includes people with visible disabilities.”

The hope is that the toolkit will create wider hiring of people with
disabilities throughout the entertainment industry, both on-screen and
behind the scenes. “People with disabilities need to be in the writers’
room, behind the cameras and on set as actors in the same proportions that
exist in life,” Appelbaum said.

The guide also features advice on using appropriate terminology and
‘etiquette’ when working with people with disabilities, as well as links
to advocacy organisations (such as the National Arts &amp; Disability
Center) and specialist performance groups, such as the National Theatre of
the Deaf, Actors for Autism and a Facebook page building a database of
trained actors with disabilities looking for work.

Feedback on the toolkit so far has been “really positive,” Appelbaum
said, with many people from the entertainment industry sharing the resource
over social media: “I have received calls and emails from production
companies asking for more information and opportunities to collaborate. The
most common request is to review a script to ensure they are using the
correct lexicon.”

Additional resources will continue to be added to the toolkit in future.

[Read the Hollywood Disability Inclusion Toolkit in full at the
RespectAbility
website](https://www.respectability.org/hollywood-inclusion/).

[Comment on the ‘Hollywood Disability Inclusion Toolkit’ story at
e-Access Bulletin Live](http://www.headstar.com/eablive/?p=1508).

[Section One ends]



## Section Two: News in brief


### 04: Mapping Out

Wheelchair-accessible route information has been introduced to Google Maps
for six cities: London, New York, Tokyo, Mexico City, Boston and Sydney. To
find the new feature (available on both desktop and mobile versions of
Google Maps), users input a destination and tap ‘directions’, then
‘public transport’. In the ‘Options’ menu under ‘Route options’,
‘Wheelchair accessible’ can then be selected. Wheelchair users and
advocacy groups have welcomed the move, but stress that its effectiveness
depends on accurate transport data from authorities.

[Read more about wheelchair accessible maps at the Google
Blog](https://www.blog.google/products/maps/introducing-wheelchair-accessible-routes-transit-navigation/).



### 05: Awards Season

The 2018 AbilityNet Tech4Good Awards have launched and nominations for
individuals or organisations are open. Now in its eighth year, the event
celebrates innovative uses of digital technology to help others, with
categories including accessibility, digital health and digital skills. Last
year’s winners included the world’s first multi-line Braille e-reader
and an online charity that connects parents of children with disabilities.

[Read more about the awards, including entry details, at the Tech4Good
website](https://www.tech4goodawards.com/).



### 06: Embracing Human Diversity

An article on how accessible technology can help enable human rights has
been published as part of a new ‘think piece’ series on technology and
sustainable development, launched by the United Nations Research Institute
for Social Development (UNRISD). The article, titled ‘Embracing Human
Diversity: Policies and Enabling Factors for Accessible Technologies’, was
written by Alejandro Moledo, from the European Disability Forum, and
examines universal design and ICT accessibility within the EU.

[Read the article on accessible technology and human rights at the UNRISD
website](http://www.unrisd.org/TechAndHumanRights-Moledo).

[Section Two ends]



## Notice: Thomas Pocklington Trust

E-Access Bulletin is brought to you with the kind support of Thomas
Pocklington Trust, a national charity delivering positive change for people
with sight loss. Find out more about their work at the [Thomas Pocklington
Trust website](http://www.pocklington-trust.org.uk).

[Notice ends]



## Section Three: The Inbox – Readers’ Forum


### 07: Literary Endeavours

Long-time Bulletin reader and regular correspondent Anthony Bernard gets in
contact to ask about book transcription services:

“I have become interested in classical languages and have downloaded a
book called ‘Greek Grammar in a Nutshell.’ I would like to have it
transcribed into Braille. Does anyone know of any transcription services
that can undertake the task at low cost?”

Send any tips for Anthony – plus any other questions, comments and
responses – to:
[eaccessbulletin@gmail.com](mailto:eaccessbulletin@gmail.com).

[Section Three ends]



## Notice: RNIB Connect Radio and e-Access Bulletin

E-Access Bulletin will be appearing on RNIB Connect Radio each month on The
Early Edition programme. Hear more about the Bulletin and upcoming content
appearing in each issue, as we discuss the latest accessible technology news
and readers’ questions with Allan Russell.

Episodes will be available after broadcast as podcasts from the RNIB Connect
Radio site. Listen to RNIB Connect Radio online or via television,
smartphone or radio. Find more information about the Early Edition at the
[RNIB Connect Radio
website](http://www.insightradio.co.uk/early-edition.html#.Wm3FxJOFiRs).

[Notice ends]



## Section Four: Report


### 08: Understanding screen-reader navigation – a tale of two rooms

By Ryan Jones.

[Editor’s note: This is an edited version of an article originally
published by The Paciello Group, an international accessibility agency. The
original post is linked to at the end of this article. Its author, Ryan
Jones, is a project manager and trainer at The Paciello Group.]

For those of us who use screen-reading software such as JAWS, NVDA, or
VoiceOver to access information on the web, the user experience can be quite
different from those who can visually see the content. One of my goals
throughout the many accessibility-focused training classes I have led has
been to help others more accurately understand what it is like for someone
using screen-reading software to navigate through a web page.

It is commonplace for most people to want to jump straight into the
technical details, such as: what keystrokes do I press? Which screen-reader
should I test with? What browser should I use?

While these are all important considerations, it is best to first step back
and ask: “What is the experience like and how can I simulate that
experience if I can see the screen?”

I would like to present several illustrations that have been effective for
communicating answers to that question.



#### An open door

Let’s set the stage for our first illustration. Imagine you have just
opened a door and are looking into a large conference room. In the centre of
the room is a large conference table with ten chairs (five on each side of
the table). Seated at the table are two men and two women. All four people
are seated at the same side of the table (they are facing the door you are
standing at). On the far side of the room (behind the people seated at the
table) are three large windows that look out over a courtyard with benches,
flowers, and small trees. On the right side of the room is a counter with a
coffee pot and microwave sitting on it. The left side of the room has a
large flat screen television mounted on the wall.

Assuming you are not already familiar with the layout of this room, what is
the first thing you would do after opening the door? Some of you might
visually scan the room from left to right. Some might scan from right to
left. Others might first look at the table in the centre and then scan the
perimeter of the room. No matter how you do it, most of you would in some
way scan the room with your eyes to get a quick sense of the layout and
contents. The scan might only take a couple of seconds and most of you
won’t even realise you did it. You might then focus in on certain elements
of interest, such as the people sitting at the table or the television.



#### A darkened room

Now, let’s reimagine the scene. This time when you open the door, the room
is completely dark. No light is present and you can see absolutely nothing
at first glance. But you have been given a small flashlight. When you switch
it on, the light allows you to see a small area at a time. The area you can
see is a small circle about two feet in diameter.

How would you now observe the contents of the room?

Some of you might move the light back and forth from left to right, starting
at your feet and moving away from you. Some of you might start from the back
of the room and move the light toward you, while others might randomly point
the light at various places in the room with no pattern. As you move the
light around the room you will need to build a mental map or image of what
is in the room and how it is laid out. Building this mental map will take
significantly longer than visually scanning the room, when all the lights
were on. As you move the flashlight around, you will need to remember each
thing you have seen and how they all relate together. If you forget where
something is located, it will take more time to locate it.

For example, was the counter with the coffee pot on the right side of the
room or was it in the back? How many people were sitting at the table? Was
it four or five?

Answering these questions when you can see the entire room at once will take
little effort, but answering them when you can only see a small area at a
time will take much longer.



#### An analogous scenario

This second scenario is analogous to how a screen-reader user reviews a web
page or smartphone app.

While keyboard commands or touch gestures can move the screen-reading
software around the page, it is only possible to read one thing at a time.
There is no way for the visually impaired user to get a quick (one-to-three
second) overview of the page, similar to what someone who can see the screen
might do.

Fortunately, if accessible page navigation techniques such as headings or
regions are used, this can help the user focus in on certain areas of the
page.

Stepping back to our dark room scenario from above, imagine there are now
small red dots of light on key elements in the room, such as the table,
counter, television and each person sitting at the table. You still have to
use the flashlight to look around, but the red dots give you an idea of
where the most important things might be located.

Another significant challenge that screen-reader users may face is
dynamically changing content on a page. Returning to our light and dark room
examples from above, pretend that one of the men gets up and moves to the
other side of the table. There are now two women and one man on one side of
the table, and one man on the other side. In the lit room example, you would
most likely notice the movement as it happens.

Even if you weren’t looking directly at the man who moved, you would
probably notice movement out of the corner of your eye and then turn to see
what was happening. In our dark room scenario it would be very difficult to
know that anything happened unless you happened to have the flashlight beam
directly on the man who moved at the exact right time. It is more likely you
would never know he moved until later, when you might move the light over
the chair he vacated.

This, in effect, is what happens when page content changes but does not
alert screen-reading software. The user may never know that something
changed on the page unless they happen to move across the new information
and realise that it is now different.

This challenge is best solved by ensuring that dynamic content uses
techniques such as alerts or live regions, which cause the screen-reading
software to announce the updated information to the user.

In our dark room scenario above, the man might verbally announce that he is
moving from one side of the table to the other. Even if your light wasn’t
on him, you would hear the announcement and better understand what is
changing.

In one final illustration, let’s take the windows that look out to the
courtyard. In the lighted room scenario you would be able to quickly see
that the windows face a courtyard with benches, flowers and trees. But in
the dark room example, even if you pointed the light at the windows, you
would not be able to see what was outside. This illustrates visual elements,
such as images that do not have a text label associated with them.

For example, screen-reading software can identify that an image is present
on a page, but the only way it can communicate information about the image
is through the alternative text label that can be assigned. Without the text
label, the screen-reader user would have no idea what the image is showing.
In our dark room example, a sign might be placed next to the windows with a
description of what appears outside. When you locate the windows with your
light, you would then be able to read the sign.



#### Better understanding

One of the best ways to understand the screen-reader user experience is to
try it yourself. It is certainly advantageous to try using screen-reading
software to navigate web page content. In addition, though, here is a simple
exercise to simulate the scenarios above.

1. Print out a paper copy of a web page. I recommend one that is not too
large, but contains a variety of elements, such as text, links, menus, etc.

2. Find a blank sheet of paper and make a small hole in the centre of it.
The hole should be about the size of two or three words (around half an inch
in diameter is usually sufficient).

3. Place the paper with the hole in it over the printout of the web page and
try making sense of what is there. Slide the paper with the hole in it
around, in order to read the contents of the web page print out below.

It will probably be very difficult and time-consuming to understand what is
on the page, but this gives you a general idea of what it is like for a
screen-reader user, especially if no page navigation techniques are used.
[Editor’s note: this is an edited version of an article from The Paciello
Group. Read the original version at [The Paciello Group’s
website.](https://developer.paciellogroup.com/blog/2018/01/a-tale-of-two-rooms-understanding-screen-reader-navigation/)]

[Comment on the ‘Screen-reader navigation’ story at e-Access Bulletin
Live](http://www.headstar.com/eablive/?p=1510).

[Section Four ends]



## End Notes


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### Staff

Editor: Tristan Parker
Technical Director: Jake Jellinek
Accessibility Advisor: Dr. Nick Freear
ISSN 1476-6337.

ISSUE 198 ends.