giants last year sought to address the needs of people with disabilities
shows that Apple's <https://9to5mac.com/guides/accessibility/>
accessibility record is better than that of most companies - but did make
things worse in one respect.
The piece summarizes the accessibility wins and losses of
<https://9to5mac.com/guides/aapl/> Apple, Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft,
and Twitter .
<https://www.engadget.com/accessibility-in-tech-2021-report-card-apple-googl
e-microsoft-amazon-facebook-meta-twitter-210034415.html> Engadget says that
Apple continues to lead the way in inclusive design.
In addition to updating its screen reader, VoiceOver, to enable better
descriptions of images for the visually impaired, Apple also launched
several new products. In May, it rolled out a service called SignTime, which
allowed customers to engage sign language interpreters on demand when
communicating with customer service representatives (via their browsers at
least). The feature is available in the US, UK and France and supports
American, British or French sign languages in their respective countries.
Apple also introduced Assistive Touch for the Watch this year, allowing for
touch-free interaction with its wearable. The idea is that users can clench
their fists or pinch their fingers together to navigate the smartwatch. In
practice, Assistive Touch took some learning, and it still may not be
feasible for those who don't have the dexterity or strength to clench their
fists to trigger the "double clench" action. But it's a start, and one that
few other smartwatches offer [.]
Apple also added improvements for hearing aid users with iPhones this year,
allowing for bi-directional communication. This means that those who connect
compatible hearing aids to their iPhones no longer have to use their
handset's mic to be heard by their callers - the hearing aid can pick up the
speaker's voice, too. So far, Starkey and ReSound have released compatible
"made for iPhone" devices.
On macOS, Apple also made it possible to customize the outline and fill
color of the cursor so those with visual impairments can more easily tell
when the mouse moves or changes shape. The company also expanded its
keyboard shortcuts to allow users to control everything on a Mac with a
keyboard (no need for a mouse or trackpad).
Finally, Apple added tools for developers using SwiftUI to make their apps
more accessible. With this simplified workflow, there are now fewer
obstacles in the way when trying to make more inclusive products.
The American Council of the Blind did, however, draw attention to one
failure on Apple's part.
Unfortunately, when Apple released iOS 15, it removed some features from
Siri that were "used by many individuals for accessibility purposes,"
according to Clark Rachfal. He's the director of advocacy and governmental
affairs for the American Council of the Blind. Rachfal told Engadget that
users "could no longer access their calling history, voicemails, emails and
messages through Siri" when the OS was updated. The council and its members
alerted Apple of these issues, he said, adding that the company said it's
working on "restoring this functionality to Siri."
It's worth
<https://www.engadget.com/accessibility-in-tech-2021-report-card-apple-googl
e-microsoft-amazon-facebook-meta-twitter-210034415.html> reading the full
piece to see how the other big tech companies compare.
Ben Lovejoy - 9to5mac
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