Whether permanent, temporary or as result of age, millions of Australians will experience a form of disability. How do we make tech more inclusive? Meet some of the innovators with lived experience of disability driving tech innovation in Australia.
The report, released this week by Ombudsman Michael Manthorpe, focuses on the agency’s handling of requests for assistive technologies and is part of several reviews by the Ombudsman into the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Since the NDIS was rolled out in 2013, the number of complaints about the agency received by the Commonwealth Ombudsman has increased each year.
This was the third session of the Advocacy Sector Conversations forum held on 30 July 2020. People with complex communication needs are often denied the right to make decisions about things in their lives that affect them. Just because a preference is expressed non-verbally doesn’t mean that communication isn’t happening. There are many ways to communicate other than speech and many ways we can support those who do not use speech to communicate. Dr Sheridan Forster and Dr Meredith Prain are both speech pathologists and researchers with many years experience working with people with complex and profound disabilities, including deafblindness. Both are accredited Video Interaction Guidance practitioners through the Association of Video Interaction Guidance UK , and both have used this approach to foster improved interactions and relationships between people with complex disabilities and the family members and staff who support them.
Ms Clabassi said she had finally been granted a disability support pension last month after a long battle with Centrelink. However, after applying to the NDIS to get extra help and equipment around the home, Ms Clabassi said she was rejected last month. “They are saying they can’t classify it as being a permanent disability. Then what the hell is it? Is it the cold? Is it the flu?” she said.
As our everyday world moves increasingly online, the digital landscape presents new challenges for ensuring accessibility for the blind. A recent court challenge against Domino’s pizza may be a watershed case guiding the rights of disabled people on the internet.
CAPTCHA security tests, or the “Completely Automated Public Turing Test, to Tell Computers and Humans Apart”, are not always accessible to people with disabilities — sometimes putting them, ridiculously, in the “robot” category.
If you’ve been following recent buzz in the gaming industry, you might be under the impression that video games are more accessible than they’ve ever been. Popular talking points include how video game audiences are increasingly large and diverse.
But despite the celebratory discourse around gaming’s increased accessibility, serious efforts to make gaming accessible to people living with disability remain rare.
When Huy Nguyen heads to the beach in his wheelchair, the sand is no longer a barrier. He simply pulls out prototype clip-on tracks for his wheelchair and pushes himself to the water’s edge.
Surrounded by other budding entrepreneurs at a startup incubator in Sydney’s inner-city, Oliver Morton-Evans is explaining how he is hoping to help stroke and spinal cord injury patients.
The inquiry has determined that there is considerable agreement around the need to develop less complex, nationally consistent rules and regulations relating to the use of motorised mobility devices. Based on evidence provided to the committee during its inquiry, the committee suggests that there is a high level of agreement amongst stakeholders in relation to…
A sold-out conference in Sydney has explored the human rights implications of unprecedented technological change, particularly its impact for people with disability.
The government’s failure to roll out technology that enables television access for 450,000 blind or visually impaired Australians appears to breach anti-discrimination laws, according to the disability commissioner.
Plastic straws are in the sights of environmental campaigners, but the push to ban this simple product could have unintended consequences. Utensils such as plastic straws serve an essential role in the daily lives of some people with physical disabilities, helping them to eat and drink. They are also used as tools to exercise the lungs.
ANZ has today started rolling out its new Visa debit cards, which include a range of accessibility features to assist vision-impaired Australians with their everyday banking needs. The bankannounced the cards back in November 2016 and was the first Australian financial institution to offer cards for vision-impaired customers.
Hearing dogs have improved the quality of life for seniors who are deaf or hard of hearing, minimising the impediments that often accompany those living with hearing impairments. However, planned cuts to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) may result in limited access for those who require a hearing dog.