DisABILITY Accessibility Information Resources

October - December 2004
Number 30

e-Bility News is a bi-monthly newsletter distributed by e-Bility Inclusive IT. It presents information on updates to e-Bility's web site, news about disability related issues on the Web, as well as other information of general interest to the disability and health sector.

Thank you all for your continued support, feedback and input to e-Bility. This has been a record year with over 545,000 visits (around 3 million hits) and still a month to go!

What's new on e-Bility.com?

Brochure Stand

Berkana: Berkana cottage was built in 2000 by and for an electric wheelchair user, using a universal design philosophy. The owner has recently moved to Sydney and the cottage is now available for holiday letting. Situated in the scenic World Heritage Blue Mountains, Berkana is close to many accessible attractions, restaurants and outdoor activities. The fresh mountain air and relaxing atmosphere make this the perfect summer vacation getaway.

Articles

Beyond Appearances - Architecture and the senses: This article is the transcript from a fascinating interview aired on Radio National's The Comfort Zone. "If there is a bias in western culture towards one sense over the others then that sense is sight. And the ocular bias is nowhere more evident than in contemporary architecture, where appearances seem to mean everything. So has architecture's potential to stimulate other senses largely been ignored? Meanwhile, in a world where buildings are predominantly judged by what they look like, how does someone without sight measure whether a building is a good building or a bad one?" [quote from Radio National web site].

Taking the "dis" out of disabled!: Kimberly, founder of Canine and Abled, tells the story of her motor vehicle accident, her feelings of loss following a head injury and how she met her companion Dewey. Together they set out on a mission to abolish access denial and vowed to open hearts and doors to persons with disabilities who rely upon the assistance of service animals.

Book Reviews

Success Stories: Sandbox Learning has a collection of printable social skills books that allow you to customize the text and illustrations to look like your child or students. The features of the child as well as the text can be altered to include his or her name, teachers, or other pertinent information, as well as different methods of communication.

Nick's Gallery: Nick's Gallery is a tribute to Nick, Barney's best friend, who has muscular dystrophy. Nick is dying and the story is about how each of the main characters comes to terms with this possibility and how Barney deals with his grief. Their story, despite the sadness, is positive and celebrates life. Gill James wrote Nick's Gallery to help teenagers in a similar situation, who may also have lost someone close to them, to better understand their own feelings.

What's new on the WWW?

"Missed Business" - a missed opportunity: "Missed Business" provides practical advice on how small businesses can make their premises or services more accessible and user-friendly for mature-aged Australians and people with disabilities and their families. Recently launched by Marrickville Council in New South Wales and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, this excellent publication is freely available to local business associations, community groups and individual businesses.

Christmas cards making a difference: If you live in Sydney you can't go past the Goodwill Charity Card Shop in Bathurst Street. The card shop comprises twelve Australian charities who each supply their own unique range of Christmas cards. There is a great choice in price and design, with all the proceeds returned to the charity. (There may be similar card shops in other cities too).

DO-IT Training Videos: DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking & Technology) offers a large collection of educational videotapes that can be used in training. They relate to people with disabilities, assistive technology, accessible information technology, college transition, faculty training, career preparation, and accessible campus services. The videos are freely available in streaming format or can be purchased in VHS. Each is open-captioned and audio-described.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0: Call for review: The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) have issued a new Working Draft of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) as well as four supporting documents (published 19 November 2004). WCAG 2.0 addresses accessibility of Web content for people with disabilities. It will apply to a wider range of Web technologies than WCAG 1.0 and is intended to be understandable to a wider audience. Feedback is welcomed and should be sent to the public comments mailing list by 3 January 2005: public-comments-wcag20@w3.org

Joke Master (switch adapted): RJ Cooper & Associates have recently adapted the Joke Master for switch use. Simply push Joke Master Junior's nose and he'll tell one of over a hundred best kid's jokes. There are 2 switch inputs. One for telling a new joke, and another for repeating the last.

Talking Communities: Talking Communities who power the Our Place live chat portal at ACB Radio are seeking users of platforms other than Windows to beta test technology which may make it possible for users of these platforms to access the ACB Radio Our Place Portal. So if you don't use Windows, and would like to access Our Place and iVocalise, then this is for you.

Tiny URL: Depending on how a web site is constructed, the web page address can sometimes be very long. This can create usability problems when emailing the link or posting the link in newsletters, causing the recipient to have to cut and paste it back together or carefully type in every character. The Tiny URL web site offers a solution that allows you to create a (free) short link address that will not break in email postings and never expires.