The A360 Blog

Interview with Michael Malver

March 20, 2018 Sam Graves

Spotlight

Accessible360 periodically showcases a digital superuser with personal insights into the digital landscape and assistive technology. By getting to know them, we learn more about the importance of digital accessibility, borrow their knowledge, and gain insights into important personal preferences. Michael Malver, Accessibility Engineer Would you tell us a little about yourself? I have been using adaptive technology for over 30 years to access computers. I graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Arts in music therapy, and later obtained an AAS degree in computer programming.

One Device to Rule Them All

February 22, 2018 Aaron Page

News

In the past, persons with disabilities often required a wide array of different devices to accomplish various tasks, such as separate devices to identify colors, to identify paper currency, or to read paper documents. Each of these devices served a necessary and unique function, but were usually expensive, and - unless they chose to carry all of their devices around all the time – weren’t always readily available to the user. With the proliferation of mobile devices and accessibility apps, this is thankfully no longer the case.

An Overview of ADA Education and Reform Act: A Threat to Civil Rights

February 14, 2018 Sam Graves

News

A person who uses a power wheelchair driving it on the sidewalk

A few months ago, Congress introduced a bill called the ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017, or H.R. 620. If signed into law, H.R. 620 would require all people with disabilities who wish to file a lawsuit “to first provide written notice to the business owners in violation of the law.” Business owners then would have “60 days to acknowledge the violation and another 120 days to at least make ‘substantial progress’ toward resolving the issue. This would mean that people with disabilities would have to wait much longer for the outcome of the lawsuit.

Promote A360 By Writing a Google Review!

February 13, 2018 Sam Graves

Screenshot of Accessible360 Google Review webpage

Accessible360 provides great services to so many people. For example, A360 provides free work to non-profits. A360’s great work was also featured on Kare 11 a few months ago.

These are a few reasons to write a positive Google Review for A360 and help further promote our company. To write a Google Review for A360, simply type “Accessible360” into Google and click “Write A Review,” which is located about halfway down the right side of the page on a computer (see image to the right, with red box around “Write A Review”). You will then be asked to rate A360 and write a brief review.

Support Louie McGee Today!

February 5, 2018 Sam Graves

News

Louie McGee on ski hill standing next to ski guide for visually impaired

A360 is asking all people to support Louie McGee, a young man who is blind and who has formed a relationship with A360 over the past year. Louie is planning to compete in the full IronMan triathlon this fall in Madison, Wisconsin.

The 21st Century: The Blind Person's Information Age

January 24, 2018 Harrison Tu

Louis Braille, founder of the Braille system of reading and writing for the blind

No world is perfect. However, if you were to have to live your life blind, the twenty-first century would be the best time to live. Services and assistance for people who are blind are better than they ever were before, especially when it comes to the amount of information we have access to. We have computers, mobile phones, braille, and so many other things that blind people simply did not have 500, or 200, or even 20 years ago.

Deadline Extended for Free Windows 10 Assistive Technology Update!

January 11, 2018 Sam Graves

The Tobii Eye Tracker 4c, eye tracking hardware that works with the built in support provided by the Windows 10 Fall Creators update

Good news, assistive technology users! The deadline to get the free Windows 10 Fall Creators update, which is available for assistive technology users of Windows 7 and higher and includes eye tracking support, has been extended to January 16, 2018 (next Tuesday)! Originally, the deadline to upgrade was December 31, 2017.

How to Design Your Website/Mobile App for Accessibility

December 19, 2017 Sam Graves

News
Tech

Posters explaning the "do's and don'ts" of designing websites/mobile apps for users with disabilities

We would like to share a useful article on the “do’s and don’ts on designing for accessibility.” In other words, the article summarizes what web/mobile app designers should and should not do to make their websites/mobile apps fully accessible. The article talks about important accessibility features to consider for each type of disability, such as using simple language for users on the autism spectrum, and including subtitles on videos for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Try the Tobii Eye Tracker 4c Today!

November 29, 2017 Sam Graves

Here at A360, we recently tried the Tobii Eye Tracker 4c eye tracking hardware that monitors both eye and head movement and allows a user to control their PC using only their eyes. We weren’t very successful using the 4c as a productivity tool, as it takes some skill coupled with some practice to gain accurate control! Still, the 4c shows a lot of promise and is a ton of fun to play with. The device is marketed entirely as gaming hardware, but at a fairly affordable pricepoint of $150, the Tobii 4c is also a very interesting a11y device.

Accessible360 Featured in Twin Cities Business Magazine

November 27, 2017 Sam Graves

TCB Magazine features A360 and our friends at First Scribe! The article does a particularly good job of explaining the need for digital accessibility and the problems that can occur when businesses ignore their customers who use assistive technology.

How Minneapolis-based Accessible360 is Updating the Internet