Media Access Australia podcasts

Media Access Australia's Director of Digital Accessibility, Dr Scott Hollier, recently presented on developments in accessible technology for people who are blind or vision impaired at the Blind Citizens Australia National Convention on 10 October. In this podcast, Dr Hollier discusses the legacy of assistive technologies such as screen readers, the availability of accessibility features in popular operating systems including Windows, iOS and Android, and the potential benefits of wearable technology and the Internet of Things for consumers.

Media Access Australia CEO, Alex Varley, recently attended and presented at the Media for All International Conference at the University of Western Sydney, with presentations from around the world and lots of discussion around audio description (AD). In his interview, Alex talks about the progress happening around the world in media access that emerged from the event, including the interesting developments in Brazil and Asia in regards to audio description.

Media Access Australia CEO, Alex Varley, recently attended and presented at the Media for All International Conference at the University of Western Sydney, with presentations from around the world and lots of discussion around audio description (AD). In his interview, Alex talks about the progress happening around the world in media access that emerged from the event, including the interesting developments in Brazil and Asia in regards to audio description.

Media Access Australia Project Manager, Chris Mikul, provides an update on the audio description (AD) trial that is currently taking place on the ABC's iview service. Chris explains what the iview AD trial is all about, how the trial has progressed so far, which programs are being described and what you can do to hear described content.

Media Access Australia Project Manager, Chris Mikul, provides an update on the audio description (AD) trial that is currently taking place on the ABC's iview service. Chris explains what the iview AD trial is all about, how the trial has progressed so far, which programs are being described and what you can do to hear described content.

Media Access Australia CEO, Alex Varley, recently attended a Parliamentary event to discuss the progress of audio description (AD) on Australian TV, sponsored by the Greens Senator Rachel Siewert, and co-sponsored by former Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Shadow Communications Minister Jason Clare. Alex discusses developments from the event, what the future holds for Australian consumers and the current status of receiving AD on Australian TV.

Shortly after the release of Windows 10, Dr Scott Hollier has had a chance to go hands-on with Microsoft’s latest operating system, discovering the new usability improvements and accessibility features on offer. In this podcast, Dr Hollier explains what Windows 10 is all about, how closely it resembles Windows 8.1 and Windows 7, the new accessibility features and some important tips for assistive technology users to note before installing the update.

In another instalment following his trip to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dr Scott Hollier discusses why assistive technology can be harder to use for non-English speakers, which screen readers provide support for multiple languages, how to configure operating system language settings and tips to fix websites if screen readers do not read out words correctly.

Media Access Australia has received an ACCAN grant for its Affordable Access Project, which aims to help people with disabilities make more informed choices when it comes to affordable, accessible mainstream technology. The project will be managed by accessibility expert, Dr Scott Hollier, who has worked on similar projects, including a guide to accessible social media, starter guides for service providers and training programs for seniors.

The accessibility of video on demand (VOD) services, is a hot topic in Australia, the UK and other countries at the moment, amidst calls for legislation to be introduced unless VOD services make acceptable progress in introducing captions and audio description voluntarily. But what constitutes accessible progress? Media Access Australia's CEO, Alex Varley, discusses a current campaign in the UK from major Deaf and blind groups to improve catch-up TV accessibility, as well as potential flow-ons from this campaign to Australian audiences.

Recently returning from a trip to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia delivering digital accessibility training to students in the region, Dr Scott Hollier shares his experience, learnings, accessibility findings and feedback from providing the Professional Certificate in Web Accessibility in the Kingdom. Dr Hollier discusses what led to the need for teaching a web accessibility course in Saudi Arabia, how the course was structured, what the main accessibility issues are in the region and what was learned from the overall experience.

One month after it's release, Dr Scott Hollier discusses Apple Watch accessibility, including an overview of available features, iOS device compatibility and what to expect when receiving accessibility assistance in an Apple Store. Dr Hollier also explains product requirements for enabling accessibility features and talks about some of the progress achieved by the flagship smartwatch over the last month.

Media Access Australia Project Manager, Chris Mikul, provides an update on the ABC iview audio description (AD) trial one month after launch. Chris explains who is eligible to recieve AD, which programs are being described, how long the trial will last and how you can get involved.

Predicting the future is a risky business, especially if you're looking at media and digital services. Following his presentation at the annual Print Disability Round Table Conference, Media Access Australia's CEO, Alex Varley, presents his thoughts on what audio description (AD) will be like in the year 2020, discusses which key areas will shape future AD services and highlights why AD is so important for video-on-demand accessibility.

Project Manager, Chris Mikul, discusses Media Access Australia's new 'Access on Demand' report covering the accessibility of video on demand (VOD) services. Chris provides an explanation of what the report is all about, what the current levels of access are on VOD services, how the ABC iview audio description (AD) trial fits into the process and how we can get more AD on VOD services.