By Jim Tobias, 6 March, 2011
Forum
Accessibility Advocacy
Here are a few suggestions that might be useful to us in our advocacy efforts:
1. When apps are added to the site, notify the developer, explaining the purpose of the site and offering an open dialogue on how they can make the app more accessible (if it's not) or reach more consumers (if it is).
2. For apps that are rated low on accessibility here, add a field pointing to more accessible apps that perform a similar function. (I already added this idea to the grading topic.) This could get the developer's competitive juices going!
3. Keep asking Apple to include accessibility ratings on iTunes; create a formal working relationship with Apple if possible.
4. Some countries have laws about accessibility, especially concerning the accessibility of public sector technology (purchased and used by government agencies, schools, etc.) In the US, this is Section 508. Maybe the advocacy template could be modified to add a reference to the relevant law or regulation, where it's relevant. After all, losing a single dissatisfied customer doesn't quite get as much attention as jeopardizing sales to a large potential market like government.
Comments
Expected Accessibility Behavior From Apple Assistive Technology
I have only been an iPhone/IOS user now for under three months, but I am a long-time PC user. I have a development background. Where is one good place I can go to understand the relationship between what I think is or is not accessible, and what developers can do to get that to happen. As a related question, I also want to understand what I should expect VoiceOver to behave like, as compared to a screen reader on a PC, so that my expectations are realistic.
Thanks.
Jim