The tech industry's accessibility report card for 2021

In spite of all the advancements we’ve seen in tech, the industry as a whole has consistently neglected people with disabilities. There have been some improvements, including video call apps like FaceTime, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts and more adding better support for sign language interpreters and closed captioning. And, this year, Instagram and TikTok finally added stickers that enable automated captioning for speech in videos, too. But major organizations continued to make decisions that exclude people with disabilities. The organizer of E3 2021, for example, failed its deaf and hard of hearing viewers during its live streamed show.There are too many individual transgressions and improvements to exhaustively detail here. Due to their sheer size, though, tech’s largest companies wield the greatest influence over what the rest of the industry does. By holding them accountable, we have a better chance of seeing widespread change in the way tech thinks about inclusive design. Here’s how Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta (formerly Facebook) and more did to improve the accessibility of their products and services in 2021.AppleApple has led the way in inclusive design for years, and in 2021 the company continued to launch new features that made its products easier for those with disabilities to use. In addition to updating its screen reader, VoiceOver, to enable better descriptions of images for the visually impaired, Apple also launched several new products.... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2021-12-31 21:00:34 UTC ]
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The Morning After: Industry leaders say AI presents 'risk of extinction' on par with nuclear war

With the rise of AI language models and tools like ChatGPT and Bard, we've heard warnings from people involved, like Elon Musk, about the risks posed by AI. Now, a group of high-profile industry leaders has issued a one-sentence statement: “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-05-31 11:15:45 UTC ]
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Publishing Sales Finished 2.6% Below 2021 Last Year

A 16% increase in sales in the pre-K–12 educational materials segment helped to counter declines in the other major categories, resulting in total publishing sales of $28.1 billion in 2022, the Association of American Publishers reported. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-31 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Bruce Lehrmann drops defamation case and settles with News Corp over Brittany Higgins reports

The two parties reportedly settled with News Corp saying it had not paid any damages and the articles in dispute would remain onlineFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastBruce Lehrmann has discontinued... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-05-30 04:40:11 UTC ]
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Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K Max drops to $35, plus the rest of this week's best tech deals

The biggest news in tech this week came from Google's annual developer conference on Wednesday. They announced three new devices: The Pixel 7a smartphone, the Pixel Tablet and the Pixel Fold. Discounts on brand new products don't happen often, but both Amazon and Google were quick to bundle... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-05-12 15:15:04 UTC ]
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Publishing Industry Sales Inched Up in February

Gains in religious and higher educational publishing offset dips in the trade segments in February, resulting in a 0.2% sales gain for the 1,240 publishers that report sales to AAP's StatShot program. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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'New York Times' reports slower digital subscription growth and weakening ad revenue

The paper has been a bright spot for digital media despite falling ad revenue and a slowing growth rate for new subscribers Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2023-05-10 18:44:39 UTC ]
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‘There’s a lot of desperation’: Confessions of a PR industry veteran on PR’s ‘reputation problem’

PR pros say they're feeling the pressure of new client demands in a changing digital media landscape. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2023-05-10 04:01:00 UTC ]
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‘There’s a lot of desperation’: Confessions of a PR industry veteran on PR’s ‘reputation problem’

PR pros say they're feeling the pressure of new client demands in a changing digital media landscape. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2023-05-10 04:01:00 UTC ]
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The second-gen Apple Pencil drops to $89, plus the rest of the week's best tech deals

It's Friday, which means it's time for another roundup of good deals on recommended tech. Among this week's highlights, the second-gen Apple Pencil is back down to an all-time low of $89, while the latest Echo Dot is within $5 of the best price we've tracked at $30. If you need to upgrade the... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-05-05 16:30:08 UTC ]
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New Leaf Literary & Media Evolves Team to Meet Changing Industry Demands

The New York City-based literary agency announced three new director-level promotions among several new hires and staff changes across the agency. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Vice Media reportedly headed for bankruptcy

Plan comes amid waves of media layoffs and closures, including shuttering of BuzzFeed NewsVice, the global news publisher and TV company that was once valued at nearly $6bn (£5bn), is reportedly close to filing for bankruptcy.The company, whose assets include Vice News, Motherboard, Refinery29... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-05-02 14:10:53 UTC ]
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iRobot's Roomba 694 drops back to $180, plus the rest of the week's best tech deals

Two factors had an effect on the deals we saw this week: spring sales and early Mother's Day promotions. Even if you don't need a gift for a mom or it's still cold (or weirdly summery hot) where you are, you can snag a decent price on some of our recommended tech. Like our top budget robot... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-04-28 18:00:16 UTC ]
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At London Book Fair: Brexit and Creative Industry Funding

Describing an 'inward-looking atmosphere,' panelists at London Book Fair explored the funding impact of Brexit on the literature market. The post At London Book Fair: Brexit and Creative Industry Funding appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-04-26 13:37:28 UTC ]
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How the gun industry’s ‘quick and fearful’ reaction to Columbine foreshadowed its turn to extremism

In this excerpt from ‘Gunflight,’ Ryan Busse, a former firearms exec turned gun-safety activist, explores the industry’s response to America’s first high-profile school shooting, and the shift to today’s radicalized gun landscape. Ryan Busse is a former firearms executive who spent 25 years at... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-04-26 05:00:00 UTC ]
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BuzzFeed News’ business model turned to dust because they were always at the whim of mercurial tech titans | James Hennessy

BuzzFeed changed the way news was reported for the digital age. But it became a casualty of its lopsided relationship with FacebookThe announcement of the demise of BuzzFeed News last week felt unlike the cavalcade of media closures and layoffs of the past decade. In a sense, it represented the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-26 03:36:53 UTC ]
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CNN’s new, proprietary publishing platform helps ‘reduce tech debt’

CNN has a new CMS, which it built to cut back on costs, improve reader engagement and draw in advertisers. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2023-04-20 04:01:00 UTC ]
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PEN Report Shows State Legislation ‘Supercharging’ Book Bans

“The heavy-handed tactics of state legislators are mandating book bans, plain and simple,” said Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, in a release announcing the new report. “The numbers don’t lie, and they reveal a relentless crusade to constrict children’s freedom to read.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Nielsen Regains National Accreditation After 2021 Suspension

Just a few short weeks after Nielsen CEO David Kenny told Adweek the company was "making real progress" on earning back its accreditation status, the Media Rating Council lifted its suspension imposed in 2021. Top line The MRC first stripped Nielsen's accreditation of its national ratings in... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2023-04-17 15:00:00 UTC ]
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Sub-Saharan Africa Literature and Publishing Sector Report

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[ British Council global | 2023-04-17 10:35:15 UTC ]
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Pearson Named A Benetech Global Certified Accessible Publisher

The London-based educational publisher Pearson is designated today by Benetech as a 'Global Certified Accessible Publisher. The post Pearson Named A Benetech Global Certified Accessible Publisher appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-04-17 10:00:16 UTC ]
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