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• Dolphin Computer Access Announce Their Acquisition of Software Express Distribution
  Dolphin Computer Access Limited, the UK software company responsible for delivering independence to vision and print impaired people, announced its acquisition of Software Express Distribution Limited.
• Dolphin Computer Access Launch the Dolphin Scripting Zone www.YourDolphin.com/Scripts
  Dolphin Computer Access announced the official launch of the Dolphin Scripting Zone at www.YourDolphin.com/Scripts. This dedicated mini-site is now available and open to all Supernova, Hal, Lunar and LunarPlus users, 30-day demo customers and budding script writers. Visitors can download and rate a free script, find a script writer, contribute to the scripting forum or learn more about Dolphin Scripting.
• Google Starts Accessible View Experiment
  Google has started an experiment to improve access to Google search by visually impaired. By only using the keyboard you can navigate through search results. Google also added a magnification lens that highlights the users selected search result.
• Freedom Scientific Releases JAWS® 10
  Freedom Scientific today announced the English release of JAWS version 10, the worlds leading screen reader for visually impaired computer users. This new release includes new features that will expand employment, training, and educational opportunities for users at all levels. These new features include AutoForms Mode, JAWS Tandem, and RealSpeak? Direct Solo.
• Presentation of Dolphin Screen Reader and Screen Magnifier Software Version 10 on Internet
  During the Accessible Worlds Tek Talk online event this week, attention was focused upon how the latest update of Dolphins screen reading, screen magnification and reading and writing tools opens the world of information to those with vision loss.
• Dolphin Releases Version 10 of Lunar, Lunarplus, Hal and Supernova
  Dolphin has released version 10 of Lunar (screen magnifier), Lunarplus (screen magnifier with speech support), Hal (Screen reader with speech and braille support) and Supernova (Screen reader with screen magnifier, braille and speech).
• GPS software supports visually impaired
  Code Factory has announced Windows Mobile GPS software intended for visually impaired users. Mobile Geo supports blind or low-vision users by using a combination of voice synthesis and vibratory alerts, and runs on Windows Mobile 5.x, 6.x, or 6.1 devices, the company says.
• New SAPPHIRE? Portable Video Magnifier
  Freedom Scientific today announced the new SAPPHIRE? portable video magnifier. This new product offers features for on-the-go low vision users and is an companion to the companys current line of desktop video magnifiers, distance viewing solutions, and screen magnification software.
• New iPod nano praised for aiding visually impaired
  The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) has applauded Apples move to make iTunes and iPods accessible to blind and visually impaired people, saying, The iPod nano, which was virtually unusable for people with vision loss, is now equipped with talking menus and large font options. Apple has also made improvements to the accessibility of iTunes.
• MP3 Player IPod Nano 4th Generation, Now Supports Spoken Menus
  The Ipod Nano 4th generation from Apple, is now accessible for the visually impaired. It now supports spoken menus and the ability to enlarge the font size.
• Touch Sight - Digital Camera for the Visually Impaired
  Touch Sight is a digital camera for visually impaired people. Easy to use, it includes a unique feature which records sound for three seconds after pressing the shutter button. The user can then use the sound as reference when reviewing and managing the photos. Touch Sight does not have an LCD but instead has a lightweight, flexible Braille display sheet which displays a 3D image by embossing the surface, allowing the user to touch the image.
• Lighthouse International Develops Free, Innovative Web Browser Software For People Who Are Visually Impaired
  Lighthouse International, a leader in advocating accessibility for people with low vision, is announcing an innovative new add-on software tool that will enable millions of people worldwide with low vision to access previously inaccessible web pages.
• IBM Makes Web Accessibility For Visually Impaired Users a Social Effort
  IBM has launched a new initiative that it hopes will vastly improve the web browsing experience for visually impaired users. The Social Accessibility Project is a service that aims to make web pages more accessible for screen readers without altering the code of the page, the software for which is available in beta form today through IBMs AlphaWorks. If enough people participate in the project, then IBMs software could become integral to blind users' everyday surfing.
• HumanWare introduces four new portable video magnifiers for low vision
  HumanWare expands its low vision product line with the announcement of four new video magnifiers at Vision 2008, an international conference on low vision being held in Montreal this week. With these new products, HumanWare is better able to serve the needs of the growing number of people with low vision, those whose vision cannot be completely corrected even with the most powerful prescription glasses.
• MU Develops Device To Help Visually Impaired Read Small Digital Screens
  Faculty and students at Marshall University are working to help the people who have trouble seeing the small digital screens found on everything from cell phones to microwaves. A device developed by university physicist Thomas Wilson and engineered by faculty and students is designed to measure the contrast of digital displays. It was unveiled Wednesday morning at the American Foundation for the Blind Technology and Employment Center in Huntington.
• Swiss Town Rolls Out RFID System for Blind Bus Riders
  National and European Union regulations require that public transit operators across Europe to provide more information for blind and visually impaired riders. A Swiss public transport agency, the Verkehrsbetriebe St. Gallen (VBSG), is rolling out an RFID-based system that allows blind riders to check transit information at bus stops, determine the destination of passing buses and flag them down.
• Software for blind to surf the net
  University of Washington experts say that they have written new software, WebAnywhere , which can enable blind and visually impaired people to surf the Internet at any place.
• Free Screen Magnifier DesktopZoom Version 3 Released!
  DesktopZoom is the most popular free screen magnifier for the Windows platform, that you can run without any installation and from a USB stick. DesktopZoom version 3 now includes basic speech support!
• New Word add-in helps convert documents into talking books
  Last year, Microsoft reaffirmed its support for DAISY, the talking book standard developed for the visually impaired. Today, the ability for Word to save files in that enabling format has been unveiled.
• Democrat wants to require disability-friendly Internet phones, video
  At the moment, most TVs and telephones must be outfitted with special features for people with hearing, vision, and speech impairments under U.S. law. Now an influential Democratic congressman wants to expand those requirements to their Internet counterparts.
• Bones launches Milestone 312, the Next Generation Audio Engine for Blind People
  Bones is proud to announce the release of Milestone 312, an enhanced version of the successful Milestone 311. Milestone 312 offers the unparalleled benefits of portability, usability and reliability that the Visually Impaired relies on. Milestone 312 has a multitude of new functions, including variable playbackspeed, Text-To-Speech, Audible.com playback, Daisy 3.0, integrated RFID reader, integrated FM tuner and direct connection of stereo microphones. The hardware includes 1GB internalFlash memory, USB 2.0 OTG High Speed connectivity, a clock and the proven strong, crystal clear speaker.
• Technological progress has not stopped bias in workplace, blind people find
  Technology and training have improved to the point that blind people can adeptly perform a dazzling array of jobs - soon to include the governorship of New York. The biggest obstacle still in their way, advocates say, is the negative attitude of many employers.
• New DinoView Portable Round-the-Neck Electronic Magnifier Introduced in the United States by Independent Living Aids, Inc.
  Pocket or Round-the-Neck Electronic Magnifier Allows Visually Impaired to Enlarge Print from 5X to 20X on Menus, Cans, Prescriptions, Newspapers etc. Portable electronic magnifiers have been available for several years, but this is the smallest, lightest, and most flexible one on the market
• ClaroRead Releases Open Source Accessible PDF for Windows
  PDF files often are difficult to access by visually impaired. With the free Accessible PDF program for Windows PDF files, if they are not a scanned image, are now also accessible for visually impaired.
• Magic Lens Max 4.0 Released!
  Magic Lens Max screen magnifier utility generates real-time enhanced and sharp visual effects, with Magic Lens Max you can magnify, rotate, lighten, sharpen and capture any area of the screen display, even in a full- screen mode.
• HumanWare expands its GPS line for people who are blind, with the new Trekker Breeze
  At the CSUN conference in Los Angeles, HumanWare was unveiling a new talking GPS. The product is designed for people who are blind, for use when travelling in familiar surroundings. The product will also be appealing to people not comfortable with computers and screen readers. The new model is an addition to the popular Trekker and BrailleNote GPS systems, which have thousands of users worldwide. With this innovation, HumanWare will make GPS technology even more accessible to a greater number of people.
• Interviews with CSUN Exhibitors
  Interviews with CSUN Exhibitors Brian takes a walk around the CSUN exhibition hall and interviews a number of company representatives manufacturing interesting products.
• ReadTheWords - Free Service That Reads Your Text Aloud
  ReadTheWords is a free online service that will read any text you enter aloud. There are many ways to do this, but this site distinguishes itself with several interesting options.
• Braille Labels Make Beer Drinking for the Blind No Accident
  Blind drunk... it's a phrase that's not yet been condemned as being offensive to the visually impaired, though that may change after this article is published. Somehow though, visually impaired drunk just does not convey the right mental image. Anyway, getting drunk to the point where you begin to lose your senses should be a conscious choice. If you actually ARE blind and sober, and wish to remain that way (the latter, at least), then Japanese brewers have got your best interests in mind.
• Fujitsu Accessibility Assistance Software Achieves Milestone of 200,000 Downloads Worldwide
  Fujitsu Limited today announced that Fujitsu Accessibility Assistance, a set of three software tools for diagnosing and improving web accessibility, has passed the milestone of 200,000 downloads worldwide.
• Crash after Visually Impaired driver parked tractor in fast lane
  A visually impaired elderly driver caused a pile-up on the A9 after parking his tractor in the fast lane of the dual carriageway. Robert Simpson stopped the tractor and trailer and got out to walk across the road because he had missed his turn-off by three miles. The 77-year-old, who is registered blind and lives in a nursing home, got lost on his way home from a trip to Perth on the farm vehicle.
• Assistive Technology Industry Association Elects AT and IT Leaders From Diverse Market Segments to Its Board of Directors
  The Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) played host to a record setting number of attendees during its 9th annual conference held January 30 - February 2 in Orlando, Florida. During the conference, members of the association elected four new members and welcomed one returning member to the ATIA Board of Directors. The board is responsible for supporting ATIA in becoming a global leader known for raising awareness and providing education about assistive technology-related solutions to consumers, practioners, governments, private industry and educational institutions.
• Vista Accessibility Features
  In 2003, Microsoft commissioned Forrester Research to measure the market for accessibility technology and present findings about computer users who could benefit from it. The results were surprising. One quarter had a visual impairment, nearly the same percentage had dexterity difficulties, and one fifth had hearing problems.
• Is small print a problem?
  I haven't been able to read the paper since May, he said. My vision kept getting worse and worse. I love my sports page. I really miss keeping up with the Vols.
• Video Eyewear Could Help Macular Degeneration Patients See Again
  Eyetonomy, the leading Video Eyewear manufacturer for medical applications, recently launches the portable video magnifier SightMate LV920. SightMate is wearable like glasses and helps people suffering from Macular Degeneration (MD) make the best of their remaining vision. Currently over 12 million people in North America are affected by MD.
• Apple Update Braille Support in Leopard
  Today, Apple released the Braille Display Update 1.0 for VoiceOver in Leopard. VoiceOver, part of the Universal Access family of accessibility tech, allows blind or visually impaired users to hear what is on the screen. Via the new update, when you connect a compatible Braille display, VoiceOver automatically detects it and sends it information about what is displayed on the screen.
• System access To Go Online Screen Reaeer Now Free
  The Accessibility Is a Right (AIR) Foundation has made available System Access To Go online screen Reader free on their web site. SA to Go is a limited screen reader with only speech support and works on most latest Windows versions.
• Cell Phone Can Read Documents for Blind
  The Nokia cell phone is loaded with software that turns text on photographed documents into speech. In addition to telling whether a bill is worth $1, $5, $10 or $20, it also allows users to read anything that is photographed, whether it's a restaurant menu, a phone book or a fax.
• OcuSource Announces Virtual Conference for Vision Impairment Industry
  Low vision and blindness portal, OcuSource.com, announces the OcuSource EXPO 2008, a year-long virtual conference for the visual impairment industry. Through the integration of accessible web-conferencing, visitors to this online event can participate in interactive online presentations, visit exhibit booths" and even attend online entertainment events, all from any sound-enabled computer with access to the internet.
• Clarity LLC Releases New Portable Magnifier Rio
  Clarity LLC, manufacturers of assistive technologies for the visually impaired is set to launch the Rio, the newest in its Next Generation product line. The latest in portable technology, the lightweight Rio magnifier offers incredible magnification for a multitude of functions. At only 1.5 pounds, the self contained Rio provides 7 inches of viewing space, and up to 5 hours of battery life.

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