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Accessible News #38 - Fall 2009
Contents:
- $65,000 in Physiotherapy Research Grants
Available
- CIBC.com the first banking site in Canada to receive
CNIB Site Check certification
- Mediac recognizes CTVglobemedia as key supporter of
its Accessibility Lens service to meet CRTC accessibility
requirements
- New Products or Services
- Upcoming Conferences in Canada
- News Bits
- Our Web Site
- Communications From ISO-AT/AD
- Where To Find Us
$65,000 in Physiotherapy Research Grants Available
More than $65,000 in grant and scholarship funding is available in 2010 through the Physiotherapy Foundation of Canada's (PFC) annual awards program. The Seniors' Health Division (SHD) of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA) joins the Paediatric Division, the Orthopaedic Division (Alun Morgan Memorial Award) and the Neurosciences Division, in the growing list of CPA divisions offering research grants through PFC's annual awards program.
Also being offered are the Community Rehab Research Grant in Community Projects; the PABC Research Grant for projects in B.C.; the OrthoCanada Research Award in Neck and Back Rehabilitation and Core Stability along with Masters and Doctoral level scholarships by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada in collaboration with PFC.
The deadline for applications is February 19, 2010. To learn more about the above and other funding opportunities for pilot or feasibility projects, please visit www.physiotherapyfoundation.ca or contact PFC's office at 416-979-0115 or toll-free at 1-888-285-4136.
CIBC.com the first banking site in Canada to receive CNIB Site Check certification
A suite of new site enhancements was launched on October 9, making www.cibc.com the first Canadian bank website to receive CNIB Site Check certification for providing barrier-free web access to people who are blind or have vision loss.
The new accessibility features give clients the ability to increase or decrease text size and further enhance text readability by changing the contrast on any of the pages within www.cibc.com. These new features also enhance screen reader compatibility, as clients can navigate easily by text headings, instead of image, and by quick access links that allow clients with screen readers to navigate directly to main content.
"At CIBC, we strive to make our banking channels accessible to all of our clients and we're proud to be the first bank recognized by CNIB's Site Check program," said Christina Kramer, Executive Vice-President, CIBC Retail Markets. "Over 830,000 Canadians live with vision impairment so it's important for us to provide improved online access for all of our clients."
The CNIB Site Check program evaluates the accessibility of websites based upon a range of criteria and gives a passing grade to sites that provide barrier-free web design. In addition to improved accessibility, www.cibc.com is now easier to use with even more ways to access important information instantly and wider pages loaded with more of the features clients use every day.
"CIBC met and exceeded the accessibility recommendations outlined in our accessibility audit," says John M. Rafferty, CNIB President & CEO. "It is imperative that financial institutions and other corporations take CIBC's lead and implement accessible digital platforms — for people who are blind or have vision loss — to provide equal access to online information for all Canadians."
CIBC has a long history of supporting CNIB across Canada having contributed more than $840,000 over the years. This includes a $300,000 donation to the CNIB Summer Reading Program.
CIBC also offers a number of other accessible banking alternatives for people with vision loss including over 1,700 "Access for All" ABMs which feature headphone jacks for audio access, brighter lighting and the option to black out the screen to increase privacy while at the machine. CIBC clients can also request statements in braille and large print formats and have access to advanced speech recognition (TTY) technology through telephone banking.
Mediac recognizes CTVglobemedia as key supporter of its Accessibility Lens service to meet CRTC accessibility requirements
Thanks to support from CTVglobemedia Inc. (CTVgm) through the CTVgm-CHUM tangible benefits, Mediac Inc. has launched its Accessibility Lens monitoring service. This new tool will help broadcasters comply with requirements introduced by the CRTC in 2009 to encourage broadcasters to provide more closed-captioned programming for hearing and visually-impaired Canadians.
CTVglobemedia was the founding sponsor of a research tool created by Mediac to monitor accessible programming content. Continuing its support, CTVglobemedia's financial commitment of "Monitor 2: A report on best practices in the provision of accessible media in Canadian Broadcasting" will make possible the development of quantitative measures of the effects of policy, marketing and sponsorship revenue, on the availability, quality and technological advances of accessibility in Canadian broadcasting.
The Monitor 2 study is taking place fifteen years after the publication of Mediac's first snapshot, "The Monitor Project". Mediac's new research will not only permit broadcasters and decision-makers to assess progress over time, but will also enable broadcasters to demonstrate their compliance with CRTC accessibility requirements for closed-captioning and descriptive video.
"When we first discussed this research, CTVglobemedia emphasized the importance of using it not just for reporting purposes, but as a way to encourage additional partnerships and tangible progress," explained Beverley Milligan, President and CEO of Mediac Inc. "As an independent, third-party service, the Accessibility Lens will help all broadcasters comply with the CRTC's regulatory framework for accessible content."
"CTVglobemedia is pleased to support the research that will aim to provide additional tools for broadcasters to meet their goals to further the availability of accessible programming content in Canada" said Paul Sparkes, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs at CTVglobemedia.
Other partners in Mediac's research initiative include Media Access Australia, Ryerson University, Nordicity Group, Starling Access Services and Industry Canada.
New Products or Services
Since the last issue of Accessible News, a number of Canadian companies have announced the launch of new products, new versions of existing products or launched new Web sites. Here's a brief summary. The companies have been presented in alphabetical order.
- Cougar Mountain Marketing Corporation has
developed a new automated, ergonomic pill crusher designed for healthcare
workers. The company has also signed an agreement with British Columbia's Occupational Health and Safety
Agency for Healthcare (OHSAH: www.ohsah.bc.ca) to bring the device to
market. The device is expected to go on sale in the spring of 2010. For
information on this and Cougar Mountain's other products, contact them by email
at info@telestik.com or visit their website at http://telestik.com.
- On November 11, HumanWare
(www.humanware.ca) launched the BrailleNote Apex, the thinnest and lightest
notetaker especially for professionals and students who are blind. At just 2 cm
(0.78") thick and weighing only 812 grams (1.8 lbs), the BrailleNote Apex is
designed for portability and functionality. Added horsepower and multiple
storage options define the BrailleNote Apex's productivity with its 8 GB of
internal memory and support for high capacity SDHC cards, along with 4
high-speed USB 2.0 ports, built-in Wi-Fi, Ethernet and Bluetooth. The advanced
technology is driven by the new Windows CE 6.0 operating system which enables
the expansion of KeySoft, a comprehensive, user-friendly suite of productivity
applications with feature-rich content that is 100% accessible. This powerful
software combination will facilitate future enhancements and ongoing
improvements in response to user requests.
- Special Needs Computers (www.specialneedscomputers.ca) has added two new products to its catalogue: the Light Keyboard, designed specifically for quadriplegics or others for easy keyboard access, including wheelchair control and the eeZee Mouse, a hands-free mouse that can be attached to any place on the user's body that they can control.
Upcoming Conferences in Canada
Here's what's happening in Canada between January 1 and March 31, 2010.
March 10-13, 2010
17th National Conference on
Learning Disabilities
26th International Seating Symposium
Vancouver, British Columbia, CANADA
Contact: Katia Selezeneva
Tel: 604-822-7524
FAX: 604-822-4835
E-mail: ipad@interchange.ubc.ca
WWW: www.interprofessional.ubc.ca/26th_Seating.htm
For more conference listings, including what's coming up in other countries, see the "Calendar of Events in Disability, Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology" link on the ISO-AT/AD web site: www.at-links.gc.ca/as/zx20000E.asp . This is also the link you should use to submit your conference (Canadian or international) for inclusion in the listings.
News Bits
- In October, T-Base Communications
(www.tbase.com) announced the signing of a definitive partnership agreement
with research and consulting firm DALBAR
(www.dalbar.ca). Under the agreement, the two companies will work together in
launching new Accessibility Crieteria to measure the effectiveness of standard
statement design in the areas of braille, large print, e-Text and audio
formats. DALBAR develops standards for, and provides research, ratings and
rankings of intangible factors to the mutual fund, broker/dealer, discount
brokerage, healthcare, life insurance and banking industries. They include
investor behaviour, Internet services, customer satisfaction, service quality,
communications and ratings of financial and healthcare professionals.
Specializing in website accessibility, braille, large print, e-Text and audio,
T-Base Communications provides alternative format solutions, assisting
government and Fortune 500 companies to communicate with their customers who
cannot access information in conventional ways. They work with the most
progressive companies globally, converting conventionally printed statements
and documents into alternative formats privately and securely, providing
leading organizations the opportunity to reach a wider audience while
simultaneously meeting the diverse information needs of their client base. Both
T-Base and DALBAR look forward to raising the standards in the industry.
- On November 10, HumanWare
(www.humanware.ca) announced a distribution agreement with Intel for the
Intel® Reader, a mobile handheld device designed to increase independence
for people who have trouble reading standard print. The Intel Reader, which is
about the size of a paperback book, converts printed text to digital text, and
then reads it aloud to the user. Its unique design combines a high-resolution
camera with the power of an Intel® Atom™ processor, allowing users to
point, shoot and listen to printed text. For more information on the Intel
Reader, visit www.humanware.com/intelreader .
- The "12th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly
and Disabled Persons (TRANSED 2010)"is to be held in Hong Kong, China from June
2 to 4, 2010. This event is hosted by The Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation
with the support of the Hong Kong SAR government and co-sponsored by the U.S.
Transportation Research Board. The main theme is "Sustainable Transport and
Travel for All". Early Bird Registration is open until December 31, 2009 and
the Call for Exhibitors is available for 10% discount until that date. The
Preliminary Programme is available on the conference website. Invited Speakers
Information is also available on the conference website and the Application for
Travel Scholarships is now open. For updates and contact information on "TRANSED 2010", please visit the conference
website: www.transed2010.hk/
- A research intitiative based at the University of British Columbia has been
given a six-year Emerging Team Grant of $1.5 million from the Canadian
Institutes of Health Research to study how older adults use powered
wheelchairs. The research team is comprised of researchers from across Canada,
including clinical researchers, scientists and engineers and is led by Prof.
William Miller of UBC's Department of Occupational Science and Occupational
Therapy. The team will look at the current use of powered wheelchairs,
determine how older adults can make better use of the equipment and identify
ways to improve the chairs themselves. In addition to traditional stakeholders
such as wheelchair users, caregivers and advocacy agencies, the team will also
partner with non-traditional stakeholders such as city planners and device
manufacturers throughout the life of the project.
Our Web Site
Our Web site can be found at http://www.at-links.gc.ca/. At this site are all our old newsletters as well as different listings and links to other sites of interest. Should you be using these old newsletters, please bear in mind that the web addresses were correct when the newsletter was created but that they may not be accurate now. We do not plan to change the back issues of the newsletters.
Communications From Us
If you would prefer to receive our newsletter on disk or by e-mail, please
contact us at the address below.
Where To Find Us
For more information or to get on our mailing list, please contact:
Deb Finn
Industry Canada
300 Slater Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0C8
Tel: 613-990-4297
fax: 613-957-4076
TTY: 613-998-5923
email: deb.finn@ic.gc.ca
