Dear Valued Readers,
We invite you to join us in exploring the February edition of Continual Engine’s monthly newsletter. These collections of news articles and the latest updates are tailored to provide you with valuable insights into the evolving landscape of accessibility and learning trends.
In this edition, we have included the following information:
- Upcoming CSUN 2024 Conference: Continual Engine presents two sessions on leveraging AI for video accessibility and co-presenting with ACT on making assessments accessible using AI
- Zero Project Conference 2024 in Vienna, Austria: Mousumi Kapoor, CEO/Founder talked about Continual Engine has been making content accessibility more efficient and scalable while exponentially reducing costs.
- Latest advancements in accessibility include East Midlands Railway Adds BSL Service, New Vehicle Club Challenges Motability, and WHISPP Unveils AI for Voice Impairments.
- Empowering stories include Young Swim Champ with Disability Inspires, Welwyn Paralympic Star Ryan Wins First Para Table Tennis Gold.
- News articles include Derby County Forum Talks Disability Access, Google Launches Inclusive Event Guide, CES 2024 Unveils Gadgets for Disabilities, Disability Equality Index® Expands Globally, and Electric Vehicle Charging Access Remains An Issue.
We hope that you will find this edition to be both engaging and informative. Please feel free to reach out to us with any feedback or questions you may have.
Warm Regards,
Continual Engine
I. Upcoming Learning Opportunity
1. Continual Engine will be Presenting and Exhibiting at the CSUN Conference 2024
Continual Engine is thrilled to be presenting and exhibiting at the 39th Annual CSUN Assistive Technology Conference in March. The event is scheduled to be held between March 18 and 22, 2024 in Anaheim, California.
Join us during the event where we will be presenting in two different sessions –
Session 1: Revolutionizing Video Accessibility: Role of Generative AI
Date: Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Time: 2.20 PM PDT
Presenters:
- Mousumi Kapoor, CEO/Founder, Continual Engine
- Vijayshree (VJ) Vethantham, SVP of Growth & Strategy, Continual Engine US LLC
Session 2: Using AI to Create Image Descriptions in High Stakes Testing
Date: Thursday, March 21, 2024
Time: 11.20 AM PDT
Presenters:
- Vijayshree (VJ) Vethantham, SVP of Growth & Strategy, Continual Engine US LLC
- Allyson Vignola, Accessibility Content Lead, ACT
We will be presenting on video accessibility where we will talk about our journey of building cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI)-driven tools, addressing the complexities of video accessibility, and how we’re leveraging these innovations in multiple ways, across diverse applications, including our Invicta™ platform.
We are glad to be presenting in partnership with ACT.org where we will discuss the significance of AI in making assessments accessible by generating high-quality and consistent image descriptions regardless of the complexity of the image.
If you are unable to attend our sessions, please stop by📍Booth #419 at the Marquis Ballroom, to speak with our CEO and SVP, Growth & Strategy.
If you want to schedule a meeting during the conference or learn about our accessibility solutions and services, reach out to us at contact@continualengine.com. We are looking forward to seeing you there!
II. Past Events
1. Mousumi Kapoor, CEO/Founder of Continual Engine Presented at the Zero Project Conference 2024
Continual Engine presented at the Zero Project Conference, which took place from February 21st to 23rd, 2024, in Vienna, Austria. Our CEO/Founder, Mousumi Kapoor delivered presentations at two different sessions on two consecutive days talking about how Continual Engine is impacting accessibility by bringing together the best of technology and experts with our scalable accessibility solutions and services.
Some of the key takeaways from the two sessions include:
- Continual Engine was founded with the mission and vision of making content accessibility more efficient and scalable while exponentially reducing costs.
- Alt text creation posed a significant challenge due to its nuanced nature. Adapting the solution from images to videos and PDFs was a rewarding surprise.
- Continual Engine’s solution achieves accuracies ranging from 75-90%, with a focus on continuous improvement through human intervention and machine learning.
- Continual Engine offers a sandbox environment for testing, accessible upon request, providing a user interface to upload images or documents.
- Continual Engine’s solutions and services are primarily focused on supporting businesses, content providers, and educational institutions scale. In addition, non-profits and government entities are also widely benefiting from the solutions.
- Users are encouraged to utilize the product and provide feedback to enhance its quality further. More feedback leads to better product refinement.
If you missed the chance to connect with us during the event or are eager to discover how Continual Engine can transform your accessibility landscape, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at contact@continualengine.com. We’d be happy to hear from you and explore future potential opportunities together!
III. LATEST ADVANCEMENTS IN ACCESSIBILITY
A train operator in the East Midlands has launched a new British Sign Language (BSL) service for deaf passengers. East Midlands Railway (EMR) said the service would help deaf customers communicate with staff about their journey. It gives customers access to an interpreter via an app or link.
The Accessible Vehicle Club (AVC) is being marketed as the UK’s “first-ever accessible vehicle subscription service”. Although AVC stressed this week that it did not see itself as a “competitor to Motability”, its marketing materials highlight how it could appeal to some potential customers of the disabled people’s car scheme, promising “no upfront hefty vehicle deposits”, “no 3-year lease tie downs” and “no fixed vehicles”.
Whispp, founded by Joris Castermans, introduces an innovative solution for individuals with voice impairments by utilizing language-independent AI technology. This technology enables the conversion of whispered speech and vocal cord-impaired speech into a clear and natural-sounding voice, in real time and without delays.
IV. EMPOWERING STORIES IN THE NEWS
Nathan McKechnie says that when he gets in the water the world quietens and he feels free – but that was not always the case. Eighteen-year-old Nathan has autism, ADHD, and dorsal stream dysfunction which means he is also partially sighted. Growing up, it meant he sometimes struggled with daily life tasks and swimming was no different.
Paralympic wheelchair rugby champion Chris Ryan is celebrating an “amazing week” by winning his first gold in Para table tennis. The victory capped a silver and bronze he also won at the ITTF Brazilian Open. It has only been 10 months since his international debut and less than two years since he led the nation’s wheelchair rugby team to its first Paralympic gold at Tokyo 2020.
V. News Articles On Accessibility
Google wants to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible—that is the mission of the company—and I think if you follow that sentiment to its logical conclusion, accessibility and making things accessible to all of our users can only happen if we understand what our users need, and that goes for live events, as well.
Derby County has hosted a forum for disabled supporters to discuss ways of making football stadiums more accessible. About 50 delegates from football clubs around the Midlands attended the event at Pride Park Stadium on Monday. The forum was organized by the charity Level Playing Field, which works to improve disabled access and facilities at sporting venues.
At CES 2024 many companies are bringing accessibility to people with physical disabilities. New devices, gadgets, and technology are making it possible for everyone to access things most of us take for granted. When I first heard there was a device at CES that allows people to control their computer or smartphone with their mouth, I thought it was one of the crazy weird gimmicky stuff I always see on the show floor.
The Disability Equality Index® enters its 10th year in 2024 with the premiere of scored benchmarks in seven countries outside of the United States. The expansion comes in direct response to a growing demand for culturally competent tools to comprehensively measure disability inclusion efforts in multinational corporations.
Recently, a House of Lords committee produced a report that recommended that only a small proportion of new charging points for electric vehicles (EVs) should be accessible. The report referenced 2022 guidance from the British Standards Institution (BSI), which highlights the environment around charging points, their location, design and spacing, and the information provided to users.
