Dear Valued Readers,
As we approach the holidays, we are happy to share the last edition for 2023 – Continual Engine’s December monthly newsletter. As usual, we have included a compilation of news articles and updates tailored to provide you with valuable insights into the evolving landscape of accessibility and learning trends.
In this edition, you can learn about the following:
- Continual Engine won the Silver Award from the Brandon Hall Group in recognition of its partnership with Virginia Tech for the category ‘Best Advance in Diversity and Inclusion Innovation’.
- An overview of upcoming events that Continual Engine will be attending, including the ATIA Conference and CSUN Conference in 2024.
- The latest news related to accessibility includes “Sony unveils the first PS5 controller for gamers with disability”, and “The Clarion: an accessible musical instrument introduced.”
- Noteworthy news articles include Report Deems State of Accessible Transport ‘Unjust,’ Blind and Low-Vision Individuals Face Digital Barriers, Insights on WCAG 3 Draft, Global Race to Regulate AI Tools, Ottawa Launches Canadian Business Disability Network, and the EU Introduces its First Regulation on Artificial Intelligence.
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. STAR NEWS OF THE MONTH
1. Continual Engine Earned a Silver Award from Brandon Hall Group for its Partnership with Virginia Tech
We’re proud to share that our artificial intelligence (AI) technology solution, PREP, has earned a Silver award from Brandon Hall Group for our work with Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) for making all digital documents accessible.
PREP – PDF & Document Remediation Platform has been awarded in the category of ‘Best Advance in Diversity and Inclusion Innovation’ in the Brandon Hall Group’s Excellence in Technology Awards. This award acknowledges the innovation and impact of Continual Engine’s document accessibility solution PREP that Virginia Tech has started applying for its staff and learners.
We thank Virginia Tech for collaborating with us as partners and the Brandon Hall Group team for acknowledging our work with the award.
II. Upcoming Learning Opportunities
1. Continual Engine will be Attending and Presenting at the 2024 ATIA Conference
Continual Engine is thrilled to be presenting at the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) 2024 Conference in January. The event is scheduled to be held between January 25 and 27 in Orlando, Florida.
During this event, we will talk about our video accessibility solutions that bring together the best of automation and human insight to bring high-quality outcomes to accessibility.
We invite you to join us at the event and learn how generative AI technology can be a catalyst for change in scalable accessibility solutions when used by empowered champions and organizational/institutional stakeholders.
2. Continual Engine will be Attending the 2024 CSUN Conference
Continual Engine is thrilled to announce that we are going to present and exhibit at the upcoming 2024 CSUN Conference. The event will start running from March 18 to March 23, 2024.
Continual Engine will be presenting collaboratively with ACT.org, (an organization focused on fighting for fairness in education and to help create a world where everyone can discover and fulfill their potential) to provide an overview of their pilot that leveraged Continual Engine’s award-winning, generative AI image accessibility solution Invicta™. In addition, our CEO/Founder, Mousumi Kapoor and SVP, Growth & Strategy, Vijayshree (‘VJ’) Vethantham will be presenting a session about how AI is impacting video accessibility and making accessibility more efficient and affordable.
We invite you to join us at the event and learn about our accessibility solutions. You can contact us at contact@continualengine.com to schedule a meeting with our SVP, Growth & Strategy, Vijayshree (VJ) Vethantham. We look forward to seeing you at the conference.
III. Latest Advancements In Accessibility
Sony has teamed up with accessibility experts to release a PlayStation 5 controller for disabled gamers. The Access Controller is a “highly customizable kit” of different buttons, triggers, and sticks that lets players create a set-up that suits their needs. Microsoft’s Adaptive Controller, which can be used on Xbox and PC, has been on the market since 2018.
Music is said to be a language that transcends all others. But traditional instruments are not always as inclusive as they could be. Now, another instrument is about to open up the music scene like no other as it is officially recognized by the classical music world.
IV. News Articles On Accessibility
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
As part of its digital strategy, the EU wants to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure better conditions for the development and use of this innovative technology. AI can create many benefits, such as better healthcare; safer and cleaner transport; more efficient manufacturing; and cheaper and more sustainable energy.
Through the Canadian Business Disability Network (CBDN), industry experts – jointly resourced by member companies – will provide programs and services to help businesses in enhancing the accessibility of their workplaces, as well as the products and services they offer to clients.
Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) such as Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s ChatGPT are complicating governments’ efforts to agree to laws governing the use of the technology. Read more to learn the latest steps national and international governing bodies are taking to regulate AI tools.
The WCAG 3 Working Draft has recently received updates, and it’s important to note that WCAG 2 will still retain its significant global impact and will remain a requirement in various countries for the foreseeable future. Upon the release of their first public working draft, the W3C received an impressive response with over 300 comments from actively engaged participants.
Imagine that you have low vision and you’re completing an online job application using screen reader software. You get through half the form and then come to a question with drop-down options the screen reader cannot access because the online form doesn’t conform to accessibility standards.
The current state of accessible transport is “unjust and unacceptable”, and the government’s efforts to offer “equal access for disabled people” by 2030 have “stalled”, according to a major new report. An article released by the Disabled People’s Organization (DPO) Transport for All, shows that access barriers are “rife” across every form of transport, and at every stage of a journey.
