Other News

May 2014 – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy and the National Council on Disability (NCD) is holding a virtual town hall online to open dialogue regarding the importance of accessibility/usability as it relates to technology and universal design in newer “workplace technology products.” The virtual town hall, "Advancing Accessibility and Inclusion in Social Media — The Tech Industry Perspective," will take place from May 15^th through May 30^th.

May 2014 – The corporate tax management consulting firm Atlas Service Link, LLC has joined Ernst & Young LLP’s United States firm and will offer “an integrated approach to enhancing tax data management, technology optimization and process re-engineering initiatives for multi-national companies.” Specifically, Atlas looks to advise regarding “global tax technologies, as well as designing operational processes to improve the benefits of any technology suite.” Travis Fox, Senior Manager and co-founder of Atlas, seems to have a focus on making recommendations to Ernst & Young that would

May 2014 – The Conference of States Parties will hold its 7^th session on June 12, 2014 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. The session discussions will include the following topics: “Incorporating the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) provisions into the post-2015 development agenda; Youth with disabilities; and National implementation and monitoring.” The conference will cover committee membership elections, debates and topic specific roundtables.  The deadline for CSOs to register online for the convention is May 30^th.

May 2014 – The World Usability Day 2014, organized by Nomensa in Bristol, has issued a call for proposals.  The conference is focused on encouraging “sharing, learning and networking within the digital community.” The event, to be held on November 13, 2014, is meant to be a celebration of the user experience. They are looking for “high-quality session proposals from experienced speakers on Information Architecture, UX and design.” The deadline for submissions is July 4, 2014. Details regarding the submission process can be found via the link below.

May 2014 – The Tecnalia Centre for Applied Research has launched an app called MyEardroid.  It. identifies “ordinary sounds that are produced in the home environment.” The app responds in real time to sounds around the individual by immediately analyzing the sound and showing an image and text on the smartphone.  The most interesting feature of the app is the user’s ability to customize the sounds relevant to his/her surroundings, for example, a dripping faucet or a knock on the bedroom door. The app is currently available free of charge in the Google Play store.