The National Home Builders Association now maintains a searchable online directory allowing consumers to search for a variety of home professionals including Aging in Place Specialists and Certified Active Adults in Housing Specialists.

Aging in Place Specialists evaluate homes to determine what barriers currently exist in a home, identify needed modifications, and ensure that homes are “aging ready” to better meet the needs of seniors.

To search for an Aging in Place Specialist in your community, visit the National Home Builders Association website or call 1-800-368-5242.

Accessibility of User Flows

When implementing accessibility, the issues on the most visited or high profile pages are often the first to be addressed. While this is effective, also consider user flows or processes. For example, on an online shopping site, focus on making the entire checkout process accessible. While the final purchasing page of this critical process may not be as high profile or receive as much traffic, if it is inaccessible, the entire flow is essentially inaccessible. Unfortunately, the user may not realize this until they have spent considerable time on previous steps in this flow.

A little late but worth the wait…AT in the news from last week (5/7 – 5/11)

App MyVoice gives voice to people with disabilities – Technology & Science – CBC News

Clarity Pal hands-on, a new phone for senior citizens

Robotic Glasses Could Help the Blind See Again

Deaf IBM researcher scoffs at not talking on the phone – CNET

Wheelchair operated by using hand gestures

Video Games May Benefit Kids With Cerebral Palsy – Disability Scoop

KIII TV3: Visually Impaired Technology Olympics

Helping disabled women fight barriers to science, tech careers is project goal (The Daily Gazette stories)

Assistive technology: picture phone dialer (Mommy Life)

Project to recycle rehab equipment wins grant – WTVQ

Inclusive Publishing and eBook Distribution: Access for People with Print Disabilities

June 8-9

National Federation of Blind Jernigan Institute 200 E. Wells Street  at Jernigan Place Baltimore, MD 21230

This event is free. Capacity is limited, so register soon! Registration closes on May 24th.

The printed world is converging with the digital world in new ways every day. More and more publications are available in electronic formats. These formats, when they are accessible, provide blind and print disabled users with a wealth of material which they have never had access to before. Many members of the print disabled community have been determined and voracious readers, despite a lack of large-scale adoption of formats they can utilize. These users love the written word, and want to access it with the rest of the world, and this is where the promise of ebooks is so exciting. Unfortunately, not all ebook platforms provide accessibility to this subsection of society. At this conference, the DAISY Consortium and the National Federation of the Blind are teaming up with other experts in the field to meet the challenges of ebook accessibility for everyone. Presentations will include:

• The place of DAISY in today’s ebook landscape • An overview of present levels of accessibility in the market • The place of Accessibility standards in ebook systems • The browser-based reading system • Accessible math, science, and other advanced topics • And much more

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about the state of the accessible ebook market, interface with experts in the industry, and ensure that your print-disabled users can join the rest of the world in enjoying the convenience and power of the ebook revolution.

To learn more, visit http://nfb.org/inclusive_publishing.

Now there’s a new and easier way to search for senior and disability-related services in Maryland including:

• Adult Medical Day Care Facilities
• Assisted Living Programs
• Hospice Care Programs
• Home Health Agencies
• Comprehensive Care Facilities (Nursing Homes)
• Residential Services Agencies (provide in-home assistance for health and activities for daily living, may provide items like oxygen, wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds, etc.)

The the Office of Health Care Quality in Maryland has licensed a variety of companies that can offer numerous services to people with disabilities. Search the easy-to-use directory at http://dhmh.maryland.gov/ohcq/SitePages/Licensee%20Directory.aspx.

Separate Content/Functionality from Visual Design

Accessibility of web page content and functionality occurs almost entirely in page markup (HTML). Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), on the other hand, should be used exclusively for defining page styling and visual design. While CSS can be used to improve visual design, accessibility, and usability, screen readers ignore nearly all styles. When page content or functionality are integrated into visual design and CSS (such as a CSS background image that presents content, or a styled button that presents no functional text), then this content is not available to screen reader users. Ensure that content and/or functionality are not lost when page styles are disabled.