Maryland Department of Disabilities
Posted in Information Technology, Web Accessibility on Nov 12th, 2014
Pop-up Windows Pop-up windows (new windows that are triggered automatically or when a user activates a link) can cause confusion and disorientation for all users. While screen readers typically indicate that a new window has opened, managing multiple windows can be complicated, especially for blind users. Because of the various difficulties with pop-up windows, they […]
Posted in Assistive Technology, Deaf/Hard of Hearing Aids, Information Technology, Mystery Monday on Nov 10th, 2014
OtoSense is a cool new android app for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. OtoSense learns the sound of the doorbell, smoke and fire alarms, telephone ringing, and lots of other audio alerts and sounds with time-sensitive information. OtoSense learns these sounds and notifies the user with flash and vibration. It can also send […]
Posted in Assistive Technology, AT News, Equipment Re-use, Information Technology, Weekly Wrap-up Friday on Nov 7th, 2014
Did you hear the news? MDTAP’s blog, “Where It’s AT,” got nominated for the Baltimore Sun’s Best Health & Wellness Blog of 2014!!! But we need your votes! So, every day between now and November 13th, you can place your vote. Find us listed as Maryland Assistive Technology Blog and vote for us right here […]
Posted in Deaf/Hard of Hearing Aids, Information Technology, Things to Know Thursday on Nov 6th, 2014
FCC BEST PRACTICES As part of an effort to improve caption quality, the FCC released new closed captioning best practices, which will go into effect on January 15, 2015. VITAC, which worked with the agency to develop recommended practices, has condensed the 150-page document into a one-page reference sheet. The new rules address realtime and offline captioning and aim to […]
Posted in Assistive Technology, Deaf/Hard of Hearing Aids, Information Technology, Web Accessibility, Web Tip Wednesday on Nov 5th, 2014
Auto-playing Audio Audio, such as background music, that automatically plays when a user comes to a web page can be very distracting and will interfere with screen reader audio. WCAG 2.0 Level A requires that “a mechanism is provided to stop, pause, mute, or adjust volume for audio that automatically plays on a page for […]
Posted in Assistive Technology, AT News, Education, Information Technology, MD Technology Assistance Program, Mystery Monday on Nov 3rd, 2014
Contributed by Lori Markland, Director of Communications, Outreach and Development, MDTAP Right around this time of year, parents and teachers across the country meet for the first time as they begin to map out their students’ academic paths during parent-teacher conferences. This year, in my house, these meetings were met with mixed emotions. While my older child is […]
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