Apple has always gone out of its way to build features for users with disabilities, and VoiceOver on iOS is an invaluable tool for anyone with a vision impairment — assuming every element of the interface has been manually labeled. But the company just unveiled a brand new feature that uses machine learning to identify and label every button, slider and…
Tag: Disabilities
Twitter Engineers Replacing Racially Loaded Tech Terms Like ‘Master,’ ‘Slave’
For Regynald Augustin, a Black programmer at Twitter, the impetus for change arrived in an email last year with the phrase “automatic slave rekick.” The words were just part of an engineering discussion about restarting a secondary process, but they prompted Augustin to start trying to change Twitter’s use of words with racist connections. Augustin was used to seeing the term…
New Free Speech Site Gets in a Tangle Over … Free Speech
The social network bills itself as a ‘no censorship’ bastion — but it’s already had to remind users what is and isn’t allowed. From a report: In recent weeks, Donald Trump has started having his tweets factchecked and published with disclaimers when they contain misleading information. Katie Hopkins, the woman who once compared migrants to cockroaches and called for a “final…
Lyft Settles With Justice Department Over Disability Lawsuit
Lyft has settled with the Justice Department in a lawsuit alleging the company discriminated against customers with disabilities. Engadget reports: Now, drivers will be required to help fold and stow wheelchairs and walkers for customers. The rideshare company has also been ordered to educate its drivers as well as pay complainants and a $40,000 civil penalty. Lyft will pay various amounts…
Uber and Lyft Face Worker Misclassification Lawsuit From CA Attorney General and City Attorneys
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra along with city attorneys from Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco filed a lawsuit asserting Uber and Lyft gain an unfair and unlawful competitive advantage by misclassifying workers as independent contractors. From a report: The suit argues Uber and Lyft are depriving workers of the right to minimum wage, overtime, access to paid sick leave,…
Supreme Court Allows Blind People To Sue Retailers If Their Websites Are Not Accessible
The Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way Monday for blind people to sue retailers if their websites are not accessible to these people. “In a potentially far-reaching move, the justices turned down an appeal from Domino’s and let stand a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling holding that the Americans With Disabilities Act protects access not just to restaurants and…
US Dept. of Transportation Rules Airlines Must Allow Miniature Horses to Fly as Service Animals
An anonymous reader shares a report: For all its indignities, air travel is also surprisingly democratic — people of all stripes and shades crammed together into a small metal tube and lofted into the sky. Some of them have service animals, some of which are a hair more exotic than a vested dog. This has caused some spirited debates. But on…
Comcast Expands Low-Income Internet Program
Comcast announced today its largest-ever eligibility expansion for Internet Essentials, the cable giant’s program that subsidizes basic broadband service and low-cost computers to help increase adoption for low-income households in the cities Comcast serves. From a report: The program, which began 8 years ago with the merger of Comcast and NBCUniversal, will now be open to seniors and people with disabilities….
TurboTax Started Charging the Disabled, Unemployed and Students To Make Up For Trump Tax Law
The 2017 tax overhaul directly threatened the lucrative business of Intuit, the maker of TurboTax, so it pushed students, the disabled, and unemployed to a paid tier to make up for the lost profits. ProPublica reports: Although the company draws in customers with the promise of a “free” product, its fortunes depend on getting as many customers as possible to pay….
Fatal Accident With Metal Straw Highlights a Risk
The disturbing death of a woman in Britain renewed a debate that has followed bans on plastic straws around the world. From a report: A British woman was impaled by a metal straw after falling at her home, a coroner said in an inquest this week that highlighted the potential dangers of metal straws. Such straws have surged in popularity as…