Advocates for the disabled are debating how to approach Apple in a push for expanded accessibility features, Reuters reports. Though many advocates for the blind and deaf consider Apple to be a longtime ally, some of those advocates are ultimately seeking enforced accessibility requirements for apps sold within the App Store. “It’s time for Apple to step up or we will take the next step,” said Michael Hingson, a board member of the National Federation of the Blind’s California chapter.
Hingson said litigation is “the only resort” in lieu of Apple instituting accessibility requirements on its own. According to Reuters, the National Federation of the Blind sent a legal demand letter to Apple in 2008 regarding iTunes accessibility. Apple reached an access agreement with the organization and the Massachusetts attorney general, paying $250,000 and adding accessibility improvements, including captions, to iTunes.*
Apple has continued to update its accessibility features since then.
More will be done in iOS 8 — VoiceOver users will be able to access the male “Alex” voice of Siri, there’s added support for six-dot Braille keyboards, and the zoom feature has been enhanced. MFi hearing aids are also starting to make their way to market. The Reuters article notes that some third-party apps can give the disabled navigation issues, putting the users at a disadvantage, but there’s a question on how much of that should fall on Apple’s shoulders.
