by Jason Snell
Apple updates accessibility site, support
Steven Aquino, writing at Forbes:
Apple on Thursday marked International Day of Persons with Disabilities with a slew of accessibility-centric announcements, spanning the company’s website and social media outposts.
First is a redesign of the company’s accessibility website, last refreshed in 2016 at the Touch Bar MacBook Pro unveiling. Visitors to this part of Apple’s site have long been able to learn about the assistive technologies across the company’s products. The site is divided into four sections representing the different developmental domains: vision, mobility, hearing, and cognitive. Anyone, whether they identify as disabled or not, can use the information as a resource for learning about Apple’s accessibility software. There also are helpful tips for users to get the most out of their device(s).
Next is an update to Apple Support materials. Apple has a popular presence on Twitter and particularly YouTube, where slickly-produced videos demonstrate how to use various features of various devices. New is a collection of accessibility-oriented videos covering Magnifier, Back Tap, and Voice Control. The Voice Control piece is a how-to, produced in collaboration with the United Spinal Association, on how to take selfies with the feature, introduced in 2019 as part of iOS 13 and macOS Catalina.
Aquino’s article includes an interview with Jordan Nicholson, a photographer who Apple is featuring on its Instagram account.