Khaleej Times

Apple’s new accessibil­ity features for visually impaired

- Dhanusha Gokulan dhanusha@khaleejtim­es.com

Slew of other accessibil­ity features are — Apple Watch Mirroring and live captions, for the hard of hearing community

Ahead of Global Accessibil­ity Awareness Day, American multinatio­nal technology company Apple previewed several new accessibil­ity features for members of the disabiliti­es community on Tuesday.

The tech giant showcased a slew of software updates in a media preview, including door detection for the visually impaired, live captions for the hearing community, and the Apple Watch Mirroring feature.

The features will be available later this year with software updates across Apple platforms.

Usingadvan­cementsacr­osshardwar­e,

software, and machine learning, people who are blind or have low vision can soon use their iphone and

ipad to navigate the last few feet to their destinatio­n with Door Detection. Meanwhile, users with physical and motor disabiliti­es who may rely on assistive features like Voice Control and Switch Control can fully control the Apple Watch from their iphone with Apple Watch Mirroring.

Thedeafand­hardofhear­ingcommuni­ty can follow Live Captions on iphone, ipad, and Mac. Apple is also expanding support for its screen reader, Voiceover, with over 20 new languages and locales. “Apple embeds accessibil­ity into every aspect of our work. We are committed to designing the best products and services for everyone,” said Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s senior director of accessibil­ity policy and initiative­s.

“We’re excited to introduce these newfeature­s,whichcombi­neinnovati­on and creativity from teams across Apple to give users more options to use our products in ways that best suit their needs and lives,” said Sarah.

 ?? ?? Using advancemen­ts across hardware, software, and machine learning, people who are blind or have low vision can soon use their iphone and ipad to navigate the last few feet to their destinatio­n with Door Detection.
Using advancemen­ts across hardware, software, and machine learning, people who are blind or have low vision can soon use their iphone and ipad to navigate the last few feet to their destinatio­n with Door Detection.

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