GARI App now available

With thanks to Vodafone Foundation Spain, anyone wanting to check out the accessibility features of various phones can now download the free GARI App. It is already available in the Nokia Ovi store which you can access here: http://bit.ly/AdlyBr as well as from the Android Market which is available here: http://bit.ly/wsix5z The app allows you the same functionality as using the online version but with the convenience of accessing it directly from your handset. While some formatting changes were made to accommodate the different screen sizes the information is all there as well as the ability to view it in either English or Spanish. The following are screenshots from the Android version. Once again thanks to the Vodafone Foundation team in Spain for putting this together and making it available.

A great start to the year

2012 is already off to a great start for GARI with Research in Motion (RIM) joining the project. You can already view the accessibility details for a couple of their Blackberry models on the database - just go to the 'Find phones' tab above to begin your search!

In addition, the Austrian trade association FMK has incorporated GARI into their website, which is available at http://fmk.at/Handy/Handy-Suche. We would like to thank FMK for their support of the project and take the opportunity to extend the offer of using GARI to anyone that is interested. There are two ways that you can integrate the database into your own site – either as an iframe, which is very easy to setup, or by using an XML file of the database that we make available. It’s this XML file that the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Accessibility Clearinghouse site at http://apps.fcc.gov/accessibilityclearinghouse/search.html?pgID=2 is using. So if any one wants to access the data to help people find the right phone for them – then jump on over to

http://www.mobileaccessibility.info/copyright.cfm where you can see the details and access the file.

The last piece of news is that we have now added the 15 new features to the database that came about from our recent review of GARI – so the database now contains information on about 110 accessibility features of mobile phones!

Let's hope the year continues like this...

Update on our review of GARI

In launching our review of GARI in August, we were interested to receive your thoughts on the accessibility features that we report on as part of the project. We received a lot of great feedback and as a result, we are now in the process of implementing the changes. We will be making the descriptions easier to understand and we will be adding 15 new features to the template for reporting on. There will also be changes to the website to make it easier to navigate as well as other improvements. We thought the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities was the time to announce these changes and you can find our press release here.

We will be detailing the changes in separate posts so we can explain their relevance and usefulness to those with limited vision, hearing, dexterity or cognition. In the mean time, we would like to thank you for the comments and suggestions made as part of this review and we look forward to continuing to improve GARI for the benefit of those with special needs.

Starting the day with Mobile Accessibility

Today we were very fortunate to be invited to a breakfast hosted by Dr Ádám Kósa MEP from Hungary and President of the Disability Intergroup within the European Parliament. The meeting was arranged to discuss how to make mobile communications more accessible and to present the GARI project to members of the European parliament. Also attending were representatives from the European Commission and the European Disability Forum (EDF). Background material for the meeting is available here.

EDF Acting Director, Javier Güemes, explained at the meeting that accessible mobile, smart phones and apps are crucial to making sure persons with disabilities are included in the society: “Accessibility and interoperability of communications devices are vital to making possible the professional and cultural inclusion of people with disabilities. At the same time, when not accessible, the technology can create new obstacles and can lead to new forms of discrimination.”

EDF said that it welcomed initiatives such as the GARI project because it raised awareness of accessibility issues and it represented a step forward for a better connection to the digital world for 80 million persons with disabilities in Europe.

Having such events opens the door to better dialogue and a better understanding of the needs of those with sensory or physical limitations. We would like to thank Dr Kósa, for making the event possible and for reinforcing the value of projects like GARI.

Don't forgot that you can follow the latest GARI updates, including when new models are added to the database, on Twitter @GARIupdates. 

Inviting your comments on GARI

The MMF is currently undertaking a review of the various features that mobile handset manufacturers report on within the GARI database.  In one sense, GARI in its current form is essentially v1.0  - and having got it to where it is now, we are now undertaking a full review with stakeholders to get their feedback, comments and suggestions. In particular, we are keen to receive feedback on what features different groups of users use/look for when considering a mobile phone. Such information will help us to further improve the information provided to consumers. 

If you would like to make any suggestions, then please email us on accessibility at mmfai dot info by the 30 September 2011 so that our working group that oversees the project can consider them. We look forward to receiving your comments.

World report on disability

Around 1 billion people or 15 percent of the global population experience a disability and this is rising due to population ageing and chronic health conditions according to the first ever World report on disability undertaken jointly by the World Health Organization and the World Bank.

Included in these figures are around 95 million children who have a disability with about 13 million of these suffering severe disabilities.

The report notes that people with disabilities struggle with everyday activities. Even in high-income countries, between 20% and 40% of people with disabilities struggle with everyday activities while in the United States 70% of adults with disabilities still need to rely on family and friends for assistance with normal daily activities.

People are disabled by society, not just by their bodies, says the WHO, but it does highlight actions that can be undertaken to overcome barriers. The report certainly makes for sobering reading and is available at: http://www.who.int/disabilities/world_report/2011/en/index.html

GARI database incorporated into AMTA website

Following on from our successful integration of the GARI database into the AccessWireless.org site in the US, we have now partnered with our colleagues at the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) to include it on their website as well. You can access the Australian version of the GARI database via this link.