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About Sun Sounds
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IAAIS at CES 2009
January 14, 2009
Tempe, AZ
The International Association of Audio Information Services (IAAIS) received a “Wonder Vision Award” from the Sendero Group at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas for their efforts in print accessibility and the development of accessible HD radio design standards.
The universal design principles developed by IAAIS’ Standards for Accessible Radios (StAR) Committee direct radio manufacturers to adopt clearly defined HD radio design standards – standards that will allow 8 million blind and print-disabled Americans to use HD radios.
Sun Sounds Development Director David Noble and Director Bill Pasco spearheaded the StAR Project, which outlines controls, features, documentation and display standards that radios must meet in order to be accessible.
WHAT IS “ACCESSIBLE RADIO”?
A key feature of accessibility is that the radio must speak. When powered on, it must recite what is on the display, as well as which functions it is performing. The buttons, knobs, and other controls must be discernable by touch, and the documentation must be accessible as well.
At CES, Dice Electronics demonstrated their prototype radio that includes all accessibility features, and is expected to retail for less than $100.
In addition, the Dice HD radio prototype includes a conditional access system that allows print-disabled listeners to hear their local radio reading service. Sun Sounds of Arizona is just one of more than 100 radio reading services in the United States that provide access to printed materials. Often these services are a print-disabled person’s only means of reading the weekly grocery ads, the obituaries, and the news beyond the headlines.
The American Foundation for the Blind estimates a national population of 21.2 million Americans living with vision loss. Accessible HD radio design opens wide marketing opportunities for manufacturers who choose to implement these IAAIS standards.
Related link: The Vision Free Awards
Heidi Capriotti
Marketing Coordinator, Sun Sounds of Arizona
2323 W. 14th St., Tempe, AZ 85281-6950
480-774-8300
heidi.capriotti@riomail.maricopa.edu
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