Dear Valued Readers,
We welcome you to join us in exploring the November edition of Continual Engine’s monthly newsletter. This collection of news articles and updates is tailored to provide you with valuable insights into the evolving landscape of accessibility and learning trends.
- Continual Engine has been recognized as one of the Top 100 EdTech Companies in South Asia by HolonIQ.
- An overview of upcoming events that Continual Engine will be attending, including the ATIA Conference and CSUN Conference.
- Past events that Continual Engine attended include the Accessing Higher Ground Conference 2023.
- The latest news related to accessibility includes “Diving for All,” contributing to enhanced resort accessibility, and the introduction of a high-tech shirt allowing deaf individuals to experience music.
- Noteworthy news articles include Coles Nationwide Expansion of Quiet Hour, Canadians are invited to Shape the New Canada Disability Benefit, Severe Underrepresentation of Disabilities on TV, Touchscreen Card Devices Hinder Blind Customers’ Ability to Pay, Disabled Arts Scheme for a Hassle-Free Ticket-Buying Experience.
We hope that you will find this edition to be both engaging and informative. Please feel free to reach out to us with any feedback or questions you may have.
Warm Regards,
Continual Engine
I. STAR NEWS OF THE MONTH
1. Continual Engine has been Selected Among the Top 100 EdTech Companies in South Asia by HolonIQ.
We’re proud to share that Continual Engine has been selected among the Top 100 EdTech Companies in South Asia by HolonIQ.
At Continual Engine, we believe in breaking barriers and ensuring that everyone has equal access to digital content with our accessibility solutions. Our unique approach combines advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology with our dedicated human experts, resulting in solutions that make digital content easily accessible for all.
We extend our gratitude to our team, clients, and partners for their ongoing support as we strive to make a positive impact in education technology. Stay tuned for more updates as we embark on this journey towards a more accessible and equitable future.
II. Past Events
1. Mousumi Kapoor, CEO/Founder of Continual Engine Presented at the Zero Project Conference 2024
Continual Engine presented at the Zero Project Conference, which took place from February 21st to 23rd, 2024, in Vienna, Austria. Our CEO/Founder, Mousumi Kapoor delivered presentations at two different sessions on two consecutive days talking about how Continual Engine is impacting accessibility by bringing together the best of technology and experts with our scalable accessibility solutions and services.
Some of the key takeaways from the two sessions include:
- Continual Engine was founded with the mission and vision of making content accessibility more efficient and scalable while exponentially reducing costs.
- Alt text creation posed a significant challenge due to its nuanced nature. Adapting the solution from images to videos and PDFs was a rewarding surprise.
- Continual Engine’s solution achieves accuracies ranging from 75-90%, with a focus on continuous improvement through human intervention and machine learning.
- Continual Engine offers a sandbox environment for testing, accessible upon request, providing a user interface to upload images or documents.
- Continual Engine’s solutions and services are primarily focused on supporting businesses, content providers, and educational institutions scale. In addition, non-profits and government entities are also widely benefiting from the solutions.
- Users are encouraged to utilize the product and provide feedback to enhance its quality further. More feedback leads to better product refinement.
If you missed the chance to connect with us during the event or are eager to discover how Continual Engine can transform your accessibility landscape, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at contact@continualengine.com. We’d be happy to hear from you and explore future potential opportunities together!
II. Upcoming Learning Opportunities
1. Continual Engine will be Attending and Presenting at the 2024 ATIA Conference
Continual Engine is thrilled to be presenting at the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) 2024 Conference in January. The event is scheduled to be held between January 25 and 27 in Orlando, Florida.
During this event, we will talk about our video accessibility solutions that bring together the best of automation and human insight to bring high quality outcomes to accessibility.
We invite you to join us at the event and learn how generative AI technology can be a catalyst for change in scalable accessibility solutions when used by empowered champions and organizational/institutional stakeholders.
2. Continual Engine will be Attending the 2024 CSUN Conference
Continual Engine is excited to announce that we will be presenting and exhibiting at the 2024 CSUN Conference, which will be held on March 18 – March 23, 2024.
Continual Engine will be presenting in partnership with ACT.org to provide an overview of their pilot that leveraged Continual Engine’s award-winning, generative AI image accessibility solution Invicta™.
We will also be presenting a session on how AI is impacting video accessibility and making accessibility more affordable.
We invite you to join us at the event and learn about our accessibility solutions. You can contact us at contact@continualengine.com to schedule a meeting with our SVP, Growth & Strategy, Vijayshree (VJ) Vethantham. We look forward to seeing you at the conference.
III. Past Events
1. Continual Engine has Attended and Exhibited at the Accessing Higher Ground Conference 2023
Continual Engine was a part of the Accessing Higher Ground Conference 2023. This year’s event took place from November 6th to 10th, 2023, at the Hilton Denver City Center in Denver, Colorado.
Our presentation was titled “AI for Extended Audio Descriptions and Closed Captions: Why It Matters?” We were also available at a booth where our Senior Vice President of Growth & Strategy, Vijayshree (VJ) Vethantham, was present.
A few key takeaways from the event include:
- Effective accessibility testing requires recognizing the distinction between keyboard and screen reader testing, each offering unique insights into user experience.
- Inaccessible course content and instructional technologies contribute significantly to disparities, as evidenced by civil rights complaints over the past decade.
- The success of large-scale outreach in building basic accessibility skills contrasts with the greater impact of personalized conversations in instigating meaningful, long-term engagement with accessibility.
Stay connected for future collaborations and opportunities to enhance accessibility as we continue to make a lasting impact on the lives of individuals with diverse abilities.
IV. Latest Advancements In Accessibility
It’s never been easy for people with disabilities to learn to dive. But there’s a splash of good news: the UK boasts three dive resorts certified to offer adaptive services. But hey, why stop there? More resorts can dive into action and revamp their spaces to welcome divers of all abilities, from designing user-friendly facilities to rolling out services for a diverse clientele.
Chicago’s Lyric Opera is aiming to make its performances more accessible via the SoundShirt, a garment that vibrates to match the music. In October, the Lyric became the first opera company to offer the shirts to audience members who are deaf or hard of hearing.
V. News Articles On Accessibility
Coles has expanded its low-sensory shopping experience, Quiet Hour, to five days a week, at a time that better suits many customers and working parents. Coles supermarkets nationwide are now offering customers a Quiet Hour experience from 6:00pm to 7:00pm, Monday to Friday, ensuring customers who find high sensory environments challenging are offered more convenient and accessible time in the evening to enjoy their grocery shop.
In the true spirit of “Nothing About Us, Without Us,” all Canadians, especially individuals with disabilities, their caregivers, and family members, as well as stakeholders and organizations dedicated to working with persons with disabilities, are invited to participate and share their views.
Women and people of color made progress across television for the 2021-22 season, but people with disabilities are still severely underrepresented, according to UCLA’s latest annual TV diversity report.
Blind customers are being left “frustrated” and “embarrassed” by inaccessible payment devices. Some shops have buttonless touchscreen card readers, meaning you need sight to tap in your PIN. They are increasingly popular because they are cheap and the screen can be used to advertise items at checkout.
Details of an innovative pilot to improve the experience of disabled people going to theaters, concerts, and festivals will be unveiled on Tuesday. It includes the right to a free companion ticket for anyone who needs support from another person to attend an event.