all the accessibility features in iPhone and iPad.

all the accessibility features in iPhone and iPad.

Accessibility is an important issue. One group of people that is especially affected by lack of accessibility is people with disabilities. It is important that people with disabilities (sensory or physical) can effectively use iPad or other iOS devices. iOS devices have important accessibility features to enable people with disabilities to use the device. In fact, iPad/iPhone/iPod are flexible enough to meet different user needs, preferences, and situations.

The accessibility settings for iOS devices can be found in the Settings app (Settings > General > Accessibility).

These settings include these settings:

Vision:

VoiceOver: Read the contents of the screen so that a person with visual impairment disability can understand and navigate. VoiceOver can read in 36 languages. You can also connect Braille via Bluetooth.

Zoom: will zoom / magnify the contents of the screen to enable people with vision impairment to see the screen.

Large Text: makes the text bigger in some built-in applications such as Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Messages and Notes.

White on Black: reverses the colors on the screen to create contrast.

Speak Selection: Speak Selection will read you texts out loud in websites, email, messages that you highlighted.

Speak Auto-text: This will type the spoken word and offer corrections on words that were not understood as clearly.

Hearing:

Mono Audio: You can route both right and left audio into both earbuds at the same time. This feature can be helpful to people with unilateral hearing loss.

Physical and Motor

Assistive Touch: Assistive touch lets you use your device if you are having difficulties touching the screen by creating custom gestures.

Triple-click home: Triple-click Home is an easy way to turn some Accessibility features on or off by quickly press the Home button three times.

Accessibility hardware for iPad, iPhone and iPod

 TecEar Music Link T-coil inductive ear loop (url): This offers people who suffer from hearing loss to have loud, clear audio without feedback or distraction background noise.

Soft-Touch Stylus (url): This tool lets you type, tap and scroll effortlessly on a finger-touch screen without worrying about scratching display on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

Accessibility apps for iPad, iPhone and iPod

You can easily find variety of products in the App store. Here are just a few of them:

soundAMP R ($4.99 – iTunes). This app amplifies the world around you discreetly with iPhone and iPod touch to help improve hearing ability.

Sign 4 Me – A Signed English Translator ($9.99 – iTunes): This app teaches American Sign Language (ASL) in 3D.

Eye Glasses ($2.99 – iTunes): This app offers 2X, 4X, 6X or 8X magnification levels using your iOS device.

Lack of Accessibility in Apps

Although, iOS includes a number of accessibility features designed to make iPad, iPod or iPhone easier to use for people with disabilities, some apps may not comply with certain design / development principles to make them accessible, thus they may not be compatible with features built into iOS such as VoiceOver.

Read all about the amazing iOS

Read all about the amazing iOS as a new begins, it's enticing to predict massive changes and transformation in the upcoming 12 months. But read on if you want a prediction of only incremental change for the music industry's most-hyped sector.


Nearly six years after the debut of the iPhone, mobile applications are beginning to mature. The best mobile apps of 2012 – with a few notable exceptions – are more about refined practicality rather than anything revolutionary.

So while this year’s list lacks medium-defining breakthroughs like Instagram and Shazam, it showcases new and meaningfully updated apps that simply work better than their competitors. In this age of algorithmic aggregation, we also salute titles that have a decidedly human touch.

Of course, any attempt to rank the “best” apps within any period of time will be questioned and debated. Ask 100 different people to rank their favorites, and you’ll likely get 100 different variations.

The apps we selected were either released or significantly updated between January 1 and December 21 of this year. Titles that debuted on iOS or Android in 2012 that were previously available on another platform are eligible for inclusion. All of our selections were sourced, ranked and finalized by Appolicious advisors and members of our community. In all, about a dozen members of the Appolicious editorial team offered their favorites. We also surveyed the most active and influential users of Appolicious sites and applications. We did not account for the number of app downloads or overall popularity. Our qualitative assessment is based primarily on the production value, utility and creativity baked into each cited application.

Here goes.

Google Maps (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android free)
While Tim Cook was a runner-up to President Obama for Time Magazine’s Person of the Year 2012, the app of the year comes from Apple’s primary nemesis. Google Maps was far from broken when Apple, for business reasons, elected to go with its own Map app for iOS 6. When the iPhone 5 came out, users tapping into the iOS 6 Maps app couldn’t see the Statue of Liberty. This was just one of countless Apple Maps fails. Of course, it’s easy to lambaste Apple for laying an egg here. Yet the larger point is that we take for granted the reliability, clarity, and ease of use of Google Maps. This stuff is hard. That is why we are thankful that Apple earlier this month approved a brand-new version of Google Maps for iOS 6 devices. New competition from Apple, which will inevitably improve its mapping capabilities, pushed Google to develop the best map app yet for any device.

Camera Awesome (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad free)
During our mid-year check-in, we had Camera Awesome as the best new app to come out during the first half of 2012. Developer SmugMug is not resting on any laurels. Since that time, Camera Awesome became universally available on all iOS devices and is inspiring many of us to snap pics with our iPads. Camera Awesome – which is superior to the pre-installed iPhone camera and all other third-party photography apps – also integrated with Tumblr. The app’s “1-Tap Share” feature is now accessible with all major social networks.

Slices for Twitter (iPhone, iPod touch $4.99 Android free)
From reading commentary during live news and sporting events, to sharing information about public transportation during Hurricane Sandy, to finding out what your friends are up to this weekend, Twitter in 2012 emerged as a (if not the) primary resource for real-time news and information for mainstream users. With millions of feeds to follow, however, it’s challenging for five-year veterans and newbies alike to keep this vast flow of information organized. While there are many third-party apps that help users categorize who and what they follow on Twitter, Slices is the best one for smartphones right now.

Flipboard (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android free)
The worldwide leader in socially curated news had a busy year after being named our favorite app of 2011. Highlights from 2012 include Flipboard’s arrival on Android devices, YouTube, and Google+ integration, as well as a picture-perfect partnership with the New York Times. I’d argue that it’s better to read all the news that’s fit to print via Flipboard than anywhere else.

Khan Academy (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad free)
Touchscreen devices will revolutionize education in the months and years ahead. In early 2012, Salman Khan took his library of more than 3,500 lesson-specific educational videos to iDevices. The Khan Academy app enables users to easily navigate their way through comprehensive and engaging tutorials on subjects that range from raising venture capital to the Baroque period in art history. Khan Academy also lets users view the transcripts from each lesson, and easily find and drill down on passages that are most insightful.

Songza (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android free)
Audio streaming services like Pandora, Slacker and Spotify are changing the ways in which we consume music. Rather than listening to albums or pre-programmed playlists, we now have access to entire “stations” on our computers and mobile devices built around our favorite artists and songs. This year, the Songza app added a human element to this kind of algorithmic-driven music curation with a major update that showcases playlists created for particular moods or times of day. Best of all, even after hundreds of hours of happy listening, I still haven’t heard an ad on the free service.

Viggle (iPhone, iPod touch, Android free)
You no longer need to feel guilty about wasting the day away curled up on the couch watching television. With the Viggle iPhone app, you can get compensated from the likes of Amazon.com, Starbucks and the Gap merely for watching and checking in to many of your favorite programs. Viggle uses audio recognition technology similar to what is found in apps like IntoNow and Shazam to do much of the work for you. Just sit back and appreciate that you are getting rewarded for doing absolutely nothing.

Brewster Address Book (iPhone, iPod touch free)
Keeping track of all your contacts across email, telephone numbers and social networks is challenging. Brewster is an uber contact-management tool that syncs to your iPhone’s contact list, but also Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Gmail and Foursquare. The app has a simple and visually striking interface that showcases the images and names of your contacts as you scroll across the screen. Brewster will automatically determine your “Favorites” based on activity, and lets you easily search for contacts or create your own distinct lists.

Next Draft – The Day’s Most Fascinating News (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad free)
While there is nothing technologically groundbreaking about this app, which publishes daily email newsletter content from satirist and current events junkie Dave Pell, you will feel smarter and happier after you download it. There are hundreds of apps that let you filter and curate news around your particular interests, but there is only one that compiles 10 of the “Day’s Most Fascinating News” stories with Pell’s unique wit and insight.

Action Movie FX (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad free)
From the production company of producer J.J. Abrams (Lost, Super 8, and the latest iteration of Star Trek) comes this entertaining app, which lets users superimpose special effects into video clips they record with their iDevices. While Action Movie FX suffered from early stability issues and is not really an app you’ll need to use every day, its playful production values and Skywalker-inspired sound effects make it worthy of top billing.

Atlas by Collins (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad $6.99)
The world is at your fingertips with Atlas by Collins. This robust app features satellite mapping images, physical maps, political maps with states and territories marked out, environmental maps, population statistics and even mobile technology and Internet usage maps. Atlas By Collins also features street-level viewing for any location on the map, in-depth country profiles, and 200,000 data points for cities, towns and major natural landmarks.

Crackle – Movies & TV (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android free)
While there were no technological breakthroughs from this Sony-developed video-streaming service in 2012, we salute Crackle for its exclusive programming. In August, Jerry Seinfeld returned to the small screen with his “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” online series that was shown exclusively on Crackle. Netflix and Hulu may be splashier, but neither could show Seinfeld riffing with Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner while eating Chicken in the Pot soup and watching Jeopardy.

Vyclone (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad free)
Vyclone may be the next big video-editing app thanks to its social take on video recording. When users take a video with Vyclone, the app looks for others who are shooting video nearby and then edits the video clips together so the same footage can be seen from multiple angles. Ideal for large events like sports games, events and concerts, Vyclone could create a new socially focused, video-editing standard.

Stitcher Radio (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android free)
Although podcasts don’t have the same pop-culture cachet as apps, the digital audio files are a godsend to talk-radio junkies and anyone who appreciates the spoken word. From past episodes of This American Life and Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! to comedy programs like The Nerdist and WTF with Marc Maron, to long-form interviews from your favorite sports commentators, there are podcasts that appeal to virtually every interest. Regrettably, the Podcasts app that Apple debuted earlier this year is buggy and – if not monitored correctly – can eat up a lot of storage. The best bet for podcast discovery on iOS and Android devices comes from the fifth-generation edition of Stitcher Radio, which rolled out earlier this year.

Highlight (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android free)
Highlight, which alerts you when a Facebook friend or individual with similar interests is in your vicinity, was the most successful app of its kind to emerge from South By Southwest in March. Since that time, Highlight has significantly improved with new features that let users send group messages to those nearby and comment on their friends’ profiles. The app’s notification system is also vastly improved.

Clear (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad $0.99)
What separates Clear from hundreds of other task-management apps are its ease of use and beautiful design. A recent update enables the app to work alongside iCloud, so you can share task lists between your MacBook and iPhone seamlessly. Other newer features include the ability to switch lists quickly, and paste text into Clear and have it auto-format into a list.

Pocket (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android free)
While many were predicting the demise of Pocket with the arrival of iOS 6 and the ability to read articles offline in Safari, the app remains the best “Read it Later” alternative for all iOS and Android devices. Accessing content through the app is a pleasure. Its other features – such as changing text size, sharing through myriad services, and archiving finished content – are simple and intuitive.

Showyou (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad free)
A fully operational Apple TV is at least six months away — likely longer. In the meantime, there are a handful of great video-discovery apps that can be viewed on the big screen thanks to Apple TV and AirPlay Mirroring. Showyou is the best. This year, Showyou completely revamped its iPhone application, making it easy to locate videos shared by Facebook and Twitter contacts, as well as via search and a curated directory. What separates Showyou from its competitors are clever in-app messaging features and a vibrant community.

Paper by FiftyThree (iPad free)
Doodlers and more serious artists alike can embrace this beautifully designed iPad application, also named by Apple as one of the best of 2012. Created by the Microsoft team that brought us Courier, Paper cleverly labels drawing tools by utility (“sketch”) rather than their actual name (“pencil”). There is a lot here that can be enjoyed for free, with extra tools on sale within the app.

Zinio (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android free)
Although Zinio first appeared on iOS devices in 2009, the digital magazine application is more recently pioneering how consumers purchase advertised and editorially curated products on touchscreen devices. A partnership with ShopAdvisor lets readers purchase and learn more about products they are interested in without leaving the page they are reading. Zinio has a roster of more than 5,500 publications that can be read seamlessly across any mobile and desktop device worth owning.

what is new in iOS 6

iOS 6 gives you more features to make the things you do every day even better. It’s free and easy to upgrade wirelessly on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.Beautifully designed from the ground up (and the sky down), Maps changes the way you see the world. Map elements are vector based, so graphics and text are incredibly detailed — even when you zoom all the way in — and panning is smooth. Tilt and rotate to view an area, and Maps keeps the names of streets and places where they belong. Get visual and spoken turn-by-turn navigation and real-time traffic updates. Even soar over cityscapes to see the sights from the air in amazing, high-resolution quality.

With iOS 6, Siri understands more languages and works in more countries.2 So you can get more things done in more places around the world. Want to know the latest scores and stats for your favorite teams and players? Thanks to iOS 6, Siri knows the answers. Or maybe it’s movie night. Siri can show you the latest reviews and showtimes and help you purchase tickets. Find the best restaurants in town and make reservations. Even have Siri open your apps for you — no tapping required. Say “Launch Flight Tracker” or “Open Angry Birds” and Siri does just that. You can also use Siri to post Facebook updates and tweet for you. 

Now it’s easier than ever to interact with the world’s largest social network. And there’s no need to leave your app to do it. Share a photo to Facebook right from Camera or Photos. Post your location right from Maps. Brag about a high score right from Game Center. If you have your hands full, just ask Siri to post for you. You need to sign in to Facebook only once, and you’ll be off and sharing. Never miss another birthday or get-together, since Facebook events are integrated into Calendar. And your Facebook friends’ profile information is integrated into Contacts, so when they update an email address or phone number you automatically stay up to date. Now that’s something to post about.

Share photos from the Camera app, locations from Maps, links from Safari, high scores from Game Center, and more. Or post a status update from Notification Center or with Siri.

Now you can share just the photos you want, with just the people you choose. Simply select photos from the Photos app, tap the Share button, choose who you want to share your photos with, and they’re on their way. Friends using iCloud on an iOS 6 device or a Mac running Mountain Lion get the photos delivered immediately in the Photos app or iPhoto. You can even view Shared Photo Streams on Apple TV. If the folks you're sharing with aren’t using an Apple device, they can view your photos on the web. People can like individual photos and make comments. And you can share as much as you want: Your Shared Photo Streams don’t count against your iCloud storage, and they work over Wi-Fi and cellular networks.

Passbook keeps your boarding passes, loyalty cards, retail coupons, movie tickets, and more all in one place — on your iPhone or iPod touch. No worrying about misplaced printouts. Or rifling through your wallet at checkout. Just open Passbook and tap the pass you need. The barcode on the pass is scanned, and just like that, you’ve checked in for a flight, earned loyalty points, or redeemed a coupon. You can add passes to Passbook through apps, Mail messages, and websites from participating airlines, stores, theaters, and more. You can also see when your coupons expire, where your concert seats are, and the balance left on that all-important coffee bar card. Wake your iPhone or iPod touch, and passes appear on your Lock screen at the appropriate time and place — like when you reach the airport or walk into the store to redeem your gift card or coupon. And if your gate changes after you’ve checked in for your flight, Passbook will even alert you to make sure you’re not relaxing in the wrong terminal.No more hunting through your wallet for gift cards, coupons, passes, or tickets. Passbook keeps everything organized — and handy.

FaceTime now works over cellular networks as well as Wi-Fi, so you can make and receive FaceTime calls wherever you happen to be.3 You can even make and receive FaceTime calls on your iPad using your phone number. That means you can use FaceTime wherever you are, on any device. And never miss another wink, smile, air kiss, or eye roll.

iOS 6 adds new calling features to your iPhone. Now when you decline an incoming call, you can instantly reply with a text message or set a callback reminder. And when things are just too hectic, turn on Do Not Disturb and you won’t be bothered by anyone — except can’t-miss contacts like your boss or your better half.Redesigned with a more streamlined interface for easier reading and writing, Mail in iOS 6 lets you set up a VIP list so you’ll never miss an important message from your accountant, your boss, or your BFF. It’s even easier to add photos and videos to email messages. And to refresh your mailboxes, all you have to do is swipe down.

iOS 6 brings even better web browsing to your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. iCloud Tabs keeps track of which pages you have open on your devices, so you can start browsing on one device and pick up right where you left off, on whatever device is handy. Safari now saves web pages — not just links — in your Reading List, so you can catch up on your reading even when you can’t connect to the Internet.4 And when you’re posting a photo or video to eBay, Craigslist, or another site, you can take photos and video — or choose from your Camera Roll — without leaving Safari. When you really want to see the whole picture, turn your iPhone or iPod touch to landscape and tap the full-screen icon to view web pages without distractions.

iOS 6 comes with even more features to make it easier for people with vision, hearing, learning, and mobility disabilities to get the most from their iOS devices. Guided Access helps students with disabilities such as autism remain on task and focused on content. It allows a parent, teacher, or administrator to limit an iOS device to one app by disabling the Home button, as well as restrict touch input on certain areas of the screen. VoiceOver, the revolutionary screen reader for blind and low-vision users, is now integrated with Maps, AssistiveTouch, and Zoom. And Apple is working with top manufacturers to introduce Made for iPhone hearing aids that will deliver a power-efficient, high-quality digital audio experience.5

Restrict touch access to certain areas of the screen.The new panorama feature for iPhone and iPod touch lets you capture everything from a momentous family reunion photo to a sweeping vista.6 With one simple motion you can shoot up to 240 degrees — even vertically, to get that redwood tree, say. Then hardware and software work together to create one seamless, high-resolution panorama.

It happens. You misplace your iPhone or your iPad or your iPod touch. Luckily, iOS 6 and iCloud now offer Lost Mode, making it even easier to use Find My iPhone to locate and protect a missing device.7 Immediately lock your missing iPhone with a four-digit passcode and send it a message displaying a contact number. That way a good Samaritan can call you from your Lock screen without accessing the rest of the information on your iPhone. And while in Lost Mode, your device will keep track of where it’s been and report back to you anytime you check in with the Find My iPhone app.Find My Friends is a great way to share locations with friends and family.7 Those who share their locations with you appear on a map so you can quickly see where they are and what they’re up to. And with iOS 6, you can get location-based alerts — like when your kids leave school or arrive home. Find My Friends can also notify others about your location, so you can stay connected or keep track of the ones you love.iOS 6 brings a new kind of shopping experience to the redesigned iTunes Store, App Store, and iBookstore. See the best of what’s new in music, movies, TV shows, apps, and books at the top of each store’s home page. Browse with a swipe of your finger and tap to learn more. Keep track of the music, movies, and TV shows you previewed by tapping the History button, and when you’re ready, tap Buy to add something to your collection. With iCloud, your preview history is always up to date on all your devices. 

So you can start shopping on your iPhone and continue on your iPad. And now you can buy your favorite music, apps, and more without leaving the app you’re in.With precision text input, a comprehensive up-to-date Chinese dictionary, and handwriting recognition support for over 30,000 Chinese characters, iOS 6 gives Chinese speakers more features than ever. You can mix full and abbreviated Pinyin and even type English words in a Pinyin sentence without switching keyboards. And when you add words to your personal dictionary, iCloud makes them available on all your devices. Baidu is a built-in option in Safari, and you can share videos directly to Youku and Tudou. You can also post to Sina Weibo from Camera, Photos, Maps, Safari, and Game Center.

New features for China in iOS 6

New features for China.
iOS 6 also delivers an amazingly accurate experience to Chinese speakers, with precision text input, a comprehensive Chinese dictionary, and handwriting recognition support for over 30,000 Chinese characters.
Apple has said repeatedly that China is its next big market and several new iOS and OS X features suggest Apple plans to increasingly market its products to consumers in the Asian country.


For the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, Apple announced during its WWDC keynote that iOS 6 will support additional Chinese characters, add new Chinese dictionaries and ship with eight new fonts. It'll also add support for Baidu and other Chinese websites including Youku and Tudou. An updated version of Siri will support Mandarin and Cantonese.

One the OS X side of things, Apple made improvements to its input methods for Chinese characters, added a new Chinese dictionary and included eight new Chinese fonts. Chinese services like Baidu will now show up in search and the new system-wide sharing feature. Setting up email with Chinese email services will also be streamlined in Mountain Lion.

iOS Works all over the world.

iOS Works all over the world.

One thing that I really love about iOS 6 is that it works all over the world! I travel overseas a lot, and this is one device where I won't have to worry that I won't be able to use it where I'm going!
iOS devices are made to be used around the world. Take your pick of 30 languages and easily switch between them. Because the keyboard is software based, you can select from over 50 different layouts with support for language-specific features including diacritic marks on characters and contextual character options for Japanese. In addition, the built-in dictionaries support over 50 languages, Voice Over reads screens in more than 35 languages, and Voice Control understands over 20 languages.

People who have been using beta versions of iOS 6 for the past few months have known how awful Apple’s (AAPL) new Maps app is, but for the most part they held out hope that the company would make some serious refinements by the time its new iOS 6 software was released to the public. But iOS 6 officially took flight on Wednesday and sadly, Apple’s new Maps app is still awful.

Updated with Apple’s response to iOS 6 Maps complaints after the final paragraph.

An unsightly blemish on what is otherwise a beautiful OS, Apple’s new Maps application is enraging users. Google Maps wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination but Google (GOOG) has spent many years and boatloads of money creating its mapping experience. The result is a fantastic product that iOS users had taken for granted. Until now.

Apple is often criticized for valuing form over function by enthusiasts who avidly support rival companies. Those who use Apple products argue that they function quite well, but this is an instance where the naysayers are correct. Apple’s new Maps application is absolutely gorgeous but in terms of performance, it takes multiple giant leaps backwards compared to Google Maps.

In my own testing over the past few months, I have found the new Maps app to be remarkably frustrating and after a while I avoided it at all costs. I would check back in from time to time to see if any notable improvements had been made, but each time I checked I was met with disappointment.

Put plainly, Apple’s Maps app just isn’t smart. A search performed just a few days ago for a restaurant I was standing no more than 100 feet away from yielded a result in Kansas. I was in New Jersey at the time. While I’m sure Kansas has terrific Chinese food, Google Maps would have known that serving a result 1,100 miles away probably isn’t as smart as serving a result 100 feet away.

I have had a great deal of trouble when searching for most business names in Apple’s Maps app. This is especially problematic when I’m rushing to a meeting that I am already late for. Sadly, this happens often. Searching the name of a hotel or event center in Google Maps always took me right where I needed to go. The same cannot be said of Apple’s Maps app. Even if I’m within a mile of the place I’m looking for, Maps in iOS 6 often serves results that are across town or even in a different city.

To make matters worse, searching exact addresses isn’t always better. A recent search for an address on Broadway in Manhattan would only return a result on West Broadway — an entirely different street. Sometimes, even after I tap the locate button and the app has pinpointed my location, searches for business names or addresses yield results in different towns or even different states when there are closer, far more logical results to be found. It’s just not smart.

And so we have our first big gripe with iOS 6, and by extension, the new iPhone 5: Apple’s new mapping solution is awful.

Apple knows how bad its Maps application is, and I’m sure the company is working hard to improve it. Many assume Apple launched the new service in this state because it was in such a rush to oust Google from its devices, and this may or may not be the explanation. Regardless, users are being punished. Thermonuclear war or not, there’s no excuse for punishing users.

UPDATE: Apple spokeswoman Trudy Miller issued the following statement to AllThingsD:

Customers around the world are upgrading to iOS 6 with over 200 new features including Apple Maps, our first map service. We are excited to offer this service with innovative new features like Flyover, turn by turn navigation, and Siri integration. We launched this new map service knowing it is a major initiative and that we are just getting started with it. Maps is a cloud-based solution and the more people use it, the better it will get. We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better.

Accessibility built in iOS .

Accessibility built in iOS .
Accessibility features like Guided Access, Voice Over, and Assistive Touch help people with disabilities experience more of what an iOS device has to offer. For example, the built-in Voice Over screen-reading technology allows those who are blind or have low vision to hear a description of the item they’re touching on the screen. iOS also offers out-of-the-box support for over 30 wireless braille displays and many other award-winning accessibility features, such as dynamic screen magnification, playback of closed-captioned video, mono audio, white on black text, and more. iOS comes standard with a wide range of accessibility features that help people with disabilities experience everything iPhone, iPad and iPod touch have to offer. Award‑winning features include VoiceOver, the revolutionary screen reader for blind and low vision users, as well as dynamic screen magnification, playback of closed-captioned video, mono audio, reverse video and more.

Making Your App Accessible

The iOS Human Interface Guidelines provide detailed instructions on how to create an intuitive interface that enables users with disabilities to accomplish tasks quickly and efficiently, while maintaining the consistency and ease of learning that characterizes successful iOS apps. Developers that use standard controls and their subclasses will find that support for accessibility is built-in. Apple’s Accessibility APIs define how iOS apps can make their user interface available to an external assistive app or service.

Apple strongly encourages developers to support these APIs in all of their apps so they are compatible with features built into iOS such as VoiceOver. Xcode makes it easy to add accessibility labels and information to standard controls. Interface Builder, for example, has an inspector that allows you to enter descriptions supported by VoiceOver for controls in the user interface.

How it Works

VoiceOver interacts with objects in your app to allow people with disabilities to drive the user interface in an alternative manner. For example, a VoiceOver user relies solely on an alternative set of gestures for control, and on speech synthesis or braille for feedback. Users with low vision will view your app differently as well, using the built-in zoom and white-on-black display mode options to adapt the onscreen experience to their specific needs. Those who are deaf or hard of hearing may rely on vibration and visual alerts instead of audio.

When designing your app, you should consider how all users may interact with your app. If your app does not implement the accessibility API or uses custom controls that have not been made accessible, a VoiceOver user may not be able to use the app. Similarly, if your app uses a non-standard gesture set without providing alternate means for performing actions, it may be inaccessible to users with motor disabilities. By following a few simple guidelines, you can ensure that your app will work as intended for those who rely on these assistive features in iOS.

With built-in accessibility features, Accessibility APIs and a host of developer tools and utilities, iOS provides an extraordinary opportunity to deliver a superior mobile experience to every customer, including those with special needs. Learn more

Safety and security by design.

Safety and security by design.
iOS provides built-in security from the moment you turn on your device. Low-level hardware and firmware features are designed to protect against malware and viruses, while high-level OS features help to secure access to personal information and corporate data. To guard your privacy, apps requesting location information or data from Calendar, Contacts, Reminders, and Photos must first get your permission. You can set a passcode lock to prevent unauthorized access to your device and configure it to delete all your data after too many unsuccessful passcode attempts. This passcode also automatically encrypts and protects your stored email as well as allows third-party apps to encrypt their stored data. iOS supports encrypted network communication that apps can use to protect your sensitive information during transmission. And, in case your device is lost or stolen, Find My iPhone allows you to locate it on a map and remotely delete all your data. When you get it back, you can restore everything from your last backup.

The design and construction of secure and safe buildings (minimal danger or risk of harm) continues to be the primary goal for owners, architects, engineers, project managers, and other stakeholders. In addition to those listed, other stakeholders include: construction managers, developers, facilities managers, code officials, fire marshals, building inspectors, city/county/state officials, emergency managers, law enforcement agencies, lenders, insurers, and product manufacturers. Realizing this goal is often a challenge due to funding limitations, resistance from the occupants due to impacts on operations, productivity and accessibility, and the impacts on the surrounding environment and building architecture due to perimeter security, hardening, and standoff requirements. Understanding the impact site security has on the overall security of the building is important as well. A balance between the security and safety goals and the other design objectives and needs of the facility can be attained. The establishment of an integrated design process where all of the design team members understand each other's goals can aid in overcoming these challenges and will lead to the development of a solution which addresses all of the requirements. Understanding the interrelationship with the other WBDG design objectives (i.e., Sustainable, Aesthetics, Cost-Effective, Historic Preservation, Accessible, Functional / Operational and Productive), early in the design process, is an essential step in overcoming the obstacles commonly encountered in the achievement of a secure and safe building.


Exterior of National Museum of the American Indian—Washington, DC
Designing buildings for security and safety requires a proactive approach that anticipates—and then protects—the building occupants, resources, structure, and continuity of operations from multiple hazards. The first step in this process is to understand the various risks they pose. There are a number of defined assessment types to consider that will lead the project team in making security and safety design decisions. This effort identifies the resources or "assets" to be protected, highlights the possible perils or "threats," and establishes a likely consequence of occurrence or "risk." This assessment is weighed against the vulnerabilities specific to the site or facility. Based on these assessments and analysis, building owners and other invested parties select the appropriate safety and security measures to implement. Their selection will depend on the security requirements, acceptable levels of risk, the cost-effectiveness of the measures proposed for total design efficiency, evaluation of life cycle cost, and the impact these measures have on the design, construction, and use of the building.

Hazard Mitigation refers to measures that can reduce or eliminate the vulnerability of the built environment to hazards, whether natural or man-made. The fundamental goal of hazard mitigation is to minimize loss of life, property, and function due to disasters. Designing to resist any hazard(s) should always begin with a comprehensive risk assessment. This process includes identification of the hazards present in the location and an assessment of their potential impacts and effects on the built environment based on existing or anticipated vulnerabilities and potential losses. When hazard mitigation is implemented in a risk-informed manner, every dollar spent on mitigation actions results in an average of four dollars' worth of disaster losses being avoided.

It is common for different organizations to use varying nomenclature to refer to the components of risk assessment. For example, actual or potential adversary actions such as sabotage and terrorist attacks are referred to as "threats" by the law enforcement and intelligence communities, while natural phenomena such as hurricanes and floods are generally referred to as "hazards" by emergency managers; however, both are simply forces that have the potential to cause damage, casualties, and loss of function in the built environment. Regardless of who is conducting the risk assessment, the fundamental process of identifying what can happen at a given location, how it can affect the built environment, and what the potential losses could be, remains essentially the same from application to application.

Integrating Safe and Secure Design
There are times when design requirements addressing all the various threats will pose conflicts in arriving at acceptable design and construction solutions. Examples include Blast Resistive Glazing, which may impede emergency egress in case of fire; access control measures that prevent intrusion, but may also restrict emergency egress; and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) light pollution reduction and security lighting objectives. Conversely, site design and security can complement each other such as the design of a storm water management requirement that doubles as a vehicle barrier. Good communication between the design team, fire protection and security design team specialists through the entire design process is necessary to achieve the common goal of safe and secure buildings and facilities.

Most security and safety measures involve a balance of operational, technical, and physical safety methods. For example, to protect a given facility from unwanted intruders, a primarily operational approach might stress the deployment of guards around the clock; a primarily technical approach might stress camera surveillance and warning sirens; while a primarily physical approach might stress locked doorways and vehicle barriers. In practice, a combination of approaches is usually employed to some degree and a deficiency in one area may be compensated by a greater emphasis in the other two.

In addition to the operational/technical/physical taxonomy, it is useful to characterize risk reduction strategies as either structural or non-structural. Structural mitigation measures focus on those building components that carry gravity, wind, seismic and other loads, such as columns, beams, foundations, and braces. Examples of structural mitigation measures include building material and technique selection (e.g., use of ductile framing and shear walls), building code compliance, and site selection (e.g., soil considerations). In contrast, non-structural strategies focus on risks arising from damage to non-load-bearing building components, including architectural elements such as partitions, decorative ornamentation, and cladding; mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) components such as HVAC, life safety, and utility systems; and/or furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) such as desks, shelves, and other material contents. Non-structural mitigation actions include efforts to secure these elements to the structure or otherwise keep them in position and to minimize damage and functional disruption. These measures may be prescriptive, engineered, or non-engineered in nature.

It should be noted that in any given building, non-structural components, including general building contents, typically account for over three-quarters of the cost of a building; this figure can be even higher for specialized occupancies such as medical facilities. Additionally, structural and non-structural components can potentially interact during an incident, requiring a deliberative approach to implementing a comprehensive agenda of structural and non-structural mitigation actions.

Consistent with areas of professional responsibility, it is useful to identify four fundamental principles of all-hazard building design:

Plan for Fire Protection
Planning for fire protection for a building involves a systems approach that enables the designer to analyze all of the building's components as a total building fire safety system package.
Protect Occupant Safety and Health
Some injuries and illnesses are related to unsafe or unhealthy building design and operation. These can usually be prevented by measures that take into account issues such as indoor air quality, electrical safety, fall protection, ergonomics, and accident prevention.
Natural Hazards and Security
Each year U.S. taxpayers pay over $35 billion for recovery efforts, including repairing damaged buildings and infrastructure, from the impacts of hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornados, blizzards, and other natural disasters. A significant percentage of this amount could be saved if our buildings properly anticipated the risk associated with major natural hazards.
Provide Security for Building Occupants and Assets
Effective secure building design involves implementing countermeasures to deter, detect, delay, and respond to attacks from human aggressors. It also provides for mitigating measures to limit hazards to prevent catastrophic damage and provide resiliency should an attack occur.