<p>SITE eNews August 2016 Issue 82</p><p>Not much of a summer and it’s August already - never mind just dig in to your eNews and you are sure to smile.</p><p>Remember you can forward this newsletter to friends and colleagues and encourage them to sign up free at our website.</p><p>Contents: +01 News update + 02 Tech News + 03 Opportunities + 04 Events and Training</p><p>++ 01 News Update</p><p>+ Breakthrough on VAT Thousands of assistive systems will be free of VAT thanks to a ruling by HMRC. Mobile phones and computers will be zero-rated for VAT if they are preloaded with software designed solely for the use of disabled people, says HMRC. The decision follows lengthy discussions with HMRC and a VAT tribunal.</p><p>At present only old-style desktop systems with processor, keyboard and monitor are able to be zero-rated. Clarification is being sought to determine if the ruling also applies to tablet computers. HMRC recommends suppliers obtain a declaration of eligibility from each disabled person that they supply systems to. The suggested template for this can be found on the Government website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-reliefs-for-disabled-people-eligibility- declaration-by-a-disabled-person</p><p>+ Revealed: The High Street firms that used benefits claimants for free Government fought in the courts for four years to keep the companies' identities a secret, saying it would damage their 'commercial interests’ The Mandatory Work Activity required 120,000 people to work a 30-hour week unpaid to receive their £73 benefit. The list of companies and charities, including sight loss charities, can be found at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/benefits-department-for-work-and- pensions-mandatory-work-activity-government-major-companies-free-a7163646.html</p><p>+ Blind Children UK You may remember that in 2013 Blind Children UK became part of the Guide Dogs family.</p><p>Now we hear that the two organisations will integrate and become one charity from January 2017.</p><p>+ British blind Sport British Blind Sport are working in partnership with Scottish Disability Sport in order to distribute First Steps packs to encourage children with a visual impairment to become physically active across Scotland. Further information can be found at: http://www.scottishdisabilitysport.com/sds/index.cfm/news/latest-news1/index.cfm? startRow=31&month=8&year=2016</p><p>+ ScotRail Assisted and Accessible Travel Research Help make rail travel more accessible for all travellers – mystery shoppers wanted! Successful mystery shoppers will be paid a small incentive to reimburse them for their time. To register your interest please e-mail the BDRC Continental team at [email protected] or call 0207 490 9175.</p><p>+ Early Data Shows Stem Cell Transplants Safe The first results of an in-human stem cell transplant to treat retinitis pigmentosa have been released by regenerative medicine company jCyte. The transplants are safe and well tolerated six to 12 months after injection of the immature, undifferentiated retinal cells into one eye, the company said. The next step, a phase IIB clinical trial, could get underway as soon as next year, co-founder of jCyte, Dr Henry Klassen, told Optometry Today.</p><p>+ Information From ArtLink Useful contacts for gallery and library events designed for individuals with sight loss particularly as its Edinburgh Festival time again.</p><p>Edinburgh International Festival Online listings of all accessible performances including audio described and touch tour performances. http://www.eif.co.uk/access#.V6IEu6JovZ8</p><p>Edinburgh Festival Fringe Information on all accessible performances. Lists are updated regularly throughout the season. https://www.edfringe.com/visit-the-fringe/accessibility</p><p>Edinburgh International Book Festival Online access information https://www.edbookfest.co.uk/visiting-the-festival/access</p><p>Access Scottish Theatre Online listings of audio described, captioned and BSL interpreted theatre. Search by town and service or sign up to receive a regular e-newsletter. www.accessscottishtheatre.com</p><p>Your Local Cinema Online listings of accessible cinema www.yourlocalcinema.com</p><p>Filmhouse, Lothian Road Monthly newsletter with captioned, subtitled and audio described screenings. Email [email protected]</p><p>National Galleries of Scotland Across the Galleries there are monthly audio described and amplified events. Contact the galleries to join the mailing list. Email [email protected] Phone 0131 624 6428 Euan’s Guide Read and submit disabled access reviews www.euansguide.com</p><p>If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Kirsty at Artlink 0131 229 3555 option 1 [email protected]</p><p>+ 02 Technology News</p><p>+ Top travel websites still failing users with disabilities Many of the most popular travel companies are still not making their websites accessible, new research has found. The report (named ‘Are travel companies burying their heads in the sand when it comes to user experience and accessibility?, compiled by digital user experience agency Sigma), tested ten of the most popular travel websites in the UK across three main categories: accessibility; usability; ease of use on different devices.</p><p>The accessibility testing uncovered a wide range of problems across the sites for users with disabilities, particularly those with visual impairments.</p><p>The ten sites tested were: Airbnb, Booking.com, British Airways, Co-operative Travel, Expedia, lastminute.com, LateRooms, On the Beach, Skyscanner and Virgin Atlantic. Article from e-Access Bulletin.</p><p>+ Voice Recorder Free A Convenient Voice Recorder that can record meetings, lectures, ideas and interviews.</p><p>FEATURES: ● Tag special points of a track as many as you want while recording or during playback. ● Immediately jump to a tag by one tap during playback. ● Record and playback in the background. ● Auto-save ensures that you never lose any recording. ● 5 different recording formats: AAC, MP4, CAF, AIFF, WAV. ● Email recordings easily within the app. ● Transfer recordings to computer easily using WiFi. ● Share recordings in other apps. ● Useful file & folder management system. ● Password Protect function to keep your private recordings safe. ● Optional forwarding or rewinding during playback. ● Variable playback speed. ● Zoom and navigate with the touchable waveform</p><p>Offers In-App Purchases and costs £1.49 to upgrade. + Chromebook A Chromebook is a laptop of a different breed. Instead of Windows 10 or Mac OS X, Chromebooks run Google's Chrome OS. These machines are designed to be used primarily while connected to the Internet, with most applications and documents living in the cloud. As a result, these machines don't have a ton of onboard storage, but they don't have very large price tags, either.</p><p>Low prices, long battery life and Windows 10 confusion have many people considering a Chromebook. Because Chromebooks run Chrome OS, Google's operating system, they rely heavily on Google's suite of applications and a working Internet connection. Although you can log in to Chrome OS as a guest, to have the best experience, users should log in to the system with Google credentials.</p><p>Chromebooks are optimised for Google's apps, such as Gmail, Google Calendar and Google drive.</p><p>Getting set up on a Chromebook will be easy if you already use Google's services for your email, calendar and documents. However, if you use other popular services — such as Microsoft Outlook or Yahoo Mail — it might take some time to get adjusted to Google’s OS. You can get a Chromebook for £125. You can also turn on Chromebook accessibility features. You can make your screen easier to see, have your screen read to you or use Braille with your Chromebook.</p><p>+ 03 Opportunities</p><p>+ Poverty Alliance The Poverty Alliance are now looking to recruit a new Living Wage Accreditation Officer based in Glasgow. Closing date for applications is 18th August 2016. http://www.povertyalliance.org/</p><p>+ Engender Seeking two people to join their friendly, feminist team. a Policy and Parliamentary Manager, and a Communications and Administrative Assistant. Closing date for posts is 19th August 2016. https://www.engender.org.uk/content/publications/?cat=5</p><p>++ 04 Events and Training</p><p>17 August Introduction to Screen readers for Windows Workshop, SITE Office</p><p>1 September Glasgow Disability Alliance Learning Festival 9.15am – 4pm at Glasgow City Hotel.</p><p>19-25 September National Eye Health Week</p><p>13October World Sight Day 2016 “Stronger Together” 29 October The Scottish Talking Newspaper Conference, The Macdonald Inchyra Grange Hotel, Polmont, FK2 0BY</p><p>SITE is a Disabled Persons User-Led Organisation (DPULO)</p><p>SITE is a charity registered in Scotland. Charity No. SC 036056. </p><p>Registered address: SITE, The Renfield Centre, 260 Bath Street, Glasgow G2 4JP</p><p>Subscribe If this email has been forwarded to you by a colleague or friend you may wish to subscribe yourself. You can do this simply by visiting : http://www.sitescotland.org/p/newsletter.html </p><p>© 2016 SITE</p><p>++Newsletter ends</p>