Twitterrific 5 for Twitter and A Blind Legend Inducted into the AppleVis iOS App Hall of Fame

We are pleased to announce that the 2016 inductees into the AppleVis iOS App Hall of Fame, as chosen by the AppleVis community, are Twitterrific 5 for Twitter and A Blind Legend.

First opened in 2011, the AppleVis iOS App Hall of Fame is one of the ways in which the AppleVis community seeks to recognize developers of accessible iOS applications. Apps in the Hall of Fame can be liberating and empowering; life-changing; provide access to information that sighted users take for granted; or, in some cases, they can just be good fun!

In short, the iOS App Hall of Fame represents the best of the best in accessible iOS applications, as decided by the AppleVis community.

To be eligible for induction into the AppleVis iOS App Hall of Fame, an app must:

• Be fully accessible to blind and low vision users;
• Be from a developer with a demonstrated and long-term commitment to full accessibility;
• Have been available in the App Store for a significant period of time; and
• Demonstrate excellence in design, functionality and operation.

Voting for the 2016 iOS App Hall of Fame induction was held from Friday, May 13 to Friday, May 20, 2016 with eight apps shortlisted. The two apps which received the most number of votes - and which will be inducted into the AppleVis iOS App Hall of Fame - are Twitterrific 5 for Twitter and A Blind Legend.

In recent years, Twitterrific has enjoyed great popularity amongst blind Twitter users because of the developer's commitment to full accessibility. The Iconfactory (the developers behind Twitterrific) has demonstrated a firm commitment to ensuring continued accessibility of the app, with VoiceOver tweaks and enhancements regularly featuring prominently in app updates. While some developers rarely mention accessibility improvements or fixes in app release notes, The Iconfactory always highlights these as they are made. The release notes for Twitterrific version 5.14.3 (released on 2 May 2016) are a perfect example of this - prominently highlighting VoiceOver features and improvements.

A Blind Legend is described by its developers as “… the first-ever mobile action-adventure game without video – where ears replace eyes”. It was little surprise, therefore, that this app was of immediate interest to blind gamers as soon as it hit the App Store in September 2015. You need only look at the comments posted to the game’s App Directory entry here on AppleVis to see how that initial interest has turned into a large and passionate fanbase.

It is wonderful to see two such different but equally deserving apps gain induction into our Hall of Fame, and we offer our congratulations and appreciation to the teams behind Twitterrific and A Blind Legend.

If there is an app that you believe should be considered for the next induction shortlist, please take a moment to nominate it here.