Web Design References: News and info about web design and development. The site advocates accessibility, usability, web standards and many related topics.
If you use eBay, they’ve just updated their T&Cs to say that they may train generative models (AI) on your personal data. Opt out here, if you’re in the EEA, UK or Switzerland: accountsettings.ebay.co.uk/ai-…
We’re excited to announce the first major update to the Odyssey Desktop Reader, packed with powerful new AI-driven features designed to make your reading and document management easier than ever.
From the American Library Association: FAQ: Executive Order Targeting the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) groups.io/g/tech-vi/message/88…
This is cool! I think you can send the book to these guys. They are somewhere in Sofia, but I am also registered with them, and it's only for blind and visually impaired folks. knigi.nllb.bg/login.php I didn't find the contact because I was too lazy to login.
But always. :) I don't mind asking for a book, but if I ask that way, it'll reach only me. If I give you the contact for the library for blind peoples, it will probably reach more people. So I hope it reaches more people. I don't remember their street address, but it is somewhere near the place where the open bookshops used to be. I haven't been in Sofia in soo long. And what I know is mostly because I used to go with my mother to different places, otherwise I only studied in the school for blind and they didn;t let us go out. So books were a great entertainment, and still very much are. Something about the best text descriptions to experience the world if you can't see it. In any case, I digressed too much. 😆 I wish lots of success with your books and translations. Yep, I read. I don't like Patreon though, because they take a huge fee off people :( But you get double thumbs up and 🤗 Now I am going to tell websites their accessibility sucks. ;)
Awesome! :) I hope they know how to make it TXT, because all books there are TXT. Don't know what's with that, only that I know it best works on Windows. I like epubs, they are good for your phone. ;) :)
The Deprecation HTTP response header field is used to signal
to consumers of a resource (identified by a URI) that the resource will be
or has been deprecated.
Good idea. We like it in our company and will probably use it. I like the idea of an endpoint consuming library that checks for presence of the header and logs warning when the header is set. 👍
RFE/RL - EU looking into possible support of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty after the US government moved to cut the broadcaster's funding, sparking concern over the silencing of pro-democracy media. rferl.org/a/trump-executive-or…
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that aims to reduce seven federal agencies – including the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and other federal broadcasters.
Švédský institut V-dem vydal každoroční srovnání demokracií ve světě. Česká republika skončila celosvětově na 7. místě, navíc se stoupající tendencí. Lepší je Dánsko, Estonsko, Švýcarsko, Švédsko, Norsko a Irsko, mezi srovnatelnými zeměmi navíc žádná nevykazuje takovou míru zlepšování demokracie.
@stepan Hi Stepan, fedisearch.skorpil.cz is currently down unfortunately. We really like this keyword search tool. a lot Are you able te restore? Many thanks in advance!
Hi everyone, apologies to those who got tagged many times in a thread earlier today. Someone saw comment made in a GitHub issue a month ago. Instead of commenting on the issue to seek clarification, they took it out of context here to social media, which further worried a bunch of users.
So, a gentle reminder, if you see something you aren't sure of & want to question it: 1) Don't panic! 2) Reply to it on the forum you found it on 3) Take it to the official source - if it's about NVDA, ask us!
@simon That was much of the problem, I spent half the day trying to work out what the source was. If the question had been asked on the original GItHub issue, it could have been easily resolved without panicking anyone :)
@simon The issue in question was mentioned in the very first post of the thread. Furthermore, as far as I'm aware contributors don't get emails for comments made on closed issues until they're reopened, so commenting may have gone unnoticed. If this is incorrect please feel free to correct me, but the poster did give the issue number, all be it not a direct link, in their very first post.
@TheQuinbox @simon Yep I acknowledge we missed that - but even so, the original poster is WELL aware of how to contact us to raise questions and that social media is NOT the best way to do that - unless the goal was to stir up the community. For anyone it is common courtesy to reach out privately to confirm a serious concern first, but even so, in this case it was just deliberately stirring people up rather than expressing a genuine concern - The issue had also been closed as a duplicate
@JStark @TheQuinbox For the record, I completely understand and empathize with the frustration, but I don't think this was done to stir things up intentionally. I think we can all agree that there were lots of ways he could have double-checked the info, but I don't think this was intentional misinformation. He's stated he... "took a comment that was on a closed issue way too far" and... "it would've been better to start by contacting NV Access". As someone who's known him for a pretty long time, I'm inclined to take that at face value. I've jumped the gun on some of my own posts, and I'm just lucky they didn't reach as far as this one did.
Thanks for the clarification, must suck to wake up to a ton of misinformation all of a sudden. I do have to admit though that this feature, as it currently stands, is very poorly designed and needs a redesign. I want my settings on the sign-in screen, but I don't want all my 49 add-ons copied along, so selecting what gets copied would be great. I personally manually delete the add-ons I don't want from the system config folder, but it would be great if I didn't need to.
@NikJov That's a good point. The projects we are working on will likely give us scope to provide additional options and a better experience here, I'm not sure we're at the point of saying "This is exactly the workflow we'll have to do things how you want, and this is when it will be availbale", but we are definitely aware that is an issue
Texas Lawmakers Want a Charter School Network to Stop Paying Its Superintendent Nearly $900K. The School Board Says No. —
The rebuke from lawmakers and charter school leaders came after an investigation from ProPublica and The Texas Tribune revealed that Salvador Cavazos, who oversees fewer than 1,000 students, is among the most well-paid superintendents in the country. propublica.org/article/salvado…
In an effort to limit fraudulent claims, the Social Security Administration will impose tighter identity-proofing measures — which will require millions of recipients and applicants to visit agency field offices rather than interact with the agency o…
Posting my interviews with various CSUN exhibitors in this thread. This one is with View Plus. We talked about the Rogue embosser ($6000), the MBraille ($2000), the Tactile slate ($600) and Inclusio, an upcoming marketplace for interoperable tactile displays.
Humanware talked about about the new Keysoft version for their notetakers, which includes an email client. They also showed me the Odysee, a portable document/item scanner for $1600.
I talked to Agiga about their EchoVision smart glasses designed with the blind in mind to provide constant realtime updates about the world around you. $550 plus a subscription, price TBD. Preorders cost $449 with no subscription. Set to Ship in H2 2025.
I talked to Glidance about their autonomous self-guiding mobility aid to lead blind people around obstacles. Preorder price is $1200, plus a $30-per-month subscription service.
It successfully displayed the ability to steer me around obstacles, however there was no wayfinding of any sort. It appears this capability will not launch with the device either, but will be added later.
For a $1200 device that’s supposed to replace my guide dog or cane, I was not impressed.
Might check it out in 2027, if they last that long.
Dott told me about the Dott pad, a $5900 multiline braille display that also has a line of refreshable braille along the bottom. We also discussed their kiosk solutions for inaccessible wayfinder panels and ATM machines.
Next up is Iriee-AT, who distribute several blind and low vision products. I took a look at the Eurobraille bBook 32-cell braille Windows laptop ($5800) and the 20 and 40-cell BNote displays/notetakers. $2700 for the 20, $3565 for the 40. Notetaker functions cost an additional $800.
I (and some others) talked to Orcam about the new AI features in their wand and glasses products for blind and low vision people. ($1900 for the wand, $4000 for the glasses) We also addressed the persistent roomer that they do not exist!
My last CSUN interview was also one of the most interesting! Ashiraise is an indoor navigation solution which attaches to your shoes and vibrates to let you know which direction to turn. I found it simple but quite effective! Cost $600, with a $4-per-month app subscription.
Me and my friend Nina stop by the Orbit Research booth. We look at their single and multiline braille displays, tactile display, talking scientific calculator, braille bluetooth keyboard, book reader, Framework-powered braille laptop, and the Orbit Speak voice-only notetaker. They have a lot of products, look them up, or wait to the end for prices!
I looked at the Blind Shell Classic III, a candybar-style Android 10 phone without a touch screen designed for folks who want a simpler phone experience. Costs $700.
Voxiweb demonstrates their phone-based portable e-reading solution for blind and low vision people. It will be sold in the US starting next year, for $2000.
I wasn’t sure what Code Factory’s up to these days. Turns out they are selling kiosk overlays for restaurants and the like. The price? “it depends on the business.”
I meant to ask them about my expired Eloquence license, but it didn’t come up for some reason!
I got to check out the OneCourt tactile display, which shows a map of a sports arena and then updates the position of the ball in real time. Definitely the highlight of the conference for me! Tragically, they will be nowhere near me anytime soon.
@fireborn I think EuroBraille were the first to do this. The ElBraille came afterwards. The ElBraille didn't really survive in my opinion and relied very heavily on JFW to do the grunt work. The EuroBraille system and I think the Optima will have more specific keys so they can be used with any screen reader. The EuroBraille system had a Windows based notetaker app on it that could do Braille music. I think they did better in Europe than UK/US.
@fireborn The main problem with these which is something the Optima is trying to deal with by the use of Framework components is upgrading the base system. In most cases the display is fine but the computer is outdated. I would only look at these if I could get something like a new Framework motherboard at the same cost as sighted users. I don't want to be sending the machine back for an expensive upgrade.
@fireborn I think also an important considderation is system maintenance and troubleshooting. The ElBraille failed fairly spectacularly on this front, requiring either someone to use an external keyboard or a remote session with Freedom Scientific. This is something we shouldn't under-estimate and is probably the hardest issue to get right.
Last product demo! This one was from XR Navigation, who is designing a 3d audio approach to accessible virtual maps. Runs in a browser. Free to the user but costs the venue that would like to be mapped.
Apologies for the audio quality, all my interviews from the first day had a noise canceling setting I’d forgotten to turn off.
From the American Library Association: FAQ: Executive Order Targeting the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) ala.org/faq-executive-order-ta…
In an effort to limit fraudulent claims, the Social Security Administration will impose tighter identity-proofing measures — which will require millions of recipients and applicants to visit agency field offices rather than interact with the agency o…
Forty-five years ago today, on March 16, 1980, television history was made as the first closed-captioned series aired across three major U.S. networks, opening a new era of accessibility for millions of deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers.
Hi David, would you please tell me where I might find Blazie on mastodon? I received some really unexpected and very awesome customer service, and I would like to mention it publicly and mention the company. Essentially, I'm super impressed that you guys not only sent me a replacement unit, but my job just about hit the floor when I got a message from Dean today letting me know they were sending back my microSD card. I figured they would just ditch it, and rightly so. It was one and a whole series of day makers today.
During the 2025 ATIA Conference, Peter Tucic showed us the BrailleNote Touch Plus 32, which is a braille tablet and note taker, which allows someone who is blind to take notes, write assignments, c…
Nearly 60% of U.S. smartphone users own an Apple iPhone. And with 13% of adults having some difficulty hearing, Apple has made significant enhancements to the iPhone and Apple Air Pods to help thos…
In a brazen display of defiance, #Trump’s #DOJ filed papers less than two hours before the 5PM hearing, telling Judge James E. #Boasberg that there was no reason for anyone to come to court because the administration was not going to provide any further information about the #deportation flights.
In another remarkable move, the DOJ wrote a letter to the federal appeals court that sits over Judge #Boasberg, asking it to remove him from the case entirely given what they falsely described as his “highly unusual & improper procedures.”
The two government filings came on a day of extraordinary resistance to the court by the #Trump admin, which has said that it has not violated Boasberg’s order stopping the flights, but also that he had no authority to issue it in the first place.
Judge #Boasberg responded to #DOJ’s Monday motion to vacate the 5PM hearing:
The Court ORDERS that Defendants' 24 Motion to Vacate is DENIED. The hearing will proceed as scheduled. So ORDERED by Chief Judge James E. Boasberg on 3/17/2025.
ICYMI, this stmnt from #Trump’s US AG #PamBondi is incredible:
"Tonight, a DC trial judge supported Tren de Aragua terrorists over the safety of Americans.…This order disregards well-established authority regarding Trump's power, & it puts the public & law enforcement at risk. The DOJ is undeterred in its efforts to work w/the WH, the DHS, & all of our partners to stop this invasion & Make America Safe Again.”
The issue is compliance w/the #law & has nothing to do with “support” of terrorists.
#Boasberg begins by saying today's hearing is not about the merits of his TROs issued on Sat. He says the sole reason he's here is fact-finding about the govt's #compliance w/his orders. He notes the govt asked the DC Circuit to stay this hearing & asked that he be removed.
#Boasberg says he wants to focus on the timelines involved. He says, again, "I just want to obtain some facts here, I'm not planning to issue any rulings about the government's conduct today, it's just to get information." He says the ACLU can raise any objections to the facts if they have them
#DOJ says that the only thing they are authorized to say is that the two flights which took off after the written order were not relevant to this case (which I guess is saying they had no one subject to the #AlienEnemiesAct #AEA on board?). He then claims #NationalSecurity & diplomacy mean he won't answer further.
#Boasberg is now asking about a third flight identified by the #ACLU that they were asking about, which is I believe what the last bit was about. He gets the #DOJ to confirm no one on that plane was subject to the #AEA proclamation.
#Boasberg is now questioning the government about the other 2 flights, which the government itself somewhat mentioned in its orders.
The government continues to refuse to disclose any information. Boasberg asks why it can't be said outside of the public, & the #DOJ attorney refuses to say why.
#Boasberg points out he gets classified info all the time "Why are you showing up today & not having answers as to why you can't disclose it?”
He points out that if the answers are classified, fine, just tell him.
Boasberg remains incredulous at the fact that the govt won't even tell him why they won't tell him how many flights took off. #DOJ says all he can say is that the flights took off before his order, & he suggests that's not relevant to #compliance.
#Boasberg now asks Lee Gelernt of the #ACLU is there are any other questions that should be asked, & asks him if he objects to the timing of a hearing tomorrow at noon to explain why they won't tell him the information.
the audio is unclear Lee's comments aren’t all relayed. He says it appears there is an admission that there may have been a flight which left after the order? the third flight?
#DOJ at first says they would be willing to submit a declaration but goes back their argument that they didn't violate the order, but then pushes back & says they won't until they can argue that they don't have to disclose any info at all.
#Boasberg asks for that to be part of noon tmw filing
#DOJ argues that the written order issued 40mins later supersedes anything said orally, & says that the DOJ "on good faith" only viewed the written order as binding, not what #Boasberg said in court.
Boasberg notes he said “you shall inform your clients immediately” ... that any planes that are going to take off, or are in the air, shall be turned around….
He asks "You're telling me your first argument" is that didn't apply because it wasn't in the minute order?
#Boasberg again gets #DOJ to confirm that they are arguing that because he didn't include every word of that language in the written order, they could simply ignore what he said.
DOJ lawyer says that's what his client [#Trump] has instructed him to argue. Boasberg is incredulous & keeps pushing back.
#Boasberg says "so when I said directly turn the plane around, you read it because my written order was pithier, this could be disregarded? That's a heck of a stretch."
#DOJ then basically says that's what they're arguing, then pivots to the international waters argument.
Boasberg explores the argument about being outside the US. He asks whether the DOJ is arguing that because the plane was outside US airspace, his order did not apply.
#DOJ says “no”, "removal" had already happened because they had already left US airspace.
#Boasberg says "the equitable power of the United States courts is not so limited," saying it's "pretty clear" that even if the enjoined acts were outside the territory of the US, you can't violate it.
"What argument do you have the equity stops at this country's borders"?
#DOJ attorney begins saying the #law generally doesn't apply extraterritorially, and #Boasberg stops him, emphasizing that the question here is about his own equitable powers, not the Immigration and Nationality Act.
DOJ says the people had physically been removed so he no longer had jurisdiction.
#Boasberg says just return the planes then figure out the answer, rather than simply ignoring the order.
#DOJ then says that isn't what they're arguing & then shifts to their third argument, which is inherent presidential authority to move military forces.
#DOJ is now arguing that this is a #ForeignPolicy issue & claims that the US would suffer if any TdA member weren't deported.
"I'm not calling into the question the government's foreign policy ... I'm just asking how you think my equitable powers do not attach to the plane ... ?"
#Boasberg asks "You're saying that the president somehow has extra powers over a plane once it enters international airspace once it leaves US airspace?"
#DOJ basically says yes, then starts repeating previous arguments.
#Boasberg points out again that his equitable powers as a judge do not stop at the U.S. border lines or in international airspace.
He pauses & says this is a complex question & it would be better to be arguing them on the basis of the #facts, pointing out again #DOJ didn't give them the facts.
#Boasberg then moves to Lee Gelernt of the #ACLU, asking him whether he wants to respond, & noting again that he doesn't plan to issue any rulings today about whether the order was violated.
Lee begins by pointing out the best way to deal with a #TRO they disagreed with was to obey & then appeal.
Lee Gelernt says it's "implausible" that they didn't believe they were bound by what #Boasberg said in court, but even if they did, it was obvious that the only proper action was to go back to the court & seek clarification or turn the plane around & appeal.
#Boasberg then asks the government about another issue; when was the Proclamation actually signed?
The #DOJ atty says that he does not have any information right now as to when the proclamation was signed, & Boasberg asks him to submit that information as well by noon tomorrow, & for the DOJ to provide an argument for when the proclamation went into effect.
#Boasberg then asks how many people are subject to the proclamation & how many people are currently in #ICE custody.
#DOJ says they don't have it. #ACLU also says they don't have it, & points out that the proclamation is vague enough that it's hard for anyone to figure out who is subject.
Lee then says they're going to argue that the government should be required to give anyone subject to the #AEA a hearing before finding that they're covered, & they'll be seeking that later.
#Boasberg orders #DOJ to say how many people are designated under AEA. DOJ says again they may refuse.
#Boasberg with a sarcastic aside: "What I will hear from you by noon tomorrow — & I will memorialize in written form since apparently my oral orders don't carry much weight — is a written declaration" about the third flight & also the information he's previously ordered them to provide.
With that, the hearing is over. The govt will file more information tomorrow, & it may again refuse to provide specific the information #Boasberg requested (but must explain why). There is a further hearing on the #TRO on Fri, & action in the DC Circuit Court where briefing ends Wed.
#Boasberg did in fact mention #contempt as an aside earlier that I didn’t include.
Here’s the exact quote:
“Two more questions for Mr. Kambli (for the US govt) that don't relate to CONTEMPT / disobeying court orders. 1) Was Trump's Tren de Aragua proclamation signed in secret on Friday? Or on Saturday? Need to know timing & when US thinks it went into effect.”
Family members of Venezuelan migrants who suspect their loved ones were sent to El Salvador as part of a rapid US #deportation operation over the weekend are struggling to get more info as a legal battle plays out.
Advocates have launched a WhatsApp helpline for people searching for family members, while #immigration attorneys have tried to locate their clients after they went dark.
4. #Trump #DOJ says they will only give Judge #Boasberg answers on #compliance "through an in camera & ex parte declaration." (that is, they say will file a non-public declaration that he alone can see). They still give zero specific reasons other than handwaving at national security.
Essentially the #DOJ told Judge #Boasberg that it does not need to provide the Court with any additional info (despite being ordered to do so) b/c "there was no violation of the Court's *written* order (since the relevant flights left US airspace, & so their occupants were 'removed,' before the order issued)"
DOJ then said the Court's oral pronouncements prior to the written order being docketed "were not independently enforceable as injunctions"
#DOJ also argued that b/c it filed for a stay before the appeals court, it "should not be required to disclose sensitive information bearing on national security & foreign relations until that motion is resolved, especially given that this information is neither material nor time-sensitive."
[Not time-sensitive? They were literally flying people out if the country as fast as they could to avoid complying with the court’s order]
"Would this TRO apply to aliens that otherwise have final orders of removal, because from our perspective, that would be an independent basis to effectuate their removal?" ... Judge #Boasberg: "That's fair. ... Yes, Mr. Ensign, I agree."
There are still serious concerns about the prior two flights WITH *alleged* [w/o #DueProcess there’s no way to verify & family members & attorneys have said the allegations are false in many cases] #AlienEnemiesAct detainees onboard that continued despite the judge's order.
They were not DEPORTED. Deported means sending them back to their country of origin. These people were sent to a maximum security #prison in #ElSalvador, without any #DueProcess or any analysis as to whether they feared harm there.
Flying a person to a third country that they may never have been to, directly into a prison where they are going to be forced to do hard labor, is not a #deportation; it's something else entirely.
Exciting news! Microsoft just launched a brand-new AI course: "Create Accessible Solutions using AI Innovations." Learn how to harness AI to build more inclusive technology. Check it out now! 🚀 #Accessibility #AI Explore the course here: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/trai…
This module provides guidance on how to collaborate effectively with customers, partners, and the disability community to create innovative solutions that are accessible and inclusive.
My Ability Summit 2025 recap stream is just 30 minutes away. Join me at 5 PM Central Time as I break down the biggest announcements, AI advancements, and accessibility innovations from this year's event. When: Today at 5 PM CT youtube.com/watch?v=Pw6a6aR-sz… Don't miss it. See you soon. #AbilitySummit #Accessibility #AI
Turn your videos into live streams with https://restream.ioThe Microsoft Ability Summit 2025 just wrapped up, and I’m bringing you the biggest announcements,...
Hubert Figuière
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