If you are blind and have multiple computers, and especially if you live on the edge and don't have a monitor hooked up to one of those computers, having a capture card really is a game changer. I have a cheap one that I need to replace. But even with that cheap one, I was just able to call Aira from my laptop and select the capture card as my video device, rather than my camera. Then, I hooked the capture card up to a mini PC that needed an OS reinstall, and the Aira agent was able to read the display output in real time. From that point, it took us about 30 seconds to get into the boot menu of the mini PC and select the USB drive. Even without account for Aira, having a way to reliably capture the output of a computer is infinitely useful. All you need is an app that can take a picture or video from that device and interpret it as-needed. That could be an OCR reader, an AI describer like Be My Eyes, or a calling app so you can ask a friend to look at it. It certainly beats needing to position the camera in front of a screen, and in the case of the mini PC, it saves me from having to set up a screen in the first place.
@fireborn @ElementalEcho Windows 11 comes with an optional wireless display feature. So you can install that on a laptop, launch the "Wireless Display" app from the start menu, and then on your desktop, press windows+k and connect to your laptop. I did this the other day. Worked perfectly.
@jfayre Well, you could've just gotten the iso and run it from there, thus not needing the sighted assistance in the first place, but this is stil good info to have.
@Bruce @jfayre It's a pretty reasonable assumption. Most people just want to reinstall Windows, not change the OS to Linux. But yeah, sadly it's one of those things you still need sighted help for, or you need to just guess.
Fenrir, the screen reader, has some cool new features. It now tries to detect and do progress bar beeping to let you know something is progressing, it has rising tones for numeric progress, e.g. 95% or single pitch tones for non numeric progress, e.g. dd's download progress indicator. It can also automatically resume speech when the prompt returns. So, if you have a long process with a progress indicator, and you want to monitor it but don't want all the chatter, just silence speech until prompt returns with Fenrir+numpad_plus and have beeps for progress with speech returned when the process finishes. Latest tagged version: 2025.06.07.
it kind of depends on your distro. In Arch, for example, install fenrir or fenrir-git from the AUR, so very simple. In Slint, use speakwith fenrir and you will be switched to it. For other distros, I'm not so sure. In all cases, if you have the python dependencies installed, you can just git clone it, cd to fenrir/src and run sudo ./fenrir.
Our labrador is naturally extremely vocal. So, we've been trying to teach her to speak on command, which she does somewhat intermittently. I managed to catch some of the sounds today on a recording and they're hilarious.
@ginsenshi Yeah, despite how vocal she is, she finds being asked to speak a tiny bit stressful sometimes for some reason, which is why I quit when I did and gave her big cuddles. Her vocal tendencies surprise me too; I've known a lot of labs over the years and none have been this vocal. She makes all kinds of noises at all kinds of times.
OK. Did manage to get myself communicating with someone over @delta Chat. There may have been a handshake issue the whole time, known bug allows someone to send a message before encryption actually happens, triggering error.
Delivery and read receipts work. No typing indicators - that's probably not possible, this is email-based.
Voice messages low quality, and on the iPhone, trigger a condition where voiceover stops speaking, only way to get it back is to shut off iPhone. Ugh!
I'm actually surprised Delta works through Email servers. Yes it's true that Email servers are reliable, time-tested technology. But if you get into Email servers, you also get into "Oh no my server was put on someone's blacklist for seemingly no reason" and things like that.
@Winter blue tardis🇧🇬🇭🇺 @Jayson Smith @Nick Giannak III If you are still testing deltachat, I managed to run my #chatmail relay and it's working for a few weeks for me. I have created a groupchat where I'd like to invite other screen reader users. As I have posted a few times recently, #deltachat people do really care about screen reader #a11y so while testing and something is not working the way you would expect lets describe it in details, and report it properly.
I don't understand why is it supposed to be a web app, and I can't seem to make any sense of its structure, there are menus in the middle, it's confusing, I also don't see a lot of shortcuts, and stuff, also a 25port requirement? Not every ISP allows that, and mine, turns out, is also blocked, so the setup stops at around this point, I mean, why not have alternative ports or something, and a nice, sorted out application? There are issues on desktop, even from an accessibility and structure point. I'd be glad if they fix all of that, first.
@Winter blue tardis🇧🇬🇭🇺 @Jayson Smith @Nick Giannak III The 25 port requirement is for self hosting #chatmail relay not for using the app. There are apps for other platforms such as deltachat for IOS, deltachat or arcanechat for android. As for the deltachat-desktop app interface, unfortunatelly it's an electron app. However it's best used with the screen reader switched into focus mode. I'll try to give you a bit of overview explaining how I am using it. When I launch deltachat-desktop the focus is placed into a search field. If you alt+tab from its window and return back the focus will move to the chat input area if you have active conversation. Regardless of which of these is in focus use tab and shift+tab to navigate at this point. So I'll use the search field as a starting point as if you have no conversations this is the element you will land on after creating or importing your account from the backup. Tabbing away from the search field you will land on the Scan QR code button. You can activate it to share your code for others to scan or to scan a code from someone else. Also we are all blind here in this conversation so I guess we won't be scanning QR codes, we'll copy and paste invite links that is also supported here. So the QR code dialog has two tabs QR invite code and Scan QR code. These are exposed as buttons to screen readers. If you activate one of these buttons the content in this dialog window changes. If you would like to join the chat you will press Scan QR code here and you will find the Paste button. I assume QR code or invite links handling is now a bit clearer so I'll continue describing the main window. When using tab to navigate pressing the tab key while the Scan QR button on the main window is in focus, you will land in the list of conversations. You can use up and down arrow key to navigate, enter key to activate here. Unfortunatelly the items are again exposed as buttons so it might be a bit embarrasing at first. If you continue navigating with the tab key from the list of conversations you will land on the new conversation button. If you continue with the tab key you will move from the new conversation button into the active conversation window. The conversation name is presented. Activating the button named after the active conversation will open a dialog window with user profile of your chat partner or profile of a group chat if the active conversation is a group chat indeed. In the profile window you can see last seen info of the chat partner, their signature, their chat handle, a button for sending them a message that is mainly usefull when you are looking at a profile of a group member, and an ability to share the contact with other contacts. There is a profile menu button that displays a context sensitive menu with more actions such as setting your own local display name for the contact. I'm now done explaining the profile window and imagine we are back in the active conversation view focused on the chat name button. Using tab key to navigate from here lands on the tabs changing the main conversation content. You can use these to change from conversation to the media. Then there is a main menu button. In fact it includes conversation specific menu entries such as search in chat, dissapearing messages and others. Moving forward with the tab key from the main menu button you will land on the message list of the active conversation. Use up and down arrow to navigate here to read the messages. And use applications key or shift+F10 to open a context menu for the selected message. Text messages have no other content but audio messages, messages with reactions or other attachments might have other focusable elements in the tab order. I think this part is pretty self explanatory once you manage to start chatting. One thing other messengers don't have is shared apps. Apps can be posted to the chat and message with the app will have a button to start the app that will then open in a new window. There are various apps made for deltachat and other webxdc capable messengers, such as the shopping list, simple group collaborative editor and similar. I am looking to the future when more screen reader users will adopt this and we can bring some of the fun things we liked to enjoy back in the days on IRC such as playing quiz or card games in the chat. This might be a nice platform for allowing this. Then there is an attachment button, visually it's to the left of the chat input area, then chat input area it-self, smileys and record voice messages button. After the record voice message button you will wrap to the top, of the application window landing on the profile chooser. This part needs a bit of a11y love as the profile names are not exposed to screen readers. These have role tab and you can use up and down arrow keys to navigate here. The last item in this list is a create profile button. Yes, you can have multiple chat profiles if you like. And it's really damn easy to create a new deltachat profile. The most valuable thing on your profile is the list of contacts as you are verified criptographically. Loosing the empty profile is not a problem as you can create a new one whenever you like. The final destination of this walkthrough through the deltachat-desktop main window is the settings button.
Huh, this turned to be a looong post. I believe it clears a few things up for you.
Thinking more about it perhaps I should report some of the little things such as avoid using button roles for the list items, consider using roving tab index for the tabs so only one of them is focusable at a time to get rid of a bit of confusion to the @Delta Chat github issues.
I prompted Eleven Labs to create a sound effect with the following: “A joyful jingle that combines the sound of mirrors, crystal glasses, water drops, brushes and aspen trees.” Among a few choices I got, this one really caught my attention! #AudioMo
Do you want to learn what it took to implement the latest (and very likely most future proof) API for screen readers to listen to keyboard events? And, heck, why it is even so important? Then, come tomorrow to Flock, and in 11:30, you'll learn all about it. Yes, I'll be having a talk there just about this topic.
For day 2 of #AudioMo, have a listen in while I use AI to solve a visual problem at work. Audio quality's not the best because I was just using a phone speaker, not the sort of recording I'd sell or anything!
No idea why it thought I needed my husband, and I like how it thinks it has superpowers and can just magically hide things on my screen. I think it took the 'You'd like me to help' bit of my statement very literally! But a fun way to demonstrate at least some use of this technology.
Lol! I know some people might be married to their devices in a sense, but the fact that the AI first thought that was your husband it was supposed to look for, just priceless! How did it get a laptop and a husband confused?
@FreakyFwoof surprising how much difference it can make, it's on a silly arm on the side of my head. If I win the lottery I'll have a nice recording space, but for now, a relatively not bad sounding headset does the trick
@FreakyFwoof Could also be that the mic is in the same place but you moved your face. What headset is that? Sounds good. Cheaper than gamery ones sounds even better.
@Scott @FreakyFwoof it's the Audio-Technica M50xSTS. It's quite comfortable, if a bit heavy. No inline volume control, which I found a bit odd. the mic has a side-tone thing where you'd expect volume to be, and mutes by virtue of being pushed into an upright position.
@FreakyFwoof Adjustable side tone would be handy here though. The Corsair headset I'm using when I'm working in the garden only has side tone on or off, and even that much had to be bound to a button using inaccessible software lol.
@Scott @FreakyFwoof oh this one is hell adjustable.No way of letting you hear it, of course, as it's purely in my head, but it goes from quite strong to almost nothing in about 15 steps.
@FreakyFwoof Aw man, I was getting a twitch in my buy it now limb right up until I saw the cable is permanent. Why Audio-Technica, whyyyy! Can't risk that in a house with pet rats.
@Scott Speaking of rats, do you have your ratty write-up for us? And to @cachondo, we're asking for any crazy/bizarre/strange animal stories for tomorrow's podcast episode if you have any you don't mind sharing.
I got off the train in the rain. I must have been 10, 11 years old. No phone. No announcements of the stops, either, not on my local valleys line. I had to count stops and hope, as a rule. Clearly, as I plodded on and nothing felt familiar, I realised I'd miscounted on this occasion.
So the rain keeps blattering and blustering and I keep walking, there's fences and walls and I hope that soon I'll come to something vaguely familiar. I have 10p for a phone box if I can find one, or i'll just ask the next person I hear. I pause. I hear someone, maybe. I walk a bit further on. Yes, that does sound like breathing. "Hello," I exclaim! "I presume Caerphilly is back the other way? Could you tell me where I am, please?"
The answer was a nay, I could not be told. I was talking to a horse.
While DAVx⁵ is a client-server sync tool we often get questions if there is a possibility to sync in server to server. We had a nice talk today with the creator @whynothugo from pimsync who does work on a tool that does exactly that.
To my fellow blind people: This is the month of AudioMo. If you will be participating and if you're one that benefits from #AltText on photos, take the time to reciprocate when posting your audio. Let's not have 'one rule for you, another for me' rule going on. Practice what we preach. If you benefit from alt-text, add it to your audio description. Many people benefit from knowing what the audio is before clicking on it. In the same way some images are NSFW, some of your audio might not be either. It may be loud, it may be noises of your pets which could cause pets at the other end to go wild and so on.
After months of development and testing, we're introducing the most powerful Linux smartphone: RK3588S, 32 GB RAM, 5G, Debian 13 + GNOME Mobile, and total privacy with hardware killswitches. 🎉
🔼 Now upgraded to 512 GB of storage and European-made. Support mobile freedom and reserve your unit in the next 30 days:
At the end of their first date, a young man takes his favorite girl home. Emboldened by the night, he decides to try for that important first kiss. With an air of confidence, he leans with his hand against the wall and, smiling, he says to her, "Darling, how 'bout a goodnight kiss?" Horrified, she replies, "Are you mad? My parents will see us!" "Oh come on! Who's gonna see us at this hour?" "No, please. Can you imagine if we get caught?" "Oh come on, there's nobody around, they're all sleeping!" "No way. It's just too risky!" "Oh please, please, I like you so much!!" "No, no, and no. I like you too, but I just can't!" "Pleeeeease?..." Out of the blue, the porch light goes on, and the girl's sister shows up in her pajamas, hair disheveled. In a sleepy voice the sister says: "Dad says to go ahead and give him a kiss. Or I can do it. Or if need be, he'll come down himself and do it. But for crying out loud tell him to take his hand off the intercom button!"
My outside stream back at my parents' place in North Carolina has been down since last Thursday while work was being done at the house. It's been plugged back in.
This is a pair of cheap microphones a bit outside one of their windows.
Over the past week or so, I've been hacking away at a fun little project. Paperback, my second shot at a cross-platform ebook and document reader. Quinread, the one I wrote while in high school was in Python and didn't use great coding practices, and all the other existing solutions seem unmaintained or don't behave how I want, so in typical me fashion, I'm writing my own. It's written in C++ with wxWidgets, so it'll hopefully be cross-platform, although I've currently only tested on Windows. It's entirely open source, and under the MIT license. I can't make any promises about this project other than to say that I genuinely enjoy working on it and don't see any reason to stop, but it both starts up and loads giant documents incredibly fast. github.com/trypsynth/Paperback…
@matt Thanks. I pulled my hair out a bit trying to make it work, but it does and I'm pretty happy with the result. Of course, I would've rather written this in Rust, but the GUI situation prevents that currently.
@Quin I will try to build this on linux on weekend.
So far I'm getting this:
Compiler found: /usr/bin/c++
error: in triplet x64-windows-static: Use of Visual Studio's Developer Prompt is unsupported on non-Windows hosts.
Define 'VCPKG_CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME' or 'VCPKG_CHAINLOAD_TOOLCHAIN_FILE' in the triplet file.
-- Running vcpkg install - failed
Today, our team had the great privilege of interviewing Sarah Herrlinger, senior director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives at Apple, about the new accessibility features coming later this year to Apple software. Full podcast (including transcript) coming tomorrow!
One of my closest and longest friends is starting a new YouTube channel documenting his journey to fulfill a life-long dream of his. Even though he's low vision, through a new program available in Ontario, he has the opportunity to gain his drivers license via the use of a bioptic telescope. If you love cars as much as he does, are just curious, or are a low vision person interested in what a program like this could mean for you, check out his first video on the channel! As far as I know, this is the first time someone has documented the journey of learning to drive with a bioptic telescope from day one, from the perspective of a person with a disability, rather than a doctor or other medical professional. You can find the video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GZdw1CzYtI#a11y#cars#driving#accessibility#disability
I’m not low vision, but I am still going to check this out. This is so cool! I wish I could have my drivers license. Come on autonomous vehicles, hurry up and get here already!
Given the GPS in my phone can't reliably direct me to the place I'm trying to go half the time, I'm gonna hold off on trusting self-driving cars lest I leave my house intending to visit Toronto and end up in the river.
@quanin@lynessence with the many issues around public transport, most of the time my flight or train gets rerouted and that happens to me anyway. Or the human cab driver drops me somewhere random and leaves. At least a self driving car would take me to the wrong place in comfort.
You're not wrong. But your first mistake in this case is using any of the Ottawa taxi companies. Granted the plural of anecdote is not data, but I've never had that problem with Uber. I can count on one hand the positive experiences I've had with Ottawa's one taxi company pretending to be three.
Huh. I wonder what the difference is. Generally speaking if I'm actively communicating with the driver they develop a clue. If we ever do that thing where we meet in-person we should compare notes or something.
You’ve seen my posts about Linux accessibility. You’ve read me scream about broken screen readers, unusable bootloaders, and the sheer volume of stuff that only works after three undocumented hacks and a blood sacrifice. That’s from someone who already knows how to deal with this mess. But what happens when someone new tries to step in? My partner just published the first post in a new blog series called “Linux: Helpful or Headache?” It’s a personal account of what it feels like to stare into the abyss of Linux as a blind user who hasn’t even installed it yet. This isn’t a “how to” guide. It’s not a technical tutorial. It’s a moment of honest vulnerability and curiosity in the face of a system that’s infamous for treating newcomers like an inconvenience. Part One – An Introduction reading4life.mataroa.blog/blog… She’s totally blind. She’s used to Windows and iOS — platforms where accessibility is at least visible, documented, and supported. Linux? From the outside, it looks like a twisted obstacle course: too many distros, zero onboarding, no centralized help, and a community that can't agree on anything except that "you should have read the wiki." And yet… she’s jumping in anyway. This first post talks about that pre-installation limbo. The “what the hell even is a distro?” stage. The existential dread of picking between MATE and GNOME when you don’t even know how to pronounce “Flatpak.” The raw, unfiltered feeling of not knowing what you don’t know — and doing it anyway, because the itch to explore is stronger than the fear of breaking stuff. There’s no cheerleading here. No “yay open source!” No tidy beginner tutorial with copy-paste terminal commands. Just one blind woman staring down the reality that Linux doesn’t come with a support number, and deciding to try it anyway — not because it’s easy, but because she wants to learn, grow, and maybe even call bullshit where it’s due. And if you're wondering — no, I didn’t write or co-write it. This is her voice, her experience, her story. But it does tie in beautifully with the nightmare I’ve been chronicling in my own posts, from a totally different vantage point. If you’ve ever tried to onboard someone to Linux, especially someone disabled, this is what it actually looks like. And if you’ve ever told someone “Linux is great, just pick a distro,” read this and realize how much we take for granted. Go read it. Boost it. Follow the series. She's only just getting started. #Linux #Accessibility #FOSS #DisabilityInTech #Blind #NewUserExperience #Debian #UX #TechBlog #DigitalInclusion
@BlindAllDay I'd also add I'd be curious to know if they're diving into the BIOS/Bootloaders to launch installation, and if there's...any accessibility there.
Or is this something where, once the distro is chosen, it'll be booted into the installation wizard before the adventure begins?
I tried using Linux a while back and just couldn't get the hang of it. It's especially hard for me since a lot of the stuff is command line. I don't do very well with command line based stuff. I only know the basics. So there's that.
Do you have any references for choosing the distribution? My first point of search was distrowatch.com but did not see anything for accessibility there. But maybe I just did not try hard enough .. How did you come to choose Debian?
If it isn't there yet, it's possibly worth to collect information on a website, and having a check list for distributions - What is there? What is missing?
@petros Ubuntu is accessibility hell,. packages are old sometimes, in the latest versions the installer is barely accessible, getting orca to stay on is near impossible without a script that breaks every update.
"the reality that Linux doesn’t come with a support number"
This, IMNSHO, is one of the biggest issues with regards to Linux becoming "mainstream". There are support numbers, hundreds of them and most of them are great, but almost all of them require a purchased license and you need to call the ones specific for your license. Yes, I know many RH tech support can and would be willing to support Ubuntu, but are not allowed to. If you want Ubuntu support, by an Ubuntu license. 1/2
I haven't dealt with any recently, but I used to have a RedHat support contract, a Suse support contract, and even an Oracle support contract for a while.
I remember I even had an IBM support contract, but I don't recall if that came from OS/2 or something else.
@nikatjef there's no way an individual will want to pay for a support contract to switch to a free and open OS, especially not when they already get Windows for "free" with there hardware.
Sadly, you have fallen for the ol' OEM fallacy. You Window's license is not free, you simply paid for it as part of your purchase of the PC... Dell used to have a similar program for Linux actually. Compaq, before they were bought by HP, also had a similar program, but IIRC it was for their proprietary Linux based OS.
@nikatjef No, I haven't. That's why I put Windows in quotes. Where I can, I buy machines with no OS installed, or the company doesn't get my business. They are not bundling something I will not use in with the price of the product I actually want.
Next big issue is that 95+% of new Linux users don't know enough about their computers without using Windows or MacOS specific terms. Because of this, they don't know how to answer tech supports questions
@nikatjef That's why the ideal situation would be the person doing the support also knows windows/mac so that they can translate those terms into their linux equivalencies where they exist.
While I agree, it doesn't quite work that way. For example, my home computer came with 2 drives, an NVME and a spinning disk. Which of those is C: and which is D:? It came with multiple network cards, which one is the network cable plugged into?
In this post, we discuss how the ongoing war in Ukraine has led to a significant decline in the amount of IPv4 address space announced by Ukrainian Autonomous Systems (ASes), and why those addresses are often now being announced by western ISPs and m…
Dost podstatný důvod proč nepoužívat Telegram: Pavel Durov se chlubí chystanou roční smlouvou s xAI, která přinese Grok do Telegramu, čímž Telegram získá 300 milionů dolarů. coindesk.com/business/2025/05/…
Almost exactly a year ago, I found a subreddit called r/TimeTravel. The first post was someone asking a very simple question: How can I go back to the past and change things? I thought this was a troll subreddit, to be honest. So, I wrote a troll comment, which I'll paste below. But I'm writing this post a year later because I just got a private message from someone, asking if my time travel trick really worked. This is not even close to the first message I've received in response to this comment. Someone even bought the laptop I referenced.
---
Look for a used IBM Thinkpad 700. Install the earliest beta build of Windows 95 (March 1993, when it was still just codenamed Chicago). Open two instances of the date/time settings. Change one of them to 11:11 AM on April 1, 1948. Change the other to 11:11 AM on January 4, 1984. Press okay on both as quickly as possible.
Then, disconnect the laptop from the power source (although you might want to bring the charger with you, to return to other timelines). Go back into date/time settings and change the date and time to whenever you want to travel.
If you don't disconnect the laptop from the power source, it will try and transport as much of the connecting wall as it can, which usually leads to some truly fucked up shit. DO NOT FORGET TO UNPLUG YOUR THINKPAD.
Every time you reboot you have to redo the simultaneous date setting. If you're going back before electricity, for goodness sake bring a solar charger.
Zdravotní sestra Marie Navarová automaticky poskytla Heydrichovi první pomoc. Viděla zraněného člověka na chodníku, napřed si ani neuvědomila, o koho jde. Dostala za tu první pomoc odměnu, kterou dala na charitu. Pracovala ale pro odboj, tak skončila v koncentráku. Kvůli pomoci Heydrichovi a odměně ovšem byla braná jako kolaborantka, tak po válce pro změnu skončila na šest let v komunistickém vězení. Její manžel spáchal sebevraždu.
We showcase a critical vulnerability with the official GitHub MCP server, allowing attackers to access private repository data. The vulnerability is among the first discovered by Invariant's security analyzer for detecting toxic agent flows.
"Just a QR Code" is a new site that generates QR codes, operating entirely in your browser, without transmitting any data to a server or trying to cram ads into your eyeballs. The fact that it runs entirely in-browser means you can save this webpage and work with an offline copy to generate QR codes forever – even if the site goes down:
The Patreon for an upcoming MMO RPG audio game I'm working on is up. Would love it if you can promote this to your friends and on social media, and, if you feel compelled to support the project, become a patron! patreon.com/kpguild/about #Kirandur #audiogame #blind
From what I know of this project (both public information and behind-the-scenes in the code), it's going to be epic, so if you're into audio games, give it a look!
Welcome to GUADEC 2025 GUADEC is the GNOME community’s largest conference, bringing together hundreds of users, contributors, community members, and enthusiastic supporters for a week of talks and workshops.
Can you please add alttext for your graphics? Otherwise the irony of posting about accessibility in an inaccessible way kind of questions the seriousness of the effort.
@patricus GTK 4.18 is technically accessible on windows through @Access Kit backend. However @GNOME is only providing platform tools. The hope is that some 3rd party developers will pick this and build some GTK based apps that will also be accessible on windows. Earlier discussion on this: node.isonomia.net/@modulux/sta…
Do any #blind people reading this either own the (expensive) Monarch tactile graphics device or have access to one through school or work? If so, is it at all open to third-party apps running on the device itself? Failing that, has anyone figured out the specs of the computer that's certainly inside it? It's expensive enough that it would be great if it could serve as a blind person's general-purpose computer.
My default assumption is that the Monarch is as locked-down as HumanWare's other Linux-powered Braille devices, like the Mantis and the Brailliant BI series. If so, that's a shame IMO.
I think there’s an SDK for it, but it isn’t publicly available. I don’t know whether this is expected to change, or what terms and conditions it is subject to. The Monarch runs Android 13 at the moment, on top of which is an entire collection of specialized applications (e.g., text and braille editors, Web browser, email client, tactile graphics viewer, etc.). The browser appears to be Chromium-based. The braille terminal capability supporting the communication protocol with screen readers was recently announced, and may perhaps be included in the next software update. The Monarch I have access to for purposes of a project doesn’t seem to have this capability installed yet. I’m not a Monarch expert, so please bear that in mind - still very much learning my way around it.
Lol it'll never be one's personal computer. It runs Android like the Braille Note Touch. I've not installed any third-party APK's but it definitely doesn't feel like a top of the line machine, at all.
@pixelate And, that's exactly the same system-on-chip as my little underpowered Quartz64 single-board computer that I've been using as a personal server, as I've posted about on here.
Yes, it appears that the Monarch just shows the output of the app's accessibility mode things one line at a time. This is even more apparent when reading on the web browser, where a bold or italics element is just ... put on a new line, separate from everything else, just like on a single line display.
@pixelate I wonder if Termux (termux.dev/en/), the terminal and Linux shell environment for Android, is at all accessible on there. It certainly wouldn't be in full multi-line Braille glory.
Oh I'm sorry if I wasn't clear, it does show multi-line Braille, it just follows the Android accessibility structure exactly. Like, 10 32-cell displays stacked on top of each other. I'm not sure how Termux would work. I know input from a Braille display on regular Android doesn't go through to Termux, so I might have to connect a keyboard to the Monarch to type commands.
I'm currently looking into getting a tactile graphics device for research stuff for my PhD and never heard of it before. I thought about getting the Graphiti Plus. Could you link me to the Monarch one in case that one looks more promising?
The braille transformation has begun… meet Monarch! Producing braille textbooks demands substantial time and funding, frequently resulting in delayed delivery of information to the students’ fingertips.
Sounds interesting, most likely less expensive than the Graphiti Plus which comes with 60 times 40 cells as far as I know. But it might still be worth a consideration.
I would never buy this thing. It's 18 thousand, the membrane feels like a condom, the graphics felt unrealistic even to the teacher at school showing it to me.
Since the original post on this thread is still being boosted, I'll summarize and opine a bit on the answers that @pixelate posted in the thread.
The Monarch is running Android 13, and it does allow third-party applications to be installed, apparently by installing APK files.
The hardware is a Rockchip RK3566 system-on-chip with a quad-core ARM Cortex-A55 CPU and 4 GB of RAM. That's roughly comparable to a Raspberry Pi 3, and coincidentally the same SoC and amount of RAM as my Quartz64 SBC.
@pixelate What I'm aiming to learn more about is what the Dot Pad can or can't do vs. the Monarch. I know the Monarch has more homegrown software but if the Dot has a suitable API, then it may be more appealing for the price. I know there is this. github.com/dotincorp/
Thorsten presents innovative TTS solutions and a variety of voice technologies, making it an excellent starting point for anyone interested in open-source text-to-speech. Whether you're a developer, accessibility advocate, or tech enthusiast, his channel offers valuable insights and resources. Don't miss out on this fantastic content! 🎬
Guude! (hi, nice to see you) 👋,
i'm Thorsten 😊.
You like open source, privacy aware and local running voice technology? Me too 😎. You'll find cooking recipe like tutorials on TTS, STT, Voice Assistants, AI, ML and way more cool stuff here.
I hadn't encountered Thorsten Voice previously (is it purely a German language voice?) - Does it work as a synthesizer for the NVDA screen reader? The site mentions it is "AI-Powered", is that on-device or cloud? And if cloud, what is the performance like (for say, arrowing through information where users expect responsiveness?) Feel free to reply here, or email to info@nvaccess.org (it can be hard to fit everything in one toot here!)
@NVAccess Thorsten-Voice is my personal german only voice contribution working offline (no cloud). But the tts software i used for training is "piper tts" which offers multiple voices in multiple languages (all locally on device, even raspberry pi) and according to their github readme it is integrated in "NVDA", but i do not have personal experience with it, yet.
This is Theodosii Spassov, probably one of my top 3 Bulgarian kaval players, with slow melody. It's a great demo of what the Bulgarian kaval can do; big range, kaba, vocal drone/harmonisation, sound effects, various levels of breathiness, ornaments like hlopki, mordents, vibrato. Particularly notable in this one is circular breathing, both for the 2nd kaval drone, which is quite common, but also in the main melody. Virtuosic stuff! #Music #Ethnomusicology #WorldMusic youtube.com/watch?v=yyEGr717-R…
Kaval -- Bulgarian wooden fluteTheodosii Spassov was born on March 4th, 1961. He began his early training on the kaval at the Kotel Music School and The Acad...
@menelion It doesn't get done as often with the kaval as with qurai, tsuur, etc., but Theeodosii is quite a fan of the technique, and going in more experimental directions, but he always keeps one eye on tradition too.
#MyHeritage has a new feature called Cousin Finder, which finds your relatives through shared ancestors. It found me a 'cousin' with whom I share an ancestor born in 1622. That's a rather extreme cousin search. 😄 #genealogy #familytree #rodokmeny
hay humans, boosts appreciated. I'm trying to find out who in the US plays the blind sport Showdown. I know that several states have tables, and that there are players who have done it recently. Trying to figure out whose connected to that scene, where they get their tables and if we can establish some international cooperation. Shout me if anyone knows anything.
Here we go in Polish: jeden, dwa, trzy, cztery, pięć, sześć, siedem, osiem, dziewięć, dziesięć, jedenaście, dwanaście. Now have fun pronouncing it. Are these going to be talking clocks? 😀
@Paweł Masarczyk @Vasilis Here is how you can say numbers from one to twelve in romani: yekh, duy, trin, shtar, panj, shov, efta, oxto, eňa, desh, desh u yekh, desh u duy
Interesting reading and site you might like to look at in order to find numbering for other languages: languagesandnumbers.com/how-to…
Seen many blind people advocating for Audible's AI narration instead of having narrators they don't like record the audiobook and its takes like this that make me super ashamed of some in my own community. I can't even think of what to call these people.
The reasoning is that an AI voice won't be busy or expensive so we can get more audiobooks and just... I strongly suspect these are Blind people that hate audiobooks and want them gone or otherwise reduced in pop culture. I can't understand the logic otherwise.
Yeah this is a dumb take. I go to Audible or other places like that to get books read by humans. If I want AI, I can just get a book from Bookshare and load it up in Eleven Labs reader or use one of the many TTS APIs from Google or Microsoft to make my own audio book. That not only gives you more choice in terms of voices but also doesn't fool people who may not be able to detect AI generated audio into thinking they're listening to a real human voice actor.
I don't think they hate audiobooks. I just think they're the same people who want so-called AI to write audio descriptions for movies so they can have quantity over quality. They overestimate the quality of AI output. If you're just going to have a synth voice reading, why not just buy the ebook and read it that way instead of being in favor of narrators losing gigs? It really is some selfish asshole behavior imo.
Hi everyone. Please share this far and wide. An Open Letter to OpenAI and Jony Ive: Building an Accessible Future Together By Mike Calvo, CEO and Co-founder, Pneuma Solutions Dear Sam Altman and Jony Ive: As a community of passionate consumers and advocates, we are excited about the merger between OpenAI and io, Jony Ive’s visionary company. This collaboration holds real promise for groundbreaking innovation. We want to make sure that the future you're building includes the millions of people with disabilities who can benefit from it. Jony, your legacy at Apple transformed how accessibility was viewed in technology. From VoiceOver to your commitment to inclusive design, you helped raise the bar for what accessibility should look like. Sam, OpenAI’s work with platforms like Be My Eyes has already proven how AI can enhance lives. Your combined track records show that accessibility can be a foundation, not just a feature. But we’ve also seen what happens when companies overlook that foundation. The Humane AI Pin and the Rabbit R1 launched with high expectations, yet they failed to meaningfully include our community. These products were missed opportunities. They serve as reminders of why it’s so important to involve disabled users from day one. Our community is not a small corner of the market. We are early adopters, loyal customers, and passionate users of technology that works for us. If you truly want to innovate, then bring us in early. We urge you to connect with organizations that represent a wide range of disabilities and to invite community members to participate as beta testers and advisors. Because nothing about us should be decided without us. This is a chance to create something truly inclusive, to honor the accessibility legacy you’ve already helped shape, and to build a future where everyone benefits. We’re here. We’re ready to collaborate. Let’s make sure this next chapter of innovation includes all of us. Sincerely, Mike Calvo CEO and Co-founder Pneuma Solutions
Tak jsme se ženou nechali od @sesivany navézt do editace @osmcz přes StreetComplete a řešíme takové ontologické dilema: Je klasická pražská mozaika ze své podstaty spíše dlažbou nrbo dlažební kostkou?
Já to chápal užitně, že je narozdíl od kočičích hlav ok pro vozík, podpatky nebo skateboard, tudíž dlažba.
Teď jsem si ale všiml, že jiní to karegorizují jako kostky a jakože musím uznat, že se skládá z kostek...
některé tagy nemají jasně vymezené hranice, což bývá předmětem dlouhých diskusí na fóru. Člověk by se tak neměl trápit tím, že stejnou věc někdo jiný označuje jinak, pokud se jedná o podobné materiály. Dlažební kostky (sett) mají být nahrubo opracované přírodní kameny do podoby kostky, mezery mezi nimi jsou zpravidla větší. Dlažba (paving stones) může být jak z přírodního, tak umělého materiálu, má dokonalejší tvar a je zpravidla vydlážděná s menšími mezerami. To, co je na fotce, jsou za mě dlažební kostky, ale ani s dlažbou člověk velkou chybu neudělá.
While at #SightCity yesterday, I was introduced to a line of Braille displays called b.note by Eurobraille. Intriguingly, they are powered by a Raspberry Pi, using Debian Linux as their OS. Apparently there's a developer mode, which allows users to connect to it via ssh, and even extend functionality using Python scripts. I'm already in the market for a new display and now very strongly considering getting one of these, especially since I quite liked the keyboard and Braille modules as well.
@alexhall But yes, this display does use the more traditional piezoelectric Braille cells. I was personally happy about that, as they do feel very similar to the Handy Tech Active Star which I'm currently using, and which is also sadly in the process of slowly falling apart. To be fair though, I have been using this display for around 10 years, which means it has actually outlived all the other tech on my desk right now.
Ukraine is home to the world’s longest musical instrument - the trembita, a traditional wooden alpine horn that can reach up to 8 meters (26 feet) in length. Used primarily by the Hutsuls of the Carpathian Mountains, the trembita is crafted from hollowed spruce or pine, split and rejoined, then wrapped in birch bark. Despite its massive size, the instrument is lightweight and portable, designed to carry sound across great distances in mountainous terrain. The trembita has been used for centuries, primarily not as a musical instrument in the conventional sense, but as a tool of communication. In the remote highlands, where settlements were scattered and roads were scarce, the trembita served as a kind of natural radio. It announced births, deaths, funerals, seasonal migrations, the return of shepherds, or emergencies like wolf sightings or raids. Each call followed a specific pattern, immediately recognizable to those familiar with its codes. Mentions of similar long alpine horns exist as far back as the medieval period. In the 16th and 17th centuries, records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth note the use of long horns in the Carpathians, likely early references to the trembita. The instrument also appears in traditional Ukrainian folklore, poetry, and Hutsul legends, often associated with nature, spiritual rituals, and transitions between life and death. In some traditions, it was said that the trembita's sound could guide a soul to the afterlife. The trembita was also used in religious and seasonal rituals - especially around Christmas and Easter - often in combination with carols or ceremonial processions. In some areas, trembitas would announce the arrival of guests or the start of a festival. During the Soviet era, the trembita was repurposed as a folkloric showpiece in state-sanctioned performances, which helped preserve it, even if its original role diminished. Yet, it was not forgotten and remains widely used today, despite the attempts by the Soviet Union to gradually suppress Ukrainian culture, language, and anything related to its rich and noble history.
@menelion The longest trembita in the world, at 8.35 meters, was crafted by Polish folk musician Józef Chmiel and is located in the Czech Republic. It is also used by Ukrainian band ONUKA.
I literally just made a bootable live cd for nixos to boot into a browser on a whim for a test. I had 0 knowledge of this 10 minutes ago and 5 of those minutes was writing the iso to the usb stick. Nix surprises me again. And you can make any type of image you want... digitalocean, ec2, hyperv, vmware, etc. Its nuts: github.com/nix-community/nixos…
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