Pleast boost for reach:
On the subject of Linux phone accessibility, the developer of AT-SPI wrote:
There's a long-standing issue that Joanie filed against at-spi2-core for
touch screen support:
gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/at-spi2…

Ande I haven't taken the time to figure out how best to handle this. I'm
not sure if evdev would do what we need, or we might want to work with the
maintainers of mutter, KWin, etc. to create a protocol for
intercepting/manipulating gestures. We would also need code that can
detect gestures from touch screen presses. NVDA has code that we might be
able to use as a model.

All of this is theoretically on my list of things to do. Of course, help
would be welcome if anyone else was able to take it on.
end quote

For blind people to switch to Linux on phones, we need to use the touch screen. If anyone can help with this, it would allow the blind to take one step closer to being capable of creating our own accessibility, our own environments, in the way that helps us most. See NVDA as a great example of how that goes.
#accessibility #blind #foss #linux #phones #pinephone

Implement support for touch/gestures (#148) · Issues · GNOME / at-spi2-core · GitLab

Orca currently is able to register grabs for, be notified of, and consume keyboard events of interest. It should be able to do the same for touch/gestures.

^GitLab

Seriously people, if you're going to put work into making your blog look beautiful you HAVE GOT to see what it looks like with large minimum font size (not zoom). At my default 20pt minimum font size this blog gives me roughly 4 words per line.

I'm not going to read the damn article like this, no matter how good the words are. Yes, I can switch to "Reader View" but I shouldn't have to.

#accessibility #LowVision

From the Blinux list, my thoughts below the quote:

"Hello to all.

This is partly a (re)introduction and some good news (news for definitely not all, but some) of you.

This message is actually send to two lists, as I have no clue how big intersection of the member lists there are (I suppose huge, but not complete), so sorry for double receiving, you who are in both lists.

And now, with the disclaimers out of the way... I started to be interested in Linux, say ten or twelve years ago (don't remember exactly). Through a set of happy coincidences, I managed to get a job at Red Hat in the desktop team, and because accessibility was in the times of the reorg an important thing, a tools and accessibility team actually was created. It is quite a small team, and the majority of people on it do not have work time to do anything with accessibility (we're maintaining some of the Gnome apps, we do RHEL packaging, testing etc.).

However, I am working on the accessibility related things every day, so don't be afraid to ask something, mention your issues, and such.

Personally, in terms of distributions, I use GNome on Arch (personal laptop) and Fedora (work laptop), so I have the most experience with these setups, but I definitely used Mate, and tried Kde for some time as well.

And, that's it for now. "

So, a small team, that barely has time to do what the team is about. This is really sad. This is what people with disabilities get from one of the biggest Linux companies there is.

#accessibility #blind #linux #foss #gnu

The World #Blind Union General Assembly and World #Blindness Summit in São Paulo, #Brazil in September was an amazing opportunity not only to talk about NVDA, but to give a presentation on the amazing MOVEMENT behind the world's favourite free #screenreader! We have two videos of the presentation and a full transcript for you, complete with an audience-initiated chant of "#NVDA NVDA NVDA!" at the end!

nvaccess.org/post/world-blind-…

#NVDAsr #Accessibility #Movement #Social

I recently started using Book Notification (booknotification.com).

For me, the use case is simple: add a list of #authors I like, and they send me a weekly email with upcoming releases by those authors and a link to a personalised #book release calendar page.

I read a lot of #books, so I like what they're doing. Unfortunately there is a catch. Two, actually.

Firstly, they use an #accessibility overlay (Ally by Elementor). While it isn't personally bothersome for me (particularly given the fact that my primary interest is in the content they email out), I do fundamentally object to using a service that perpetuates the use of these tools however unmaliciously.

Secondly, the first time I visited the site after signing up, I'd been signed out and the backend had apparently forgotten my password. Services not handling authentication data and user sessions well is a development pet peeve of mine.

All of this to say: if this sounds appealing to you and you're not put off by the highlighted caveat and hiccup, it does seem to work well. But I'm also interested in recommendations of other services like this that will let me keep track of new book releases by authors I enjoy. Do you know of any?

(Please no Goodreads, Amazon, Audible, or the like.)

Today's Web Design Update: groups.google.com/a/d.umn.edu/…

Featuring @michaelharshbarger, @aardrian, @SteveFaulkner, @deconspray, @mgifford , @sarajw, @matuzo, @j9t, @mehm8128, @Jayhoffmann, @Meyerweb, @bkardell, @adactio, @slightlyoff, and more.

Subscribe info: d.umn.edu/itss/training/online…

#Accessibility #A11y #WebDesign

The similarities between #accessibility and #cybersecurity continue to amaze me.
These are both areas of standards, recommendations, legal precedents etc. that SHOULD, in theory, give companies the tools, as well as the insentive, to do what their clients/customers need them to do.
Is that the reality? Sadly, often, no it isn't. I just saw a renowned voice in the cybersecurity space repost a post that essentially states that if the infraction is cheaper/more lucrative than the fine, companies will choose the fine every single time. Frustrating, innit?

So what if I say the exact same thing is true for #accessibility and that the majority of GUI-based cybersecurity tools are not #accessible enough to be productive?

Here's a callout to #cybersecurity vendors. Are you going to fix this, or be a hypocrite? :) #tech

In some web platform circles, there's a push for a move away from walled garden distribution methods like the App Store and native apps in general.

Broadly, I think progressive web apps (PWAs) should be easier to distribute and install. And Apple should definitely do more to make those a viable option on iOS.

Unfortunately, purely web-based apps are currently not able to take advantage of several important #accessibility features, primary among them the ability to add actions to elements (e.g. for the VoiceOver rotor).

Bon je viens de retester mais on ne peut toujours pas activer l'accessibilité via les lecteurs d'écrans pour les app GTK4 sous Windows (donc Gajim), l'issue est toujours là mais je ne sais pas si quelqu'un arrivera à la corriger dans les mois/années à venir.

Si jamais vous êtes dev et que vous aimez GTK, l'issue est ici :
gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gtk/-/i…

Je peux tester des patch si besoin

#a11y #accessibility #dev #gtk

Crash with accesskit-c on Windows (#7653) · Issues · GNOME / gtk · GitLab

Example program: Using gtk 4.18.6, accesskit-c 0.15.1 Downstream report: https://github.com/msys2/MINGW-packages/issues/24812 Clicking on the button crashes. To...

^GitLab

A severe #accessibility issue I've seen very few people talking about is the widespread adoption (in my country at least) of touch-only card payment terminals with no physical number buttons.

Not only do these devices offer no tactile affordances, but the on-screen numbers move around to limit the chances of a customer's PIN number being captured by bad actors. In turn, this makes it impossible to create any kind of physical overlay (which itself would be a hacky solution at best).

When faced with such a terminal, blind people have only a few ways to proceed:

* Switch to cash (if they have it);
* refuse to pay via inaccessible means;
* ask the seller to split the transaction into several to facilitate multiple contactless payments (assuming contactless is available);
* switch to something like Apple Pay (again assuming availability); or
* hand over their PIN to a complete stranger.

Not one of these solutions is without problems.

If you're #blind, have you encountered this situation, and if so how did you deal with it? It's not uncommon for me to run into it several times per day.

why do you think this is not being talked about or made the subject of action by blindness organisations? Is it the case that it disproportionately affects people in countries where alternative payment technology (like paying via a smart watch) is slower to roll out and economically out of reach for residents?

@jonathan859 I take it back, this is possible (for anyone looking for this, `setTaskDescription`). This doesn't change the visible title, but it does change what Talkback reads out.

So, what would be useful to use here?

Depending on the state I thought one of:

- Replying to (name)
- Quoting (name)
- Writing post

(Talkback automatically puts "Pachli" before each of those)

Anything I've missed?

#accessibility #androiddev

This year brought great improvements to #accessibility in GNOME, including:

• Accessibility from the start on the login screen
• Full accessibility of GNOME Web
• Tons of improvements to Calendar
• Screen reader integration for Notifications
• Configure #Orca screen reader from Settings
• GTK apps integrated w/Windows & macOS accessibility

Help us reach 1,500 #FriendsOfGNOME so we can focus on accessibility even more in 2026!

donate.gnome.org

#a11y #GNOME #FOSS #OpenSource #Linux

If you saw our recent post on here about Reece, the young boy from Australia who got the ABC to put audio description on "Behind the News", then you'll love this follow up video he made especially about NVDA. It is THE feel-good piece to watch this holiday season!

nvaccess.org/post/NVDA-with-Di…

#NVDA #NVDAsr #ScreenReader #Accessibility #MakingADifference #Empowering #GoodNews #Technology #FeelGood

Just discovered an incredible resource for accessible Bible study: World Bible Plans

As a totally blind, autistic, chronically ill Christian, finding tools that are both spiritually rich and screen‑reader friendly isn't easy. Their EPUB plans (like the World English Bible with David Guzik's commentary) have proper headings for navigation, built-in cross-references, and formatting that makes daily devotions possible without frustration.

I don't know if all their plans are accessible by default, so I suggest mentioning in the “additional requests” box that you're blind and need screen‑reader friendly formatting. That's what I did, and the result was excellent.

Also note that if you choose a Bible version that isn't in the public domain, the plan will only give you a guide showing which verses to read, not the full text.

If you've struggled with inaccessible study tools, this might be a game‑changer.

#Christian #Bible #BlindChristian #Accessibility #BibleStudy #WorldBiblePlans #ScreenReader

If you have a #Dell laptop whose function keys act normally but whose Home and End keys do not, apparently the fix is the following.

* Restart your machine and at the Dell logo, repeatedly tap the F2 to get into BIOS.

* Look for POST Behaviour.

* FN Lock: Ensure this setting is Enabled.

* Make sure Lock Mode Secondary is selected.

Now I just have to find a sighted person to do this for me, because in 2025, BIOS is still inaccessible.

#blind #accessibility #A11Y

Good morning, all. How is everyone?

Well, I’m officially 34 today. I wound up crashing hard for most of the night, but the good news is that this morning I feel pretty good — aside from the usual arthritis pain in my feet and hands and not being able to find one of my slippers, so I’ve had to walk on the hard floor barefoot. Lol. I’ve looked everywhere, so I’ll probably have to ask my mom for help when she gets up.

I ordered both compression gloves and socks, but my socks won’t be here until December 6th, and my gloves won’t come in until the 12th.

#GoodMorning #Birthday #Turning34 #ChronicIllness #Arthritis #Disability #Blind #Accessibility #PainAwareness #CompressionGloves #CompressionSocks

Happy International Day of Persons with Disabilities!

This year's #IDPwD theme is: "Fostering #disability #inclusive societies for advancing social progress"

What better way than ensuring everyone has access to, and awareness of #Accessibility of technology.

* #NVDA is FREE for anyone
* Right now, get 10% off certification to show your skills (& cheap training materials to get you to that point)

un.org/en/observances/day-of-p…

#DisabilityAwareness #Inclusion #IDPwD2025 #NVDA #Accessibility

Over November 2025, I've been able to contribute to @gnome, and it was a pleasure!

I focused on GNOME Clocks, with the goal of making it as good as possible for GNOME 50. I focused on #accessibility, #linuxmobile and all sorts of bug fixes and features, as well as issue and MR triaging.

I also fixed some tiny issues in #GTK and #libadwaita, and helped make gettext-pseudolocale as good as possible.

I hope to find more free time to make GNOME Clocks 50 dependable as a mobile clocks app.

Reposting. Slots available.

After a short break, I’m returning to accessibility training services.

I provide one-on-one training for blind and visually impaired users across multiple platforms. My teaching is practical and goal-driven: not just commands, but confidence, independence, and efficient workflows that carry into daily life, study, and work.

I cover:
iOS: VoiceOver gestures, rotor navigation, Braille displays, Safari, text editing, Mail and Calendars, Shortcuts, and making the most of iOS apps for productivity, communication, and entertainment.
macOS: VoiceOver from basics to advanced, Trackpad Commander, Safari and Mail, iWork and Microsoft Office, file management, Terminal, audio tools, and system upkeep.
Windows: NVDA and JAWS from beginner to advanced. Training includes Microsoft Office, Outlook, Teams, Zoom, web browsing, customizing screen readers, handling less accessible apps, and scripting basics.
Android: TalkBack gestures, the built-in Braille keyboard and Braille display support, text editing, app accessibility, privacy and security settings, and everyday phone and tablet use.
Linux: Orca and Speakup, console navigation, package management, distro setup, customizing desktops, and accessibility under Wayland.

Concrete goals I can help you achieve:
Set up a new phone, tablet, or computer
Send and manage email independently
Browse the web safely and efficiently
Work with documents, spreadsheets, and presentations
Manage files and cloud storage
Use social media accessibly
Work with Braille displays and keyboards
Install and configure accessible software across platforms
Troubleshoot accessibility issues and build reliable workflows
Make the most of AI in a useful, productive way
Grow from beginner skills to advanced, efficient daily use

I bring years of lived experience as a blind user of these systems. I teach not only what manuals say, but the real-world shortcuts, workarounds, and problem-solving skills that make technology practical and enjoyable.

Remote training is available worldwide.

Pricing: fair and flexible — contact me for a quote. Discounts available for multi-session packages and ongoing weekly training.

Contact:
UK: 07447 931232
US: 772-766-7331
If these don’t work for you, email me at aaron.graham.hewitt@gmail.com

If you, or someone you know, could benefit from personalized accessibility training, I’d be glad to help.

#Accessibility #Blind #VisuallyImpaired #ScreenReaders #JAWS #NVDA #VoiceOver #TalkBack #Braille #AssistiveTechnology #DigitalInclusion #InclusiveTech #LinuxAccessibility #WindowsAccessibility #iOSAccessibility #AndroidAccessibility #MacAccessibility #Orca #ATTraining #TechTraining #AccessibleTech

Finally hit publish on a blog post I've been writing for a while.

It's common to hear the term "fully accessible" used to describe products which have passed WCAG 2.2 level AA. But, are they really?

In this post, I explore 5 examples which highlight why WCAG, as awesome as it is, is not a measure of great usability or performance.

craigabbott.co.uk/blog/2025/5-…

#accessibility #a11y #wcag

5 reasons why WCAG AA compliance does not mean your website is accessible

5 reasons why WCAG compliance does not mean accessible accessible

^{Craig Abbott (craigabbott.co.uk)}

Would someone who uses a screen reader (or is an actual expert in the #accessibility area) kindly let me know if the custom of “adding alt text via a reply to a post” is actually helpful or not?

As in, if an image in a post doesn’t have alt text, do you scroll through the replies in the hopes that you find one? Or is this custom not too helpful, because you move on as soon as you find that the image is lacking alt text? Thank you so much for your insights in advance!

I am working on some Gemini related stuff (the protocol, not Google AI) and would be interested in hearing about how Gemini stacks up from an accessibility perspective. Are there any specific clients or screen readers that work best? Is there any specific Gemini formatting that helps or hinders? Is there any accessible-specific content that you think should be made available via Gemini?

On a related note, am I wrong in thinking that Gemini is well suited to a low/no vision user? And if so, why?

geminiprotocol.net/

#GeminiProtocol #Accessibility #ScreenReader #AskFedi

@renchap

Indeed, this annoys me regularly also and it is very anti-#accessibility #a11y