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Items tagged with: accessibility


One of the great things about coming over to Mastodon has been raising my awareness of alt text for images.

Including this by default when uploading files is a great move. Not only is it better for accessibility on this platform, but it upskills people on how to do this creating content elsewhere online.

One of the best resources I have found and can highly recommend is this webpage from Harvard: accessibility.huit.harvard.edu…

#mastodon #accessibility #website #AltText


⏩ I'm available again in January!

⏹️ My contract with Nomensa will end. I'm looking forward to support new people with topics like accessibility, inclusive design and improve all things organisational

▶️ Let me know what I can do for you!

(picture may or may not be related)
#accessibility #inclusiveDesign


Folks, I want to boost your lovely posts, I really do but I won’t if you don’t write image descriptions (alt text) so people who use screen readers can also experience them.

It doesn’t take long to write one.

And if you’re posting an image of text and you have an iPhone, you can select the text from the image with a long press and copy/paste it.

Even Linux has apps that do this (like Frog: tenderowl.com/work/frog/)

#accessibility #a11y #fediverse #altText #images #screenReader #mastodon


Super post from @SaraSoueidan on how to set up a screen reader testing environment.

sarasoueidan.com/blog/testing-…

Sara, do you or anyone else know of a way test VoiceOver on Mac if we don't have access to a Mac? One of the perennial frustrations in the web industry is the assumption we're all on Macs. For many, Macs are well out of our budget ranges, but we still want to do the best we can with the tools at hand. Any advice?

#accessibility #a11y #inclusion #mac #macos #windows #testing


#AudioDescription delivered by a synth is equivalent to casting a robot in place of a human actor because it's less expensive & more films can be produced. That's not how art works, and it shouldn't be how #accessibility operates in the arts. We hope you join us for this important conversation on Friday, December 9 at 7 PM ET w/ @TSReid, @WhoAmIToStopIt, and me as your hosts. This will be a #LinkedInAudio event which will be recorded. linkedin.com/events/tts-elevat…


#OpenAccess journals, please take heed.

New study: "Using a random sample of 300 English language open access journals, we assessed author guidelines to understand image requirements for submissions…We found that most open access journals do not include disability accessibility elements in their guidelines…While over half the journals had required parameters for image submission, none of them required alt text."
osf.io/preprints/metaarxiv/zsj…

#accessibility #a11y #images #alt


Please include alt text with your images. Especially when your image is nothing but text. It's dead easy to do in #mastodon.

#Accessibility


This seems to be becoming a habit of mine now as I begin to use Mastodon more and continue to learn more about it each day.

This one covers the options available to you when posting content such as Alt Text and Content Warnings but also talks about language settings and using filters to tidy up your timelines.

Any boosts will be greatly appreciated so we can help everyone get the most out of Mastodon.
#twittermigration #MastodonTips #accessibility #language #feditips

youtu.be/Pg0rtrUOoJY



The 6th of December is traditionally the day when Santa comes and brings small gifts to children in Poland and several other countries (not to be confused with the 24th of December which is also when gifts, bigger ones, are distributed). Obviously somebody's got to pay for all these nice things so how to do it in an accessible way?
I thought of including Handsome, a French fintech dedicated to serving customers with visual impairments, as a part of this calendar, as it offers an accessible voice payment card; a dedicated concierge service, insurance in case of damage to assistive devices or stranding with no immediate mobility options. They can be found at:
howtobehandsome.fr/
Imagine my shock this morning when I discovered that through cooperation with the Tales Group, Handsome's voice card has become global so it's a matter of time before banks start introducing it.
The card is equipped with a Bluetooth LE chip, connects to the customer's smartphone either through their banking app or a specially designed one; then, once its inserted into the terminal, it delivers all of the status messages to the app E.G. the amount to be paid or the current state of the payment process. This way it is possible to avoid being scammed on the amount and we can make sure all is well with our transaction.
I'm curious if any banks are going to introduce this any time soon.
thalesgroup.com/en/markets/dig…
#Accessibility #Blind #France #Banking #AdventCalendar


For anyone interested in #game #accessibility, I've begun work to integrate AccessKit into Bevy. Will this make #Bevy the first natively-accessible game engine out of the box? Not sure, but exciting times. Help out or follow my progress here.


I know that the below post might sound random but here goes.
The Unicode braille block starts from U+2800. The U+2800 character himself is a so called “blank braille pattern” which translates to a space sign in most cases. Stuff get more interesting if you want to make a braille pattern. In computer braille (8 dots) there are 256 possible patterns, it sounds like a byte, right? Right! Cause if you want to make a braille pattern, you just at a byte to the base character U+2800 as we already discussed. The bits in this byte are encoded in column order, so that 11100000 is the letter L, and 1101000 is letter F. The exception to this rule are of course dots 7 and 8. They have been added later and so putting them between dot 3 would break the compatibility with existing software. So, to reassume the encoding order is as follows (from bit 0 of the byte)
Dot 1
Dot 2
Dot 3
Dot 4
Dot 5
Dot 6
Dot 7
Dot 8
Tell me guys if you like such #programming and/or #accessibility posts from me.


Something that has worked really well for librsvg - and now I'm happy to have for at-spi2-core as well - is a development guide for the internals. Not a library manual, but an internals guide.

It's available at gnome.pages.gitlab.gnome.org/a…

I want to make it a good reference for the implementation details of #accessibility - for how the system is built, the roadmap and the cleanups we're doing, how to make toolkits accessible, that sort of thing.


Whether you are disabled or not, accessibility is really useful for everyone. Accessibility makes social media easier to use and lets your posts reach a wider audience.

You can find out how to make your posts more accessible at:

➡️ fedi.tips/mastodon-and-fediver…

Special shout out to @norrumar who has just created a Spanish language article about Mastodon for users of the free open source NVDA screen reader:

➡️ nvdaes.github.io/mastodon (in Spanish)

#Fediverse #Mastodon #Accessibility #Disability


@Paweł Masarczyk Oh btw almost 20 years later some cities e.g. Prešov or areas (Banskobystrický samosprávny kraj) are trying to pursue these remote controls for their public transport services too. Majority of our country coverage is still ahead of us.


Is it possible to have audiodescription on TV if the broadcasting mode is analogue and the ability to employ several language audio tracks does not exist yet? Italy has had the solution, at least a decade ago still, where audiodescription for the movies aired by RAI, the Italian national broadcaster, would have the descriptive track delivered on a designated FM radio frequency. A blind person wishing to watch such a movie would turn on their TV to the right channel and then tune a radio receiver to the right frequency to enjoy both the original movie track and the audiodescription in sync. As it turns out from the paper below, keeping both in sync is difficult.
By the device of anecdotal evidence I know that a similar system existed in Slovenia.
Another thing that was available in Italy, and I haven't heard of it anywhere else before, are accessible audio menus on DVD's.
openstarts.units.it/bitstream/…
#Accessibility #Blind #Audiodescription #Italy #Slovenia #Radio #AdventCalendar


Today's window comes a little later than usual but as there's still the 4th of December somewhere in the world, I hope it's forgiven.
Inspired by a conversation I had with @adela, I decided to dedicate this one to the central purchase receipts storage system in Slovakia.
The Slovak government runs a central point where all of the receipts issued by merchands and service providers are registered. Upon issuing, a receipt is assigned a unique number in that system which then is printed onto the slip of paper given to the customer. What you can then do is, using a dedicated app for this purpose, load that receipt onto your phone by entering that number or scanning the QR code printed onto your receipt in order to have all the details of your purchase presented on your smartphone. This is a great way for blind individuals to check whether their transaction has been dutyfully conducted or to help in obtaining the necessary data to maintain your spending tracking record, so even though this solution was not conceived with blind people in mind, it is a valuable enhancement towards a more independent life.
technologiebezzraku.sk/2022/07…
#Accessibility #Blind #AdventCalendar #Slovakia #Shopping


Google Maps is expanding its “Accessible Places” feature, which helps people know when a place is wheelchair accessible and/or stair-free. The feature was originally launched in 2020, but it was limited to just Australia, Japan, the U.K., and the U.S. Now, the feature is available worldwide on Android and iOS.

#Accessibility #Mobility #Travel #Disability #axschat

chromeunboxed.com/google-maps-…


In France, TIER Mobility is piloting wheelchair-accessible electric scooters in partnership with Omni, a French startup that has developed an electric scooter attachment compatible with most wheelchairs.

#Mobility #Accessibility #wheelchair #Disability #Axschat #France

inkl.com/a/jzkprjCbwYz


To all #blind #ScreenReader users on various platforms who use #Firefox: The project to speed up web page and screen reader interaction, code-named Cache-The-World, is now at a phase where in Nightly 109, it has been enabled for all users. So if you spot anything that is unusual or not working as before, please let the #accessibility team know. Next step is an experiment for 50% roll-out on Windows in the 111 beta.

The page where you can track the progress is here: wiki.mozilla.org/Accessibility…




#AudioDescription delivered by a synth is equivalent to casting a robot in place of a human actor because it's less expensive & more films can be produced. That's not how art works, and it shouldn't be how #accessibility operates in the arts. Join this #LinkedIn Audio discussion.


To mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, today's window opens up to one of my favourite treasure troves of good practices regarding accessibility for the blind - the Czech Republic which I am currently only one hour of a car drive away from.
Did you know that by 2004 Czech Republic was the second European country right behind Sweden with the widest network of audible traffic lights? Not only that but they already started installing tactile floor markings and my favourite invention, the remote controls for the build environment.
The Czech remote control is a tiny box with six buttons that each blind individual can purchase. Using this aid, a blind person navigating through a Czech city can check any public transport schedule available at any stop, confirm the line of the bus or tram that just came, alert the driver to their presence so that they can let them in or out of the vehicle, navigate around the Prague underground, trigger audible traffic lights to be switched on and locate some of the key buildings such as the Blind Union's HQ's.
Although many cities of Europe have meanwhile tried to implement a similar system, the Czech Republic is the only country I know of that offers such a wide range of services in the entire country this way. I was very impressed the first time I tested this and I love coming back to our southern neighbours. Ahoj a zdravim vas s Polska!
Below, an article of the Czech radio broadcaster back from 2004 explaining the accommodations along with audio samples in Real Audio, if you can still play that.
english.radio.cz/czech-blind-u…
#Accessibility #Blind #UrbanEnvironment #BuildEnvironment #CzechRepublic #AdventCalendar


I asked ChatGPT to write a song from a techbro's perspective, about accessibility. You'll love the result 😆 #accessibility #ChatGPT


As an extra creative exercise, a question: how would you imagine the services you enjoy every day thanks to the Internet if our ultimate mode of accessing data was audio over the telephone? How would Mastodon sound like? What about internet shopping, spam, viruses, all that lovely stuff? Sound effect examples are welcome as are vague descriptions. #AdventCalendar #Accessibility #Blind #Sound #SoundDesign


When I was 9 or so, I discovered that one of the cineplex complexes in Poland operated a phone line with an IVR system that would let you explore the entire schedule of currently running movies. This was my first means of accessing information independently and on-demand. I was the movies expert in our house at that time and with movies like "Shrek", "Matrix", "Starwars" and "Harry Potter" coming out this was the time to be alive. I dreamt then that we will be able to access all of the info we want through a telephone. Turns out that's what #Switzerland is doing right now.
Voicenet is the service of the Swiss Union of the Blind, where you can call in and receive all the information you need to access culture, shopping, receive advice, benefit from the organization's services etc.
Some things you can find there:
- the current supermarket prospects with all of the weekly discounts and special offers read by volunteers;
- TV and radio schedule, including information on movies with audiodescription aired throughout the week;
- traffic and construction works;
- rail schedules;
- signing up for the Union's events;
- a voice forum where users can ask for advice and exchange information;
All of that provided by volunteers and an editorial team in three languages: German, French and Italian with the ability to navigate through content E.G. jumping from beverages to dairy products with the phone's keypad.
I realize that things like the NFB Newsline exist but it seems that, as Switzerland is a much smaller country, it is easier to offer much more local information.
sbv-bvas.ch/voicenet-2/
#Accessibility #Blind #Phone #languages #Switzerland #German #French #Italian #AdventCalendar


Hey @yatil - I came across your #accessibility in the #fediverse post: yatil.net/blog/accessibility-i…

I'm currently working on a #chess game that can be played over Mastodon, and I'm keen for it to be as good an experience as it can be for everyone. I've done some research, have a prototype, and now I feel like I can start talking to users...

Would you be willing to offer your thoughts, and could you recommend a few people I could email or chat to?


My boyfriend (@crispy) says that he wishes there's a way to use Mastodon when he can't type much because of #OCD. He says that's why he prefers Twitter Spaces, because he can use his voice.

Perhaps #Mastodon would do well to add a voice post option?

He doesn't like dictation because it's slow and doesn't work properly. The built-in dictation at least.

Related GitHub Issue: github.com/mastodon/mastodon/i…

#accessibility #TypingImpaired


In #Japan, the concept of accessible phones has been known since the early 00's and has its own term, "Raku Raku Phones" and means simplified phones. Those are adapted for the needs of elderly users and those who don't feel as familiar with modern technology so a lot of concepts are, well, simplified. This is especially important given that the 00's saw the emergence of Japanese mobile phones with capacities comparable to today's smartphones. Sending emails, taking photos, mobile payments, music recognition and downloads; even TV watched on a phone were all there by 2005 and formed an important part of how the Japanese society accessed information. This is why the Raku Raku phones manufactured jointly by Fujitsu and NTT Docomo, the leading Japanese mobile carrier, were so important. Fujitsu called to the corporate social responsibility of other companies to follow suit and also formed the basis for accessibility guidelines for I-Mode, the gateway to all of Japan's mobile internet services. Apparently, 80% of Japan's blind population used these phones as they were equipped with a screen reader and allowed accessing I-Mode this way. fujitsu.com/global/documents/a…
#accessibility #blind #Japan #adventcalendar #mobile #phones


#Dev recommendations 6. #RegEx can be a hard topic for every new person starting with #programming. However don’t be scared of them because they are useful and fun! If you struggle to learn #RegularExpressions here are my favorite resources.
1. regex101.com. This website is your all in one toolbox for regular expressions, with tutorials, reference and a very advanced debugger which can visualise the expression’s output. All for free, and with #accessibility for the #blind out of the box.
2. youtube.com/watch?v=r6I-Ahc0HB…
A little course on regular expressions. The teaching is cler and the guy explains everything on the way.
As always, if you have any questions about #RegEx, #csharp #dotnet, #swift or anything else, feel free to ask me!




I've collected some #Mastodon 🦣 #instances to help with the #TwitterMigration focused in #inclusion, #accesibility and #minorities. They look like safe spaces for most of us. I'd appreciate the boost and new recommendations to add to the list:

🔗🇬🇧 ableism.rip/about - space to fight ableism
🔗🇬🇧 disabled.social/about - for disabled people
🔗🇬🇧 neurodifferent.me/about - neurodiversity and neurominorities
🔗🇬🇧 iaccessibility.social/about - interest in assistive technology
🔗🇬🇧 blacktwitter.io/about - history and voices for black people
🔗🇬🇧 lgbt.io/about - for LGBT+ and allies
🔗🇬🇧 queer.party/about - queer-oriented instance
🔗🇬🇧 tech.lgbt/about - for tech workers, academics, students, and others interested in tech who are LGBTQIA+ or Allies

Please boost to reach more people!


I need some help with #nvda & #wikipedia.
I'm assisting a blind student in learning how to navigate the web using a laptop.
NVDA reads out the title first, then properties about the document, then the summary box on the side.
I can't find any way to skip that whole box and move straight to the main content. There is no main content landmark, nor is there a heading, not is it in the Contents section.
Take en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurgood… as an example. How can I navigate to the first sentence of the main article?
Thanks for any help.
#blind #accessibility


So, it's the server (instance) that converts it? Do you know if that's the same on all masto instances, or is it a setting the admin can change?

Letter case makes a HUGE difference to hashtags for screen readers, people with dyslexia, the visually impaired, etc. That is the reason I'm asking.
#accessibility


@changeling @blindscribe

Hey, I read fedi.tips/mastodon-and-fediver… as I was looking for someone to write to about the fact that hashtags on Mastodon default to *remove* camel case if you select the drop-down reference when typing a hashtag.

New here and wondering if I can lend my voice to a related discussion or reach out to someone to promote camel case hashtags as a default.

#Accessibility


Consider hiring The Social #AudioDescription Collective for your next in-person or digital event. SADC believes in diversity and the human voice. Their AD reflects the multi-cultural and multi-racial world we live in. Many SADC team members are POC, Disabled, visually impaired, women, and or LGBT+. Their credits include movie trailers, music videos, documentary films, + a variety of other content. Learn more and make contact at adcomrade.wordpress.com/ #blind #accessibility