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Items tagged with: Blind


Content warning: Question, Android accessibility


@pvagner@fedi.ml
I've read your reply to @WestphalDenn@social.cologne questions about working with #Gnome on #Linux. Thanx for your insights!

What interests me:
Is the #Electron#Desktop#App#Element for #Matrix#Chat accessible for #blind#users? You use it?

#a11y#Acessiblity


On Tech Talk this week, I had a great conversation with Troy Otilio from @AiraVI about their new Access AI feature, which has recently been released as a beta in the Aira Explorer app. We spoke about where this feature came from, the impact the use of AI has on privacy, and so much more about AI and Aira in general. Have a listen here or wherever you get your podcasts

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/rnib-tech-talk/id1151878596?i=1000652615215

@rnib #aira #AccessAI #AI #chatGPT #gemini #blind #accessibility #podcast


So, I'm debating with myself if it's time to ditch Microsoft365 & switch to something like #LibreOffice I'm not sure how #accessible it is to #blind users as I've never really looked into using it before, but I'd like some opinions from others before I devote my time & some SSD space to it. If it's worth it, then ditching both MS365 & Copilot Pro would save me around $30 a month. I'd still need to think of how to replace OneDrive, as having a 2TB drive in the cloud is sort of handy.


I have to wonder, what does it take for a #blind person to communicate using #ham radio? Like, I thought about taking the test and doing all that but firstly, I wouldn't really know what to do with it if I had my license and there are, to my knowledge, no talking radios blind people can reliably use.


does anyone have any recommendations for screen readers that run on Linux? I want to start testing webapps I code (and other people's sites) to make sure they are accessible to people using a screen reader but I'm not sure where to start.

:boosts_ok_gay: #Blind #ScreenReader


Okay, is there a clearly defined thing that makes voiceover stop saying "clickable" everywhere, like this word is sooo annoying, it starts to lose its meaning when you hear it more than, say, twice. I found that even low verbosity settings don't help much. I'll be glad if anyone has suggestions.Thanks. #MacOs #VoiceOver #Accessibility #Help #Blind


Aira Access AI. Went to Amazon.com on my computer and the first thing was a captcha that I had to do in order to get into my account. I used Access AI to take a picture of my screen, then asked it to tell me the characters in the image. It quickly came back and said, the characters in the image is, and listed the five letters. The best thing is that it was totally correct! Way to go @AiraVI, Access AI knocked it out of the park! 🤩 #Aira #Access #AI #Blind #Accessibility


I heard something about a talking grill for #Cooking. How true is this and is there some sort of demonstration? Because its something I find pretty cool. Anyone know about this? #Blind


Honk honk! Make way for Lottie, the potentially self-driving marvel of the future! We've seen cars go from four wheels and a honk, to smart machines that know how to navigate the autobahn without a coffee break. Meanwhile, I'm over here, tapping away with my trusty ‘stick' or relying on an adorable canine companion who, bless, hasn't the slightest clue about Google Maps.

1. A Tale of Two Navigators:
• The Traditionalists: Here's to the good old cane and the furry, four-legged GPS units. They don't come with Bluetooth, but they have heart.
• The Techies: Self-driving cars are now the talk of the town, boasting their shiny sensors and making parallel parking look like a piece of cake.
2. Tech Envy: Where's My Update?:
• The world is obsessed with updates, from software to wardrobe choices. But when it comes to personal mobility tech for the visually impaired, we're still waiting for the 'Version 2.0' that lets me walk around without the need for eyeballs!
3. Promise Not to Run Over Your Toes!:
• I assure you, the day I become self-driving Lottie, I'll navigate with the grace of a ballerina – toes will be safe, and so will the neighbourhood cats.
4. The Fantasy of Autonomy:
• Imagine a world where I could waltz down to the local café, guided by nothing but my own savvy suit or smart shoes. I could order a latte without playing a game of human pinball!
5. The Humble Requests to Tech Wizards:
• Dear Tech Wizards, it's 2024! Can we get a wearable that’s a bit more "Iron Man" and a little less "Iron Age"?

While I wait for the tech gurus to catch up, I'll keep tootling along with my 'stick' and might even recruit a furry friend. But let it be known that 'Self-driving Lottie' is ready for an upgrade. I'm all set for the day when I can zoom past you, fully automated and with a built-in espresso machine, perhaps? Until then, I'll rely on my wits, my companions, and the kind people who don't mind a tap on the ankle from my cane, the precursor to my self-driving debut. Keep your sensors peeled for me!
And remember, dear readers, whether you're a tech tycoon or just someone who loves a good toot, keep dreaming of that hands-free future. It's bound to come, and when it does, I'll be first in line — no driving test required! #Accessibility #AI #AIsoftheBlind #Blind


As a #Blind person 👩‍🦯, I use #AI 🤖 for #Accessibility ♿, so I am a fan 🌟. If you don't like AI-generated images 🖼️, image descriptions 📝, etc., all the best! ✨ #AIsoftheBlind #GoFuckYourselfAIHaters #Empowerment #TechForGood


My wife’s friend has difficulty seeing. I know many unsighted/partially sighted folk use Mastodon. What open source tools are available for turning text into speech & for rendering text on screen in extra large font? Where do I start to learn about this?

Some of you know that I refurbish old donated Windows machines with Linux for kids & adults that need them. I thought I could build one specifically for her use.

A boost might help visibility of this request - thanks. #accessibilityr #blind


A common tip I see given to people with #ADHD is to keep things within line of sight, such as placing produce on the shelves of a fridge rather than in a drawer. My understanding is that to be visible is to be less easily forgotten about.

I often struggle with following through on small tasks that (theoretically) are easier when someone can see that something is out of place: a cabinet left open while putting away dishes, a cooking ingredient left on the counter, a plant in need of watering, etc. Do #blind or #VisuallyImpaired people have any tricks you use to help with this sort of thing?

These are just some random little examples, but hopefully my general point is clear. I know that being able to see something does not automatically equate to it being easier, but since line of sight is so common within ADHD advice spaces, I figured I'd ask if there are any blindness specific tips and tricks. 😊


Content warning: Accessibility question, audio conferencing


Any #blind folks out there using Google Chrome OS and Chromevox on a daily basis or at least regularly? We would love to talk to you about your experiences. #accessibility


Trying to figure out how to put this into bug report language. So, on the Mac, I use the Mail app for doing email. I get lots of email, from mailing lists and Github repos. So, when I use my arrow keys, I hear a lot of info. For example,

3 message conversation collapsed unread Jen-Chieh Shen [open-webui/open-webui] refac: Dockerfile (PR #1165) 4:07 AM Ready to be merged? — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or unsubscribe. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread.Message ID: <open-webui/open-webui/pull/1165/c2040704935@github.com> Inbox - Google

So yeah, that’s a lot of words. I just want to hear the subject of the messages when I arrow down. So, before, I could just interact with the message in the message list, then VOICEOVER-Right arrow until I hear the subject, then arrow down, delete, whatever I needed to do. But now, it just goes back to reading the whole row of information when I arrow down again.

Does anyone else use Mail like this?

#accessibility #apple #VoBugs #blind


As a legally blind person touchscreens or touch buttons on every device are the bane of my existence.

The iPhone is very accessible, Android phones are reasonably accessible to the blind. But hardly anyone makes the touch screen on an appliance screen reader accessible.(apart from very expensive products made especially for the blind).

Why does the espresso machine at work need touch sensitive buttons? I've learned that I need the second button from the top. But since I can't touch the top of the machine to feel where the buttons are without instantly activating any other button on the way I find it very difficult to make a cup of coffee .

Touch screens are worse. and when some company does make them accessible for legal reasons (ATMs for example), they do such a shitty job you may as well ask for sighted assistance anyway.

#accessibility #blind


the ask envision on the @letsenvision app is cool, I loaded a 50 page pdf and it just do a RAG on it and answers my questions comprehensively, people should use it more, I hope in future I can load entire folders of document on desktop to do rag #machineLearning #AI #blind #disability


So here is where you come in, lovely people.

I do not actually know many parents of visually impaired children in the UK. So, I would be very appreciative if one of you kind souls would point me in the right direction to find someone who could make use of it.

The device usually retails for £1400, not including VAT and import fees, all of which shall be paid for.

If you do not know anyone, then boosts for reach would also be appreciated.
Thank you all for your assistance with keeping our young visually impaired children learning Braille.
#blind #fedi #mastodon #UK #disabled #donation #AT
2/


so, to the #UK #Disabled and #Blind communities on Fedi.

I ordered a device called a BT Speak about a week ago. It is a PDA-like device, with an 8-dot Perkins style Braille keyboard and speech output for the visually impaired.

When I got the device, it did not boot, and I contacted the company about it.

I was able to get the device working again by myself rather quickly, however here in lies the reason for my post.

The company were so quick to respond that a replacement unit is already on the way.

After some discussion, what has been decided is that I will be donating the replacement device, brand new, to a visually impaired child who may not be able to procure assistive technology via other means.
1/


New software enables #blind people to do a thing they couldn't do before. Here's a link to an inaccessible PDF about it, a research paper, and an image without alt text. Oh, you wanted to use the software? We didn't link to that because this page is designed to inspire sighted people hahaha


I have to explore that use of DT further as it seems pretty niche and obscure (people on the forum didn't make such a topic before) but I am confident it can be done and it can help.
4. Paperwork: I have many invoices, serial numbers, contracts, acts and many other legal stuff. Everyone does but the problem with me is that I am helping some others with their paperwork. With advanced organization capability of DT I can very easily see which paper belongs to whom and whether I have already filled it, whether its a template that I can reuse over and over to ask my dear government for a piece of bread or whatever else that comes to mind. Another awesome thing is the automatic OCR feature, I have set up a simple smart rule which automatically OCRs every non-textual PDF, and since DT interfaces with Finereader's engine the results is very good, I would dare to say its better than the official Finereader for Mac, but that is subjective, might be inaccurate or accurate only in certain scenarios, be ware.
I have just wrote four things that came to mind otherwise this would become the second Bible, but the tool has endless use cases. Its not cheap and its not for everyone, but if you want to try it it has a very fair trial. If you have any questions, let me know. Let's learn DEVON Think together!
#blind #accessibility #a11y #VoiceOver #Mac #software (2/2)


From the blog post[1]:

"You can also subscribe by opening the app, going to the Settings menu in the top left corner, and tapping the blue banner on the bottom of the menu."

They do realise many users of this app are #blind, right? I need an accessible name of a control, not visual directions to a coloured banner. Either way, there is nothing in my app's Settings menu relating to this, and I find the incompetence more annoying than the price changes themselves.

[1] https://www.voicedream.com/subscription-pricing-update/


Say what you will about #MacOS but the professional software landscape is unparalleled. Today I have discovered Devon Agent which basically is a software which can search the web, but it can A: Save your searches in so called sets, so you can keep all your research in one place. B: searches many sources. C: Supports cross-source boolean operators, like and/Or. All of that for 50 euros for the pro version, absolutely mind-blowing, and #blind #accessible. Great work guys


The third edition of David Kingsbury’s popular free digital book, “The Windows Screen Reader Primer: All the Basics and More,” is coming soon! Author David Kingsbury, an Assistive Technology Instructor here at the Carroll Center, wrote this comprehensive resource to help JAWS, NVDA, and Windows Narrator users work more effectively with the most important PC applications—like Microsoft Office, email clients, and web browsers.

Join author David Kingsbury via Zoom on Thursday, April 4 at 7:30 pm ET to find out what’s new in this edition, hear a few tips and tricks, and ask your questions. Save your seat here: https://lnkd.in/e7ct_C8B

#Windows #Jaws #NVDA #Narrator #blind


Content warning: AI, accessibility


One of the coolest products at #CSUNATC24 was the BiPed AI mobility assistant. It alerts #Blind travelers of obstacles in front and to the side. It also has scene recognition. Visit: https://biped.ai for more.


hey y'all. what apps would you suggest for Windows with NVDA for listening to podcasts?

#blind #nvda #windows #accessibility


NLS BARD Express. You can now listen to NLS Audio Books and Magazine's right on your Windows computer using the BARD Express software. So now you can do everything right from BARD Express; search and find the books you want, add them to your wish list or download them, and now play and listen to them! The Tek Talk podcast had two gentlemen from NLS to talk about and demostrate the new BARD Express software. You can check it out and give it a listen here... https://accessibleworld.org/podcast/tek-talk-welcomes-zhi-huang-and-don-olson-of-nls-bard-to-discuss-playing-audio-books-with-bard-express-for-windows-03-04-2024/ #TekTalk #NLS #BARD #BardExpress #Windows #AudioBooks #Blind


Last week a colleague asked me for practical, real-world demonstrations from real screen reader users. I think I have decent ideas but I'd like to hear about anything others have shared and found effective. #accessibility #blind #screen #reader #JAWS #NVDA #VoiceOver


For my #blind friends, I'm curious about your experiences with reading #PDFs through #OCR software. Specifically, beyond the use of Envision AI, which tools have you found to be the most accurate and reliable for this purpose? I'm always on the lookout for better alternatives. Feedback on both desktop and mobile platforms would be greatly appreciated, particularly in terms of accuracy of text recognition. accuracy (and obviously usability, but accuracy) are all I care about.
Feel free to boost for reach :)


Continuing this thread about Glidance/Glide.

Based on the demo on their site + FAQs + the recent interview, here are some questions that seem to have been answered.

1. The design takes into account rainy weather. It will work on rainy streets. No answer about snow yet.

2. The timeline is longer than I anticipated. Beta tests are happening this year and release will happen in 2025.

3. Preorders wil start this year to gage demand and satisfy funders.

#accessibility #blind #a11y


Today on #DoubleTap I asked the question, why are so many #blind people taking an interest in the Mac these days? It feels like there is a shift going on. Am I wrong, or is something happening over on Windows that causing people to move away? I’d love to hear your thoughts.


The more I learn about Glidance, a system that purports to replace the cane, the more it seems to have taken all the criticisms of "smart canes" into account. It might be the first genuine high-tech navigation aid that could be beneficial, replacing the cane in most circumstances. I'm usually highly skeptical about these things because people just havent thought through the implications including ergonomics, weather conditions, etc

https://glidance.io

#accessibility #blind #a11y #mobility


If you need a blind accessible smart scale in the EU, Lidl's Silver Crest SBF75 body analyser is a pretty good choice for 18 euros. The only inaccessible bit is when it asks for a 6 digit code during bluetooth pairing.

Everything else works beautifully, the Health for You app is completely accessible via VoiceOver (not sure about Android), including the measurements history, weight, water intakes, calories data, etc.

The scale also supports up to 8 people based on a reference measurement during your profile setup, which can be done on the phone through the app as well. All in all, this is a fantastic experience compared to a lot of other, way more expensive bluetooth smart scales. #a11y #blind


People who use #ScreenReaders, imagine a feature on your instance where you can automatically hide any post that contains images/videos without alt text.

If you reply with an opinion and YOU PERSONALLY don't need alt text for accessibility reasons, I will probably block you.

#poll #ScreenReader #accessibility #a11y #blind

  • It's a great idea (32%, 16 votes)
  • No strong feelings (6%, 3 votes)
  • It's a bad idea (6%, 3 votes)
  • I don't use a screen reader (56%, 28 votes)
50 voters. Poll end: 1 month ago


Hi there everyone, please boost. I've been sending this around in different places to indevidual people, but I figure, now that the book has been out for a while, its about time I put it up publicly. My dad wrote a book some time ago that is essentially a resource guide that helps people with disabilities find jobs or look to find resources to maximize there benefits. It is a step by step guide on what to do, how to find jobs, how to maximize your SSI/SSDi benefits, and how to get on the job market. its completely free and available for anyone to use. If you follow this guide, I am confident that you will be able to find what you seek job-wise. I know I am a little bit biased because my dad wrote it, but I feel like its worth putting out there anyway. There is no advertising whatsoever, we aren't looking for any sort of things in return, in fact, my dad even put his own personal number in the book for those who follow the steps and read the book to call him so he can help you find a job as well because he's helped many many people find jobs who have disabilities, his most recent success being a person with a High School Diploma and nothing more going from making less than $30000 to now making just over $100000 at his job. here it is:
https://www.respectability.org/people-with-disabilities-at-work/ If you read the book, please feel free to reach out to me so I can also get you in contact as he's in Pacific time whereas I am not and its better if I text him first to let him know someone will call him, because he usually doesn't answer random calls especially with his job and his other stuff going on. #Blind #disability #Accessibility #Jobs #Employment #SSI


Just tried to pay a bill online and couldn't. Assuming it was a screen reader accessibility issue, I called in my sighted wife. But she said the form just wasn't working at all, even for her. So then I had to wait 45 minutes on hold on the phone just to pay a $35 bill, but I was way less mad about it than when I thought it was discrimination. There is a certain serenity to something being completely useless and frustrating for everyone equally. #blind #disability


To see if any of the widgets can be customized, flick up on each widget to see if edit is one of the choices.

E. if you choose the wrong widget or change your mind about a widget, to delete it, just flick up on the widget, and choose remove from the list.

F. Once you get all of the widgets you want and your all done, just go back up to that add button by the cancel button and double tap it.

6. Now it will put you back in the original place where you first started and hit the add button. The Widget screen you just created should be first in the list, but it will tell you what widgets are included, so just listen to the description to make sure. Just double tap it to add it as your current lock screen.

I hope these instructions has been helpful.

#iphone #tip #LockScreen #Widgets #Create #blind #accessible (2/2)