As someone who is totally blind, the Fediverse is the only place where I have ever been able to follow people such as photographers, artists, or even those who post pictures of their cats or the food they ate. The reason is that most of them use alt text. They take the time to describe the images that my screen reader can't recognise. Some write the descriptions themselves, and others use tools such as altbot. Some worry that their descriptions aren't good enough, especially when they are new at this. Let me assure you, not only are they good enough, they are extremely appreciated! If the rest of the world thought as you did, it would be a much better place. Don't hesitate to ask if you're unsure of something, but never think that we don't notice your effort.

#appreciation #accessibility #altbot #alttext #blind #blindness #fediverse #gratitude #images #inclusivity #peoplewhocare #pictures #technology

Are you in Brisbane this week? NV Access are at the SPEVI conference at 293 Queen Street. We're talking all things NVDA & Mick is on a panel this afternoon on "The New Frontier of Braille" about multiline displays, chaired by Ben Clare.

#SPEVI2025 #SPEVI #conference #nvda #nvdasr #accessibility #screenreader #blind #blindness #education

Can anyone recommend an accessible course to learn html? It must work with NVDA. I've heard of Code Camp and W3Schools, but how accessible are they and how do they differ in content and style? I like courses with a structured approach, where things are explained i.e. a deductive and not an inductive approach. I usually don't need a tutorial, but I am fine with general instructions. In this case, though, exercises would be very beneficial. I am using this prior to beginning Part 2 of the Web Developer's course at Deque. I am not a developer, but they don't have one for accessibility testers.

#accessibility #blind #blindness #computing #DequeUniversity #html #learning #NVDA #programming #screenreaders #W3Schools

So questions for #Blind #Edgucaters, #teachers, #school staff and anyone in the #education field as a whole.

I am a university student who originally planned to double major in computer science and elementary education, but I’ve recently faced some concerns that I’d like to address.

I’ve been told that pursuing a teaching certification might not be advisable because schools may be reluctant to hire a teacher with low vision, who is mostly blind, to manage a classroom of thirty or more students. This has been quite upsetting.

My dream was to work with elementary students, focusing on #STEM subjects and teaching technology-related topics like understanding tech, its role in the world, and the basics of programming. Now, I find myself uncertain about what path to take.

Working with kids, especially those in elementary school, is my biggest passion, even more than tech or music. It’s something that would truly fulfill me. Since I can’t have kids myself, guiding and teaching young learners is the next best thing. It’s a career I’m committed to and want to excel in.

Being advised not to pursue a teaching certification and to focus solely on computer science has been quite discouraging. I’ve been told to study elementary education as a secondary focus and combine it with my computer science studies. This might involve developing educational systems for kids, but it would likely mean limited direct interaction, possibly just during product testing, which isn’t enough for me.

So, I have a few questions:

1. Are there any educators with #Blindness or #LowVision challenges working with elementary students? If so, in what capacity do you work with them?
2. How has your disability affected your effectiveness in the field?
3. What challenges did you face in getting certified and qualified, and how did you overcome them?
4. What obstacles have you encountered in the classroom and with colleagues, and how have you addressed them?

If these questions don’t apply, what advice can you offer me in pursuing my goal of working with children? While tech is a focus, I’m open to being flexible, as long as it’s an area I’m confident in.

Finally, if teaching isn’t possible for me, what other career paths would you suggest that align with my goals?

I’d really appreciate any support
and engagement in this discussion.

Boosts welcomed and appreciated.

#BlindEducators #Teachers #Education #AskMastodon #VocationalAdvice #University #TeacherLife #OvercomingAbleism

Are you interested in accessibility on Mastodon? Are you blind or do you know someone who is blind and wants to use Mastodon?

There is a Mastodon-compatible accessibility app for Windows and Mac called TweeseCake which is designed for blind and sight-impaired people. You can find out more on its website at tweesecake.app

You can follow the developers of TweeseCake at @app

(Thank you to @sasquatch for info about this 🙏 )

#Accessibility #Mastodon #Blind #Blindness #Disability

65% of vision impaired people are over 50 years of age, despite making up only 20% of the world's population.

Accessible technology benefits everyone. As we age vision impairment becomes more likely. NVDA's free and open-source technology ensures no one is unfairly disadvantaged because of their vision.

You can support NV Access providing accessible technology by donating:

nvaccess.org/support-us/#donat….

#Donate #NVDA #Support #Blindness #Accessibility #Technology #FOSS #SupportUs

Congratulations to Gene, recipient of this year's RNZFB Chair's Award. It is wonderful to see your hard work & advocacy over many years acknowledged with this prestigious award. Gene has long advocated for NVDA & been a great friend to us in New Zealand. We're excited to see him honoured.

Read more at: blindlowvision.org.nz/news/cha…

#Blindness #Blind #Advocacy #RNZFB #BlindLowVision #A11y #Accessibility #NVDA #NVDAsr #ScreenReader

What a beautiful story of #OpenSource #FOSS #FLOSS #software from #ABC news from Kristine Taylor and Susan Chenery - @kristineataylor@twitter.com and @chenery3@twitter.com - Jamie Teh - @jcsteh and Mick Curran - @md_curran@twitter.com, who both live with #blindness, created #NVDA software which is a desktop #ScreenReader - and continue to give it away for free.

abc.net.au/news/2023-06-05/mic…

Get the software here on @github github.com/nvaccess/nvda

#a11y

How friendship between NVDA founders Mick Curran and Jamie Teh is changing lives for thousands of blind people

Mick and Jamie have been mates for almost three decades and have worked on a project with one goal in mind — to ensure everyone can use a computer.

^{Kristine Taylor (ABC News)}