Accessible voting, Carroll Center Tech Fair, remote tech courses

Election day is less than one week away. The voices of people who are blind or visually impaired need to be heard in this and every election.
In Massachusetts, voters with disabilities have accessible voting options. There are accommodations, hotlines and other resources available to make sure your vote is counted.
A judgment was recently passed in Massachusetts for fully electronic voting to ensure accessible vote-by-mail for voters with disabilities. This new process will allow a voter with a disability who has been authorized to use the online portal to obtain their ballot, mark, and submit their ballot electronically.
Find out more specific information about voting in Massachusetts online here.
https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleidx.htm?bblinkid=244559858&bbemailid=25356467&bbejrid=1701543866

Foursquare Launches Location-Based Virtual Audio Guide for AirPods
OCTOBER 26, 2020 7:26 AM

Foursquare is releasing an audio-only virtual assistant platform called Marsbot for AirPods that will play snippets into your earbuds based on your location and let you record your own for others to hear. The idea is to add an audio guide to wherever you happen to be.
Read more at
https://coolblindtech.com/foursquare-launches-location-based-virtual-audio-guide-for-airpods/?bblinkid=244561950&bbemailid=25356467&bbejrid=1701543866


Improve Your Technology Skills with eCarroll Courses During Thanksgiving Break
eCarroll Remote Technology Instruction brings technology training directly to blind and visually impaired individuals with the convenience of attending from virtually anywhere.
Discover a few of the special courses we’re offering during Thanksgiving break below
• Format Your Word Document Like A Pro (Full-Day Course)
https://carroll.org/events/format-your-word-document-like-a-pro-ecarroll/?bblinkid=244559163&bbemailid=25356467&bbejrid=1701543866
• Zoom Short Course (Three-Hour Course)
https://carroll.org/events/zoom-short-course-ecarroll/?bblinkid=244559164&bbemailid=25356467&bbejrid=1701543866

Carroll Center Virtual Technology Fair
Nov 24, 2020 09:30 AM to 12 PM Eastern
Explore the latest technologies during live product demonstrations of assistive technology designed specifically for blind and visually impaired individuals, chat directly with your favorite exhibitor representatives in breakout rooms and find products and services you need to live as independently as possible.
Workshops include: TAKING THE MYSTERY OUT OF PDF ACCESSIBILITY and ONLINE LEARNING PLATFORMS from an accessibility perspective
Registration now open
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-3pla6KFR1WP4M8sm5dhcA?bblinkid=244569212&bbemailid=25356467&bbejrid=1701543866

Ableism, plain language, NVDACon, Microsoft's remapping of the alt+tab command, more

Words Matter, And It’s Time To Explore The Meaning Of “Ableism.” (Forbes)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewpulrang/2020/10/25/words-matter-and-its-time-to-explore-the-meaning-of-ableism/?bblinkid=244561817&bbemailid=25356467&bbejrid=1701543866#337181887162

Plain Language Writing: An Essential Part Of Accessibility
Recently, the book _Disability Visibility: First Person Stories From The Twenty-First Century_, edited by Alice Wong. was also offered in a new accessible format: The Plain Language version. This version was written by freelance journalist Sara Luterman, who was hired by Wong specifically to produce a version of the anthology that is more cognitively accessible.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewpulrang/2020/10/22/plain-language-writing---an-essential-part-of-accessibility/#36c76f557935

How to Enhance iPhone voice memo recordings in iOS 14
https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-enhance-iphone-voice-memo-recordings

How to use the Alt+Tab shortcut after Windows 20H2 update
When using the Alt+Tab shortcut after installing Windows 20H2, you might see too many tabs.
That's because Edge has been integrated into it, but there's a little trick to change that.
https://windowsreport.com/change-alt-tab-shortcut-windows-10/

Blind and low-vision video gamers are asked to fill out a 45 question survey that seeks to understand on what devices you play such games, any challenges that you encounter while playing, and if you play with other people. Those that complete the survey will be entered into a drawing for a $300 Amazon electronic gift card:
https://clemson.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3fT5C7k95wvHz0h

Accessible-gaming advocate and consultant Brandon Cole points to "The Last of Us 2" as a shining example of blind accessibility, but expresses the need for there to be more choice and more games that consider the needs of blind or low vision players:
https://www.gamesradar.com/how-audio-description-within-games-could-make-them-more-accessible-for-blind-and-low-vision-players/

Freedom Scientific Tips for Transitioning to Microsoft Edge
https://www.freedomscientific.com/SurfsUp/MicrosoftEdge/Transitioning_to_Edge_Chromium.htm

Kes: I just took the webinar version of this course, and it was really excellent, especially in the explanations of the new image recognition features.
Brian Hartgen has just released "Catching Up With JAWS: Chapter 3," an audio course that describes and demonstrates the newest features of JAWS 2020 and 2021.
The price is 35-pounds (about $47).
http://www.hartgen.org/catchup3
NVDA news, including
NVDACon coming up in December
https://www.nvaccess.org/post/in-process-23rd-october-2020/
NVDACon 2020 will be held December 5 and 6 on the NVAccess TeamTalk server.
https://www.nvdacon.org/
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New Oliver cooking robot could be a lifesaver for pwd and seniors

In discussing access to basic healthcare and services, the issue often arises of how meal preparation can be a serious barrier to healthy eating for PWD, and personal care assistants don't always respect or are capable of following diet restrictions.

Someone just posted this link to Oliver, the cooking robot
https://olivercooks.com/

The price range mentioned was between $500-$1000, but that is a tiny fraction of what it costs to have personal care assistants prepare meals.

My foodie housemate would probably sabortage a cooking robot if anyone dared bring one home, and Alexx would probably pout if I tried to replace his male birdie tendencies to bring me food with a robot (I think I already accidentally began to call him "Alexa" once or twice...).

AI can diagnose Covid-19 through recorded cell phone coughs even without symptoms

https://scitechdaily.com/ai-can-diagnose-covid-19-through-cellphone-recorded-coughs-even-if-you-dont-have-symptoms/