Kestrell

LEGO Braille Bricks Help Blind Children Learn to Read

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 13:20:51 GMT

Article from Psychology Today
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-sensory-revolution/202101/lego-braille-bricks-help-blind-children-learn-read#:~:text=LEGO%20is%20rolling%20out%20a,a%20match%20made%20in%20heaven.

The Lego Braille Bricks website
https://www.legobraillebricks.com/

Matthew Shifrin, a blind musician and activist, has been a motivating force behind much of Lego's decision to make its bricks accessible.
Lego just released audio and Braille instructions - The Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2019/08/28/lego-just-released-audio-braille-instructions-they-did-it-because-blind-man-who-never-gave-up/#main-content

and here is Matt's original websitew
Lego for the Blind
http://legofortheblind.com/about/
and here is Matt back in 2019 as a guest on Henry Jenkins's podcast, "How Do you Like It So Far," talking about his many projects, including joining urban explorers in the tunnels under MIT
https://www.howdoyoulikeitsofar.org/episode-46-matthew-shifrin/

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Some articles on the state of broadband access in 2020

Thu, 10 Dec 2020 13:50:11 GMT

Via the Benton Institute on Broadband and Society
https://www.benton.org/?utm_source=sendgrid&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletters
Government Technology magazine year in review
https://www.govtech.com/computing/2020-in-Review-The-Gov-Tech-World-Turned-Upside-Down.html
including
brief articles on
civic tech volunteerism
https://www.govtech.com/civic/COVID-19-Pushes-Digital-Services-from-Luxury-to-Necessity.html
and
States Prioritize Broadband as Covid-19 Took Hold
https://www.govtech.com/network/States-Prioritized-Broadband-as-COVID-19-Took-Hold.html?utm_campaign=Newsletters&utm_source=sendgrid&utm_medium=email

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The private sector will play a significant role in the ongoing broadband movement. In March, hundreds of Internet service providers signed the Federal Communications Commission’s “Keep Americans Connected” pledge, promising to waive disconnections and fees during the height of the pandemic. But given that the spread of COVID-19 persists at the end of 2020, governments must find new ways to work with companies to make sure that no citizen is left behind.
Over the summer, a federal appeals court voted in favor of an FCC ruling that says local governments may not excessively fine companies or otherwise “discriminatorily” delay 5G deployments on utility poles. Viewed as a blow to local government’s authority over decision-making about its own infrastructure, the ruling clears the way for broader deployment of these small cells throughout the country. And AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile have been aggressively expanding their 5G footprints into dozens of cities across the country, work that will roll over into the new year.

And although ubiquitous 5G has the potential to help close the digital divide, some experts fear that the cellular technology could exacerbate existing inequality, as 5G requires people to use compatible devices that cost more money. Indeed, what good is wider broadband availability if one still can’t afford it?
block quote end

and finally
this article from the Free Press on how FCC subsidies to provide broadband to the unserved rural poor is being channeled toward rich suburban and resort areas

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Be your own best advocate

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 12:44:09 GMT

Lee Huffman, Editor-in-Chief of AccessWorld for the past ten years, has
a great letter
https://www.afb.org/aw/21/7/17108
in AccessWorld's Back to School issue.
https://www.afb.org/aw/21/7
I'm quoting two extended passages because, as both a disability and technology advocate and someone with a degree from MIT, these two pieces of advice are also the guiding principles for almost everything I post here.

1. You need to be your own advocate and, in order to be your best advocate, you need to be informed and prepared.
From Lee Huffman's letter:
For all of the students in our readership, we urge you to take personal responsibility for your education, and be your own advocate. It is very important to prepare in advance, speak to your instructors, and tell those you'll be working with exactly what types of accommodations, both in-person and virtual, will best meet your needs. Your education will have a tremendous impact on every aspect of your life, so it's crucial that you do everything you can to get the most out of your studies.

Acquiring and learning to use the mainstream and access technology that best suits your situation, registering as early as possible for classes, obtaining reading lists, and searching out accessible formats should all be done as soon as you can. You will also want to contact the student services office at your school to find out what types of support or resources may be available to you. Waiting until the last minute is a recipe for disaster. ...

2. Technology is always evolving, and you need to evolve your skills along with it.
From Lee Huffman's letter:
If there is one thread that runs through every issue of AccessWorld, it's that technology is the key. Technology is the empowering force that will allow you to live your best life, whatever that means for you. Technology, in whatever form you prefer, whether it be magnification, speech, refreshable braille, or a combination, can provide you access to information, education, employment, independence, and leisure. It can provide you the latest COVID-19 information, access to a history textbook, the ability to compose a resume and submit it online, summon a ride share car and access audio description on your favorite movie streaming service. In other words, technology offers you access to the world.
I have said it many times before, and I will leave you all with this challenge: stay current with technology. Do not allow yourself to fall into the trap of relying on old or outdated technology. When people do, and are then forced to move up, the learning curve can be daunting. I’ve been there; I know. Stay current and keep looking for the next best thing. Technology is always moving, and you must move with it.

One of the most consistently useful resources I have found for increasing my knowledge of disability and technology is the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) itself
https://www.afb.org/
and they don't just focus on resources and technology for kids: they also have a lot of resources for seniors
https://www.afb.org/research-and-initiatives/aging
One of their newest resources discusses transportation options for seniors. They also make available statistics about seniors with vision loss, and have initiatives relating to aging and vision loss.
AFB also has a blog
https://www.afb.org/blog
and it's most recent posts are about a fashion designer who makes brailled beaded clothing, and considers the question of whether the post-pandemic world will result in a more inclusive workplace.

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File Transformer is a free online tool to convert files into alternate formats

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 13:22:40 GMT

Kes: I've mentioned this online tool before in one of my first Covid-19 resources posts, but it seems convenient to mention it in relation to the preceding post on accessible documents.
File Transformer
https://ally.ac/covid19/
is a free tool developed by Blackboard Ally, which allows users to convert already-created files into various alternate formats such as HTML, audio MP3, ePub, or electronic Braille, in order to better fit their individual needs, devices, and learning preferences.

What is the difference between an "accessible" format and an "alternate" format?
Readers with disabilities--and even those without disabilities--often find that a particular mode of learning suits their individual learning style. Some visually impaired readers prefer to listen to audio formats, while others prefer braille. Some sighted learners with reading impairments, such as dyslexia, learn better by listening to audio, others may learn through a combination of listening and reading print. In addition, many of these formats require assistive technologies--devices apart from a basic PC or laptop set up with Windows or iOS--which can best access the format desired by the user. So, just because a file is in an accessible format, doesn't mean it is necessarily in the format preferred by the reader, that is, that reader's preferred alternate format.

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Creating accessible documents in Word, PDF, or Google Docs

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 12:49:26 GMT

Many of the major word processing programs now offer templates for creating accessible docs and, due to people now working and learning from home, there have been many recently updated guides to producing documents in accessible formats. Here's a list of resources.
Templates that help you make your content accessible to everyone are now available on Templates.Office.com. You can find them by searching for "accessible templates" or you can use the following query:
Accessible Office templates.
https://templates.office.com/en-us/collection-accessibility

Creating Accessible PDFs in Adobe Acrobat
https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/creating-accessible-pdfs.html

Make PDFs Accessible Using Acrobat Pro
https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/create-verify-pdf-accessibility.html

Make an Existing PDF File Accessible Using Acrobat Pro
https://kb.iu.edu/d/bfua#kms-document-div

Save MS Word File as Accessible PDF
https://tips.uark.edu/save-word-file-as-accessible-pdf/

Create Accessible PDFs
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-accessible-pdfs-064625e0-56ea-4e16-ad71-3aa33bb4b7ed
( more on using Word or Google Docs )

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Perkins School for the Blind teaching resources

Wed, 27 May 2020 12:27:30 GMT

Lots of guides and videos for teaching blind and visually impaired students and proof that a Pinterest page can be accessible--who knew??

https://www.pinterest.com/officialperkins/

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