Kestrell

Android now offers Sound notifications

Sat, 10 Sep 2022 11:52:43 GMT

My summer internship at PegaSystems ended yesterday: I can't believe how much I learned, and working with their accessibility team was amazing! As someone with an autoimmunce diseas, however, I felt as if I had no energy for anything else, so I'm looking forward to being able to do some writing and other projects again I'm still planning to pursue certification as an Accessibility Technology Professional.

Speaking of accessibility, Google recently announced that they've added some new features to Android
https://blog.google/products/android/new-android-features-September-2022/
including Sound Notifications. This is a feature for people who are deaf and hard of hearing: it will alert the user to environmental sounds when they occur. Android already has some default sounds, but now users can add their own by recording sounds such as microwave beeps or specific alarms that you want Android to alert you to.

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IRS Accessible forms and formats

Sun, 10 Oct 2021 13:32:47 GMT

Yesterday I received a letter from the IRS, and it was actually a *welcome* letter, as it also had copies in large print and YES! *BRAILLE!* And it announced the URL to its accessible formats and information webpage, so here it is. Note that there is a second URL which includes ASL videos.

IRS Accessible Forms & Publications
https://www.irs.gov/accessible

The Internal Revenue Service offers content in a variety of file formats to accommodate people who use assistive technology such as screen reading software, refreshable Braille displays, and voice recognition software. We have prepared hundreds of tax forms and publications that can be downloaded or viewed online in text-only, Braille ready files, browser-friendly HTML, accessible PDF, and large print.

Our PDF tax forms comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1; however, the IRS does not advise filling out forms on mobile devices.
For more details, visit the Information About the Alternative Media Center [Kes: includes ASL videos]
https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/accessible-irs-tax-products#main-content

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Deafula: 1970s version of Dracula in ASL

Mon, 20 Sep 2021 11:48:01 GMT

Hold on to your seats, I just found out about this: someone made a version of Dracula entirely in ASL. The bad news is that of course it was an experimental 1970s thing and of course it has the expected poor quality, but you can find it on Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Si3cNB33Ui8
or, supposedly, on DVD
https://kingofthewitches.com/products/default-dvd

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Covid-19/Coronavirus Information in ASL

Sun, 20 Sep 2020 11:42:39 GMT

Jesse_the_k posted this in a comments post, but I wanted to make sure people saw it Covid-19/Coronavirus Information in ASL by Communication Service for the Deaf
https://www.csd.org/coronavirus
provides ASL info on the virus, including a video hotline for questions.

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Clear face masks become a lifeline for deaf community

Wed, 27 May 2020 13:20:56 GMT

If anyone knows of someone making these in the Boston area, please tell me: I know someone in the deaf community who really needs these.
https://www.13abc.com/content/news/Clear-face-masks-are-a-life-line-for-the-deaf-community--570644311.html?fbclid=IwAR3pwZnFyqymqX4XMbISRuszdVIP4f4n8gTSPvlTwgZ97UfREwdCdGdEGRo

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