kestrell: (Default)
The following links are culled from the Top Tech Tidbits weekly newsletter: view the entire newsletter or subscribe at
https://www.toptechtidbits.com/

1. Availability Of Healthcare Information To Blind And Visually Impaired Healthcare Users During The COVID Pandemic
Close Date: September 30th 2021
Dear Listers, this is Sushil Oswal from the University of Washington. I am the principal investigator on a survey about the availability of healthcare information to blind and low-vision consumers during the past 18 months. This is an important survey for our blindness community because it will give us an opportunity to express our experiences of finding healthcare information during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please give us as much of your personal experiences as you can so that our study could create a comprehensive picture of the healthcare information barriers blind people face particularly under pandemic conditions. We will do a small draw of ten $25 gift cards for this survey. Besides publishing in academic journals, we will be producing a report on the basis of this healthcare information survey which will be shared with as many local and state-level health departments as possible. This report will also be available to blindness community at large. To complete the survey, please click the link below. If you have any questions about the survey, or you have difficulty completing the survey, please email me at oswal@u.washington.edu ✉. Our human subjects approval includes a permission to conduct this survey over the phone if necessary. So, do not hesitate to email me privately if you face computer issues while completing this survey. My co-investigator and I will maintain your privacy in all possible circumstances:
https://uwt.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d4FBAWsGQwBwtOC

2. Make Accessibility Part Of Your Startup's Products And Culture From Day One
A Forrester survey found that 8 in 10 companies have taken their first steps toward working on digital accessibility. What's driving this change besides the increased digital interactions? Fortune 500 companies are finally starting to realize that people with disabilities make up 1 billion of the world's market. That population and their families control more than $13 trillion in disposable income, according to Return on Disability's "The Global Economics of Disability:"
https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/03/make-accessibility-part-of-your-startups-products-and-culture-from-day-one/

3. Eyes on Success 2137 Sharing Experiences with Cochlear Implants
September 8th 2021
Blind individuals rely heavily on their ability to hear in order to compensate for their lack of sight. But what happens when a blind person loses their hearing?
https://www.eyesonsuccess.net/show%20notes/show%20notes%202137.htm

4. In-Process for September 3rd 2021
We're continuing to get closer to the release of NVDA 2021.2, so let's dive into that first this week
https://www.nvaccess.org/post/in-process-3rd-september-2021/

5. Accessing and Customizing Windows 10 Settings With Assistive Technology

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kestrell: (Default)
And I have a full schedule of online courses!

I'm *very* excited about this one: I just found out that I was accepted for the NVDA twelve-week course being taught by the Tech Team at the New York Public Library.

Also, yesterday I bought a beautiful bodhran! I used the gift card Jesse the k gave me for my birthday, so it will feel twice as special, and I signed up for the bodhran for beginners course on Udemy (actually, it's called "Essential Bodhran," but I have an addiction to alliteration.)

For the past two weeks I've been working on a couple of other Udemy courses, "Hacking for Beginners" (which actually is a great intro to the computer network course) and "The Art of Doing: Learn the Linux Command Line." The latter includes transcripts and captions, so kudos to instructors who include accessibility in their courses. I wish there was a filter for courses that included those features.

I am in super-Hermione mode now, and ready to kick academic butt! (As if you couldn't tell, what with all the exclamation marks or, if you want to be old school, bangs.)
kestrell: (Default)
AccessWorld's December issue is out, and includes its
https://www.afb.org/aw
annual holiday gift guide
https://www.afb.org/aw/21/11/17297

Worth mentioning is a couple of changes this year: all the products are either produced or sold by blind businesspeople and, unlike in previous years, the prices are much more in the affordable range.

The Accessible Kitchen Holiday Shopping Guide
https://www.afb.org/aw/21/11/17296
also works as a crash course in making a kitchen more accessible, whether it is a love one's or your own.

The online shopping guide
https://www.afb.org/aw/21/11/17298
provides detailed descriptions of the apps for three online stores: Amazon, Bed Bath and Beyond, and PetSmart.

The news section
https://www.afb.org/aw/21/11/17294
includes a reminder that the annual
NonVisual Desktop Access Virtual Conference is on December 4-6
https://www.nvdacon.org/
NVDA Con is a virtual conference held online each year by the community of users of the NVDA screen reader. The conference presents sessions on various topics related to NVDA, offers spaces where NVDA users can network, and ends with a keynote address from the developers of NVDA.

Lastly, For the Apple user, Tech Juggernaut has just posted their holiday gift guide. You can access it either as a podcast or read highlights on
the blog post
https://ttjtech.net/2020/11/25/ttj-2020-holiday-gift-guide-now-available/
kestrell: (Default)
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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kestrell: (Default)
On his latest podcast, Jonathan Mosen discusses Libro.fm, which is an online bookshop that sells DRM-free audiobooks and supports indie bookstores
https://mosenatlarge.pinecast.co/episode/94ad284a845143fb/listener-reflections-on-audiobooks-and-introducing-libro-fm-for-access-to-over-150-000-drm-free-audiobooks

Blind Bargains has a new podcast, and one notable item is a discussion of Zoom's new accessibility settings, which allow screen reader users to control notifications and announcements. Find it here
https://blindbargains.com/bargains.php?m=22003

I've previously mentioned Doug Lee and his Jaws-related scripts for improving the accessibility of various applications such as Microsoft Teams and Discord, and now he's written a new set of scripts called ListTbl, which make it easier to navigate columns in listview controls for managing files and tasks
https://dlee.org/listtbl/

NVDA has developed an add-on for Zoom to control the speaking of notifications and other announcements.
https://addons.nvda-project.org/addons/zoomEnhancements.en.html

WebFriendlyHelp has a blog post which discusses these enhancements
https://webfriendlyhelp.com/zoom-accessibility-enhancements-for-nvda/

WebFriendlyHelp also has this post on new Features in JAWS, ZoomText, and Fusion
https://webfriendlyhelp.com/new-features-in-jaws-zoomtext-and-fusion-2/

NV In-Process, the newsletter for the free screen reader NVDA, often includes news items relevant to blind users and software developers, outside of news related to NVDA. The most recent issue includes items about an accessible space station RPG, and also tips for ensuring accessibility when developing your own software.
Read the new In-Process newsletter at
https://www.nvaccess.org/post/in-process-7th-september-2020/

NVDACon website
https://www.nvdacon.org/#content
where you can join the announcements list and listen to sessions from previous conferences.

Many of these links have been culled from Top Tech Tidbits. You can subscribe to the newsletter or read the entire newsletter online at
https://www.toptechtidbits.com/
kestrell: (Default)
David is one of the technology instructors at the Carroll Center for the Blind, and I had three very full days of instruction with him earlier this summer. Even if you are a proficient screen reader user, David probably knows alternate ways of performing the same task, some of them maybe even faster and easier. I already bought his new book, because I want to learn NVDA.

Here's the Tech Talk info:

Tek Talk welcomes David Kingsbury, an Assistive Technology Instructor at The Carroll Center for the Blind. Topic: David Kingsbury will discuss his new book: “When One Web Browser Is Not Enough: A Guide for Windows Screen Reader Users.”

August 24, 2020
Time: 8:00 pm Eastern.
David Kingsbury, an Assistive Technology Instructor at The Carroll Center for the Blind in Massachusetts, has recently written a book entitled “When One Web Browser Is Not Enough: A Guide for Windows Screen Reader Users.” Published by the Carroll Center, the book is intended to help JAWS, NVDA, and Narrator users to effectively use the four leading web browsers - Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Edge - in ways that build on the strengths of each of them.

During the August 24 Tek Talk episode, he will discuss:
• His current work as an assistive technology instructor.
• Why he wrote the book.
• Brief overview of tools and techniques covered in the book, and
• Some of his favorite tools that create synergies between the browsers.
The book is available in Word format for $20. If you are interested in ordering a copy, go to:
https://carroll.org/product/when-one-web-browser-is-not-enough/

Date: Monday August 24, 2020
Time: 5 pm Pacific, 6 pm Mountain, 7 pm Central, 8 pm Eastern and throughout the world, Tuesday 0:00 GMT.
Zoom invitation
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kestrell: (Default)
I love this cane repair tip because it is, literally, so metal
From the July 2020 issue of the Braille Monitor comes this cane repair tip:
Using Bullet Shell Casings as Cane Shaft Reinforcements
by Justin Salisbury
https://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm20/bm2007/bm2007.htm

Leveraging accessibility to connect people with the technology they need
https://blogs.microsoft.com/accessibility/inclusive-remote-working-2/#main
A Microsoft accessibility blog post by Anne Taylor, Supportability Director on Microsoft’s Accessibility team, who talks about the tech she uses as a blind user.

Due to some severe sleep deprivation the night before, I fell asleep before last week's "Introduction to NVDA" webinar, but NFB of Pennsylvania has archived previous training webinars for NVDA, which can be found on their archives page
http://nfbp.org/archive
Note that NVDA itself has plenty of finromation about getting started: see the
NVDA 2020.1 User Guide
Includes an introduction, information about braille support, and getting and setting up NVDA
https://www.nvaccess.org/files/nvda/documentation/userGuide.html

Audio tutorial on NVDA Configuration Profiles:
what they are, why you may want to use them, how to create and edit them and how to use them.
https://thedabbler.co.za/tutorials-by-the-dabbler/nvda-configuration-profiles/

Top Tech Tidbits poll results: Do you use more than one screen reader?
So far 18 readers have weighed in giving us the following ranking for the most used screen readers by those that use more than one: #1: JAWS (Job Access With Speech) #2: VoiceOver (Apple OS) #3: NVDA (Nonvisual Desktop Access) #4: Narrator (Windows OS) #5: System Access or SA To Go #6: Chromevox #7: Zoomtext. You can still weigh in, or review the breakdown here:
https://poll.app.do/most-used-screen-readers

What is compatibility mode in MS Office?
https://www.dignited.com/65011/compatibility-mode-microsoft-office/

Some of the preceding links were found in the Top Tech Tidbits newsletter: find it online
https://www.toptechtidbits.com/
kestrell: (Default)
I'm hoping to be awake for this, as I've been intending on learning NVDA for a while now because, first of all, it is free and, second of all, many accessibility and assistive technology experts advise knowing more than one screen reader, as all screen readers have weaknesses, and a web page or program that might not work well with one screen reader, may well work better with another.
Note: In a previous mention of this event, I gave the incorrect date: the correct day is later today.
For the webpage listing these and similar online events, including direct links to Zoom info go here
http://nfbp.org/zoom-meeting-calendar
Thursday, July 2
8:00 p.m. EDT | NVDA Training with Chris
Learn how to use NVDA, the free screen access software for Windows.
For questions, please contact Chris Westbrook at westbchris@gmail.com.

Zoom Meeting ID: 215 988 0888
URL: https://zoom.us/my/nfbpennsylvania
One tap mobile: +13126266799,,2159880888#

And if, like me, you tend to fall asleep early, recordings of many of these NFB webinar events can be found on the archive page:
http://nfbp.org/archive
kestrell: (Default)
The NFB is hosting many webinars for blind computer users, and here are two outstanding ones which I will be attending:

1. Getting the most out of your Amazon Echo smart speaker
Zoom call to be held on Wednesday, July 1, at 3 P.M. EDT
Find out more about this and many other upcoming NFB virtual events at
https://www.nfb.org/civicrm/mailing/view?id=1823&reset=1

2. The NFB will also be hosting a webinar which will offer NVDA training on Friday, July 3, at 8 P.M. EDT
For those unfamiliar with it, NVDA
https://www.nvaccess.org/
is a popular free screen reader.

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