Information from the INDATA Project is now available via podcast! Every Friday, the INDATA Project will release two podcasts featuring new assistive technology projects. The podcasts are available for viewing on the INDATA Project website and on iTunes. The “Assistive Technology Update” is a fast-paced weekly update for AT professionals and enthusiasts. The “Accessibility Minute” is designed for all listeners to provide assistive technology tips and tricks.
| ATU024: Eye Tracker (Rob Chappel), Accessible Sports Facility, Note Taker Reviews, Robotic Guide Dog, Music & Disability, Bionic Bodies, Talking Glucose Meter
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This technology is a great tool for people with visual impairments or reading disabilities. People who are blind or have no functional vision or very low vision can use a screen reader such as text-to-speech to access a computer. This would allow someone with a visual impairment the ability to email, browse the web, and use word processing software, et cetera. Text-to-speech is also helpful for people who struggle with reading. For those who have reading difficulty, such as a person with Dyslexia, many are unable to access text information in a written form. When the information is read aloud to them they are able to comprehend the information. Speech synthesis can also help pre-literate young children and those for who English is not their first language. Text-to-speech has in the past had a robotic computer voice. TSS has improved the quality of voices over the years. They have gone from a robotic computer voice to sounding more like a real person’s voice. This makes the speech easier to understand for the user. The National Center on Universal Design for Learning is a task force dedicated to giving all individuals equal opportunities to learn. Through that task force the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) offers an open source website with free resource tools designed for learning. The UDL has compiled a list of many of the free TSS options on the Free Technology Toolkit for UDL in All Classrooms site. To view the TSS list they have compiled click here. To learn more about the Free Technology Toolkit for UDL visit their teaching every student blog.
 JAWS for Windows Freedom Scientific announced the release of JAWS® for Windows version 12, including JAWS BrailleIn™, a powerful new feature that enables users who prefer typing in Braille to use contracted Braille in common Microsoft applications such as Internet Explorer and Word. JAWS 12 includes a new Virtual Ribbon feature which provides a fast way to navigate the Ribbon Menus that Microsoft uses in Office 2007 and Windows 7. JAWS 12 also replaces the Configuration Manager with a new Settings Center. The Settings Center allows easy access to all JAWS settings and includes a search box to instantly locate and adjust the desired settings. “This release represents a huge step in productivity for Braille users,” says Eric Damery, Vice President of Software Product Management for Freedom Scientific. “Many expert Braille readers are much faster and more accurate typing on a Perkins-style keyboard than on a QWERTY keyboard, and they will be more efficient using JAWS 12 with applications like Word, Outlook, Internet Explorer, Notepad, and WordPad. The BrailleIn feature instantly back translates the Braille input, displaying text on the PC screen, so parents and teachers can follow along as their students type in Braille. The new Virtual Ribbon Menu has also been very well received by our customers during the beta phase of this release and will greatly reduce the learning curve for users upgrading to new versions of Office and Windows 7.” The upgrade is an SMA release and can be downloaded as either 32-bit or 64-bit versions from the JAWS downloads page. DVD shipments to SMA holders and new product customers will commence on Nov. 2, 2010. Aug 112010
 Social Media Logos Technology is a rapidly changing world with each change likely to bring new accessibility issues. Work is ongoing to make sure these issues are addressed but the challenges of social networks and accessibility remain. Social media aims to deliver its message in a more innovative and engaging way rather than a leaflet or brochure. It can achieve this aim because of the wide range of technology available. The increase in its popularity means that social networking has many advantages:
However, social networks are not always accessible to individuals using assistive technology, such as a screen reader. With the constant changes in technology and social networks, assistive technology cannot keep up, leaving individuals behind. On a positive note, social networks are becoming aware of this issue and providing new accessibility features. Many people use Youtube to watch and create videos, although the small controls on the video player can be difficult for users to operate. Easy Youtube has been developed to improve these accessibility issues. Easy Youtube is clutter-free and has easy to recognize player controls. Facebook can be a popular meeting place for individuals to keep in touch with old friends or meet new friends. Some functions such as drag and drop and adjusting slider settings may not be easy for screen reader users. Facebook provides Facebook Accessibility Information to provide more information on how users can become more accessible. There are steps you can take to make social media more accessible and user friendly to use, check out the Accessibility and Social Media article online for more information.  Social Media Logos Social media has created a newer, faster and more efficient way of communication than ever before. Forget typewriters, postcards, and letters when you can send a message over Facebook that will be received in seconds. But have you stopped to think about the accessibility of these ever-growing platforms? Screen-reading programs are used by the visually impaired to access the Internet, Microsoft applications, and everything that a person can do over their computer. The screen-reader does what the name says – it reads the information displayed on the computer program, web page, or email just like a sighted individual would read with their eyes. Sometimes the program or web page is filled with information that a sighted individual will see but a screen-reader will not. Examples include flash-based advertisements, incorrectly tagged links and pictures, and other errors. I’ll be presenting “Social Media Accessibility” at the 2010 Blog Indiana Conference on August 20-21. In my talk, I will cover screen-readers and give examples as to how a business can make their blog more user-friendly to individuals with visual impairments. In short, I will also discuss the accessibility of mainstream social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. For more information and to register for this event, visit http://blogindiana.com/2010/.  iPhone 3GS Recently I’ve noticed that large businesses have been adding accessibility or disability sections to their websites. One really good example is AT&T’s commitment to disabilities page. Here you can see that AT&T has put some time and effort into making sure that they offer communication services such as phone and Internet to people that might experience it differently than you or I. As an iPhone user I was particularly interested in the iPhone accessibility details page. The link on AT&T’s site is a redirect to Apple’s website on iPhone accessibility. Vision: If you have a vision impairment, you might think that a touch screen cellphone would be the last thing you wanted. Apple assures you that this is not a problem. The iPhone 3GS (the most recent version of the phone) offers a screen reader called VoiceOver. Touch the screen and it will read what’s under your finger, “then gesture with a double-tap, drag, or flick to control the phone.” Apple suggests that this screen reader works differently compared to the one you might use on your computer. Here’s what they have to say about that:
Now if you’ve seen an iPhone in action, you’re probably starting to wonder how a person would enter text off the on-screen keyboard. Put your finger on the keyboard and VoiceOver will tell you what that key is. You can also set it up to echo each word that you type to ensure it is spelled correctly. If this seems like a daunting task, turn on the word prediction. This is when you start typing a word and the phone will attempt to figure out what word you are starting to write. VoiceOver works with all standard apps that come on the iPhone: Maps, Safari, Mail, Notes, Stocks, Weather, Calendar, and more. Want to make a phone call without searching through all of your contacts? Simply hold the home button down and Voice Control will prompt you to speak the name of the person you want to call. You can also use this feature when searching for music in iTunes. It will take some time to get used to the VoiceOver screen reader. I tried to use this on my iPhone, but I found the finger taps and commands slightly difficult to understand and manipulate. Have you used this feature? Let us know what you think in the comments. For more information about iPhone accessibility for vision, visit their web site. Check back for future posts on other accessibility aspects of the Apple iPhone. |
