In the meantime, we bring you the first in a series of articles exploring recent developments in mainstream technology.

Earlier this week, Microsoft released the long-awaited Windows 10 Anniversary Update. Among the most prominent features in this update are several major improvements to the Edge web browser. The Edge development team recently published a blog post describing these improvements. Among other things, that post states:

While we at Serotek appreciate the considerable improvements that the Edge team has made in accessibility since the original release of Windows 10, we must emphatically insist that the claim quoted above is, at the very least, misleading. In our opinion as assistive technology developers, the only way that claim can be considered true is if the word “we” in that sentence refers strictly to the Edge team, and not to Microsoft in general. That’s because in practice, the accessibility of even the new and improved Edge is a significant regression compared to what we always had in Internet Explorer, and even compared to Firefox and Chrome.

There are two main problems: Edge does not give assistive technologies a way to access the raw Document Object Model (DOM) of a web page, which we need in order to fill in gaps in website accessibility. Further, the speed that we can achieve in Edge is hobbled in comparison to all other browsers on Windows.

First, in both Internet Explorer and the Windows version of Firefox, screen readers have always had a way to access the raw Document Object Model of a Web page. This is the browser’s internal representation of the HTML code that makes up a page. This level of access allows all screen readers to provide various features that can fill in the gaps when a website isn’t perfectly accessible out of the box. For example, Serotek has long been known for its C-SAW (Community-Supported Accessible Web) feature, which lets users provide labels for graphics and form fields that aren’t labeled by the website developer. We are also able to implement our own website-specific work-around for accessibility problems, such as when a button or link isn’t properly marked up but just appears as plain text, or when a site doesn’t properly indicate that part of the user interface is currently invisible. Even very popular sites such as Amazon.com and PayPal still have problems like these sometimes.

At Serotek, we’ve always believed that, to the extent possible, we should make our own accessibility, rather than wait for it to be served to us on a silver platter. But to do this, we need some help from the browser. And so far, the Edge team has not provided the level of raw access to a Web page that we need to fill in website accessibility gaps as we do in other browsers. Instead, the Edge team has apparently taken the position that its only job is to provide access to websites that already do everything right in terms of following the accessibility standards. In this respect, the Edge team has done a great job, and Edge’s perfect score from the HTML5Accessibility browser benchmark reflects that. But real websites, even from large companies such as Microsoft itself, do not always properly implement the latest accessibility features of ARIA and HTML5. It’s our job as assistive technology developers to make up for these real-world shortcomings, and so far, Edge doesn’t let us do that job nearly as well as other browsers.

That’s not the only problem. One of the most touted features of Edge is its speed. However, when it comes to accessibility, the speed that any full-featured screen reader can achieve in Edge is hobbled in comparison to all other browsers on Windows. Historically, all full-featured Windows screen readers have provided access to browsers by running some of their code directly inside the browser. Basically, the screen reader gets right inside the browser’s space, and can then access all of the available information about a web page with very low overhead. But now, as part of Edge’s stringent approach to security, Microsoft has decided that screen readers and other assistive technologies must stay out of the browser, only communicating with it from a distance. We don’t have a problem with this limitation in and of itself, but it means that the mechanism that the screen reader uses to get information from the browser needs to be carefully designed for maximum efficiency, and so far, Microsoft has not done this consistently. With Edge, it’s like we’re sucking information through a straw, whereas before, we were gulping from the fire hose. Again, it’s possible for Microsoft to solve this problem without backing down on security, which is also important, but that hasn’t happened yet.

We have provided feedback to Microsoft on both of these problems. Microsoft has been receptive to this feedback, and we look forward to working closely with the appropriate development teams on further improvements. But for now, we believe these regressions are so significant that we cannot provide a level of access to Edge that we consider usable, let alone enjoyable.

Note that Serotek is not the only assistive technology developer to take this position with regard to Microsoft Edge. The following statement is transcribed from the latest podcast from Freedom Scientific:

We are in full agreement with Freedom Scientific on this point.

We recognize that Internet Explorer’s days as a top-tier browser are numbered. That is why we are working on significant improvements in our access to Firefox and Chrome. We are committed to providing first-rate access to modern browsers. But Edge still has such serious limitations that we believe our time is best spent elsewhere. We look forward to a time when we can provide excellent Web access through Edge as well as all other modern browsers.

Questions? Opinions? Please feel free to share your comment!

We’re calling it Sero. On the surface, it’s going to be a universal experience that will bring together our software services under a single app. “Sero,” after all, means “connected,” so it only made sense to develop an interface that will keep you connected across different platforms. It’s the first time in assistive technology history that users can enjoy a consistent user experience regardless of whether you’re on Android, iOS, Amazon Fire, or Apple TV.

The move to a single app means a great foundation for upward mobility. We can now deploy faster updates across the board. It means voice chat and text chat at home on your computer or on the road via your smartphone. It means the ability to download content from our ever expanding library, starting a movie on your Mac or PC and finishing it up on your tablet. You’ll be able to better rate, share, and favorite the content you want and lots more!

Yes, there will be some changes. For one thing, you’ll note we have done away with the System Access Browser. We’re no longer exclusive to Internet Explorer. Sero makes room for the kind of choices everyone else enjoys at their keyboard, but the intuitive nature of DocuScan Plus, System Access, and the former SAMNet will not be lost. Experts and novices alike will be able to immediately learn and leverage all the tools you’ve come to love and rely on for work and personal leisure.

We’re very excited about this step in our development. We think it has a lot of promise and is one more sign that times for the traditional assistive technology industry really have changed.

And, we would love for you to be a part of the final stretch of the development. We want you to be a beta tester. You’ll be among the first to kick the tires on our new universal app, and as long as you’re a participant in the beta program, you’re going to be able to enjoy all our services completely free of charge, but please sign up now because there is a limited number of seats to hand out. Please note the beta program will launch Sunday, May 8.

Ready? Join us in this next chapter of our persistent growth!

Serotek proudly announces the first public release candidate for DocuScan Plus V3, a powerful and affordable OCR option with cross-platform support. Before we deem it final, we’d like you to help us kick the tires. You do not have to be a current Serotek customer to participate, but note that certain features may only be available for customers who have pre-ordered the product.

New features

• Updated OCR engine
• OCR for other languages, including: Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (including Brazilian), Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish
• Bookshare integration
• Improved heading detection
• Place marking within large documents
• Ability to import documents in popular text formats so users can convert them to DAISY, MP3, or Braille, and store them in the cloud; formats include: .epub, .doc, .docx, .rtf, .txt, .html
• Ability to open image files, including: .jpg, .png, .tiff, .gif, .bmp
• Ability to open documents in DSP directly from Windows Explorer
• More efficient processing of long PDF documents
• Better consistency in functionality and UI between the Windows and Mac versions
• Better support for third-party screen readers in the Windows version; users can use DSP in conjunction with a third-party screen reader rather than putting the screen reader to sleep.

Install the Release Candidate Now!

The installation process will be intuitive. Remember, you do not need to use System Access as your screen reader for DSP to work. Feel free to stick to your own screen reader on Windows.

Download the Windows Release Candidate here. The RC is a part of our normal Windows installer. Simply choose the correct package at installation.

Download the Mac version here.

Full documentation will be provided upon final release. But, don’t panic. Our products are traditionally designed to be as intuitive as possible, beginning with the installation.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact technical support.

Wearables

According to a forecast published by Grand View Research the primary market for the smart watches is, and will continue to be, the health & fitness market. I don’t think this really comes as a surprise to anyone. The variety of sensors built into the watch have yet to prove their worth/ability, but in our ever health/exercise minded culture I think the smart watch manufactures have found a niche market, that has already proven its spending power. A CNet review covers the Watch in detail, and points out the major weakness is definitely the battery life. I however would not be surprised to see the Apple Watch revolutionise the world of health & fitness, much like the IPhone revolutionized the Smart Phone market in 2007. One thing we did not discuss in the recording was wearable accessibility. A few web searches have yielded nothing of value, for me, as it relates to accessibility of other devices. I’ve been able to locate information about how the app for the smart phone is accessible with the devices accessibility features, but nothing on the devices actual accessibility. That is, except for when looking at the Apple Watch. Since just before the release on April 10th, and since, there have been a few reviews on Apple Watch Accessibility. One of my favorites is “Apple Watch and Accessibility: First Look and More” by Steven Aquino.

Much like the Apple Watch, Pebble and other smart wearables are accessories to the smart phone, I think that the smart phone/tablet are, and will remain, accessories to the PC in the near future. While most high school students I have spoken to recently believe that the computer is dead, they reluctantly admit that there are still things they have to do on the computer because it is just easier. They write drafts of papers on their smart phone or tablet, but they need to, or prefer to, use the computer to put the finishing touches on it. If you’re looking for a wearable device that would replace your computer, tablet, smart phone and smart watch consider checking out the Neptue Suite Hub project on Indiegogo.

Life or Death of Access Technology

It seems as though it is impossible to have a discussion regarding the life or death of the PC without also having one on the life or death of access technology these days. Everywhere we turn mainstream companies are building access technologies into their devices. This is great! However, it is important to keep in mind that to mainstream companies we are, at best, 15% of their market base, and that access to a device is different than the usability or learn ability of the device and its access features. A 2013 report by Gartner Inc. encourages companies to integrate assistive technology into development. The report explains how features, once considered assistive technology for people with disabilities (PWD), are now being used by non-disabled people to solve situational/environmental disabilities, which expands the access, or assistive, technology use to a larger market.

The access technologies that have been built in, in many cases, have been designed for the casual alternative access user, not the every day user who accesses the devices with alternative strategies and tools. People without disabilities use things like Siri differently than someone who cannot use his/her hands or eyes to interact with a device. Siri is a great solution for speech-to-text for a able bodied person driving a car, but not for a quadriplegic. The text-to-speech feature of Siri is great for a sighted driver, who needs/wants quick text-to-speech response from his/her device but is not the same as VoiceOver, and gaining access to the device for someone who is blind. Don’t get me wrong, I love VoiceOver on my IOS device, and it gets the every day job done, but there is still much to be desired, in my opinion.

While Mike and Matt rightly point out that mainstream companies are moving to a system in which 3rd party access technologies are being cut out, like the Apple ecosystem, I don’t think that the day of 3rd party access is over. Do these mainstream companies get it? Do they really understand how people with disabilities access their devices? I don’t think they quite get it yet. One of two things needs to happen, in my opinion; either access technology companies need to quit complaining and start innovating to keep up with the trends, or they need to start applying for management positions within the mainstream companies and start building teams of engineers who do get it, and can work from the inside to build access solutions that do not just give access to the devices, but deliver true usability with an easy learning curve.

Home Automation

I’ve clearly had some more time to think on this topic. However, I have nothing new to add to my thoughts in the recording. Home automation is not even on my technology radar. Maybe it should be, but our environment, and experiences, shape our interests, and I trust the little old lady across the street far more than I trust tech. If I forget to turn the crock pot on before leaving for work, and I call her to run over and turn it on, not only will I get dinner but she’ll probably bake cornbread or cookies or something to add to the meal. Lets see your home automation system do that!

Back when I was seven, many things were accessible, and if they weren’t, my grandmother would help make them so.

Not being able to see, my primary way of learning was through reading, touching objects, and listening to explanations. Of course, all my other remaining senses came into play, but hearing and touch were, and are, my primary link to the world not constructed by books.

Even though I had never heard the word Accessibility, I was an early adopter of its concept.

One day, my grandmother took me to a museum that was new in town. It was different from the ones we frequented, and I was very eager to feel exotic artefacts under my fingertips, and experience paintings through verbal descriptions given to me via headset. I eagerly speed-walked with my grandmother into the museum, my stomach full with butterflies over the soon-to-be.

When the tour started, I could sense the body heat of a dozen people beside me. I waited for my grandmother to take me to the artefact so I could explore it. She didn’t. I began to tune into the many exclamations beside me describing how wonderful the artefact was. Why was it so wonderful? I wanted to know too! I wanted to feel it and see what people were talking about. I soon began to cry, and people’s feet shuffled as they turned and stared at me. With steely resolve, my grandmother picked me up and pushed her way to the front of the crowd with my white cane dangling in my grip. When she reached the front, she ducked under the rope and placed my hand on the elegant statue carved with dynamic symbols. People started complaining that a sign said ‘Don’t Touch’. Soon, a stern sounding man cleared his throat next to me.

“Miss? I’m the manager here.”

I felt the air whoosh as my grandmother whipped around. With slicing syllables, she told the manager:

“If you tell my blind grandson to take his hands off this statue, I will take every ‘Don’t Touch’ sign down and burn them all. I will then tell the police what I did and sue you for lack of accessibility.”

nineteen years have passed since then, and I have heard and witnessed countless instances in which companies and people just don’t exert any will to include the blind and the visually impaired whatsoever, unless forced by law.

The Americans with Disabilities Act was a huge breakthrough for our inclusion, but it didn’t merge us with the sighted world. People didn’t want to include us, so often we had to go to special groups, events, and even jobs for the blind. We also had to fight for education as well. Entertainment was, and still is an issue accompanying all the other accessibility barriers.

It took a law in 2010 to make Audio Description available on television. Before the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, we couldn’t watch movies, TV shows, or any visual media with audio description as frequently as today. Audio Description is as important to us as closed captioning is for the Deaf. It opens up a whole new mode of entertainment that we’ve never been able to experience before.

However, there are still a lot of companies that don’t want to offer it, and are not forced to by law. Many of these companies reside in the internet realm, a place the law hasn’t even scratched yet. Audio Description is available on TV, and more DVDs, and even more movie theatres. The law applies to the top 25 TV networks now but will increase.

But even with all this inclusion, no Video on Demand service, such as Netflix and Hulu, has Audio Description.

I’ve wondered why Netflix won’t provide Audio Description, or even accessible interfaces so that our adaptive software can interact with their website and web player fully. I’ve examined this through all different angles, even finding out for myself the cost of describers, and other production costs. It’s not all about cost however. The BBC has shown that cost doesn’t matter when it comes to Accessibility, offering an Audio Description On Demand service through the BBC iPlayer. Many other companies and organisations also show that having audio description on the web is not hard at all. All of these can be found on our audio description on demand page.

It wouldn’t be hard at all to include Audio Description on Netflix. Two methods could be done to achieve this. Closed Audio Description, where the viewers would need to select a language track, requiring less bandwidth and less server space on Netflix’s part. There would definitely be downsides to this as well, such as that Audio Description wouldn’t be able to be available on every Netflix compatible device, such as the Nintendo Wii, as the Wii even has a hard time with closed captions.

Another way is to have a separate blind version of the same movie or TV show, like iTunes has it. But this will require that the film or TV show be uploaded twice. From a technical point of view, this would be the easier thing to do, but who knows, the servers might buckle.

For years, the blind community has asked and even begged Netflix to make their site and service accessible, with accessible web design and Audio Description, but Netflix have said “No” repeatedly, and eventually the blindness advocacy groups just give up.

I refuse to give up though. Which is why I started the Accessible Netflix Project.

Our aim for the project:

Netflix is a popular internet streaming and rental service that streams TV shows as well as movies. It also allows subscribers to rent DVDs. The Netflix platform isn’t accessible and that’s what this project aims to change. With the help of the community we will make Netflix a truly accessible place for everyone to enjoy.

The Purpose (Mission)

1. To provide accessible software and interface to Netflix users

Implement and ensure future accessibility practices and consideration

1. Ensure that relatively all types of disability are taken into careful consideration at all times

These are the targets we want to meet

1. Provide a screen reader friendly experience to all Netflix functions on the PC and mobile devices with all screen readers

Provide an easily navigable interface for the mobility impaired using adaptive technology.

1. Provide easy access to audio described content for the blind and the visually impaired on streaming services as well as DVD selection currently and in the future.

Regardless if it’s inconvenient or costly, Netflix should provide Accessibility solutions. Many blind people pay for a service they can barely use, whether they are a novice or advanced Screen Reader user.

It has been a long 2 years since I began the project. So far, they have told us “No”, directly, nine times and counting.

Determined to have the freedom to enjoy Audio Description on the Internet, a place that has become a utility for my work and entertainment needs, I decided to ask them why they said no. The first time, they said that:

“We don’t have control over the content that makes the Audio Description, so we’re not the people who you should be contacting.”

So, I started contacting studios for the next three months, often going through back door connections to get to producers, and explaining the situation. Seth MacFarlane, the producer of Family Guy, a show that has Audio Description on TV, was one of these connections. I wanted to make it as cheap as possible for Netflix, so I asked these producers if they would simply give the Audio Descriptions to Netflix at no charge. Many, including Seth, agreed to this.

I replied to Netflix with the fantastic news, and this was their response:

Hi Robert,

Thank you for being a Netflix fan and for being so passionate about making Netflix more accessible. At this point we have no immediate plans to add Audio Descriptions to our service. We continuously evaluate this and we will let you know if there’s a change, but don’t expect it to come in the near future.

I don’t understand why they’d say no. Even after contacting 56 different people in the company, they all said the same – don’t expect it anytime soon, even with the studio support.

It deeply disappoints and frustrates me that access to a service that’s so accessible to my wallet is impossible for me to use independently, simply because I require adaptive technology. I can’t even manage the site independently, no matter how many advanced keystrokes I learn or new Screen Reader tricks. Blind and visually impaired people shouldn’t be banished to outside sources to get described content. We are millions and millions strong, and our revenue would help grow Netflix. And, small aside, they’d surely be given excellent publicity for being the first mainstream company to do this.

The accessible Netflix project has grown and, with it, we have dedicated team members who will ensure equal access to entertainment simply because it should have been done a very long time ago. There isn’t an excuse anymore as to why this can’t happen. My team and I are here for entertainment equality and we will continue to be for years ahead.

The ADA was meant to include and not divide. Blind people should have reasons to spend their income. We should be able to laugh with glee with our family, enjoying an Audio-Described comedy. We should be able to proudly call ourselves a Netflix customer. My team and I will do whatever we can to ensure everybody gets past the unnecessary velvet rope and touch an accessible Video on Demand service that is accessible to everybody else. I don’t understand why Netflix doesn’t want to give us that inclusion, and I possibly never will, but I do understand one thing for certain – it should happen. It will happen, with our leadership.

The thing is, in my experience, those who are fluent with as many tools as possible are the most successful in employment. What matters more, your convictions for the tool of choice, or having a job that pays the bills, and allows you to live the quality of life you desire? I thought so! So, it is time to become multi-tech-savvy.

The Employment Environment

I am exposed to a variety of potential employment environments as an AT specialist, with an emphasis in communicating with employers and job site accommodation,. Most employers take advantage of networking to distribute information to employees. More recently a trend toward web-based applications has been observed. The web-based applications tend to be written for one web browser or another. Often the companies web app can only be displayed in Internet Explorer, or in Mozilla Firefox, and the screen must be set to a specific resolution to display the contents.

Hardware Decisions

Businesses have to make decisions regarding what hardware and software to purchase, deploy and maintain. The decision is often based on matching the technology to the environment and nature of the business. In retail business owners have multiple choices. They can purchase a Windows, or Mac based Point of Sale system, or a mobile point of sale system that utilizes either IPad, Windows tablet or Android tablet hardware. If one chooses to learn only how to use an IPad, with VoiceOver or Zoom, they may be limiting employment opportunities.

Browser Decisions

It seems unthinkable that a business could operate, in today’s market, without an internet connection. Web browsers are designed to be the gateway to the Internet. Business owners again have many choices. The decision regarding which is best for the companies type of work, need for security are likely to outweigh their desire to accommodate an individual users preference.

Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox are reviewed as having superior security and privacy features. This may be one of the reasons that they are common among business information infrastructure. A web search reveals that from year to year, and version of browser to version of browser, one or the other will boast greater security or faster speeds than the other.

Access Technology Decisions

In recent experience, and simply stated, NVDA works better in Firefox than it does in Internet Explorer 11 and later. JAWS works better in Internet Explorer 11 and later than it does in Firefox. Some web pages display better in Firefox than they do in Internet Explorer and vice-versa. Toss Apple products into the mix, and you will likely see the same thing.

There are also differences between how one screen magnifier will display a page verses another, and this is compounded by the diversity in how browsers display text. Screen magnification users may have to learn to configure how the text is displayed in the browser, as well as how to enhance the text with the magnifier, to identify the optimal viewing experience.

Training Decisions

Q:Which screen reader, or magnifier, and browser combination do I need to learn?

A: As many as possible!

In Conclusion

At one point it was safe to say that Microsoft Windows was the business standard, and that if one wanted to be successful in an employment environment they needed to be proficient with Windows, Internet Explorer and a Windows-based access technology. This is no longer the case, as business owners/operators have a variety of choices available to them, and select the hardware, software and web browsers that best meet the business needs as far a security, data sharing and other factors. Great news, many of the options available to employers are accessible to consumers of access technology! Bad news, this can make it difficult to know which access technology one should learn to use effectively.

If one limits him/herself to the use of a specific access technology, employment options could become limited. Title I of the ADA uses the term “reasonable accommodation” to allow employers and employees some leeway in job site accommodation. Is it reasonable to ask an employer to risk their companies security or, potentially, rebuild their communications and data sharing infrastructure to accommodate a single users preference in access technology when access is available through other access technology tools?

Share your thoughts in the comments!

I know that sounds really drastic but it is true. Why should we care though? Because, fact is, disabled people need the internet.

There are a lot of things that make me want to question all humanity, simply because it seems that common sense is becoming more and more a luxury than anything else today. Why? Today, I read an article that’s just promoting nothing more than false intentions.

I’m on twitter a lot and I read what my followers post a great deal. When I saw the article about the notion that Verizon was fighting against Net Neutrality to benefit the disabled populace, I didn’t have anything clever to say. I didn’t have a retort to utter. I didn’t even have a tweet to formulate in wake of this. Ladies and gents, there’s simply no other word to describe what they are claiming and the propositions that they claim, other than one. It’s a word that fits all, I believe, given this context and the huge array of just false debauchery that Verizon is trying to cook up.

LIES.

If you have not heard about the FCC and their latest plan to destroy the internet do a Google search for FCC and net neutrality. You will get some really interesting articles that basically outline what their new rules will entail.

It’s a proposal that would ban Internet providers from blocking or slowing down access to websites but may let them charge content companies for faster and more reliable delivery of their traffic to users.

It sounds good on paper and in a simple sentence like that. It’s not. I will briefly explain why.

Anything can be abused, including this new law. Internet service providers (ISPs), like Comcast or AT&T—believe that, as providers of internet access, they should be able to distribute bandwidth differently depending on the service.

They’d prefer, for example, to create tiers of internet service that’s more about paying for priority access than for bandwidth speeds. As such, in theory, they could charge high-bandwidth services—like Netflix, for example—extra money, since their service costs more for Comcast to provide to its customers—or they could charge users, like you and me, extra to access Netflix. They can also provide certain services to you at different speeds.

For example, perhaps your ISP might give preferential treatment to Hulu, so it streams Hulu videos quickly and for free, while Netflix is stuck running slowly (or we have to pay extra to access it). If you don’t think that won’t wrack up a huge bill, you are wrong.

How many people use cell phones and access Facebook, twitter, Netflix, ETC. This will affect everything that’s connected to the internet and they can all have a separate charge attached for that device to access websites and content.

This will also affect your tablets, game systems, ANYTHING that is hooked up to the internet. Knowing the USA, those fees can be taxed. enough said.

Imagine that Verizon or AT&T don’t like the idea of Google Voice, because it allows you to send text messages for free using your data connection. Your cellphone carrier could block access to Google Voice from your smartphone so you’re forced to pay for a texting plan from them. Or, they see that a lot of people are using Facebook on their smartphone, so even if they have the bandwidth to carry that traffic, they decide to charge you extra to access Facebook, just because they know it’s in high demand and that they can make a profit.

Obviously this will be great for people who have money spilling outa their pockets and who live in a financial bubble ignorant of the rest of us but I don’t think the FCC remembers that not everyone has money, If this rueling gets past it will ban some disabled people from using the internet. Let’s be real here.

Take SSI. How much is your internet bill per year now and how often do people on SSI rely on the internet and websites that host special content like Facebook, for social collaboration and school websites that often hold YouTube videos, which can have a steep price on it too on top of your internet bill if net neutrality is killed.

People on SSI or even SSDI won’t be able to pay all of that, given the fact that disabled people use the internet more than anything else for more than just socializing. People host teleconferences on Facebook, promote goods on blogs, the list goes on and I should not even have to point these out.

These ISP;s certainly won’t remember that not everyone has money because they want to have the money and they will want to have the money that they think they should have any way that they can get it, including charging people like you and I to use an email provider that isn’t with your default ISP like, for example, if you’re using Comcast and you look at your Gmail. Comcast could charge you to access Gmail even though Gmail is free.

The reason why blind people use Gmail is that it offers a lot of customization. For example, it offers free IMAP and POP3 access to mail clients. Yahoo does not.

This is why I say that Verizon is spewing illogical banter. There’s a stereotype about us Americans that say, frankly, we are greedy.

Verizon and Comcast really want to have this new rueling passed just so they can get more money and the fact that Verizon is using disabled people as a valuable excuse to justify why they want to kill Net Neutrality just so they can have more money really makes me, well, disappointed at my own country.

Hears the claim Verizon makes. Without a fast lane, disabled Americans could get stuck with subpar service as Internet traffic increases.

The issue that’s a constant problem isn’t even about the speed of access but, rather, the simple act of accessing something. I don’t understand how this will help us access something such as a website that isn’t designed to be accessible or obtaining some key information that’s in an accessible element on the inaccessible or partially accessible website. Since the internet often has inaccessible websites, even today, we would just turn to the phone, or, in my case, text one of my minions to look something up for me, adding a winking smiley at the end just because. The issue of speed doesn’t even culminate into a logical fit within this particular claim, if people really knew about screen readers and magnifiers and such. Instead of slower speeds dolling out a subpar service it’s the incomplete and botched content that we cannot access because developers didn’t make whatever accessible.

If there were, indeed, a way for ISPs to create two lanes of internet access, one slow, with costs to use all these demanding sites like Netflix and such, and one fast, combined with services like Facebook, it would ban a lot of disabled people from accessing some very key information all together all because of costs that would be designated by the ISP and then that would be yet another contender blind and visually impaired activists would have to constantly advocate for.

State rehabilitation will not pay for internet as is, and that’s just one monthly cost to access all websites and services. If this were to actually be enforced people with disabilities wouldn’t have access to certain sites at all because of the high costs that will, without a doubt, be determined by the ISP.

This could lead to loss of employment, fewer educational opportunities because this will affect schools too, and overall fewer productivity and would make the unemployment rate for disabled people increase because a lot of disabled people work from home, using many sites and services every day that wouldn’t be able to be accessed because, oh no! The bill is really high!

Speed is not the issue and it infuriates me that Verizon even uses that as a claim. If people know about screen readers, magnifiers, and accessibility issues with software and sites then they will see right through this fallacy. If they don’t know about disabled people and access technology it would be a simple conclusion that would make sense in their minds even though its hugely false, that speed would help us.

Access is an issue but the irony is access would be an even bigger issue, coupled with taxes and stuff, I’m sure, will be added onto these extra speed costs and costs to access content, thereby bridging the disabled homeless and otherwise on an even wider separation all because of money. Access won’t be an issue, it will morph into a barrier, one that will always be up.

This is just for work. Could you only imagine how disabled people wouldn’t have access to sites like twitter, where news is happening all day, every day? Oh my god!I don’t even want to entertain that nightmare.

I just cannot believe that Verizon would even say such a disingenuous thing. It won’t help disabled people at all. It would ban some from even using the internet, even some who are not disabled. I don’t think people who work at these companies know that not everyone works at Verizon or otherwise, but hey, in America, it’s all about the money. It’s all about the money.

The SeroTalk Podcast is back in business! And Audible continues to be a proud sponsor. If you haven’t downloaded your choice of free audiobook, what’re you waiting for?! Visit AudiblePodcast.com/SeroTalk to get yours now.

Then tune into your new SeroTalk Podcast team–Joe, Katie, Laine, and Steve–in a deep dive analysis of recent developments and headlines affecting the community!

From the Mainstream Files

Some of us are Goo-Goo for Google, but Are the Blind and Visually Impaired Being Left Behind? Laine doesn’t necessarily think so, but are assistive technology trainers themselves partially responsible for promoting this misconception? Check out Laine’s project, GoogleAX, for some helpful resources to tackle the interface. Also, be sure to read Trenton Matthews’ comments at this post for additional resources on Chrome.

Uber to Open Center for Research on Self-Driving Cars. How might this change the traveling dynamics for blind passengers?

Cisco Makes Its Annual Predictions on Mobile Data Traffic. 69% of the world is expected to consume content via mobile devices. With the impending congestion, it’s a good thing Google Fiber is coming to four more cities, and Everything You Love About Ting is Coming Home. Speaking of your home, Eero takes a crack at pushing mesh Wi-Fi through your whole house. Of course, if the Internet is poised to become so prevalent, you might want to keep your systems secure. Here’s a great page from Gizmo to get you started. They’re constantly updating that section of the site.

Apple Watch to start shipping in April. Are you planning on getting yours?

A T Pulse

A couple new apps are already rocking 2015. Be My Eyes relies on a global network of volunteers to help you identify objects and orient to surroundings, but should the app be welcomed with open arms or viewed with skepticism?

And remember VoiceDream Reader? Well, the developer hits it out of the park again with Voice Dream Writer. This is not like any of the writing apps you have on your device already.

Kurzweil 1000 version 14 improves learning experience for users with vision disabilities. Is it worth the update?

It’s always been said it’s okay to talk to yourself, so long as you don’t talk back. But, do the same social norms apply to our computers? J-Say says it’s okay to chit-chat with your PC to get things done.

Jonathan Mosen is out with a new book, Become an Amadeus Pro Maestro. If past offerings are any indication, this one is not one you want to pass up!

Lots of developments in assistive technology so far in 2015. If you haven’t checked out the BlindBargains’ coverage of ATIA 2015, visit their Audio Index for excellent coverage of the conference as well as new episodes from their podcast.

Of Special Interest

Brain Scans Reveal the Way Blind People See Isn’t That Different From Anyone Else. This article goes hand in hand with a recent Invisibilia episode, How to Become Batman. Crazy talk, or is there something to this method of getting around we aren’t fully utilizing?

Get in Touch!

Want to connect with our new hosts? Tweet us! Katie @holnan, Laine @laine_amoureux, Steve @steveofmaine, and Joe @ScribblingJoe.

For comments, questions and criticisms of the show, please e-mail them to resources (at) SeroTalk (dot) com, tweet them @SeroTalk, or use your iBlink Radio app to send us an iReport!

It’s the sentence, “I need that.”

A dictionary has many definitions for the word need. Until October, when I decided to take up a challenge by a friend to not use any Internet for a whole month, I didn’t really understand what I needed or even why I needed it.

In September 2014, the sun speckled the ground with bursts of bright light even though the weather was cold in Chicago. I was sitting in a park with an engineer friend of mine, stealing his fries as we talked about the internship that I applied for but didn’t make. The topic nestled into the internship miss until, suddenly, he blurted out an exclamation of “oh my god, Robbie, you have GOT to read this!”

And so I did, or rather, listened, having limited vision and everything. It was an article that said that killing net neutrality would help the disabled. Verizon was saying that, if the Internet were split into a fast lane and a slow lane, disabled people would have much better Internet. Naturally, the irony wasn’t lost on me. In most cases, no matter how politically correct people wanted me to be ever since I started saying it, a good portion of the disabled populace were very poor, so the idea Verizon had was just utter nonsense.

“That’s a complete fallacy!” I spluttered, shifting my weight so my good eye could stare at Marcus full on in the face. “That’s just plain wrong!”

“I know,” he agreed, but we ranted and raved for a bit, just to make sure our thoughts were out in the open. Suddenly, though, as I was stealing a fry, he commented, “I have an idea. Why don’t I give you a challenge, you know, like a dare?” I liked the prospect of a dare so I accepted his challenge before having the intellect to ask what it was.

“Why don’t you, as a disabled person, live without the Internet for one month, and this means using Internet in schools and in libraries and the like, don’t use the Internet at all for one month.”

And that’s how it began.

Now, my memoir details my journey of living offline. Through my words and reflections, readers will know what adapting to a new kind of world is like. I was soon swept up in a different world, a world that was inaccessible to me and a world that I had to learn how adapt to, on my own since I live in an apartment complex by myself. I really did learn the difference between needing something and wanting the convenience of something.

I assumed I was going to do the everyday things that people did, such as walk outside, even though it was starting to get cold in Chicago. I thought my entries were going to be filled with sentences outlining what I did, rather than what I’d think about and declarations and observations of people. I thought that I’d write more about what I did and why I did it, rather than my observations about the Internet-less life and how it changing everything from communication to education to human interaction.

In the memoir, many aspects of life are examined. Why? Because I had a lot more free time to share with myself. The memoir is a diary that’s intimate and allows for a glimpse into the human psyche before being connected to everyone.

Living offline changed me in many ways that I didn’t even see coming. For the first few days, I needed to get online, I wanted to look up something. I wanted to type in the commands and the search strings that would get me exactly what I wanted, how I wanted it, where I wanted it. Without that power, for a few days, I was utterly lost because I didn’t know how to cope after that power had been taken away.

Even though I felt as though I was going to back down on the first few days, I gave it a shot still, and kept on with the challenge.

The fact is, the Internet is a requirement, especially for the disabled. I experienced much frustration simply because I could no longer do something so basic, such as hooking up a landline phone because I couldn’t download the manual from the website. I had to rely on the sighted population more than I have ever needed to.

This is because there isn’t as much accessible information offline as there is on the Internet. On the Internet I can look up any news I want to look up or any manual, for that matter. Take news content: Writers are not filtered by space and advertising columns so they can pepper the Web page with in-depth reporting and I could read it all.

Mainstream offline media doesn’t tell you about all the news that’s happening or the kind of topics people want to know. The fact is, people want to know. On the radio and TV everything is delegated by space and time. When you have limited options to get information, information becomes a need, not a luxury. I had to cope with losing that by asking more questions from other people and relying on their answers. Sometimes, it was effective. Other times, it left me feeling as if I was being denied information simply because I didn’t use the Internet.

We live, however, in a world that needs the Internet. I learned that the hard way when I didn’t get hired for a job because I couldn’t use the Internet. It really has shocked me how it’s turned into an unclassified utility. Sure, apartment owners are saying it is a utility but not the government, not the people higher up. It should be. Why? Because I know what it’s like, as a disabled person, to live without the Internet for one month. A disabled life without Internet is not a completely independent world. The Internet breaks down barriers, even if we can’t see them.

72 of the top 100 Universities in the U.S. and 7 of the 8 Ivy League schools were using Google Web Apps for productivity according to a 2012 “Official Google Blog”. Further 1 in 5 U.S. School districts are taking advantage of the Google platform, including web apps, according to a 2013 article. In addition the Google Blog also reported in 2012 that 5 million businesses, worldwide are taking advantage of Google Web Apps for business. Telework/commute opportunities are on the rise, according to a 2014 NY Times article and guess what platform lends itself perfectly to virtual meetings and collaboration? You guessed it, Google.

Why is everyone, at least in the main-stream, so goo-goo for Google? Could it be the incredible price tag of FREE for individual consumers? The incredibly low prices for educational institutions and businesses? The decrease in employee hours focused on information technology “IT) as a result of Googles’ simple deployment system?

Why are so many blind and visually impaired consumers complaining about Google? Why aren’t more blind and visually impaired users using them? Are individuals who utilize access technology being left out/overlooked/forgotten?

Instant Gratification

Instant gratification cannot be overlooked as a contributing factor to the widespread adoption of Google Web Apps across personal, educational and professional environments. Google leverages HTML 5 and Web 2.0 to create a dynamic virtual environment that provides instant communication and collaboration. Google has also implemented design attributes that make the interface easy to use, and learn to use. Little to no time is required to learn to use the apps.

As I chat with AT specialists in the field of visual impairment and blindness I am commonly asked to share tips and tricks for using new web pages. The sentiment expressed in many conversations is that web pages don’t behave like they used to, and users never quite know what to expect. Sometimes users can activate or interact with an item one way, and the next time they encounter the same type of element they must activate or interact with it differently.

The Google Gmail Web App is often used to demonstrate the specialist’s frustration and concern. It also tends to send the message that, in fact, individuals who use access technology to interact with the web are being left out. Some AT users, and specialists, will argue that it is how the web page was created, others will argue that it is the fault of access technology manufactures falling two steps behind.

Why is that? Why are so many in the visually impaired and blind community experiencing so much difficulty with inconsistent web pages? The simple answer is that not all web pages are created equal.

HTML offers developers many tools to render a web page. Each designer has preferences regarding which features work best, and how they should work. Many web designers are unaware or unconcerned with the fact that there are people on the web accessing their content with alternative tools like magnifiers and screen readers.

HTML 5, one of the tools used to render Google Web Apps in a browser, has introduced new elements that can be used by designers to render web pages. The new elements are dynamic and interactive in nature. Some of the elements are put in place, and when interacted with/activated information changes on the page. That type of activity goes unnoticed by screen readers, and for individuals using high levels of magnification the activity may also be missed, as it occurs outside of the field of view. This is one reason AT specialists report that Gmail is one of the most difficult environments.

The best resource for web designers to gain a greater understanding, and to find guidelines for using all of the great tools and elements available to them in HTML is, of course, the World Wide Web Consortium. However, that does not solve the immediate problem of using existing web pages and helping new users learn to use the increasingly chaotic web. Imagine the surprise when the tip that I give to AT specialists who requests tips and tricks for using and teaching Internet concepts and how to handle complex web pages is to use Google Web Apps.

All arguments related to how and why individuals using access technology being “left out” or “forgotten” and complaints about web designers have some validity. However, they are learning to use and implement new tools, they’re not going to get it right the first time, and if they aren’t provided with information about the problem they can’t fix it. The manufactures of access technology also play a role. They are, admittedly, one or two steps behind the main-stream. Again however, cut them some slack. They are still learning too, and what are the odds that the access technology manufactures are better than the web designers? They are going to get it wrong the first time too. If you were running before you were crawling, by all means, jump into the fray and fix this discrepancy for us.

Some Thoughts on Chrome

The accessibility features in Chrome OS can transfer, in some respects, to the Web Apps displayed in any web browser. At the time of this writing there are 3rd party tools available as well, however they are not discussed here. For anyone interested, NVDA with Firefox appears, at the time of this writing, to be the best combination for accessing the Google apps environment, and provides new users with the most consistent experience.

In Google Web Apps, prior to enabling any accessibility features, users are already at a large usability advantage, if they must interpret and work with information in this way. The interfaces are “clean.” There is not a lot of meaning conveyed in the layout, but what meaning is conveyed by placement of web edit fields, or text changes, there is white space surrounding the item. This allows magnification users to clearly find, and read, text or view images, with fewer distractions. Google also tends to use simple images to convey meaning through pictures. For instance, one gear to represent “settings” rather than a complex, colorful, interwoven image of multiple gears.

The high contrast mode, that can be enabled in Google Chrome browser (on Chrome books) or on the Android tablets, can aid in reducing glare. In turn, for some users, this reduces eye pain and fatigue and allows users to spend more time on the computer than they might otherwise. Unlike high contrast in Windows or Mac OS, I found that all content is displayed in contrasting colors. In Windows, for example, links remain dark blue, but the background is black. In that environment links become indistinguishable from the back-ground. This did not appear to happen when high contrast was enabled in Google Chrome, on a Google ChromeBook.

The experience of the ChromeVox TTS extension is highly variable. Variables that impact a user’s experience include, but are not limited to: ChromeVox developer flaws, flaws in the HTML, the ability for one to tolerate the TTS synthesizer, previous screen reader experience; ability/willingness to learn new methods of navigation/interaction; ability to memorize key strokes; the platform on which the browser is running; and the user’s ability to conceptualize based strictly on textual information.

The magnifier extension in Chrome, on the ChromeBook is nothing too exciting. It falls in line with most magnifiers. You can select full, docked or lens magnification. The image begins to pixelate around 7 power, which is consistent with other screen magnifiers. The user can control the level through key strokes, but to make more advanced setting changes, like the type, the user must enter the accessibility settings. This is inconvenient for users who need to change the visual appearance frequently.

A Side Note on Magnifiers

I want to quickly touch on one of the most innovative magnifiers I’ve encountered. It just so happens to come on the Google Nexus 7 Android Kit Kat tablet. I know, a little off topic, but I feel the need to share since I’m on Google.

The user must enable the feature in accessibility before the short cuts will work, however, once enabled, the user has simple, one-touch access to the type and level of magnification. The user can triple tap one finger to enable full magnification, increase and decrease magnification with the “pinch to zoom” gesture, and is provided with an automatic switch to 0 magnification when a new page loads. This provides the user the opportunity to get an idea of the overall content, gather some of the contextual information provided by layout, and to select where he or she would like to see in greater detail.

IN addition the user can triple tap and hold to magnify only the area under the finger. This is similar to the lens type of magnification offered by most desktops. To the best of my knowledge this is a feature only available in Android. This allows a user to gather contextual information, focus in on specific details without losing other reference points.

Final Thoughts

One factor that is sometimes missed in the accessibility finger pointing game is us, the AT specialists. Yes, I’m including myself. Often AT specialists are self-taught in the technologies they use and instruct on. When providing 35 hours of direct service to consumers each week, with the other 5 spent on preparations and report writing there isn’t much time to try to figure out something new. The concepts behind the Google Web App interfaces, and how the access technologies can interact with the interfaces, is significantly different than most are accustomed to in a traditional PC environment, either Windows or Apple. I’m guilty of dismissing something as a possible tool for professional, educational or instructional use because it took more than 5 minutes to figure out. So, again, we’re back to that instant gratification thing.

For the AT specialists it may not be instant gratification, as much as it is ease of use, or learning to use, the tool. As I’ve read more on the learnability and heuristics of text-to-speech I’ve come to believe that individuals who use TTS, or high levels of video magnification, to access content are unaware of contextual information provided by formatting, layout, font size etc. As a result these users synthesize the information differently (i.e. smallest detail to big picture). As a result the learnability factor of Google Web App interfaces, rendered with HTML5, often take more time to figure out. They are however consistent, and provide a solid environment in which to teach people about the dynamic HTML 5 elements, that will hopefully transfer to using other web pages. It is much like using Microsoft Word to help reinforce, or teach, Windows concepts.

To aid fellow AT specialists, and access technology users, I have committed to learning as much as possible about the Google Web App environment, and want to share that information. If we are not careful we will be the reason our consumers cannot compete in education and employment environments. This is not an easy under taking. I am still learning, so cut me some slack too, I’m going to get some things wrong to start, and of course the web pages, and other tools are likely to change as well…

What happens when you put three guys, three computers and one heck of an idea together in the same room? There’s bound to be strategic chaos, but that’s only natural of a product set on disrupting the assistive technology industry.

NVDA Remote Access will give blind users the freedom to enjoy a number of career and educational options. Blind Technical Support Professionals and amateurs alike can Use NVDA Remote access to connect to their clients computers remotely in real time and walk them through multi-step procedures or teach them new applications, techniques and workflows. Educators can hear what their students are doing on their computers and vice versa, providing a perfect environment for hands-on training from afar. Whether in an office down the hall or a datacenter on the other side of the globe, NVDA Remote access will provide powerful, minimal latency access to the Windows desktop via speech.

Actually, we think NVDA Remote Access is bound to lay the groundwork for some exciting innovations for the free screen reader, and we’re counting on you to help get it off the ground. Tune in, as Derek Lane and Patrick Perdue bring you a rather different kind of product demo that will make you look twice at NVDA!

Feel free to send your feedback on this show to resources@serotalk.com

You can always find the latest on this show and others on the SeroTalk Podcast Network

using iBlink Radio for your iOS device, the Kindle Fire, the Mac or your Android device. You can even leave us an iReport right from the iBlink app.

Thanks for listening!

The current built-in screen readers are insufficient for the blind professional. Apple’s Voiceover, an excellent choice for core functionality, does not grant blind professionals the access to, or flexibility with, a wide range of enterprise products required in the workplace. Actually, these core screen readers sometimes have difficulty with day-to-day tasks. Read Chris Hofstader’s frustrations with OSX.

Microsoft is hardly better. Though they are not last in accessibility, it would be an exaggeration to suggest Narrator has evolved to the point of self-sufficiency. Microsoft may or may not improve on the built-in screen reader in Windows 10. Microsoft may or may not fully incorporate Window Eyes into their operating system, but the blind professional needs to be productive today, not tomorrow.

The Cost of Free Products

Have you read Tim Connell’s take on the cost of free products on the NFB’s Braille Monitor? It’s a thought-provoking piece suggesting free assistive technology is not always better and that a super market approach may sacrifice the level of detail and response only smaller specialists can afford. Read the article in its entirety so you can decide for yourself if my own points are fair or full of bologna.

Here’s an excerpt of the article:

“A growing number of people in the print-disability field are not happy with the status quo and with the fact that specialist products are expensive and not available to all. The prospect of cheap or free products has become the goal that many individuals as well as some agencies are now supporting. When I started to think about this subject, my first question was, “Who is going to support an argument against free products?” “Not many people” is the answer. So perhaps the days of specialist developers and vendors really are numbered. In a world where many problems still exist, particularly in employment, some people need to assign blame and prefer to view the specialist providers as the problem. The cost of a commercial screen reader is viewed as the problem, and getting something free would help solve that problem. However, I keep returning to the supermarket analogy and have come to the conclusion that those small steps of change that occur incrementally mean we may not know what has been lost till it is too late. We may not really be aware of the change that is currently underway in the AT market. The point that is being missed is that it is not the cost of the product that should be our focus, but the ability of the product to fully meet the needs of each individual. Does a keen fisherman get all of his fishing gear at Kmart, or does he go to a fishing gear specialist? Do elite athletes buy all their sporting gear from Target, or do they go to specialist suppliers? Is price going to be the driver to make people successful, or is it getting the best possible solutions that will determine whether people can achieve their potential?”

A few critiques

First, Damn political correctness. I didn’t realize blind people were now part of the “print disability” community. When did the equally dreadful “visually challenged” fall out of style? I can’t keep up!

Sorry, I digress.

Second, while free or cheap is certainly desired among blind professionals, it’s hardly unique to the blindness community. Who doesn’t like a good deal, and in a market where it costs hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars to read a screen, scan a book, and read the Braille, it’s more than fair to ask why manufacturers continue to peddle prices that are rational for government agencies but completely out of step with reality for the individual consumer?

Third, yes, I am guilty of believing screen reading technology ought to be available to all. The assistive technology industry cannot claim small market arguments to justify exorbitant prices and then turn around with prices only accessible to an even smaller piece of that market. Surely the core products and business models have evolved to a point where companies can drop prices and still enjoy a healthy profit.

Next, Connell’s argument about our need to assign blame is perplexing. Is it the author’s claim that consumers do not have the right to complain when they do not get a return on their investment? He makes the point that we should not judge a product by how much it costs, but rather, by how fully it is meeting our needs. From where I’m sitting, and gauging by the comments accompanying my complaint against Freedom Scientific, the so-called specialists are not fully meeting the needs of the blind professional. Surely the elite athlete has the right to complain when the specialty store fails to produce adequate equipment.

Blind professionals recognize the value of the specialist but equally recognize the specialists too often overlook the value of their customers. Despite the prices, blind customers are still paying for the products, and it is not unreasonable to raise expectations for the amount of productivity you get out of that investment.

While the cost of certain blindness apps can sometimes be higher than usual, people still purchase the products because they fulfill a need. You don’t have to look far beyond the KNFB Reader app to prove the blind will pay if the app is solid.

To be fair, there is a uniqueness to the assistive technology arrangement. The industry does not pitch customers. They pitch to agencies with the capacity to meet market prices, and the agencies are too bureaucratic to demand better deals.

Common Ground

By now you may’ve gotten the impression I thought Connell’s article was outrageous. Not so. His overarching argument that pricing should be second to the best solutions could be painting too simplistic a picture of the status quo, but on the whole, Connell makes some valid points we should consider before deciding the third party screen reader should die.

If the industry is indeed drifting toward a single, built-in solution, I worry about what that means for stability. How many Voiceover and Braille glitches persist in iOS 8? How much attention has Microsoft given Narrator in its regular updates to Windows 8 and later in 8.1? Apple and Microsoft feature excellent accessibility lines, but these teams can only respond to what their products offer today. They are not in the position to execute accessibility bug fixes overnight.

Perhaps there’s comfort in the devil we know? JAWS can be nerve-wracking. Professionals want to squeeze advanced features out of the consumer-friendly System Access. Window Eyes is…Well, it’s Window Eyes. I mean no insult. I’m just too much of a simpleton to understand their command logic, and NVDA always seems to be on the verge of dying if they don’t generate enough donations, but by golly, there’s something to be said for on-the-fly choices when one application can work around an accessibility issue better than the others. I believe I would have already switched to a Mac if there was a logical alternative to Voiceover, which is extraordinary on iOS but worthy of a few offensive gestures on OSX.

Screen readers have generally reached a plateau. This is not because there is nothing else that can be done to make screen readers better. It’s because manufacturers are not devoting as much creative thinking to adapting their product to emerging apps.

Final Thoughts

Am I selling out after railing against my perceived evils of certain companies? I like to do my tiny part to keep them accountable, but I am always going to fall on the side of choice for the blind professional who needs more than one option to get things done.

Perhaps the Freedom Scientifics of the world are also betting Apple and Microsoft will soon dominate the screen reading market, rendering their solution irrelevant. Maybe that’s the best explanation for the general plateau we’re experiencing. If so, we may be in for a rough ride.

The current screen reader landscape could be far better than what it is. Yet, competition creates choice, and choice makes for greater productivity. Microsoft has had ample time to make something extraordinary happen with Windows 8. Maybe something will surprise us in Windows 10 under the new CEO, but I’m not holding my breath. Even if we are pleasantly shocked, I will still consider it a really good thing if customers can continue enjoying a diverse market to get their work done as sighted peers. Whatever Mr. Connell may believe, the blind do appreciate and pay for good products.

Okay, let me have it. If you think built-in screen readers and universal accessibility is preferable to the third party screen reader we love to hate, let me know about it in the comments!

Activate this link to sign up for a new account on Audible and get one free book.

Our recommended book for this episode of the podcast is Haunted Empire: Apple After Steve Jobs written by Yukari Iwatani Kane.

Listen to Lisa Salinger’s demo of setting up a new Audible account using System Access.

We thank Audible for sponsoring this episode of the SeroTalk Podcast.

Jamie, Ricky and Joe are back for another round of news stories in this week’s podcast. After the news, Buddy Brannan sits down with veteran journalist Art Schreiber to talk about his friendship with the Beatles, the current state of the news industry and his new book Out of Sight – Blind & Doing All Right.

Topics covered in this week’s podcast include:

Independence Day

And the audio version of this story is here.

Microsoft Had To Blindfold Me To See The Future

Cities Unlocked: Lighting up the world through sound – YouTube

: Braille printer leads $62m Intel injection for 16 startups

Listen to Buddy Brannan’s interview with Shubham Banerjee, on SeroTalk Podcast 188.

3 Tips for Teaching Young Children with a Visual Impairment How to Become Strong Readers

Braille and Large Print Menus Bring Dining with Dignity

Spread the word and the holiday cheer – @BraillePress has print/braille holiday cards on sale now.

Skype 6.22 JAWS scripts released, typing indicator fixes and over ten more things.

BBC iPlayer Now withAudio Description

Switching From iOS to Android

Eloquence v1.1.7 released

The first phone with Android 5.0 Lollipop is… the 2014 Moto X?!

Amazon Unveils Echo, a Speaker With a Siri-Like Voice Assistant

Office for iPhone Apps: 3 Things to Know

CBS brings a round-the-clock streaming news network to cord cutters

Shaking off Spotify is easy for Taylor Swift; for everyone else, it’s complicated

The top 20 catchiest songs of all time, according to science

Mailbag

From @blind_educator
Good MailBag, good MailBag, you’re back home. YOu were a good MailBag.

Hey there Ms. Enger, Mr. Pauls, and Mr. Steinkamp,

I return MailBag to you nice and clean. I brushed MailBag’s teeth, cleaned behind the ears, and got MailBag ready for the winter. We both had a wonderful time, MailBag tried sharing some Sero Tek secrets, but told MailBag it wasn’t a good thing giving out secrets when someone is trusting MailBag to keep them. We talked about what was good and bad, and MailBag seems to understand. I have no idea why Ms. Enger is the only person that MailBag behaves somewhat. A lot better then Mr. Steinkamp or Mr. Pauls. But I guess MailBag is star stricken because of the Rock Star from EOLShow.

By the way, Mr. Steinkamp if there are some charges on your credit card. MailBag share your card with me. We wanted to see if ApplePay is accessible. So I have it as part of my ApplePay. I have Triple Click Home folks and That Android Show peeps coming over for lunch. Between MailBag and myself, we’re going to see if they can start playing nice and stop the bashing between the 2 shows. I promise not to go over $1,000. Unless MailBag gets really hungry. Please, please, do not over feed MailBag over the holidays, and get all that is on MailBag’s Christmas list. Or wise, MailBag will start acting up again.

Have a good one. Awesome show, keep it up. Really enjoy the trio.

Blog comment from Steven Whiteker:

Thanks again for a wonderful podcast! I agree that when you have a guide dog or a service dog, you need to comply with all laws and also be a responsible person

From Pam Francis:

Hi folks,
As a young child, I was very fortunate to have had a sight-saving teacher take an interest in me & my ability to read as a student of the Missouri school for the blind.
At the time, my vision was considerably less than it is now; yet no one knew the course it would take. Therefore I was taught both braille & print simultaneously. Though I spent most of my school day in a braille atmosphere, I had minimally an hour a day with a sight-saving class working with the print alphabet. I could not read large print at the time. My teacher took a purple crayon to copy stories on to the cream colored paper we had with light green lines.. I was to read that story & come back the next morning explaining what I had read.
I did not realize how valuable that resource would be until I was mainstreamed in the middle of my 4th grade year through the end of my 7th grade year.
I basically did double homework. I learned to type & spell without braille contractions in order to turn my work in to my sighted teachers while making a copy for myself in braille in order to follow along with the class.
My Father spent time in Federal prison. While incarcerated, he took it upon himself to learn braille in order to communicate with me. He initially learned on a slate & stylus. More than once I had to translate many backwards lines of braille in his letters. He finally got a lavender braille writer. We all know how crappy they were.He ultimately got pretty good. He took it upon himself to teach other inmates as a resource they could use on the outside to help break down the communication barriers between the blind & sighted community.

I also had an experience with a pre-school class attempting to explain braille.
I wrote the print letter on a chalkboard with its braille counterpart underneath, explaining how the dots worked. We had a project of baking heart-shaped cookies; as it was near Valentine’s day. As a means for the kids to find their cooky, we used small cinnamon beads to form their names in braille in the cooky dough. They had to pick out their cooky with their names written in braille.
Pam Francis

Roundabout

Why Are Elections on Tuesdays?

Richard Bernstein to Become First Blind State Supreme Court Justice

A great scene from the West Wing for election day, “Do you know if I have to be preregistered or something?”

Titles
Cranky Cortana
Low-vision Ranch
Joe Steinkamp for President
Audible book: The Haunted Empire
Out of sight: Blind but doing all right
blindart@samobile.net
artschreiber.com

Serotek’s own Richard Wells recently had the opportunity to attend the American Foundation for the Blind’s 2014 Vision Expo held in Waco, Texas. While he was there, Richard managed to snag some great interviews which he brought back to the team. We are pleased to feature those interviews in this month’s episode of SeroSpectives. Be sure to visit the Websites of the respective organizations mentioned in this podcast so that you can learn more about what they have to offer.

Neva Fairchild talks with Richard Wells about the American Foundation for the Blind’s 2014 Vision Expo held in Waco, Texas.

Richard visits with a representative of HIMS Inc.

Heather talks about the Texas Talking Book Program.

Steven Thompkins talks with Richard Wells about NFB Newsline.

Kathy visits with Richard about the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services of Texas.

Philips Lifeline offers many health aids such as talking prescription information.

Tracey represents the Dallas Services Low Vision Clinic.

Teresa tells us about Ridgecrest Retirement Village.

Learn about emergency preparedness from a representative of the State of Texas Emergency Assistance Registry.

Jan tells us about the programs available from the Area Agency on Aging.

Everyone on the podcast team survived Seroween … erm … Halloween with plenty of candy to go around. Jamie, Ricky and Joe take a look at this week’s news, mailbag gets a makeover, and Jamie visits with award-winning contemporary Christian artist Ginny Owens about her new project “I Know A Secret”. You can listen to “No Borders,” the first single from her album and pre-order the entire project on Amazon or iTunes. Visit Ginny’s Website to learn more about what she is up to.

A T Talk

Audio Defence : Zombie Arena | AppleVis

Get a sense of what Audio Defence is like with this gameplay trailer.

An Indecent Proposal for Halloween – FamilyConnect: for parents of children with visual impairments

Braille: What It Is and What It Is Not

Beginning Braille Skills | WonderBaby.org

The updated Bookshare website is live! Learn what’s new and take the video tour.

JAWS 16 has officially been released! Details can be found on our homepage under “Featured News”

My Complaint with Freedom Scientific

Apps, the web, and productivity

Play it by ear: Baseball for the blind

Mainstream Matters

Starbucks just announced big news about delivery

Microsoft Band and Microsoft Health: The $199 all-platform fitness band

Google’s Massive Android Update Will Come With A New ‘Smart’ Lock Screen

Amazon exec: Fire Phone was overpriced

Samsung will ‘fundamentally reform’ its smartphones after dire earnings report

Dabbling in the future of payment: A week of Apple Pay and Google Wallet

MCX’s CurrentC, the infamous Apple Pay competitor, says its already been hacked

Meijer is first MCX member to break ranks, continuing to support Apple Pay

The guy behind Google Wallet is back to change payments all over again

Mailbag

From Jenine Stanley:

You all know I couldn’t stay silent on this one so let me explain the various legally allowable types of animals in public and then the reality.

Under federal law, specifically the ADA, Fair Housing Act, Air Carrier Access Act and Rehabilitation Act, there are two categories of animal that someone may be accompanied by and for which that person may have access rights.

“Service animals”, as of March 2011, are classified as dogs only with some exceptions for miniature horses. People who partner with service animals have access rights under all of the above laws. A service animal must, and this is the key, do work or perform tasks to be considered as such. An animal that just makes you feel warm and fuzzy when you pet it doesn’t perform a task. Also, tasks and work must be reliable and able to be duplicated.

Emotional Support Animals can be of just about any species or size, save for air travel where there are restrictions on species. The animal generally has no trained tasks but must be house broken and must conform to standard behavior expected of pets in public places.

The only laws that specifically mention rights for people with Emotional Support animals are the Fair Housing Act and the Air Carrier Access Act. Both of these laws allow people to bring their Emotional Support animals with them on planes and in housing situations. Under both cases, the animal must be prescribed by a mental health professional. This documentation must be presented in very specific ways and the team does not have public access rights.

Where this all gets slippery is when dogs do work such as seizure detection or some of the tasks associated with psychiatric disabilities. If they do tasks that can be repeated and controlled, then they are service animals. If it’s just a random thing the dog, in most cases, does, then it’s not a service animal.

One example in an article I read was of a family who had a lovely and well behaved German Shepherd who helped keep the kids together on family walks. They wanted to take the dog with them into other public spaces so got a service dog vest and called her a service dog. No one in the family had a disability per say. That family admitted to their fraud, sadly most don’t.

I could obviously go on and on about this but technically there’s no difference in access rights between the guide dog and the dog trained to alert someone to low blood sugar or perform a task related to PTSD such as focused grounding when the dog will actively touch or stop the person so he can refocus and shift attention from the distraction to the dog.

The final two thing I do want to note are:

1. With great rights come great responsibilities. This point is all too often ignored by many people, fraudulent or not. If my experienced guide dog is out of control in a public place, I can be asked to leave just the same as if the pocket Poodle yapping at the waitress yet being touted as a service dog, can be removed.

2. Aggression or personal defense has no place in service or emotional support animal work or presence. A lot of people want a dog for such protection and think a little growl is OK now and then. Granted, dogs in and of themselves are deterrents in many cases but specific aggressive behaviors are just not allowed under any access law.

Hope that helps sort of clear things up. the truly frustrating part is that we as guide dog handlers have had to behave and toe the line for nearly 90 years now while all manner of service dog comes along and people just assume they have rights with little responsibilities included. It really drives a rift between disability groups.
Jenine Stanley
jeninems@wowway.com

Blog comment from Dominique

Alan Wheeler well said. That makes lots of since. Prioritize as they say… First, think of saving yourself first, then fun apps after. Otherwise, you’d not be here to play said fun games if you didn’t.

Roundabout

10 Words With Spooky Etymologies

We Are All Confident Idiots

The Blind at Work in an Unusual and Demanding Profession

The team takes a look at the new Apple Mac OS, another check in with Rodney on how he likes his new iPhone 6 Plus then a trip into the world of 4k resolution and beyond. All that and Joe gives into Rodney’s insistence with this month’s app review on High Contrast.

Remember, you can keep up with even more Apple news by listening to SPN’s sister show “Triple-click Home”

Or, for even more up to the minute Apple news, check out the Twitter feed for the show at
https://twitter.com/tripleclickhome

App Review: WWE Super Card

Rodney has mentioned this game enough for Joe to grab it and, be it grudgingly, agree that it’s not bad. Not bad at all. The words “collectable”, “card” and “game” are innocent enough. But adding the letters W, W and E might make one pause. Yet, when combined into the title WWE Super Card, the result is really fun for both fans of the WWE and those who like stat based game play found on so many other mobile apps. The fonts are large, however, some might have problems with the colors on the card’s background images. The game is free and playing a round is fast. It’s out now for both Apple and Android. And, like we said above, it isn’t bad.
Find the app on the Apple App Store at
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wwe-supercard/id775402833?mt=8
And on Google Play at
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.catdaddy.cat22&hl=en

How can you find out what our hosts are up to outside the podcast?

Follow Maurie Hill on Twitter

Check out Maurie’s writing on the AI Squared Zoomed In Blog

Follow Rodney Edgar on Twitter

Check out Rodney on the Tech Access Weekly Blog and Podcast

Follow Byron Lee on Twitter

Check out Byron’s LowVisionRants.com Website

Feel free to send your feedback on this show to resources@serotalk.com

You can always find the latest on this show and others on the SeroTalk Podcast Network

using iBlink Radio for your iOS device or your Android device. You can even leave us an iReport right from the iBlink app.

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to this week’s episode of the SeroTalk podcast where Jamie, Ricky and Joe discuss the top news stories of the week. Then, Lisa Salinger talks with Tyler Thompson, an adaptive technology instructor from New Mexico about iFidget, a soon-to-be-released free app that will unobtrusively alert a person to body movements such as rocking. Stories covered in this episode of the podcast include:

White Cane Safety Day

A subscription free version of Sendero’s Seeing Eye GPS app for iOS is now available for $299

Chicken Nugget 2.4! Better filtering! Better conversations! More stable! Loads of new good things!

Young Ham Recognized for Navigation Aid for Visually Impaired

SPN Special: 100 Years of Amateur Radio

Windows10 Technical Preview – Peering into the future.

Accessibility for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

Apple iPad Air vs. iPad Air 2: Is It Worth the Extra $100?

Features and Bugs of OS X 10.10 Yosemite

Whose Responsibility is Accessibility?

All the New Stuff in Android 5.0 Lollipop

A list of all the Google Now voice commands

Google reveals our embarrassing voice search habits

HBO to Offer Standalone Streaming Service in U.S. in 2015

Watch out, HBO: CBS launches standalone Web TV service

Facebook Safety Check Confirms You’re Okay During a Natural Disaster

Mailbag

Greg Wocher Writes: “Hello SeroTalk Team,
I want to apologize right off the bat because this is going to be a long e-mail. There were so many things in the latest episode that brought back memories. First, Ricky yes it was me that sent in the long e-mail about braille a couple of weeks ago.

When Joe mentioned the mall and Sharper Image I could not help but think about how I use to go to the malls when I was younger and had eyesight.
I use to love to go and look at all the shops. I remember going into the various stores that carried items that you did not see in the regular stores. There was one I cannot remember the name of but it use to carry unique gadgets of various kinds. For example, little unique tool sets in something like a golf bag. I also went to the mall for BDalton books, Walden books, Electronics Boutique and the arcade.

Concerning Pop tarts, my favorite is the frosted brown cinnamon sugar ones. Also when Ricky mentioned chocolate mint pop tarts I thought of York Peppermint Pop Tarts. Sounds good doesn’t it? LOL.

When I had sight I used to play video games a lot. I had the SNES, N64 and the original PlayStation. My family even had the Atari 2600 which we used to play games like Pong and Pitfall on as a family. I even have a working SNES here at the house that my niece and nephew used to get out every once in a while and play Super Mario and Donkey Kong on. I used to have, and may still have somewhere, a system I want to see if Joe remembers. It was called the Turbo Graphics 16. It was competing with the SNES and the Sega but never did catch on. Well that’s it for now.
Have a good week everyone.”

Jenine Stanley
Says: “Oh how I remember installing Windows, from 95 on, with the many floppy disks.

I actually miss one aspect of Windows 95 and 98, the custom Office Assistant in the MS Office Suite. OK, it wasn’t necessarily very helpful as assistants go but in 95 there was a dolphin who made all kinds of cool noises when stuff happened. There were many choices for your Office Assistant but the dolphin was the most fun.

Then I think it was in 98 and office 97 that the dolphin went away and was replaced in our house by the cat. It was this white cat which appealed to us as we have always had pure white cats. The cat was great because when you got an error in Word, say, it would hiss. Our cats talked back to it.

I’m sure there are probably different sound schemes for the Mac that I have not discovered yet so maybe the dolphin can return to my computer. My home Windows 7 machine had a lovely beach soundscape on it but alas, no such thing for the Mac and not enough memory to run it on the work laptop.

Maybe we can get a MailBag soundscape going. Now that’s frightening.”

From matej Augustin

“Hellož!
I finally tried out the NVDA screen reader. It’s… interesting. One of the things I don’t like is the Espeak voice. So, if any of you are using NVDA, could you tell me which voices/tts engines are you using?
There are a few suggestions on their website, but I would still like to hear your input.
Also, some tips and tricks for new users would be helpful.
Thanks in advance and keep up the good work”

Roundabout

Why Your Privacy Matters, Even If You’re Not “Doing Anything Wrong”

10 Grammar Mistakes People Love To Correct That Aren’t Actually Wrong

Video games which open the door for the blind to play

Welcome to this week’s episode of the SeroTalk Podcast. Fast cars and music are just a small part of what we have to offer this time around. After the news, Wade Wingler tells us what’s going on over at the Indata Project. Follow them on Twitter, visit their Website and check out their podcast on iBlink Radio.

Stories covered in this week’s podcast include:

The AT History site seeks to preserve the history of adaptive technology for the blind

Preview of Windows 10 Preview using NVDA

Windows 10 Technical Preview deep-dive: A promise of better things to come

Why Learn Braille as an Adult?

Navigating Immersion Training: Are Sleepshades Blinding Me?

No Barriers Grand Canyon Expedition Reflection

Google’s Conversational Search Gets Smarter, Adds OpenTable Integration

Microsoft CEO Tells Women To Trust The System And Not Ask For Raises

This Week in Tech Episode 479

Amazon to open first physical store

An Overview of iOS 8

What we know (and suspect) is coming in iOS 8.1

Apple’s iPad/Mac/OS X Yosemite event: Here’s what to expect

Apple Reportedly Preparing to Remove Bose Audio Products From Retail Stores

Tesla Unveils New Self-driving Car

Roundabout

David Hasselhoff Makes Dream Come True for ‘Knight Rider’ Fan With Down Syndrome

Peek Inside the World’s Oldest Sealed Time Capsule

Listen To This Woman Sing Two Notes At Once

Isolated vocals: David Lee Roth

Isolated vocals: Joe Elliot

Activate this link to sign up for a new account on Audible and get one free book.

Our recommended book for this episode of the podcast is Ready Player One written by Ernest Cline and Narrated by Wil Wheaton.

We thank Audible for sponsoring this episode of the SeroTalk Podcast.

There is lots to cover in this week’s podcast including the top news stories of the week and an interview with Ioannis Verdelis of Fleksy. Stories discussed in this podcast include:

Windows Technical Preview is Microsoft’s Alchemy Moment

Keyboard Shortcuts in the Windows 10 Technical Preview

Bye, Bing: Microsoft’s Windows apps rebranded as MSN

Microsoft starts rolling out its new Office 365 small and mid-size business plans

Google Launches Drive For Education With Unlimited Storage

Android L 5 release date, preview, features & rumours

Facebook apologizes for manipulating news feeds in psychology experiment

Facebook seeks entry into health care

Apple event reportedly set for October 16 with new iPads, Macs

The Complete Newbie’s Guide to iPhone and iOS

Third-party iOS 8 keyboards offer choice, but Apple limits functionality

MBraille 1.0 for Android is out! Features file management, dropbox support, spell check, direct emails,… coming up for iOS also.

HIMS and Diotek Announce Plans to Enhance and Expand Technologies for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Novasentis and HumanWare Join Forces to Bring Radically New Sensory Experiences to the Visually Impaired

Students developing low-cost, portable Braille printer

Introducing ZoomText Remote Training!

Introducing Leasey Advanced!

if your using the qube again, a new feature list is here

Roundabout

13 Things You Never Knew About Pop-Tarts

The Sound So Loud That It Circled the Earth Four Times

Building a monument to wounded warriors

Contrary to the title of this week’s podcast, Jamie, Ricky and Joe don’t spend all their time talking about food–unless you count Apple, that is. After the news of the week, we give you a short preview of an upcoming special featuring Buddy Brannan at this year’s Ameture Radio Relay League convention marking the 100th year of their existence. Stories covered in this week’s show include:

Jonathan Mann already has a song about iOS 8.0.1

Apple releases iOS 8.0.2 to fix nearly useless iPhone 6 models

Will Apple replace your bent iPhone 6? It depends

Apps with HealthKit integration start appearing in App Store following iOS 8.0.2 fixes

The $84.50 Reason Apple Wants You to Buy That Big iPhone

Apple will survive its terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week because that’s what Apple does

AudioBoo rebrands with a bang as AudioBoom with a newlook app

10 iPhone 6/iOS 8 Features I’d Like to See in Windows Phone

What happens to Windows 7 on October 31, 2014?

Enter the Braille-enabled tablet

From Apple Support: Type onscreen braille

Lisa Salinger offers paid iPhone classes and one-on-one training. You can learn more by stopping by her web page.

New Tech Doctor Podcast “Follow the Dream”

Roundabout

The day the Coast Guard saved America

Anonymous Acts of Generosity: What To Do When You Can’t Say Thanks

Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students celebrates 25 years of inspiring children with disabilities

The new iPhones are out and Rodney has the biggest one there is with the 6 Plus. We get an idea of how much he likes it, there is some talk about viewing iOS8 and another timely App Review by Joe. Check in with the team to see if the Pop Tart, or Strudel, sized phone is the way to go if you are a low vision iPhone user. And remember, if you want even more Apple coverage from SPN, check out our sister show “Triple-click Home”.

App Review: Doctor Who Legacy

The new 8th series of Doctor Who is in full swing, Joe adores match 3 games and we needed an app review for this month. So, a perfect storm of events, brings Joe out of the TARDIS to discuss Doctor Who Legacy. It’s a match 3 game with so much depth and complexity that joe notes it will be hard to find other games to replace it on his iPad and Android tablet. The game features special attacks, you defeat famous monsters from the Doctor Who universe and you can pick up that green dot and move it over to be with its friends. Rather than only being able to move a dot in four directions one space over. This freedom of movement is the best part about the game in Joe’s opinion. Its free, however, there are some nice In App purchases for those who want to move through the game faster. The game has over 50 hours of gameplay with more content being added constantly. Just be sure to visit the settings section and change the way the dots are displayed if you find that the default dots are hard to see.

Mailbag:

Byron notes that the High Contrast Mailable is well behaved when looking at it versus its friends on other SPN shows. And that could be due to a full bag of mail for us to talk about. Like these two emails from John.

“Greetings,

This is my first time listening to High Contrast, and I felt compelled to comment.

My story goes back to the dark ages when I was a teenager. I’ll try to be brief. As for my low vision, I have about 20/400 vision with nystagmus.

I had spent 10 years at a school for the blind before going to a public high school my last couple years. At the school for the blind I didn’t learn mobility skills until my last year there. I was given a folding cane, which I carried stuffed in my jeans pocket through my last two years at public school. I always figured I’d pull it out in unfamiliar territory, but I never had the guts to do it because I didn’t want to be identified as blind.

Somehow I made it through my first year of college. It became obvious to me that I needed rehab training. I was in Nebraska then and went to the rehab center, which required I learn under sleepshades. I’m glad I had that training because it’s easier to discern when vision isn’t efficient for a given task. It’s good to know I can use alternative techniques without shame.

Of course, I learned to use a long, white NFB cane, and I’ve used one ever since. By the way, a long , white cane doesn’t glow in the dark or have a red end. When I went back to college for my second year, fresh out of rehab training, a couple of my friends told me I looked much more confident. They said I didn’t look like I was drunk or on drugs. That was a great affirmation.

These days I use a telescoping cane most of the time. I use it in situations where it may not be necessary because I don’t want there to be any question about me being blind. God forbid, if a car hits me on our busy rural highway, I want the driver to know he or she hit a blind person.

However, I do wear glasses with thick lenses, and this may confuse some people. Nonetheless, it’s much easier for me to explain to people that I’m blind with a little usable vision, than it was in the days of my youth when people didn’t know, and I didn’t know what to tell them.

I often get asked how much I can see. I heard a great answer to this, which I sometimes use. I can see more than you think I can, but less than I think I can.

John”

He then wrote us again with this comment…

“Greetings again,

I forgot in my earlier e-mail to tell you a funny incident concerning carrying my long, white cane.

Recently, we were checking into a motel in Cameron, Missouri, on our way to a family reunion. I was standing in a hallway, waiting for our son to come along. A man stopped and asked if I was going to the cattle sale. I simply said that I wasn’t, and he went on his way.

Since this question had been asked of me one other time, I knew what he was referring to. My cane looks like a show stick used in livestock auctions. In fact, later that day at the reunion, one of my sisters commented how my cane looks like a show stick, at which time I told her of the encounter at the motel.

I wonder if other blind folks in rural areas with canes like mine have had this happen.

John”

Our recent talk about sneeze gards brought in this response:

“OMG! the business card dilemma. The person who ordered business cards for us last time did not check with anyone in my office to verify such important things as actual phone numbers. That not withstanding, this person ordered double sided cards, as you see, we have two organizations that we represent.

Great, I put braille on one side and those people interacting with me in my role for Organization A can read and scan the print but Org B can’t.

Then he got the cards on thick glossy stock. The braille business card stamp we have for our office does not work well on heavy, glossy stock. I now have ghost braille on my cards.

This person was sufficiently yelled at by me and others but I have enough of these business cards to last another couple years.

When I got back from conventions this summer, I did a marathon business card scanning session. this was mostly great but there were a few that never did come out right and one that must have had size 2 font as it had so much info on it. Set the scanner resolution high, people.

I also feel for you guys at buffets. I send my husband up for me and he tries but he only has peripheral vision and well, it’s something but he’s not sure what so try it and if it’s good, he’ll try to remember where he got it.

The sneeze guard is an obstacle on the way out too. I once in my partially sighted days had a big old ladle full of lasagna. I was so proud that I’d even gotten it out of the pan. My arm hit the edge of the sneeze guard as I brought it up an rout and I flipped the thing right onto the sneeze guard. Splat! That was my last attempt at buffets solo.

Jenine Stanley”

And here is a great email from long time listener Pam;

“Hello folks,

Excellent topic! Excellent show. Personally, I have just enough vision to get me in trouble. I do carry a cane when crossing the street. I can see traffic lights, however there are enough idiots on the road these days who think their destination is more important than mine, who run them as much as they stop at them. I can think of two instances, both in Tampa Florida that illustrate opposite examples of identification. First let me explain my eye condition is such that is obvious to anyone looking at me. There are those who think I cannot see anything due to the fact I have clouded corneas along with astigmatism in both eyes. I have had subsequent surgery that has rectified the cornea issue to the extent of giving me the vision I have. I also wear cataract lenses due to having had a cataract removed back in the 90s. My first instance allowed me to use the fact that someone did not know what I could see to my benefit. I enrolled my children in preschool, walked back to the bus stop, asked for help across a small street to get to the stoplight; as it was an unfamiliar area. I was wearing a crucifix given to me by my husband as a Christmas gift. The gentleman who walked with me ultimately stole The chain holding that crucifix from me. He mugged me at the bus corner. I was caring a cane, he figured I could see nothing. What he didn’t know is that I had given him a once over when I ask for his help. I was able to give an accurate description to the police therefore allowing the police to find this man through a crack deal he had made selling my chain for $40. It was returned to me by the grace of God. My second instance has to do with being selected for jury duty. I was also caring a cane in that instance it was more inconspicuous. I carry a telescopic collapsible cane that fit nicely across the center zipper of my purse. While in the jury pool, there was a gentleman who I virtually adopted at his consent allowing me to follow him where he went as we were selected for the same pool. In that situation, the judge and both attorneys have a certain amount of excuses they can use without explanation. All that were present knew I could not see well. Ironically the trial on which I served used a video tape as part of the evidence. While in the proceeding, The attorneys pushed it closer to the jury box for me to see. Though I had my cane with me, it was not prominently displayed giving the impression I was totally blind. I have no doubt those who were in charge of picking jurors paid attention to how I acted and my ability to move with a group of people therefore making a judgment on their own as to what I could see. When the whole thing was over, I approached the judge thanking her for allowing me the privilege to serve given the fact she could have excused me without reason. In a normal situation, I use the vision I have as a defense mechanism. I allow someone to know me before I let them know what I can & cannot see. Hope this helps further your topic. Thanks for reading.

Pam Francis”

Thanks everyone for your comments. It keeps the mailbag purring and oh so happy!

How can you find out what our hosts are up to outside the podcast?

Follow Maurie Hill on Twitter

Check out Maurie’s writing on the AI Squared Zoomed In Blog

Follow Rodney Edgar on Twitter

Check out Rodney on the Tech Access Weekly Blog and Podcast

Follow Byron Lee on Twitter

Check out Byron’s LowVisionRants.com Website

Feel free to send your feedback on this show to

You can always find the latest on this show and others on the SeroTalk Podcast Network

using iBlink Radio for your iOS device or your Android device. You can even leave us an iReport right from the iBlink app.

Thanks for listening!

Join Jamie, Ricky and Joe for this week’s edition of the podcast where they sip Apple juice and talk about all things iOS 8. If you’re tired of hearing about Apple, never fear; there are other stories in this week’s show as well. After the news, Buddy Brannan visits with Jim Gashel about the new release of the KNFB Reader app for iOS. Stories covered in this week’s podcast include:

National Federation of the Blind Applauds Release of KNFB Reader iPhone App

iOS 8 Adoption Lags Behind Past Upgrades — So Far

What’s New in iOS 8 Accessibility for Blind, Low-Vision, and Deaf-Blind Users

The Accessibility Bugs in iOS 8: From Serious To Minor

Apple Confirms HealthKit Bug, Promises Fix by End of September

BlindSquare: Acapela Voices Temporarily Not Available in iOS 8

Braille Moves Forward in iOS 8

Apple TV updated w/ Beats Music channel, refreshed design, Family Sharing, & iCloud Photos

new Victor Reader 2 Update now live

New audio channel makes fashion accessible for people with disabilities

Fred Gissoni

Code Factory becomes global! Check our new website

New TalkBack for Android released. Check the release notes to see what’s new

New Kindle Voyager docking soon

New Amazon Fire Kids Edition

The 3MT Reader Android app is a simple, intuitive way for blind users to read epub and txt books

Microsoft confirms Windows 9 event for September 30, Technical Preview to follow soon after

The new Ken Burns PBS series, The Roosevelts available on the Web with Audio description

Roundabout

Intel Unveils Connected Wheelchair

The 12-y.o. Hero Behind the Lego-Braille Printer: A Not Impossible Original

Here is a link to SeroTalk Podcast 188 featuring Buddy Brannan’s interview with Shubham Banerjee

The Tough MudderExperience

The aftermath of the reason Apple event, a musical mailbag and much more awaits you on this week’s episode of the podcast as Jamie, Ricky and Joe talk about the top news stories of the week. After the news, Pratik Patel joins Jamie to discuss the state of accessibility with regard to Windows Phone. All that plus your feedback makes for a jam-packed episode of the SeroTalk Podcast.

A T Talk

Jaws 16 Public Beta 1

Coming Soon: iOS Access for All Update for iOS 8

Find out more about how Drive and the Docs editors are now a lot friendlier for blind and low-vision users

Google Voice and Hangouts learn to play nice together

2-Hour Refund Window For Paid Apps And Games On The Play Store Is Officially Official

RNIB audio logo competition

Uber sued for allegedly refusing rides to the blind and putting a dog in the trunk

Apple Aftermath

Between Google and Apple, the smartwatch wars are over before they’ve even begun

Some future model of the Apple Watch will probably have more sensors

iPhone 6 vs iPhone 6 Plus: Which one should you buy?

Update: iPhone 6 Plus shipping estimates slip to 3-4 weeks

But what if I didn’t want a bigger iPhone?

Hands on with Apple Pay: NFC, barcode scan, on online purchases!

On Death and iPods: A Requiem

Apple puts up support page to get U2 album out of your iTunes

Mailbag

Hello SeroTalk Team, I have some comments For episode 210. First when you guys were talking about drones and indoor mapping early in the podcast all I could think about was seeing eye drones. Its the wave of the future. Next I was watching the most recent episode of Windows Weekly and they had a Microsoft add promoting Kortana on there I think you guys need to listen to. It will have you rolling on the ground laughing, unless your a big Apple fan. One more thing I want to mention. At the end Jamie and Buddy were talking a little about the Apple watch. When I heard the name on the announcement all I could think was “WOW now we have an A-Watch”. Have a good one and keep up the good work.

Greg Wocher(Your friendly neighborhood BlindMan)

Dear Serotalk staff, my name is Tamer Zaid and I’m from Houston Texas and I’m contacting you’all regarding podcast 209 and I want to comment on what Joe had talked about how people that have short term memory don’t have an idea of there spacial surroundings. Never the less, I’m a person that has a slight short term memory issue and I’m just 21 years old and I had accepted that I have this issue and I rely on my parents too take me places like college and volunteer work. I do suffer from walking with the cane just because I just don’t remember a rout from the first time when I do it. I need practice and practice until I finally get how to do it. I do utilize many tools during my day that can help me with remembering things and one tool that I just love is the iPhone. Also, I do really suggest that wearable technology should be around just because it will help me and might help many people that suffer from memory problems. The way I suffer from that dumb short term memory issue is by not remembering a place that you go to the first time. I’m great at using and knowing how to hold the cane, but I lack at traveling. Also, I’m not a multi-tasker and that makes it even worse. So, I just try to udilize my family and public transportation like Metro Lift here in Houston to go places like volunteer work. I just love being independent. Also, I love tactle maps just because I had vision before and I do still remember from my long term memory how things look like. Also, I do remember things that happened to me before I became blind. I do still remember colors and how things look like and I really thing that a person has to have a visual idea about what their touching like a 3d object to understand what it is. See, I don’t have that problem just because I have seen 3d objects and I do understand how they work. Also, I think that this topic should be widely known and discussed among various blind groups. It doesn’t mean I know it that everybody knows it. So, I think that it is a great topic to talk about. Well, thank you for the great work and I thank you’all for the great work that you’all do. You’all are awesome!

Regards, Tamer Zaid

Roundabout

How Social Media Affects Your Brain and Body

The history of Hold Music

Join Jamie, Ricky and Joe as they discuss all the top news stories of the week except one. Jamie and Buddy will discuss the big story at the end of the podcast. All other stories covered in this episode include:

A T Talk

NVDA 2014.3 now Available

BlindSquare now supports @transitapp, and this podcast shows how it works

Transit App ~ Now with Citi Bike, Divvy & Capital Bikeshare! on the App Store on iTunes

For blind bus riders, a new app boosts independence

Voiceover Easy Home Page

New iBooks Textbook Helps Visually Impaired Visit the Stars Through Touch and Sound

Low-Cost Refreshable Braille Device Available in 2016

Unachievable or Unwanted: Why Is ACE Opposed to Accessibility Guidelines?

Mainstream Matters

Google Unveils The Cartographer, Its Indoor Mapping Backpack

The Smart Home Is Going To Be A Huge Boon To Accessibility

Samsung announces the Galaxy Note 4 and new Galaxy Note Edge

Twitter CFO says a Facebook-style filtered feed is coming, whether you like it or not

Tim Cook Says Apple to Add Security Alerts for iCloud Users

9 Awesome Features Smartphones Still Don’t Have

Cortana vs. Siri vs. Google Now: An early look at how Cortana stacks up (hands-on)

Roundabout

The never-ending story of FXRadio where only your imagination limits what happens

Read lost Charlie and the Chocolate Factory chapter deemed ‘too wild’ to publish

Google’s latest object recognition tech can spot everything in your living room

When Apple launched the original iPhone, there wasn’t anything quite like it. iOS transformed the way that consumers interacted with cell phones, and the App Store unleashed an unprecedented wave of developer creativity. This creativity and ingenuity has lead to leaps forward in accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

Independent Living Resource Center Of San Francisco, in partnership with The Serotek Corporation, will be providing live commentary on today’s Apple event.

Please note this is not an in-person event.

Various community leaders including Mike Calvo, Founder of Serotek, Derek Zarda, Assistive Technology Educator, and Jessie Lorenz Executive Director of ILRCSF will be providing commentary on what may be the most accessible version of iOS yet. Please join us today at 1 PM Eastern as we continue the dream of Steve Jobs, who had a vision of a world where technology erases limitations. Live tweeting and bloggers welcome!

You missed us, right? You know you did! Never fear; the familiar trio of Jamie, Ricky and Joe are back together to bring you the top news stories of the week. So put on your favorite slippers, grab your favorite beverage and enjoy this week’s SeroTalk podcast. Stories covered this week include:

A T Talk

KNFBReader iPhone App to be Released Alongside iOS 8

Free iBill® currency reader pilot begins in the U.S. Sept. 2

All in Access 17: iBlink for Mac, Dropbox Pro, Giant iPads, and Apple Rumors

FSCast Episode 94 – JAWS 16 New Editions

Here is a direct link to version 6.18 of the Skype 6 scripts for Jaws written by Doug Lee

Here is a 12-minute audio description of the scripts:

The Vario Ultra Braille devices have not shipped yet, but the manual is now available:

New audio game: The Ensign

A Touchy Subject – How Useful are Tactile Pictorials?

Now, a detailed molecular map of the eye to help treat vision loss diseases

Mainstream Matters

Dropbox slashes pricing and boosts storage as competition intensifies

Apple’s September event may be its most significant event in years

Apple’s supersized 12.9-inch iPad to land in early 2015

Seeing Through the Illusion: Understanding Apple’s Mastery of the Media

MSN Messenger is shutting down after 15 years of memories

Roundabout

Century-old drug reverses signs of autism in mice

Mindfulness training helps Alzheimer’s patients and caregivers

Harvard Scientists Send the First Transatlantic Smell via iPhone

SPN is excited to bring you audio from the Exhibit Hall floor from the 2014 Blinded Veterans Association National Convention from amazing Reno Nevada. This was our second time to bring our listeners coverage from this event and we would like to express our gratitude to the BVA for inviting us to this year’s convention. We would like to encourage those who may know a Blind Vet, or if you are one yourself, to contact the BVA for more details about their organization and its activities by visiting their website at http://www.bva.org/ or call 800 669 7079.

SPN would also like to thank this year’s Summer Convention sponsors HIMS Inc and Elegant Insights for helping us bring you this, and all the rest, of our Summer Convention specials. Please visit their sites and let them know how much you enjoyed our coverage!

Also, Serotek offers the SAMNet Vets program to Blind and Low Vision U.S. Veterans. This program is free and it has already attracted many to enjoy SAMNet during its availability. To learn more about SAMVets visit http://www.serotek.com/samnetvets or call us at 612 246 4818.

Interviews in this special include…

LogicMark Phone: 866 541 8387 Extension 138

Stay safe with Freedom Alert from LogicMark.

Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation Phone: 860 243 5200

Learn about in-home guide dog training with Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation.

LS&S Phone: 1 800 468 4789

Joe goes shopping for canes and more with LS&S

AbiSee Phone: 978 637 2900

Joe talks portable low vision devices with AbiSee

America’s Vet Dogs Phone: 866 282 8047

Joe talks with representatives of America’s Vet Dogs.

Eschenbach Phone: 1 800 487 5389

Joe talks with Joe about handheld magnifiers and more from Eschenbach.

Audio Eye Phone: 866 331 5324

Take accessibility to a whole new level with Audio Eye.

GH Accessibility Phone: 765 775 3776

GH makes reading books easier on the PC, the Mac and the Web.

eSight Phone: 1 855 837 4448

Learn about electronic eye glasses from eSight.

Welcome to the latest episode of the SeroTalk Podcast. This week, Jamie Pauls, Ricky Enger and Lisa Salinger sit down to discuss the top news stories of the week. Then, Joe Steinkamp sits down with AER president Lou Tutt to discuss the success of their latest convention as well as the past, present and future of the organization. Topics discussed in this podcast include:

A T Talk

NVDASR 2014.3rc1 now available for testing, before final release

Results from the 778 people who responded to the first NVDA Speech Synthesizer Survey, now closed.

Every JAWS User Should Have Leasey!

Samsung Is Making An Ultrasonic Cover For The Galaxy Note 4 To Help The Visually Impaired

30 Days with Android

Accessibility Head-To-Head: Android vs Apple

Beyond Braille: 3-D Printed Books For The Blind

10 Things Not To Say Or Do To A Blind Person

Mainstream Matters

This Week’s Apple Rumors, Ranked From Dumbest to Most Plausible

iPhone 6: A delicate compromise

NFL Now channel added to Apple TV w/ instant in-game highlights, live events and press conferences, more

Microsoft expected to announce Windows 9 on September 30

Former Microsoft CEO Ballmer steps down from the board

What it feels like to be the last generation to remember life before the internet

Roundabout

The Ice Bucket Challenge: Awareness is Not Money

What People With ALS Think of Ice Bucket Challenge

Pres. George W. Bush Takes Ice Bucket Challenge – YouTube

This Blind Grandpa Is Running 11,000 Miles Around The U.S. To Raise Funds For Cystic Fibrosis

Welcome to the first of three specials with recordings from the International AER Conference.

This year marked the 30th anniversary of the organization and you can hear the spirit of this momentous milestone from Ricky and Joe’s Exhibit Hall floor microphones. We would like to thank AER for allowing us to come to San Antonio and capture just some of the event for our SPN listeners. Almost every session from this event will be available from AER themselves. Be sure to follow those links to their sites, or join the organization, to learn more. We would also like to thank our 2014 Summer Show sponsors HIMS Inc. and Elegant Insights for their sponsorship of this, and our other summertime, events. In this special you will hear….

President of AER, Jim Adams, talks 30 years of the past and looks into the future with Joe

Ricky conducts experiments with independence Science

Ricky opens a window on Math with Wolf Products

Joe takes a stroll with Gord from Ambutech

Ricky talks careers and more with the American Foundation for the Blind

Billy Brookshire, of AER, interviews Joe about his thoughts of 30 years and his past time presenting at AER events

Buddy Brannan joins Jamie Pauls and Ricky Enger for this episode of the podcast. Along with the top news of the week including an announcement from Serotek, jamie demonstrates our newly-released version of iBlink Radio for the Mac. Stories covered in this podcast include:

Serotek Announces iBlink Radio for the Mac

Why is Skype forcing a software upgrade on all of us?

GWConnect ends August 4

Free Online Training – Using Skype for Windows Desktop with Window-Eyes

Short Skype course from CAVI

Orbit Research and the Transforming Braille Group Announce Agreement to Produce Low-Cost Refreshable Braille Display

NV Access | Speech Synthesizer Survey 1

Mosen Consulting eBook, “iOS 8 Without the Eye”

Announcing: ChAPPters

Redbox agrees to provide better access for blind customers

Revisiting the “Switch to Android full-time” experiment

Microsoft is finally killing support for old versions of Internet Explorer

4 Reasons Microsoft’s Surface Might Bite the Dust

Windows ‘Threshold’ to drop charms, add virtual desktop

BlackBerry still on shaky ground, but it continues to secure lucrative security clearances

Dial-Up Still a Cash Cow for AOL

Apple, Samsung Agree to End Patent Suits Outside U.S.

Report: Sprint to Drop T-Mobile Bid, CEO | News & Opinion

Roundabout

70 Years of Smokey: The Story of America’s Firefighting Bear

Toddler squeezes through White House fence

With an All-Deaf Wait Staff, New Restaurant Asks Guests to Order in Sign Language

Okay you know how you may plan something out in say, oh I don’t know, an outline? Then, when you start the project, you toss out… say the outline? Welcom to High Contrast 23. In this episode Rodeny, Byron and Joe talk about a great many things. Some examples may include, but are not limited to: Lighting, contrast, hotels, nail guns, Doctor Demento, Steve Austin, roller tips, white pants and of course low vision. All that, and an app review you can play with VoiceOver, on a very unique episode of High Contrast.

App Review: Codename Cygnus

Live the life of a secret agent. Be bold, athletic or clever in your exploits while you battle evil. All while you enjoy an immersive experience on your iDevice. This VoiceOver friendly app has a free option, however, the full game does have an In App purchase.

How can you find out what our hosts are up to outside the podcast?

Follow Maurie Hill on Twitter

Check out Maurie’s writing on the AI Squared Zoomed In Blog

Follow Rodney Edgar on Twitter

Check out Rodney on the Tech Access Weekly Blog and Podcast

Follow Byron Lee on Twitter

Check out Byron’s LowVisionRants.com Website

Feel free to send your feedback on this show to

You can always find the latest on this show and others on the SeroTalk Podcast Network

using iBlink Radio for your iOS device or your Android device. You can even leave us an iReport right from the iBlink app.

Thanks for listening!

Lisa Salinger joins Jamie Pauls and Joe Steinkamp to discuss the top news stories of the week. Then, Buddy Brannan visits with Hoby Wedler, a blind chemist and wine taster. Find out how chemistry and wine tasting come together and discover what happens when a young person doesn’t take no for an answer! Stories covered in this podcast include:

ACB 2014 SPN Special 1

ACB 2014 SPN Special 2

ACB 2014 SPN Special 3

SeroSpectives presents our ACB NFB 2014 Convention Wrap-Up Special

SPN Special: A portion of the NFB 2014 Assistive Technology Trainers Division meeting

ACB coverage from Main Menu

2014 ACB Convention Archives from ACB Radio

David Lepofsky’s American Council Of The Blind banquet speech

2014 National Convention Highlights

AppleVis Extra #23: KNFBReader Mobile

An Open Letter to Mark Riccobono

iOS 8 Is Coming: And We’re Here To Get You Ready With The Master Pack from Fedora Outlier, LLC

Free iBook: Mastering the Macintosh with VoiceOver

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability by Public Accommodations—Movie Theaters

BlindCoolTechArchive

Apple’s Latest Earnings Report Hints at New Products

Apple seen inching closer to a mobile-payment service

How to Safely Install the OS X Yosemite Beta

Windows 8.1 update 2 reportedly will land August 12

Windows 9 image leaks shows the start menu is back

Nadella Merges Windows Phone, Windows

New Google Maps for Android and iOS Takes a Jab at Foursquare

Fleksy Debuts Version 3.0 On Android, With A Complete Redesign And New Premium Features

Is Kindle Unlimited worth it?

Roundabout

What’s Up With That: Why Does Sleeping In Just Make Me More Tired?

BBC News – Blind singer learns visual art of conducting a choir

Join Lisa Salinger and her special guests Chancey Fleet, Jeff Bishop, Joe Steinkamp and Jamie Pauls as they share their observations of this year’s ACB and NFB conventions.

You can also check out SPN’s ACB 2014 and NFB 2014 convention coverage.

Finally, be sure and listen to ACB Radio Main Menu’s convention specials featuring interviews by Jeff Bishop from Las Vegas.

We are again very pleased to be able to bring you a portion of the NFB Assistive Technology Trainers Division meeting. This particular portion of our coverage has proven to be very popular and incredibly informative in past years. And this year is no different. In the first half of this program you will hear Jeff Baser, from Dolphin USA, showing off the new Dolphin Guide, Supernova and discussing the alternative media creation suite.

Jenny Lineback, AT Trainers Treasurer, then leads a panel discussion on some common problems Facility and On Site Trainers face today. Joining her on the panel is Chip from the Colorado Center for the Blind and Jack from the Louisiana Center for the Blind.

While this isn’t the whole Division meeting, the entire audio can be found by contacting the AT Trainers Division directly. Send an email to President michael Barber at michael.NFBI@gmail.com. Or, join the NFB AT Trainers mailing list at

You asked for more on Twitter. So here’s another interview from Baum USA

Jamie catches Jeff from Dolphin talking about their booth partner Irie A T

Perk up your ears to hear details from Guide Dogs for the Blind

Check out the services available from the Lutheran Braille Workers

Making drug bottles more accessible, listen to what Accessamed has to offer

Embossing all sorts of things with Enableing Technologies

Jamie tags in Braille Design

Find your way with GuideLights & Gadgets

We open the program with one of our SPN Summer Show sponsors to talk jewlery, charms and those wonderful Elegant Insights

Books are their business at the national Library Service

Serotek, through iBlink Radio, is happy to be a long time supporter of IAAIS

Jamie goes on a quest with EnVision America

Wagging tails and Guiding Eyes

Jamie goes back to class with the Hadley School for the Blind

Not to far away from nevada, here’s what’s going on with the Missouri Council Of The Blind

New help coming to those suffering with Non 24 Sleep Disorder with Hetlioz

Mr. Lakey stops by to discuss all the new changes at Freedom Scientific

Jamie goes for a walk with Leader Dogs

Custom products from Navajo Jewlery

Its always a “HIMStastic” day when Dave and Jamie talk what’s new at HIMS Inc.

Learn about the new Money Identifier program from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing

Jamie goes to the dogs with the Seeing Eye

Become more involved with the ACB Student Council

Reading is always fun when its with the National Braille Press

Here from the host state themselves when Jamie speaks with the Nevada Council of the Blind

We check in with Jeremy Curry, one of the hosts of SPN’s own “High Contrast”, from Ai Squared

Education is the key for the American Printing House for the Blind

Puppy power, Jamie and the Guide Dogs of America

Apple OSX support coming to Duxbury Systems

reading in many ways with Optelec

While Jamie and Mailbag were both busy in Vegas, Joe Steinkamp, Ricky Enger and Lisa Salinger were back at home recording another podcast. After the news, Lisa demonstrates some of the new features found in the latest update of iBlink Radio.

Stories covered in this week’s podcast include:

iBlink Radio updates live, Amazon Fire support added

SPN Special: Eight Interviews From NFB 2014

NFB 2014 Interview Special 2

NFB 2014 Interview Special 3

HIMS Part 1

HIMS Part 2

New Access World for July 13, 2014

DAISY Consortium is looking for a new CEO

A grant and new hire means A more certain future for free screen reader NVDA

Job Access With Bugs?

Easter Seals Crossroads on full page Braille tablet and more

Zoomtext for Mac Free v1.1.3 Update released. Adds smooth panning and tracking changes

APH releases Visual Brailer app

Access Note has gone free

Career Connect for iOS released

Happy Anniversary to Seeing Eye GPS app! To celebrate we have a new release. By popular request, users now have the option of Google maps.

Ios 7.1.2 changes

KNFB Reader for iOS at end of August, $99 and audioboo demo

Comments on Resolution 12 from President Rickabono

NFB says Apple has done more for access than others

Apple urged to increase accessibility for the blind and deaf

The power and promise of accessibility

Apple does more for accessibility, Android users frustrated

Accessibility in Google Apps – an overview

Roundabout

The potato salad Kickstarter is “the Woodstock of our generation”

This is the sound of electric cars racing

D&D 5th Edition Basic Rules Free Download

Our thanks go out to Andre Louis and Patrick Purdue of PD Audio Productions for the theme music heard on this podcast.

Welcome to our second NFB 2014 HIMS special. This time around, you get two presentations in one as Dave and Andy demonstrate the Blaze EZ, HIMS’ new book reader with OCR and more. Then, they discuss the latest updates to the BrailleSense firmware that powers HIMS notetakers. There’s a lot to learn, so let’s get started.

We would like to thank HIMS Inc. for being one of the sponsors for this year’s NFB convention coverage.

HIMS Inc.–sponsor of this year’s SPN NFB 2014 coverage–provides an overview of their low-vision solutions including the revolutionary E-bot Pro, a portable distance reading, writing and video magnifier with iPad connectivity.