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.

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.

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.

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

Welcome to this week’s edition of the podcast which manages to combine electronics, food and airplanes all into one show. How do Jamie Ricky, Joe and Mailbag manage this? You’ll just have to listen for yourself in order to appreciate the amazing artistry involved! After the news, Mike Bullis, Executive Director of the Image Center of Maryland, talks with Jamie Pauls about the Aging and Disability Skills Gateway, an ambitious new project that endeavors to fundamentally change how people with all types of disabilities obtain knowledge on how to accomplish ordinary and not-so-ordinary tasks. Stories covered in this episode include:

iOS8.1 is here. @AppleVis has the details on what got fixed for VoiceOver users

Emirates innovates with inflight entertainment for the visually impaired

Touchable Memories allows visually impaired to “see”

Magical Gardens for the Blind, Deaf, and Disabled

New Software Lets the Visually Impaired 3D Print a Map To Go

Registration now open for FREE Web Accessibility Training for Developers

Verizon unveils National Accessibility Customer Service (NACS): 888-262-1999

Hospitality, Accessibility and the ADA

Accessibility features on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Nexus 9 hands-on and first impressions

4 Reasons Amazon’s Fire Phone Was a Flop

First major update to Windows 10 Preview, delivered through Windows Update

Why the Mac momentum may just be starting

How to set up and troubleshoot Apple Pay

Apple Pay for Travel: Very Far from Great, or Even Good

Google Is Making Some More Noise About Google Wallet

Roundabout

NASA has a new SoundCloud page FULL of mission, spacecraft, and historic audio…an immensely compelling listen.

ever hear the sound of northern lights?

Unconventional Orchestras and Bone Conduction Headphones

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

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!

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

Maurie is back, to the happiness of Rodney and Byron, and she has brought along a fantastic topic for this month’s episode. Many low vision people struggle with where, when and what times they should self identify in public. Sure, the airport seems like a logical place to carry a cane, however, a trip to the local store might be the place where overconfidence can trump your need for assistance in interacting in that environment. Not to mention when reading the sides of cereal boxes. How did that text get so small anyway? Join us as we talk about examples of self identification, a few trademark ramblings off topic and another game review by Joe that you can play with your eyes open or closed.

Here is the link, to the NPR story, that got Maurie to thinking about low vision self identification

Additionally, from the ACLU, here is a link to a PDF about knowing your rights when talking with the authorities that Rodney found on the Daily Tech News Show website.

App Review: Blindfold Racer

Grab your headphones and driving gloves. It’s time to speed down the track, avoid chickens and turn in your best times with Blindfold Racer for iOS. This free app works with Voiceover and is a great pick up and play kind of game. You will tilt your device to steer around obstacles and barrel through turns. It sounds simple, but can you keep the center of the track between your ears as you avoid the crazy obstacles? Try out the app and see if you can be the ultimate driver!

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!

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 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

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!

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

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

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.

We would like to thank HIMS Inc. and Elegant Insights Braille Creations for sponsoring this year’s NFB convention coverage.

There are many new updates coming to NFB Newsline

Make your own drawings with Easy Tactile Graphics

Purchase talking watches and more from ILA

There is a wealth of reading available from National Braille Press

Welcome to our first SPN special from NFB 2014 in Orlando, Florida. Ricky Enger and Joe Steinkamp have been hard at work talking with many of this year’s convention exhibitors, so sit back and enjoy the following interviews from the 74th annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind.

We would like to thank HIMS Inc. and Elegant Insights Braille Creations for sponsoring this year’s NFB convention coverage.

Matthew of Humanware talks with Ricky Enger about some exciting updates coming to the second generation Victor Reader Stream.

Joe Steinkamp visits with John Wilson of 3D Photoworks about 3D objects in real time and space.

Ricky Enger learns about Echo-Sense, a mobility aid for the visually impaired.

Joe Steinkamp explores portable low-vision solutions from Abisee.

Ricky Enger speaks with Tony of Enabling Technologies about their latest Braille embossers.

Joe Steinkamp talks with Odin Mobile about the latest news about their mobile phone solutions.

Heather of VitalSource Technologies talks with Ricky Enger about their accessible electronic textbooks.

Ricky Enger brings us some exciting news about the soon-to-be released KNFB Reader.

Its finally summer time. Sand, surf, sidewalks, some other S words. You know the time where you venture out of the home and possibly commune with nature. This month Rodney, Byron and Maurie talk about what they use to combat the evil rays of the sun. And we have an app review plus the Mailbag. So sit back in that cheap outdoor lawn chair and join us while we talk sun shades.

Here are some suggestions for where to start on the perfect pair of sunglasses. Remember, you may want to go see these options in person as some may not fit your face well when it comes to wraparound lenses. Also, you may find that red works better than gray on a tint. Or green, or blue. Everyone has their own style as you can see from these examples.

CPF lenses (originally made by Conrning)

Remington Shooting Glasses

Fuel Cell by Oakley

Gunnar Computer Glasses

And don’t forget hats. A good hat can let you avoid some glare issues without having something on your face. And at the pool or beach, it is an alternative to having water spots on your lenses if you rely on sunglasses for summer eye protection.

App Review: Marvel Puzzle Quest Dark Reign for iOS

joe is a bit perplexed. He has been playing this game for more than a month. He hasn’t spent a dime. But he can’t fully recommend this Match 3 title because it’s a low vision nightmare. If you have issues with colors, shapes or text on and odd background… stay away. Or get the app, try it and uninstall. If you do decided that you want to have Iron man, Storm, Black Widow and others beat up the bad guys by matching colors and shapes in spandex, give this one a shot. Its great for the cheap gamer and you can use Zoom on iOS to help you get through the rougher spots on the UI.

Mailbag:

Check out Rodeny, Byron and Ranger1138 on the latest End of Line talking about what you could watch on your TV or tablet this summer. If you don’t like the outdoors that is of course.

Wayne writes in with this comment…

“Morning everyone, Just a handy tip that I thought you might find helpful. I was listening to the last episode when you were mentioning about not wanting pasccodes announcing in public places by voiceover. I am a non-visual user of the iPhone and also don’t want pass codes announcing. There is a good solution though. If you turn on the handwriting mode in the rotor, you will be able to handwrite your passcode in the passcode field. The code is not announced when in handwriting mode on the lock screen. Hope that’s useful. Also, to prevent your text messages announcing in the lock screen, you could disable them in the notifications centre re: turning them off in the lock screen. There’s more inconvenience with this re: the text alert tone will sound but you’ll need to go into messages.I suppose the other option would be to mute voiceover with the double triple tap gesture and turn it on again after the text alert sounds. Keep up the good work at Serotek. It’s all very helpful. Although I am an iPhone user, I do also like to keep in touch with Android developments through that Android Show. too. Maybe they’ll be the option of @That Windows Show@ soon eh? Thanks again for all the effort your teams put into the shows. Best regards, Wayne”

Neat! That was one we hadn’t considered at all. Good catch!

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!

Replay the Accessible Event archive of This Month in Tech for May

Jeff Bishop is an IT Accessibility Analyst at the University of Arizona. He describes himself as a “Developer, technologist, Window-Eyes scripter, Broadcaster and family oriented guy” and is probably best known for his broadcasts on various community radio stations.

Janet Ingber has been writing for AccessWorld since 2005, and cohosts two podcasts on How to be Blind. Her new book, “Learn to use the Mac With VoiceOver” is now available from National Braille Press. Janet has a Masters Degree in Music Therapy and provides services for adults who have developmental disabilities. Additionally, she is certified as a special education teacher. Janet lives in New York City with her husband, daughter and guide dog, Jack.

Byron Lee is a Ham Radio Operator (KC9EEK), Broadcast Personality, Audio Engineer, Voice Over Artist, Web Designer, IT Professional, and most importantly, a huge geek! He is currently employed by Horizons for the Blind, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people who are blind or visually impaired, and is currently working on the DirectionsForMe project, a one stop source for accessible packaging information. In addition, Byron hosts two Internet radio shows. The Talk Zone is a two hour program about adaptive technology, disability rights, science fiction, pop-culture, and just about any other topic. The Fun Zone is a one hour program featuring comedy music. His shows are simulcast on ACB Radio Mainstream, and several other online radio stations. Byron has also been involved in other radio shows and podcasts, and is a frequent contributor on the SeroTalk Podcast Network. Find out more about Byron on his website or take a look at his newest project, the Low Vision Rants Website.

In the Community

HIMS Inc. Releases New Pocket-sized Media Player that Gives Blind and Visually Impaired Near-Instant Access to Printed Text

The Penguin Random House/Bookshare Partnership

BlindSquare celebrates two years; releases Version 2.0.

General Tech

Amazon, Twitter link up for easy shopping through #AmazonCart

Text-to-911 is here, but it isn’t everything you might think

Windows Phone 8.1 Launching June 24

WWDC

Information on iOS 8 now added to the Apple website

Information on OS X Yosemite now added to the Apple website

Apple publishes Swift programing language guide on iBooks

32 Hidden Features in Apple iOS 8

To help remake accessibility training as we know it, visit http://www.a11y.tv/ to view training subscription options and make your contribution to EZFire’s A11YTV funding campaign.

Join Jamie, Ricky and Joe as they manage to talk about more than just the news from Apple’s WWDC keynote. Never fear, though; they discuss that topic at some length. After the news of the week, Jamie sits down with Mike Calvo to talk about the Philips HD8753/87 Intelia Automatic espresso machine. Topics covered in this podcast include:

A T Talk

HIMS Inc. Releases New Pocket-sized Media Player that Gives Blind and Visually Impaired Near-Instant Access to Printed Text

Mac Master Series FAQ

Introducing Magnificent, a new magnifier app for iOS

Chicken Nugget 2.3: YouTube support, hidden timelines, run at startup, more!

Try the New ZoomText Beta for Windows 7

Google Glass gives the deaf an ASL interpreter, even in the dark

Mainstream Matters

CD Players, Reluctant Technology Learners, and the iPod

Samsung Simband Preview

Google’s prototype electric self-driving car seats two, has no steering wheel

Surface Pro 3 Is Coming

Summary of Announcements from WWDC 2014 Keynote | AppleVis

Roundabout

Legendary author Maya Angelou dies at age 86

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings narrated by Maya Angelou

Long-lost, 1958 recording of Tolkien explaining Lord of the Rings has been unearthed

Mike Calvo’s review of the Philips HD8753/87 Intelia Automatic espresso machine

My review is as much about an excellent product as it is about an outstanding company. Let’s face it. Either the product is decent but the customer service is terrible, or worse, the product sounds great, but the interface is not accessible.
As a coffee aficionado, I was excited about the glowing reviews of the
Philips HD8753/87 Intelia Automatic espresso machine. A quiet grinder,
a smaller form factor, a convenient milk frother and easy programming
are just the beginning of what amounts to an amazing appliance. At a
price north of $1,000, one should expect nothing less, right?
Well, for blind consumers that’s a highly subjective question.
Companies rarely consider the potential blind end user, but in the case of Philips the reception could not have gone better.
My experience actually began before the package even landed on my doorstep. I called customer service to try to make sense of the product. Being the skeptic that I am, I wanted to make sure I would be able to utilize the espresso machine as soon as it came out of the box.
Daniel S, the helpful customer support representative, did not shy away from the challenge of explaining the machine to me when he learned I had a visual impairment. Instead he went and got himself in front of a model similar to what I’d ordered and proceeded to explain the order and function of each button.
Yeah, you could attribute it to the courtesy of one representative,
but later, after the machine had arrived, I called again to inquire
about some functionality of a special drink button I could not figure out.
The next guy proved to be just as friendly and accommodating as the
first guy, effectively proving that at Philips there is a prominent
culture of customer-oriented service. Even better? The PDF manual I
downloaded from the website was readily accessible for my screen
reader. That’s not typical considering the image-only manuals and
tutorials blind customers are accustomed to. Okay but how’s the
coffee? In a word: “AMAZING!” The wide variety of options this machine
provides will yield years of yummy coffee goodness! After all the
help from Philips I was able to set up the machine and enjoy my very
first coffee with absolutely no sighted help. I never can get over the
pleasure of purchasing a product and completing it’s setup
independently. Now here’s all you ever wanted to know abut the
Philips HD8753/87 Intelia Automatic espresso machine: Product
features

Save your favorite coffee settings
You will always get a perfect cup of espresso brewed just for you,
according to your personal preference, thanks to the innovative memo
function to adjust the coffee length, strength and temperature. Enjoy
a superb coffee drink in your favorite cup with just the press of a
button. Play with the coffee’s richness with the HD8753/87’s
adjustable grinder

Different coffee blends require different levels of granularity for
the full flavor to unfold. The grind granularity of this espresso
machine can be adjusted in 5 settings, from the finest grind, for a
full bodied espresso, to the coarsest, for a lighter café crème.

Enjoy coffee without burned taste thanks to a 100% ceramic grinder
Saeco uses ceramic grinders because of their consistent grind without
overheating the coffee bean for an impeccable espresso. Ceramic also
ensures long-lasting performance and a really quiet operation when
grinding your favorite beans.

Easy cleaning thanks to the removable
brewing group The brewing group, a Saeco invention, is the heart of
the HD8753/87.
ensuring automation. The brewing group is easily accessible from the
side. It can be removed effortlessly for cleaning by rinsing under the
tap ensuring maximum hygiene.

Coffee without the wait thanks to the
quick heat boiler The Saeco quick heat boiler technology ensures your
machine is always ready. Now you won’t have to wait between brewing
each espresso, but can prepare coffee after coffee. So, you can share
your new indulgence with friends.

Perfect froth thanks to the dual
chamber milk carafe Enjoy your milk specialties fully automated with
the patented milk carafe with dual chamber technology. Simply pour
milk into the carafe, plug it into the machine and select your coffee
drink. With the dual chamber technology you will always enjoy
professional coffee drinks with dense, long-lasting milk froth at the
ideal temperature from a constant splash-free flow of milk. Avoid
heat loss and fit every cup with the adjustable spout

The adjustable
spout on Philips’ espresso machines will fit every cup and thus
prevents the coffee splashing or cooling down while pouring in your
cup. This way your espresso is always served at the right temperature
while maintaining a clean machine.

Easy cleaning thanks to
dishwasher-safe parts For your convenience, you can put the Saeco’s
drip tray and milk frother or milk carafe in the dishwasher. This will
save time and ensure a hygienic cleaning. You will always have a
clean machine thanks to auto-clean and descaling
Saeco designed this espresso machine to automatically clean its
coffee circuit with water upon starting up or switching off of the
machine. This delivers a great, fresh taste with each cup of coffee.
Regular descaling prolongs your espresso machine’s life.

Technical specifications

Perfect Espresso
Espresso technology • Saeco adapting system • Aroma-system:
pre-brewing

Easy to use
Cleaning and maintenance • Automatic coffee circuit rinse
• Descaling cycle
Usage • Adjustable coffee dispenser
• Cup holding surface
• Rapid steam
• Removable brewing group
• Normal / long espresso option
Energy saving
Energy saving Automatic stand-by

The bottom line? It’s been a gratifying experience. The best part of
waking up might be the shot of espresso to jumpstart the morning, but
my day is made all the more productive when I know that if my machine
has issues, I can call a company that just gets it. No separate but
equal accessibility telephone lines, just helpful people who can
easily bypass the visual impairment stigma and go on about the
business of helping me like any other customer. Thanks Philips! You
certainly have a happy customer here!

To help remake accessibility training as we know it, visit to view training subscription options and make your contribution to EZFire’s A11YTV funding campaign.

Rodney, Byron and Maurie spoke about the joys, or perhaps lack there of, for low vision users in iOS 7 a few episodes ago. Well, in honor of the recently released iOS 7.11 and joe having a spiffy new iPad Air, the team has reconverged to discuss the latest iOS and its changes made to better aid those with vision impairments. They’ll also talk “Growing up Fisher”, canceled by NBC not too long after the show was recorded, plus the typical unexpected topics that can be so magical on a show like ours.

Here are some things that came up in conversation….

BBC News – Glow in the dark road unveiled in the Netherlands

Rodney mentioned the 8 Bit Classic from Activision. All hail “Enduro’!

Recommended by Byron, Luke and carrie’s “Bad Report” Podcast

Confused about what Ringtone Rodney helped accidentally create? Well, check out the Out Cast for 2012 to hear it in context.

And download it for your very own

App Review: Star Wars Assault Team

Speaking of that new iPad Air, although this game is also on Windows Phone and Android as well, Joe is playing what amount’s to a strange mix of a card battler with a turn by turn RPG set in the Star Wars universe. It’s a free title, however, it will force [ha ha force!] you to consider handing over money at somepoint midway through the game. All your SW Regulars are there with Han, Luke, Chewie and so many Droids. It’s a fun romp, its free and it is great for killing time while waiting in the burger line for lunch.

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 yet another episode of the SeroTalk Podcast. After a look at the top news stories of the week, Jamie reviews the new generation Victor Reader Stream from Humanware. Topics discussed in this episode include:

A T Talk

Blind protesters rally against alleged discrimination

What the Shift to Mobile Means for Blind News Consumers

A disappointing TV breakthrough

Hiring Blind: The Misconceptions Facing America’s Visually Impaired Workforce

New Story Explores Braille’s Role and Use in Accessible Technology and the Digital Age

the afb 2014 helen keller achievement awards

Michigan man among 1st in US to get ‘bionic eye’

Six iPhone microphones, and a look at iOS noise reduction by BorrisInABox

The Sharp Talking Time (80’s talking clock) played with an orchestra, but not for long. This is why

Drone rock: Robotics company creates a flying, musical band

Mainstream Matters

Google Glass becomes available to everyone, promptly sells out

The end is nigh for Google Glass

Fixing a broken Google Glass

Apple releases iOS 7.1.1 update with Touch ID, keyboard improvements, bug fixes

Apple Opens Up OS X Beta Testing to All Users

Tim Cook’s game with Wall Street: Underpromise and overdeliver

Microsoft Surface Mini to debut in mid-May?

Amazon Prime Pantry: 45 Pounds of Groceries Delivered for $6

Roundabout

Detroit’s Airport Just Installed a $75,000 Indoor Dog Bathroom

Parents Stunned by ‘Big and Beautiful’ 14-Pound Newborn

IT’S A SMALL WORLD: THE MOVIE directed by Jon Turteltaub is a real thing Disney wants to make!

This month Rodney, Maurie, Byron and joe talk television and movies. A recently released NBC series has both Low Vision and Blind groups taking notice of the portrayal of its lead character who plays someone with Low Vision. Our team has thoughts about the initial episodes and if they believe some of the humor is universal or if it’s just way off the mark entirely. We’ll also discuss the rise, fall and rise again of Solo DX. At the time of the show’s initial recording the app was fine. Then after the show was edited the app was shuddered. And now, as you read this, the app has new life. Oh how 60 days can be like 7 years in internet time! Find out more about Solo DX in our discussions and stick around for joe’s app review.
Learn more about “Growing Up Fisher” by visiting the official NBC page

Joe noted that NBC canceled a show last year with a Blind character in it, and Matthew perry from “Friends” was in there too, called “Go On”.

Rodney mentioned another show that has featured a Blind character recently is “Covert Affairs” on the USA network.

Take a listen to SeroTalk 179 and hear the interview recorded at the launch of the Solo DX app

Disability Need Not Be Barrier for Moviegoers

Read more about the transition for Solo DX to its new home with Accessibility Hound

App Review: Umano

Since you happen to be reading show notes for a podcast at the moment, chances are you like to hear news and stories read to you by people with nice voices. Umano, both for Android and iOS, is today’s top headlines [and more] read by professional voice artists. Both versions of the apps have their own hang ups with their own screen readers, the app is pretty bright and needs a night mode… but still. If you want to read lots of news with real voices of current news, you can’t go wrong with Umano.

Our Sponsor

We didn’t cover it in this episode, however, be sure to catch joe’s interviews with some up and coming Video magnifiers from our SPN CSUN 2014 coverage. HIMS, our coverage sponsor, released a Video Magnifier that connects to an iPad or an Android tablet. To learn more about eBot, listen to our SPN CSUN Special.

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!

Join Jamie, Ricky and Joe as they reconvene after a bit of an absence to discuss the top news stories of the week. Following the news, we bring you one last interview from CSUN as Joe visits with Chet of Ability Magazine about all they have to offer.

All of Google’s Jokes for April Fools’ Day 2014

SeroTalk Podcast 193: News for April 1, 2014

Triple-click Home Episode 28: Turn Right On “A” Street

That Android Show Episode 26: Your Android Is Not My Android

The Great Big List from the 2014 CSUN International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference

If you missed last week’s HadleySchool seminar by ricky Enger on exploring the Socializer, catch the archive here.

The “Re-Invention” of Braille Card Games

Avoiding BT keyboard issues in iOS 7.1

Boston Marathon Visually Impaired Participants Increases to Most Ever

Amazon’s Fire TV Is Powerful, but Voice Search Limitations Hamper User Experience

Amazon Fire TV vs. Chromecast vs. Roku vs. Apple TV

Amazon’s Fire TV: It’s about the off-Prime engagement, e-commerce

Mouse and keyboard-friendly Windows 8.1 update arrives April 8

Windows 8.1 Update 1 Review

Windows 9 ‘Threshold’: Rumors, Release Date, News, Features and More

iBeacons and airports: Results from a real-world test

inMarket lets specific brands, not just retailers, target shoppers using iBeacons in-store

United Nations uses iBeacons to simulate a minefield & raise awareness at NY museum

Mailbag

From Brett:

Hi SeroTalk.

I was listening to podcast 191, and I wanted to comment on some reasons I believe so many people are still using Windows XP. First, I’ll cover some reasons why some blind users still insist on using XP. Games (such as those written by Robert Betz don’t run on more modern operating systems. Other games (such as Grizzly Gulch and Chillingham from Bavisoft) will work on newer operating systems, but users who run them on a modern OS will experience stability issues.

The biggest reason why people (both blind and sighted) insist on staying with XP in my opinion is that they simply don’t believe/understand the security risks. Some users feel that Microsoft is simply trying to snatch their money by scaring them, and that as long as antivirus software is supported, everything will be fine. Also, I believe that more computer users then we might expect don’t understand the importance of Windows Update and the security patches Microsoft releases for supported operating systems. There you have the reasons I was given by friends and family members still insisting on using Windows XP. I’ve done my best to encourage my friends and family members to upgrade. Sadly, some XP users will likely have to face the consequences of staying on XP after support ends, not upgrading until after they’ve experienced malware and data theft. XP’s popularity will then sink, just as WINDOWS 98’s did. I hope you’ve found these comments useful, and thanks for producing such a great podcast.

Roundabout

Helen Keller Letter on Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony Goes Viral

How I heard for the first time

Why You Shouldn’t Share Those Emotional ‘Deaf Person Hears for the First Time’ Videos

BBC News – Stolen Gauguin painting ‘hung on factory worker’s wall’

Wheelchair Users Can Go Down Stairs with New Invention

In this CSUN 2014 presentation, Joe Steinkamp, Ricky Enger and Dave Wilkinson demonstrate cloud-based solutions, mainstream tablets, PC’s and iDevices along with assistive technology from HIMS, Inc. and Serotek Corporation for complete access to information from anywhere.

In this CSUN 2014 presentation by HIMS Inc., Dave Wilkinson explores the comparative efficiency of completing educational tasks using iPads and Braille displays and Braille notetakers.

The SeroTalk Podcast Network would like to thank HIMS Inc. for sponsoring our coverage of this year’s CSUN convention.

Welcome to another round of interviews from the convention floor at CSUN 2014. Our thanks to HIMS Inc. for sponsoring this year’s coverage. Please visit the Websites of the companies represented in these interviews to learn more about their products. Included in this special are:

VisionAid

LS&S

GW Micro

Freedom Scientific

Braille Edge Interview by Jamie Pauls

Welcome to another round of interviews from the convention floor at CSUN 2014. Our thanks to HIMS Inc. for sponsoring this year’s coverage. Please visit the Websites of the companies represented in these interviews to learn more about their products. Included in this special are:

Discover Technologies

En-Vision America

Capti

EnableMart

Optelec

Reinecker

Sight Enhancement Systems

Do-It

Enhanced Vision

Triumph Technology

Welcome to another round of interviews from the convention floor at CSUN 2014. Our thanks to HIMS Inc. for sponsoring this year’s coverage. Please visit the Websites of the companies represented in these interviews to learn more about their products. Included in this special are:

Altix

Ambutech

Aumed

APH

Bookshare

Joe visits with Big E

Canon

Code Factory

Dancing Dots

HIMS Inc.–sponsor of this year’s SPN CSUN coverage–redefines magnification with their presentation on E-bot, a revolutionary new low-vision product. We trust that you will enjoy the presentation.

Ricky and Joe hit the ground running just as soon as they arrived at this year’s CSUN convention. This year’s CSUN coverage is sponsored by HIMS Inc. We trust that you will enjoy the first nine interviews to come from this year’s convention. Be sure and check out the links to the various companies represented in the following interviews. They include:

HIMS Inc

AFB

Alexandra Vision

American Thermoform

Computer application specialties

GH

Maxi Aids

Tactalis

Telorion

Welcome to our first SPN special from CSUN 2014. Joe and Ricky were both so excited about this year’s CSUN coverage, that they got started a bit early. They sat down with representatives from Dolphin, Humanware and AI Squared to find out what those companies would be showing off at this year’s CSUN convention. Be sure to visit the Websites of these companies to learn more.

Welcome to this week’s episode of the SeroTalk Podcast. Once again, Jamie, Ricky and Joe discuss the top news stories of the week. After the news, Buddy Brannan talks with the developer of the RiVO Keyboard, an innovative new input system for iOS devices.

A T Talk

Blind Bargains: Results of the 5th Screen Reader Survey from WebAIM Released

Why screen reader detection on the web is a bad thing

Thoughts on screen reader detection

Assistive Technology Detection: It can be done right

Apple ends security updates for Snow Leopard

Apple Releases OS X Mavericks 10.9.2 with Security, VoiceOver, and Other Improvements

New audio game from the Papa Sangre team looking for Kickstarter funding

Beta testers wanted for new audio zombie game. Fill out this form to apply

New album just released: Andre’s Idea Factory volume i

A rugged talking phone: how good is the Convoy 3?

Google’s Project Tango cuts the rug at Mobile World Congress

Mainstream Matters

Everything You Didn’t Know You Could Do with Google’s Voice Commands

Microsoft’s Cortana Described As A Mix Between Siri and Google Now

Microsoft experimenting with free version of Windows 8.1

Mac and iOS users, here’s how to install that major security fix

Apple preparing software update to enhance functionality of iPhone 5s Touch ID

Apple Patents Solar Charging System for Laptops

Apple TV sales topped $1 bilion in 2013, becoming Apple’s fastest growing hardware

For a few days, Apple TV comes with a $25 iTunes bonus

Tim Cook Soundly Rejects Politics of the NCPPR, Suggests Group Sell Apple’s Stock

10 questions successful wearable device makers will have to address

Everything’s Amazing And Nobody’s Happy

Mailbag

Blog Comment from Luis:

Hi SeroTalk podcasters,

I would like to comment in a couple of stories. Well, The first is a question about Fleksy as an alternative keyboard or default for iOS apps. Although I think it is a good thing for this to happen. To be honest, I have not read any of the stories talking about Fleksy as an alternative keyboard. But since a couple of apps have adapted this, I’m just curious as to which Fleksy keyboard is being used? For example, I believe Fleksy was introduced to BlindSquare before the whole controversy of Fleksy Happy Typing and Fleksy VO came up. Does this mean, that BlindSquare has an old version of Fleksy Happy Typing, or did it switch over to Fleksy VO? And if so, when or if Fleksy Happy Typing becomes accessible again, Will all of the adapted apps switch from VO to Happy Typing? I understand that maybe VO is an earlier version of Happy Typing, and if so, then why aren’t the users up in arms with this fact as they were when the people of Fleksy announced the 2 versions. Main Stream and Blind friendly version of the keyboard?

And my comment is related to RoundAbout. When Mrs. Enger and Ms. Salinger were sharing how great of athletes they were 5 years ago when they were in there early 20s. That took me back, when I was in college and played pool with my brother. Back then, I had some sight. But wasn’t a great player. Every time we’d played. At least once, I somehow hit the cue ball too low and at just the right angle. That instead of the cue ball rolling toward a pocket to sink a ball. It took flight and twice just missed a window and the door. Which at one point, someone had just came into the play area and if they would have been standing for a second longer. The ball would have gone between their eyes. So I can relate.

Roundabout

Blind Film Critic Hears Oscar Picks

Steve Jobs to Be Honored With Commemorative Postage Stamp in 2015

A $30,000 Waterbed That Vibrates With Music

Winter is just about over, thank goodness, but the crew thought that they would pass along some of their tips and low tech ways of walking around in the snow and ice of the neverending Polar Vortex. Joe reviews some apps for those who like Leo and TWiT and we hear from Thomas on baggage suggestions for Bryon’s collection.

Winter Travel Tips

Here are the links to some of the gear mentioned by Maurie, Rodney and Byron

Walking on Ice? Yak Trax will go on most shoes to provide safe walking.

Icebug Ivalo-L BuGrip boot

Due North OVRSD All Purpose Snow & Ice Boot Traction Aid, Oversized

Remington Wrap-Around

App Review: TWiT for iOS, TWiT Pro for Android

Rodney, Byron and joe listen to many of the shows on the TWiT network. Joe notes that getting the official app for iOS is super easy. Just go to the live streaming site and you will be prompted to visit the iOS store to get the paid app. Its not the best with VoiceOver sadly, however, its simple to use with Low Vision if you don’t mind the color green with white lettering.

For Android, and this is a free app that asks for kind donations, TWiT Pro is a great TalkBack friendly way to keep up with the various shows on the Podcast Network. With white lettering on a black background, the app is very streamline and it has many of the features found in the iOS official app. Both are great ways to keep up with Leo and pals!

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 Jeremy Curry on Twitter

Follow GW Micro on Twitter.

Follow Byron Lee on Twitter

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