Assistive Technology Survey

We are an independent group of engineers and scientists conducting a short survey to better understand where and how individuals want technology assistance in daily life activities. Responses will be used to inform design decisions as we develop solutions to improve quality of life. All answers are confidential and for internal informational purposes only. We thank you in advance for volunteering your time and for providing insightful information.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFp1X203aTFySFJ2ZTZ1blh1b1JNaXc6MQ

http://www.androidaccess.net/

Welcome to Android Access, your portal to information on accessible Android apps and programs for the blind and visually impaired. We're excited to be a part of the Android community, and look forward to your comments, feedback, and submissions.

Vision Support Lunch & Learn: “Living With Low Vision: The Journey”

Join Elinor Waters, PhD, gerontologist, as she shares personal and professional insights.
When: Tuesday, December 11, 2012
12:30 – 1:30 pm
Where: Friendship Heights Village Center
4433 South Park Avenue
Chevy Chase, MD
Call 301-656-2797 to reserve light lunch.
Prevention of Blindness Society of Metropolitan Washington®

Low Vision Holiday Tea & Talk: “Better Light for Better Sight & More”

Join Joan Gilliard, Low Vision Occupational Therapist, and learn strategies for enhancing your daily living skills in the New Year.
When: Thursday, December 13, 2012
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Where: Charles Beatley Central Library
5005 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA
Free parking
For more information, call 703-746-1702 or \202-234-1010.
Prevention of Blindness Society of Metropolitan Washington®

CAREER EXPO FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

THE WASHINGTON, D.C. CAREER EXPO FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES TAKES PLACE AT 10AM TO 3PM, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH AT THE RONALD REAGAN BUILDING, 1300 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, NW, WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO PRE-REGISTER ONLINE AND ATTACH YOUR RESUME AT: 
www.eop.com/expo
BY PRE-REGISTERING AND ATTACHING YOUR RESUME TO YOUR PRE-REGISTRATION FORM, YOU WILL NOT ONLY INSURE THAT YOUR RESUME APPEARS ON A RESUME DISK GIVEN TO ALL RECRUITERS AT THE CAREER EXPO, BUT THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ENTER THE CAREER EXPO FASTER THAN THOSE WHO DO NOT REGISTER ONLINE.

Fall 2012 Adaptive Technology and Innovation events

 

The Adaptive Services Division will sponsor a series of events this fall called the Accessibility Accelerator Series, that bring different communities together around the topics of innovation and Adaptive Technologies (AT). AT users, developers, kids who are interested in technology, Seniors who need to use AT, and people who are interested in learning about ATs will get together, share information, produce requirements, build soulutions, and plan follow-ups.
See our website for details: http://dclibrary.org/node/32377

Developing with Accessibility at FCC

Link to a broadcast of the FCC's Developing with Accessibility event on the linked page.

iPad with voiceover class - Tuesday July 3rd, 6:30-8:30PM

room 215, MLK library - learn the basics of iPad accessibility with the voiceover screenreader.

iPhone Sessions from previous Saturday Technology Training Sessions

iPhone session, Febuary 4, 2012
iPhone session, Nov 5, 2011 (with developer session)
iPhone session, July 16, 2011
iPhone session, May 7, 2011

Global Accessibility Awareness Day

http://www.mysqltalk.com/gaad.html
http://www.mysqltalk.com/participate.html

Experience Accessibility First-Hand on May 9

take an hour to experience digital accessibility (or lack there of). Then share your experience publicly online:

• What surprised you the most?
• What difficulties did you encounter?
• What did you learn?

Details here: http://www.mysqltalk.com/participate.html

Go Mouseless For An Hour

Unplug your mouse and only use your keyboard (tab/shift tab, arrow keys, enter and spacebar) to navigate and interact with your favorite websites and applications.

Surf The Web With A Screen Reader For An Hour

Use NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA) or VoiceOver 

Learn About And Use Other OS/Mobile Accessibility Features

On Windows 7, Mac, iPhone,Android, or BlackBerry 

Find out more about Global Accessiblity Awareness Day (May 9th) and events near you at: http://www.mysqltalk.com/gaad.html

Download 161 Free Assistive Technology Applications University of Athens Speech & Accessibility Lab Offers Online Software Directory

http://assistivetechnology.about.com/od/ATCAT11/a/Download-161-Free-Assistive-Technology-Applications.htm

Download 161 Free Assistive Technology Applications from the University of Athens Speech & Accessibility Lab's Online Software Directory

Global Accessibility Awareness Day - May 9

Global Accessibility Awareness Day is a community-driven effort whose goal is to focus one day to raise the profile of digital (web, software, mobile app/device, touch screen kiosk, etc.) accessibility and people with different disabilities.

Screen Reader Showdown

The Saturday Technology Training Session for May 5^th, 2012 will feature demos of new products from Freedom Scientific and TCS Associates followed by a Screen Reader Showdown between JAWS, Window Eyes and NVDA.

Jerry Marindin from Freedom Scientific will demo the new Focus 40 Blue Refreshable Braille display and input, and Matt Belcher from TCS will demo Braille notetakers, the Braille Pen 12 refreshable Braille display and input which works with iOs, and the Orabis read-aloud text reader and a magnifier. 

After these demos three volunteers will use JAWS, WindowEyes and NVDA to perform a list of tasks and compare the various features and capabilities of the screen readers.  This Screen Reader Showdown is modeled on Jamal Mazrui’s Dueling Operating Systems event from CSUN 2008, and may use some of the same tasks.  Thanks to Zuhair Mahmoud for volunteering to use JAWS, John Herzog for volunteering to use NVDA and Lloyd Rasmussen for volunteering to use Window Eyes.

Saturday Technology Training Session

1:00PM to 4:00PM,

May 5th, 2012

Room 215, Adaptive Services

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library

901 G Street NW

Saturday Technology Training Sessions occur on the first and third Saturday of each month in room 215, Adaptive Services Division of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.  They focus on the topic of adaptive technology as it relates to employment for people with disabilities.  The library is located at 901 G Street, NW Washington DC 20001, diagonally across the street from the 9th street exit of the Gallery Place Chinatown Metro stop, or two blocks from the 11th and G exit of Metro Center.  There is no public parking at the MLK Library. 

ViewPointPlus.net

This half-hour weekly show discusses products, services and daily living tips for people with vision loss. It is available in Rochester, NY to listeners of WXXI Reachout Radio, the local radio reading service, through other radio reading services across the US and Canada and to everybody else as a podcast at the link above. To date, the show has been downloaded in all 50 states in the US, 6 Canadian provinces and 45 other countries on all the inhabited continents. ViewPoints is hosted and produced by Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey in partnership with WXXI Reachout Radio in Rochester, NY.
http://www.viewpointsplus.net

From Top Tech Tidbits

1) Media Access Australia has provided a page both with general instructions about using Facebook and about overcoming its accessibility challenges.
http://www.mediaaccess.org.au/online-media/social-media/facebook

3) Among recently released iOS-related podcasts, we have White & Yellow Pages: Now Offers Free Turn-By-Turn Voice GPS Navigation
http://www.applevis.com/podcasts/episodes/white-yellow-pages-now-offers-free-turn-turn-voice-gps-navigation


4) EASI produced a webinar, Overview of the Accessibility of Mainstream E-Readers. You can watch the presentations and view the slides.
http://easi.cc/archive/e-readers/resources.htm

12) Led Zeppelin music sounnds quite different when the Dec-Talk synthesizer handles the vocals!
http://q-audio.net/i/1M8W

The Assistive Technology Blog

The Assistive Technology Blog is a publication of the Virginia Department of Education's Training and Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC) at Virginia Commonwealth University.

http://www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu/

Top Tech Tidbits

Audacity is a free, open-source, multi-track audio editor. A free guide to using it with JAWS, also useful with other screen readers, is available.
http://vip.chowo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/jaws/Audacity-2.0-Guide.html


This AppleVis podcast is entitled "Voice To Apps: Bringing Voice Recognition to Messaging, Email, Facebook Twitter and More"
http://www.applevis.com/podcasts/episodes/voice-apps-bringing-voice-recognition-messaging-email-facebook-twitter-and-more

These tips are from Top Tech Tidbits.  You can subscribe to Top Tech Tidbits on the Flying Blind, LLC Website at: http://www.flying-blind.com.
 

Squag.com - a social network for kids with autism

Squag.com - a social network for kids with autism, allows users to create a room, the Squagpad, filled with original thoughts, messages, videos and photos that enable each user to journal and create a personal space that facilitates self reflection and friendship. And with the help of parents, kids can connect with like-minded other Squag users to build communication skills and establish friendships.

Perkins Assistive Technology Prize

Perkins School for the Blind will offer the inaugural Perkins Assistive Technology Prize as part of the 2012 MassChallenge competition for early-stage entrepreneurs.

The $25,000 grant is designed to inspire solutions that improve opportunities and quality of life for persons with disabilities, empowering them to reach their full potential.

http://assistivetechnology.about.com/od/ATCAT1/a/Perkins-Assistive-Technology-Prize.htm

Fron Top Tech Tidbits:

In this edition of The Tech Doctor Blog and Podcast, we hear an interview with a prolific mainstream Apple podcaster and committed advocate for Blind Apple users.

http://www.dr-carter.com/?p=93

Accessibility technology Consultant Jerry Berrier will have fun with his iPhone and let you listen in as he demonstrates a variety of fun apps on Tek Talk on GMT 14 February at 01:00.

http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rsc9613dc89eb2

A second podcast on using NVDA and iTunes is available.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1625623/NVDA%20and%20iTunes%20Demonstration.mp3

 The February, 2012 issue of AccessWorld is now available, including A Review of the IBIS HD Video Magnifier (CCTV), an evaluation of The Readit Scholar, Diabetes and Visual Impairment: An Update on Accessible Blood Glucose Meters, information about AccessWorld App Version 1.8 and more:

http://www.afb.org/accessworld

GW Micro has begun to make available How Do I Do That? video mini-tutorials with fully accessible audio content on particular window-eyes features. The first two free offerings in the series concern how to add an attachment and how to use the ribbon with window-eyes.

http://www.gwmicro.com/Training/Tutorials/

The Veterans Health Administration Section 508 office created an innovative set of tutorials that explains portable document format (PDF) accessibility barriers and provides solutions that address them. The tutorial is "Creating Accessible PDFs with Adobe Acrobat Professional" and it is available at:

http://www.ehealth.va.gov/508/tutorials/pdf/index.asp

The VHA Section 508 office also has training on developing accessible Flash. The course is available at:

http://www.ehealth.va.gov/508/flash/index.asp

SpeechHub is a new set of speech synthesizers, at present, only for NVDA. Several synthesizers and languages are available.

http://www.speechhub.org/

The US Internal Revenue Service offers accessible tax preparation assistance.

http://www.irs.gov/accessibility/index.html

Here is a Youtube video describing what they offer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4PfzKqpXmg

Kathy Ann Murtha announces the release of two new $75 textbooks: Internet Explorer 9 with JAWS for Windows 13 and Internet Explorer 9 with Window-Eyes 7.5 http://www.blindtraining.com/shop/browsers.htm

This Blind Access Journal podcast is entitled Take Your Favorite Podcasts on the Road: Downcast for iOS:

http://blindaccessjournal.com/2012/02/take-your-favorite-podcasts-on-the-road-downcast-for-ios/

The NFB Access Technology Blog offers reviews of News Apps for iOS devices:

http://www.nfb.org/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=922&SnID=1727144647

And DAISY videos from the eBook Accessibility Symposium:

http://www.nfb.org/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=920&SnID=1727144647

Saturday Technology Training Session February 4th, 2012, 1pm to 4pm, Room 215, Adaptive Services, MLK Library

Saturday Technology Training Session

February 4th, 2012 1pm to 4pm, Room 215, Adaptive Services, MLK Library
Accessible App Demo and Discussion

It is time again for the quarterly adaptive technology training session on accessible apps for the iPhone and other mobile, gestural devices, hosted by Mark Reumann.  Details below:

Presenters:

Mark Reumann – Patent Office

Zuhair Mahmoud – Library of Congress

Don Barrett – Dept of Education

From 1pm to 3pm, this panel will demo and discuss accessible apps, like MoneyReader, Color Identifier and VizWiz.  We may also have a brief update on some of the projects initiated at the Product Identification Workshop November 5^th and further developed at the Accessibility Hackathon on Nov 12^th.

Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure (GPII)

http://www.gpii.net/
The purpose of the Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure (GPII) is to ensure that everyone who faces accessibility barriers due to disability, literacy, or aging, regardless of economic resources, can access and use the Internet and all its information, communities, and services for education, employment, daily living, civic participation, health, and safety.

Saturday Technology Training Session January 21, 2012

The Saturday Technology Training Session on January 21st will feature an informal discussion of the outcome of the recent Accessibility Hackathon, as well as demos and an update on the status of ongoing, related projects.

Saturday Technology Training Session

January 21st, 2011

1pm to 4pm

Room 215, Adaptive Services

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library

901 G Street NW

Washington DC, 20001

Our Saturday, January 21st demo and discussion will include the following:

1.       A demo by App Developer Zaid Al-Timimi, of a beta version of the Mobile Accessible Book Generator.  Powered by The Mashup App, the Mobile Accessible Book Generator allows iPhone/iPad users to create e-books for kids with print disabilities. Originally proposed during the 2011 Adaptive Services Division's Accessibility Hackathon, the Mobile Accessible Book Generator is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2012. A future version is envisioned to allow users to submit generated books to repositories such as Bentech's Bookshare. 

2.       A demo by Kevin Johnson and Patrick Timony of some of the other current digital archiving projects and accessible Internet participation applications related to the Accessibility Hackathon and the Adaptive Technology Program.

3.       Discussion of future events that could help to build the proposed solutions, including several proposed codeathon events, and the Maker Monday regular meetup at the library.

4.       Discussion of a proposed makerspace at the MLK library and the events and activities that could take place there, including skills training, book scanner building, 3D printing, format conversion, and disaster preparedness training and technology development.

The following organizations are currently involved (in no specific order): Adaptive Services Division, LibraryLab, University of Maryland iSchool, OpenForumFoundation, Federal Communications Commission, The Mashup App, Bookshare, VideoWashDC, iStrategyLabs, Bread for the City, Gallaudet Technology Access Program, HAC-DC.

The Accessibility Hackathon was held on Nov 12th, 2011 as a part of DC WEEK’s LibraryTech project (http://digitalcapitalweek.org/projects/library-tech/)and produced a list of product proposals to meet requirements from the user community (http://wikimediadc.org/wiki/Accessibility_hackathon)

Library Lab (http://wikimediadc.org/wiki/LibraryLab) is a demonstration project at the DC Public Library that is designed as a community center for annotation, classification, creation, curation, digitization; education and publication, reading and writing and media production.

Free training is available in the Adaptive Services Division, to teach the basics of using ATs.  Networking programs and events on the topic of ATs are coordinated at the library and in the DC area.  Here is a list of our current activities:

    AT Training Program

    Saturday Technology Training Sessions bi-monthly user group

    Adaptive Services Interest Group AT professional meet-up

    Accessibility DC Monthly meet-up

    AccessibilityCampDC Annual Unconference

    Adaptive Technology Tips and Hints online AT tutorials

    Adaptive Services Internet Classroom - learn ATs on your own

    Accessibility Hackathon Project

    Maker Mondays

    Tech Talk Tuesdays

    Audio-Video Archive

Saturday Technology Training Sessions are the 1st and 3rd Saturdays, 1pm to 4pm Adaptive Services Division, DC Public Library, Room 215 Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library 901 G Street NW Washington DC 20001.

"Latest mobile phones for visually impaired"

This is a BBC program -- an overview of accessibility for phones other than the iPhone - Symbian, Android. Title is "Latest mobile phones for visually impaired"  There is a transcript halfway down the page if you dont want to listen to the whole thing.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b018xs8r

Top Tech Tidbits

- By visiting the AppleVis blog, you can learn how they are Making it Easier to Find Relevant Content on the AppleVis Site, learn about the campaign to create the AppleVis iOS App Hall of Fame, and discover the appleVis podcast, among other discoveries.
http://www.applevis.com/blog

- Here is an interesting comparison of some of the many digital music services available, of course not taking accessibility into account.
http://t.co/ufwCMCIB

- An organization called the Association of Blind Citizens offers an Assistive Technology Fund to US residents. the Fund provides financial resources to cover 50% of the retail price of adaptive devices or software.
http://www.blindcitizens.org/assistive_tech.htm


-Blind-aid is a Yahoo group where people can discuss blindness issues and make friends. To join, send a blank message to
blind-aid-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

-Tech Access Weekly features short Daily tips podcasts and some longer, comprehensive ones regarding assistive technology.
http://techaccessweekly.com/

Flying Blind, LLC Launches Apple Accessibility Initiative (AAI)

Flying Blind, LLC will be kicking off 2012 by launching the Apple Accessibility Initiative, or AAI, which is a series of on-site, scalable, and customizable professional development training seminars designed to provide educators of students who are vision impaired with the tools necessary to provide access solutions via mobile iOS-based products within the classroom. Over the past couple of years Apple has done an amazing job of marketing its products to the educational sector of the marketplace. Their approach to providing integrated access via screen magnification, speech, and Braille have afforded vision impaired users comparable access to much of what today's sighted users of mainstream applications have to offer.


As 2011 came to a close Flying Blind, LLC was made aware of a profound need amongst educators of the vision impaired to explore how to appropriately turn Apple touch screen devices into solutions that would enable vision impaired students to independently and efficiently complete tasks within the classroom. The Apple Accessibility Initiative, or AAI, will present educators with all of the integrated access tools available within the Apple operating system, or iOS, as well as a blueprint for how to search for, install, utilize, and maintain all of the appropriate applications necessary to transform these devices into low-cost alternatives to more expensive, traditional means of portable information management.

These fee-based training seminars will be spearheaded by Flying Blind, LLC's founder, Mr. Larry L. Lewis.

Participants in the Apple Accessibility Initiative (AAI) will achieve the following:
 

·  Be introduced to all of the low-vision, speech, and Braille accessibility features available within portable iOS devices.
 

·  Learn how to select and install accessible applications specifically pertinent to their school's curriculum.
 

·  Understand how to search for information, read books, and create/edit/share text and documents with sighted classmates and educators.
 

·  Be exposed to accessible games that might be played between both vision impaired and sighted users of these devices.

please email AAI@flying-blind.com for more info