How do you feel about duplicate links in articles, blogs, whatever? Meaning: A certain word is a link (let's say "HEALTH") leading to an external website.
Would it annoy you if this word was always a link and it's mentioned for example 20 times in an article? Or would you rather have it only once to make it easier to scan for links?
whenever using sirens and lights, emergency vehicles (ambulances, fire apparatuses, etc.) ALWAYS have the right-of-way. Be hypervigilant when crossing streets. PAY ATTENTION! Do NOT cross when sirens are barreling towards you. They likely cannot stop/swerve in time to avoid hitting you. Do NOT be the person who learns this fact the hard way.
PS: I am physically fine. Deeply shaken, but am not hurt. I have no idea how, but I somehow tuned out the siren coming at me until someone yelled for me to stop crossing. Had I not heard the person yelling, I likely would have been hit and at the verry least seriously injured. In other words, I made a serious mistake that could have killed me. I still don't know how I did it. I am posting this in the hope that this does not happen to someone else. Please, learn from my mistake.
A total solar eclipse will move across the U.S. on Monday, April 8. People who are blind or visually impaired will be able to experience it as they grow colder and hear birdsong change along with the dimming light, but much of the effect is visual. Planetary scientists Cassandra Runyon and David Hurd have written a guide called “Getting a Feel for Eclipses,” which has tactile graphics that illustrate the paths of the 2017, 2023 and 2024 eclipses. They write for @TheConversationUS about why they made it, and how it works.
What is the sound of an eclipse? For Atlas Obscura, Sara Mellas writes about the LightSound Project, which was started by astronomers and engineers in 2017 and uses a sonification device to sense light changes and translate them into flute, clarinet and bassoon tones, as well as percussive clicks. The original objective was to serve the blind and low-vision community. Listen to their "Symphony of Light" here, and learn more about how you can build your own LightSound sonification device.
Every time I pull out my BrailleNote Touch Plus, I'm reminded of how pitifully stagnated blindness-related products are compared to mainstream systems. Turns out I can no longer install Box because HumanWare has backed themselves into a corner and will not be updating past Android 8.1. This would not be a big deal... except for the fact that it's the only #Braille display I have at the moment, and literally every BRF file I need at Eastman is stored in Box. Way to keep up with the times, guys. /s
Is anyone out there using accessibility apps with Mastodon? After having a sudden vision loss I'm looking for experts for Voice Over and Spoken Content on the Apple platform. Yes I know about Apple's YouTube videos but I have questions about my own system that aren't answered. For instance, can you use their screen reading software on non-Apple apps like Firefox? I've always been a techie but so much depends on having vision. #accessibility#lowvision
From all of us in Bits we send to everyone warmest wishes for joy filled and nourishing holidays and comfort to those who need that as well to buoy your heart, soul, and spirit; and a happy and healthy New Year to come. For more about tech from a #Blind and #LowVision perspective come and join us at http://www.joinbits.org
#WebAim#Screenreader survey is open until January 31, 2024. If you're a Screenreader user or know someone who is, ask them if they want to participate.
I always found the results very interesting, especially when it came to headings / heading levels. It helped to make a point why this is so important (and easy to implement and fix).
It takes a truly talented designer to put black hotel room numbers on shiny dark-bronze plaques. This attention to detail ensures that people with vision like mine will be unable to read the numbers from more than a meter away, or at an aspect angle greater than 30°. I admire companies that put in the extra effort required to minimize accessibility. Well done, Doubletree! </sarcasm>
Sometimes I can't help but wonder whether some large fraction of product designers actively hate people with low vision. For example, I just had to take a photo and use zoom and image enhancement to determine that this Keurig pod is decaffeinated.
If I were Empress of Earth, I would allow only vision-impaired people to work as product or UX designers.
This is an excellent guide about the different types of white canes available to assist blind and low vision people. They cover what is available, how & why to use each type.
Produced by charity Henshaws. #blind#lowvision https://youtu.be/v6I5D98AKj0?si=6c4Jq1cKK7WwDVlK
The podcast by @blindguyschat is always a good listen. Delighted to hear @TimDixon82 on the latest edition.
Tim, I hear what you say about not having enough hands when using a cane + bags + phone etc. I've recently started using a short cane.
I use a backpack so I decided to clip the elastic cord of my cane to the backpack, using a quick release carabiner. When I temporarily run out of hands, I can let go of my cane and it hangs conveniently in place. Worth a try maybe? #blind#lowvision
Want cities that are more easily navigated by short walks and public transportation? Sounds like a win for the blind & disabled communities. This NPR article lays out how NIMBY'ism and conspiracy theories are threatening to derail efforts to make cities less dependent on car travel.
Anyone else noticing how conspiracy theories pop up whenever someone wants to change the status quo?
Link: https://www.npr.org/2023/10/08/1203950823/15-minute-cities-climate-solution
Hey VIPs, if working with PDFs is important to you, check out
Stirling-PDF. A very powerful tool to make, edit, OCR and convert PDF files.
But, could be a complicated installation for some people. There's a lite version for many platforms. The full version is Docker based, so install Docker Desktop first.
More info at: https://github.com/Frooodle/Stirling-PDF #blind#lowvision#visuallyimpaired
Order Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests for Blind or Low Vision People
As of September 25, 2023, you can place another order for one set of #12 free at-home tests with enhanced accessibility for blind or low vision people, while supplies last.
Looks like I'm likely to lose a summer teaching gig because I won't/can't commute to a campus to teach in person. I managed to hold a fairly well-attended and well-received online-only course for two years but the organization is pushing hard to eliminate online teaching.
I am a low-vision person and cannot legally drive a car. This campus is far enough away from me that even if I wanted to I could not commute there(1). This mad push to make everything in-person again has numerous consequences for #accessibility, even for relatively privileged people like me.
Eyo, #BlindMasto / #BlindMastodon / #BlindFedi. I come to you with one question: is #TikTok accessible? I would love your input as I will be at a meeting with a blindness group who is intending to launch a TikTok page, and I have concerns that the content posted there will be inaccessible to blind viewers. Any thoughts appreciated. #Blind#LowVision#VisuallyImpaired#Accessibility#A11Y
I thought it couldn't get any worse, but the Instagram website, specifically the direct messaging chats list, has gone even further down the accessibility toilet. As of now, my screen reader cannot see chats that I know exist. Particularly frustrating as fellow students and student groups use Instagram direct messaging religiously.
I need to read #German#Braille, and have configured #JAWS with two braille profiles: English and German. However, JAWS does not render the capital letter indicator (dots 4-6) when in the German profile, even though the “Suppress Capital Signs” checkbox within the “Profile details” dialog for the German profile is not checked. I am running JFW version 2023.2307.37. Any help is appreciated. #Blind#LowVision#VisuallyImpaired#BlindMasto#BlindMastodon#BlindFedi@freedomscientific