Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2019-67

Date Written: Mar 10, 2019 at 8:00 PM

Date Saved: 2019-03-11, 8:35 PM

Source: https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2019/2019-67.htm

Call for comments on an amendment proposed by Bell Media Inc., Corus Entertainment Inc. and Rogers Media Inc. to their condition of licence that requires prime time programming to be broadcast with described video

The Commission calls for comments on an application by Bell Media Inc., Corus Entertainment Inc. and Rogers Media Inc., on behalf of their licensees (the Licensees), requesting that the Commission amend their condition of licence that requires prime time programming (7 p.m. to 11 p.m.) to be broadcast with described video effective 1 September 2019.

Specifically, the Licensees requested an exception to that condition of licence to be allowed to air non-Canadian programs received less than 72 hours prior to broadcast without described video. For such programming, repeat airings with described video would be scheduled in prime time at a time greater than 72 hours from delivery.

The deadline for the receipt of interventions is 25 April 2019. Only parties that file interventions may file a reply to matters raised during the intervention phase. The deadline to file replies is 13 May 2019.

Introduction

The Commission is committed to improving the accessibility of the broadcasting system for persons with disabilities. This objective of Canada’s broadcasting policy is prescribed in section 3(1)(p) of the Broadcasting Act, which states that programming accessible by disabled persons should be provided within the Canadian broadcasting system as resources become available for the purpose.
Television plays an important role in shaping Canadian society. It is a primary source of news, entertainment and sports programming, and plays a critical role in making Canadians aware of the wide range of ideas and perspectives that make up the rich fabric of our society. As a result, it is important that all Canadians have access to what television has to offer.
Described video is a narrated description of a program’s main visual elements, such as setting, costumes and body language. It helps to make television programming accessible for people with visual disabilities by allowing them to better understand what is occurring on the screen. Described video thus enables accessibility of broadcast information, entertainment, ideas and perspectives that all Canadians enjoy.
Recognizing the importance of described video, the Commission has incrementally increased the availability of programming with described video in the Canadian broadcasting system since 2001 to ensure the continual availability of a greater diversity of described video content.
In Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2015-104, the Commission stated that it would implement a tiered approach to the provision of described video. This approach would ramp up described video requirements over time in accordance with the size and resources of broadcasters. Specifically, by 1 September 2019, broadcasters currently subject to described video requirements, as well as those that belong to vertically integrated entities, will be required to provide described video for their prime time programming (7 p.m. to 11 p.m.) that falls under the identified program categories1 seven days per week.
In Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2016-436, the Commission established standard conditions of licence to that effect that would be imposed during the subsequent television licence renewals. However, the Commission also noted in that regulatory policy that requirements relating to the provision of described video for undertakings for which more substantial levels are appropriate would be discussed with those undertakings at licence renewals and imposed on a case-by-case basis. Accordingly, when the Commission renewed the broadcasting licences for the English- and French-language stations and services belonging to large ownership groups in 2017, it imposed the described video requirement as a standard condition of licence, which reads as follows: The licensee shall, by 1 September 2019, provide described video for all English- and French-language programming that is broadcast during prime time (i.e., from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.) and that is drawn from program categories 2(b) Long-form documentary, 7 Drama and comedy, 9 Variety, 11(a) General entertainment and human interest and 11(b) Reality television, and/or is programming targeting preschool children (0-5 years of age) and children (6-12 years of age).

Experience of Canadians

Users of described video have consistently expressed to the Commission the value of traditional and conventional television programming. Canadians who are blind or partially sighted have stated that television continues to be their primary source of media and that described video programming directly contributes to a higher quality of life.
In past proceedings, Canadians who are blind or partially sighted have requested that the Commission increase described video programming specifically during prime time hours, arguing that such programming aired solely at daytime and/or nighttime hours neither meets their viewing needs nor provides for an equitable level of programming available to other viewers. They stated that while they often pay the same price for programming as other television subscribers, they can access only a fraction of the programming.

Application requesting an exception to described video requirements

On 28 November 2018, Bell Media Inc. (Bell), Corus Entertainment Inc. (Corus) and Rogers Media Inc. (Rogers), on behalf of their licensees (the Licensees), filed a Part 1 application requesting that the Commission amend their condition of licence that requires prime time programming (7 p.m. to 11 p.m.) to be broadcast with described video effective 1 September 2019.
Specifically, the Licensees requested an exception to that condition of licence to be allowed to air non-Canadian programs received less than 72 hours prior to broadcast without described video. For such programming, repeat airings with described video would be scheduled in prime time at a time greater than 72 hours from delivery.
The Licensees argued that the exception is necessary because a significant amount of U.S. content arrives without embedded described video very close to the time of broadcast and that there is insufficient time to produce or outsource described video in these circumstances. They added that live described video is not a viable option.
Without being granted this amendment, the Licensees stated that they would be unable to meet the prime time described video requirements by 1 September 2019. They also proposed that broadcasters be required to keep a log detailing the receipt date of all U.S. programs received without described video and broadcast in prime time, and provided a template for that purpose.
The application includes letters from described video production houses and various U.S.-based production/distribution studios that specify timeframes for delivery to Canada for first-run television series. The application and supporting letters can be found on the Commission’s website.

Call for comments

The Commission calls for comments on the Licensees’ proposal to amend the condition of licence on described video,2 as follows (changes are in bold):  The licensee shall, by 1 September 2019, provide described video for all English- and French-language programming that is broadcast during prime time (i.e., from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.) and that is drawn from program categories 2(b) Long-form documentary, 7 Drama and comedy, 9 Variety, 11(a) General entertainment and human interest and 11(b) Reality television, and/or is programming targeting preschool children (0-5 years of age) and children (6-12 years of age) with the exception of non-Canadian programs that are received less than 72 hours prior to air. Such programs will be broadcast with described video for repeat airings scheduled in prime time greater than 72 hours from delivery.
Further, the Commission is seeking comments regarding issues raised by the application, such as:

◦ the specific first-run prime time programs that are at issue in this application;

◦ the impact on viewers;

◦ the manner in which viewers could find accurate information concerning the scheduling of repeat airings of the programming at issue;

◦ the reason(s) why a significant amount of non-Canadian programming arrives without embedded described video;

◦ the commercial arrangements that the Licensees have with their suppliers of non-Canadian programming to procure first-run prime time programming with embedded described video;

◦ alternative approaches that would allow the Licensees to meet their described video requirements; and

◦ measures the Commission should take, if any, to be satisfied that the Licensees would be compliant with the proposed exception, should the Commission grant it.

 Though the specific questions are set out in the appendix to this notice, interventions may address any issue relevant to the proposed amendment.

Disposal of application

The Commission considers that the requests made by the Licensees would be better addressed through this notice of consultation. Bell, Corus and Rogers are therefore made parties to this proceeding, and their 28 November 2018 application and supporting letters referenced above are made part of the record of this proceeding.
Consequently, the application is closed, and the matters raised therein will be dealt with according to the procedure set out in this notice.

Procedure

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Rules of Practice and Procedure (the Rules of Procedure) apply to the present proceeding. The Rules of Procedure set out, among other things, the rules for content, format, filing and service of interventions, answers, replies and requests for information; the procedure for filing confidential information and requesting its disclosure; and the conduct of public hearings. Accordingly, the procedure set out below must be read in conjunction with the Rules of Procedure and related documents, which can be found on the Commission’s website under “Statutes and Regulations.” The guidelines set out in Broadcasting and Telecom Information Bulletin 2010-959 provide information to help interested persons and parties understand the Rules of Procedure so that they can more effectively participate in Commission proceedings.
The Commission invites interventions that address the issues and questions set out in the appendix to this notice. The Commission will accept interventions that it receives on or before 25 April 2019. Only parties that file interventions may file a reply to matters raised during the intervention phase. The deadline for the filing of replies is 13 May 2019. The Commission may request information, in the form of interrogatories, from any party to the proceeding.
The Commission encourages interested persons and parties to monitor the record of the proceeding, available on the Commission’s website, for additional information that they may find useful when preparing their submissions.
Submissions longer than five pages should include a summary. Each paragraph of all submissions should be numbered, and the line ***End of document*** should follow the last paragraph. This will help the Commission verify that the document has not been damaged during electronic transmission.
Pursuant to Broadcasting and Telecom Information Bulletin 2015-242, the Commission expects incorporated entities and associations, and encourages all Canadians, to file submissions for Commission proceedings in accessible formats (for example, text-based file formats that allow text to be enlarged or modified, or read by screen readers). To provide assistance in this regard, the Commission has posted on its website guidelines for preparing documents in accessible formats.
Submissions must be filed by sending them to the Secretary General of the Commission using only one of the following means:  by completing the [Intervention/comment/answer form] or by mail to CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N2 or by fax at 819-994-0218
Parties who send documents electronically must ensure that they will be able to prove, upon Commission request, that filing, or where required, service of a particular document was completed. Accordingly, parties must keep proof of the sending and receipt of each document for 180 days after the date on which the document is filed or served. The Commission advises parties who file or serve documents by electronic means to exercise caution when using email for the service of documents, as it may be difficult to establish that service has occurred.
In accordance with the Rules of Procedure, a document must be received by the Commission and all relevant parties by 5 p.m. Vancouver time (8 p.m. Ottawa time) on the date it is due. Parties are responsible for ensuring the timely delivery of their submissions and will not be notified if their submissions are received after the deadline. Late submissions, including those due to postal delays, will not be considered by the Commission and will not be made part of the public record.
The Commission will not formally acknowledge submissions. It will, however, fully consider all submissions, which will form part of the public record of the proceeding, provided that the procedure for filing set out above has been followed.

Important notice

All information that parties provide as part of this public process, except information designated confidential, whether sent by postal mail, fax, email or through the Commission’s website at www.crtc.gc.ca, becomes part of a publicly accessible file and will be posted on the Commission’s website. This information includes personal information, such as full names, email addresses, postal/street addresses, telephone and fax numbers, etc.
The personal information that parties provide will be used and may be disclosed for the purpose for which the information was obtained or compiled by the Commission, or for a use consistent with that purpose.
Documents received electronically or otherwise will be put on the Commission’s website in their entirety exactly as received, including any personal information contained therein, in the official language and format in which they are received. Documents not received electronically will be available in PDF format.
The information that parties provide to the Commission as part of this public process is entered into an unsearchable database dedicated to this specific public process. This database is accessible only from the web page of this particular public process. As a result, a general search of the Commission’s website with the help of either its own search engine or a third-party search engine will not provide access to the information that was provided as part of this public process.

Availability of documents

Electronic versions of the interventions and of other documents referred to in this notice, are available on the Commission’s website at www.crtc.gc.ca by visiting the “Have your say!” section, then selecting “our open processes.” Documents can then be accessed by clicking on the links in the “Subject” and “Related Documents” columns associated with this particular notice.
Documents are also available at the following address, upon request, during normal business hours.  Les Terrasses de la Chaudière Central Building 1 Promenade du Portage, Room 206 Gatineau, Quebec J8X 4B1 Tel.: 819-997-2429  Fax: 819-994-0218 Toll-free telephone: 1-877-249-2782 Toll-free TTY: 1-877-909-2782

Secretary General

Rogers Media Inc. – Licence renewals for English-language television stations, services and network, Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2017-151, 15 May 2017
Corus Entertainment Inc. – Licence renewals for English-language television stations and services, Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2017-150, 15 May 2017
Bell Media Inc. – Licence renewals for English-language television stations and services, Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2017-149, 15 May 2017
Standard requirements for television stations, discretionary services, and on-demand services, Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2016-436, 2 November 2016
Filing submissions for Commission proceedings in accessible formats, Broadcasting and Telecom Information Bulletin CRTC 2015-242, 8 June 2015
Let’s Talk TV – Navigating the Road Ahead – Making informed choices about television providers and improving accessibility to television programming, Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2015-104, 26 March 2015
Guidelines on the CRTC Rules of Practice and Procedure, Broadcasting and Telecom Information Bulletin CRTC 2010-959, 23 December 2010

Appendix to Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2019-67

Questions regarding described video requirements

Questions for Canadian viewers

Q1. In a scenario in which the Commission grants the amendment proposed by the Licensees, what would be the impact on your viewing experience? Include in your answer any steps that the Licensees could take to address these impacts.

Q2. How would granting the proposed amendment affect your ability to find out about when and how the programming at issue will be rebroadcast with described video? Include in your answer any actions that the Licensees could take to address this concern.

Questions for Bell, Corus and Rogers

Q3. This application raises what appears to be a procurement issue that could be resolved through amendments to existing procurement/licensing agreements with suppliers or in future negotiations. As such, the need for an exception as proposed by the Licensees would appear to be temporary in nature. Provide comment on the period of time required for the proposed exception, with supporting rationale.

Q4. Should the Commission agree with the need for an exception, the amended condition of licence, as proposed, would exclude “non-Canadian programs that are received less than 72 hours prior to air.” The proposed wording would, in theory, include non-Canadian programming that contains embedded described video. Provide comment on whether the proposed wording of the condition of licence accurately reflects the exception sought and, if not, propose alternative wording.

Q5. In a scenario in which the Commission grants the proposed amendment:

Describe the approach that your organization would take to schedule the repeat programming at issue during prime time. In your response, specify the proximity of the repeat airing with described video to the first-run airing without described video in hours, days, weeks or months, as applicable for each program.
Describe how you will clearly communicate the repeat airings of the programming with described video to your customers who rely on described video to ensure that they know when and how they can access this programming.
Identify the reporting requirements, if any, that in your view would be appropriate to satisfy the Commission and Canadians that you have met the scheduling and communication commitments that you have detailed in your response to 5a. and b.

Q6. Provide your assessment of the impact of the proposed amendment on the viewing experience of your customers who rely on described video in accessing and enjoying first-run prime time programming. Include in your response input from consultations held with these customers.

Get Together with Technology (GTT) at CSUN, March 13 to 15, 2019

Get Together with Technology (GTT) at CSUN

Thanks to Markido Inc. of Ottawa, four CCB staff and volunteers will have the great good fortune to attend the 34^th CSUN Conference in Anaheim California later this week. Look for periodic reports on the GTT network from Kim Kilpatrick, Rebecca Jackson, Maryse Glaude- Beaulieu and Albert Ruel.

If there’s something you want GTT staff and volunteers to investigate for you at CSUN, send your Tweet to @GTTWest or @GTTProgram, contact us through the GTTProgram.Blog site by commenting on this post, or subscribe to and post your questions to the GTTSupport@Groups.io discussion list.

Sam Burns, CEO of Markido Inc. will be promoting their PowerPoint Plug-in, “Engage” during CSUN and you can get a peak at its great support for accessible presentations by activating the below links. You can download your own free version and see how it will help you get access to all the information in the PowerPoint presentations you receive, and to create your own accessible presentations for circulation.

One of the exciting products produced by Markido is Engage.

Engage is a PowerPoint add-in that lets people of any skill-level create visually impressive presentations. Engage comes with thousands of design assets that are easy to incorporate into any presentation using drag and drop functionality. Users can also create and edit infographics and data maps right in PowerPoint.

Make your presentations more accessible for people with disabilities.

Run our accessibility tests to get an overview of how accessible your presentation is.

We provide quick and convenient shortcuts to fix the issues that are found.

Visually check and fix the screen reading order of your slides without having to use the selection pane.

Add a slide description so users with screen readers can get an overview of what the slide is about before reading the detailed content.

Over 100,000 amazing presentations have been created with Engage.

Get a free trial version of Engage.

We’ll send you a trial product key to activate Engage

Microsoft Windows Logo

Works with Windows versions of PowerPoint 2007 – 2016.

CCB Tech Articles, Donna’s Low Tech Tips, Privacy Protection, March 11, 2019

March 11 2019

Privacy protection

Hi there! It’s Donna and thank you for allowing me to come into your inbox.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to my tip on privacy protection.

Privacy protection

We are constantly striving to protect ourselves from scams and scammers, but most of all we need to ensure that our privacy, confidentiality, and independence are kept safe from prying eyes and those who thrive on destroying our right to these precious commodities.

Completion of medical forms

As of now, the only way to complete medical forms is for you to complete hard copies and for a vision impaired person this is a real challenge.

Why? Because sighted assistance is needed in order to do so.

Most medical offices do not even have their pre surgery forms or any related documentation in an electronic format and receptionists are simply too busy to read anything to you.

So the choice is down to finding that trusted person to assist you.

That’s it from me for this week!

If you would like to become a member of my CCB Mysteries chapter you can do so for the price of $10 annually and in return you will receive unlimited access to any of the following libraries.

Recipes – A collection of hard to find recipes

Audio mysteries for all ages – Comfort listening any time of the day

Home and garden – A collection of great articles for around the home and garden

Or you can subscribe to all 3 for the price of $30 annually.

Visit http://www.donnajodhan.com/subscription-libraries.html

To contact me, send me an email at info@sterlingcreations.ca and I’d be happy to respond.

Have yourselves a great day and see you next week.

Donna

March 11 2019

Privacy protection

Hi there! It’s Donna and thank you for allowing me to come into your inbox.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to my tip on privacy protection.

Privacy protection

That’s it from me for this week!

If you would like to become a member of my CCB Mysteries chapter you can do so for the price of $10 annually and in return you will receive unlimited access to any of the following libraries.

Recipes – A collection of hard to find recipes

Audio mysteries for all ages – Comfort listening any time of the day

Home and garden – A collection of great articles for around the home and garden

Or you can subscribe to all 3 for the price of $30 annually.

Visit http://www.donnajodhan.com/subscription-libraries.html

To contact me, send me an email at info@sterlingcreations.ca and I’d be happy to respond.

Have yourselves a great day and see you next week.

Donna

GTT Toronto: Thanks to all for Toronto’s 4th White Cane Week ‘Experience’ Expo, held on February 2, 2019

Hey GTT Toronto!

—-Message from Ian White, President, CCB Toronto Visionaries Chapter, Canadian Council of the Blind—-

Once again, thank you for making our 4th year hosting the WCW ‘Experience’ Expo our best year yet. Following on from the discussion at the Assistive Technology Forum, we have one more very important thing to do.

As you know, the employment rate of Canadians who are blind, partially-sighted, and deaf-blind is very low, and the cost of assistive and accessible technology is very high. Given these facts, the CCB is endeavouring to better understand your thoughts, experiences, and goals in these matters so that we may advocate for you more effectively. We want to work with you towards a future with a higher employment rate for those with vision loss as well as increased accessibility and independence.

Our goal is to eliminate or minimize the barriers limiting those with vision loss from acquiring the education of their choice and from entering and thriving in today’s workforce. So help us help you and complete the brief survey below!

Tell us about your circumstances. Where you are and where do you want to go? We want to help you get there.

Click here to complete the survey!

Please invest the 8 to 10 minutes it will take to complete the above survey. If you can, do it today or if not, then no later than Friday March 15, 2019.

Once you’ve submitted your survey, please pass the survey link along to as many others living with vision loss as possible. The more survey respondents we get, the better we’ll be able to understand the present status of Canadians with vision loss and to act accordingly.

Thank you in advance for your participation.

All the best,

Ian White

President

CCB’s Toronto Visionaries Chapter

Repost: Siri Shortcuts gets more useful: A shortcut guide to animating routines on your iPhone By Edward C. Baig,

Siri Shortcuts gets more useful: A shortcut guide to animating routines on your iPhone

By Edward C. Baig,

USA TODAY, 11:01 a.m. PST Feb. 28, 2019

The original article is found here:

The Siri Shortcuts feature that Apple launched last fall as part of iOS 12 has always had oodles of potential. And for some of you this feature, which lets you use your voice to automate a string of tasks or routines, may have just gotten a whole lot more useful.

On Thursday, Apple announced a fresh set of integrated Siri Shortcuts, which are just now available or coming soon, and which the company says joins the thousands of other apps that already take advantage of the feature. American Airlines and Airbnb join existing app partners such as Marriott’s Bonvoy, Pandora, Waze and The Weather Channel.

The basic idea behind the Shortcuts feature is that Siri can learn your app preferences and routines over a period of time to suggest shortcuts that can streamline tasks or commands on your iPhone or iPad, and in more limited instances on the Apple Watch, HomePod or AirPods. (The feature doesn’t work with Macs or on Apple TV, despite Siri’s presence on the hardware.)

Shortcuts work with the apps you already have on your devices. Some suggested shortcuts will appear automatically on the lock screen of your device or when you do a search, recommending, right then and there, for example, to call or message your spouse. You tap the button to activate the particular shortcut that shows up. You can initiate other shortcuts yourself by uttering a short designated phrase out loud.

What’s more, though fewer of you are likely to do so, you can also fetch the Apple Shortcuts app for free in the App Store and create your own custom shortcuts built around a personalized voice phrase you record.

The Amazon smart home: From Echo to Ring doorbell and Fire TV, are you comfortable with Amazon controlling your smart home?

Fortnite dip: Has ‘Fortnite’ peaked? As season 8 arrives, research suggests revenue dipped in January Apple is seeking ways to make Siri more helpful, especially in light of the fact that many pundits believe that its digital assistant lags Amazon’s Alexa and the Google Assistant, both of which also let you create customized routines via voice, often through Echo or Google Home smart speakers.

Samsung has similar designs with the Quick Commands feature associated with its Bixby assistant.

Among the newly announced Siri Shortcuts is one from American Airlines that will let you summon flight updates by voice (“Hey Siri, flight update”).

Such updates are contextual: Before leaving your house, you can get the drive time to the airport along with a map. After checking in, you’ll receive an updated flight status with a map of the terminal showing the gate location, walking time to that gate and boarding time.

Another new shortcut, from Merriam Webster Dictionary, will let you ask Siri for the word of the day.

A third new shortcut, from the Caviar local food delivery app, responds to commands such as “Hey Siri, order my usual pizza” or “Hey Siri, Caviar order status.”

Some of the Apple shortcuts integrate with some of your connected smart home appliances For example, shortcuts tied to the Drop and Smarter apps will let you control coffee makers by voice.

Others shortcuts are meant to work with health devices you may use in conjunction with the iPhone. The Dexcom Continuous Glucose Monitoring System, for example, launched a shortcut that enables diabetics better manage glucose levels through their app (“Hey Siri, what’s my blood glucose?”).

Coming soon is a shortcut for ReSound hearing aids that will enable a person who is hard of hearing change the device settings, depending on the environment (“Hey Siri, restaurant mode.”) Building your own shortcuts To see which of your favorite apps have shortcut integrations, on your iPhone, visit Settings > Siri & Search > All Shortcuts.

To build your own shortcut, launch the Shortcuts app, and choose actions or building blocks, which are each of the basic steps that will make up your app. Apple presents a number of suggestions inside the app. For example, if you want to add a shortcut called Log Workout in conjunction with the Health app on your phone, you’d choose the type of activity (running, swimming, etc.), the duration, the calories burned or distance. You can then record the personalized phrase that would tell Siri to run the shortcut.

Inside the app you’ll also find a Gallery of premade Shortcuts that you might take advantage of. Among the Morning Routine options, you’ll see, are shortcuts that let you know when to leave home so you won’t be late for work, as well as a brushing teeth timer that will make you sure you’re at it for a full two minutes.

Since shortcuts can be shared, you might want to pass that one along to your kids.

Narrator Tutorial Podcast for Windows 10 Version 1809 by David Woodbridge

This document has been recently updated to include a 9th edition of the podcast.

Narrator Screen Reader Tutorial Podcasts by David Woodbridge

iSee – Using various technologies from a blind persons perspective.

Revised: February 24, 2019

Narrator is a screen reader utility included in Microsoft Windows that reads text, dialog boxes and window controls in most applications for Windows. Originally developed by Professor Paul Blenkhorn in 2000, the utility made the Windows operating system more accessible for blind and low vision users.

In the October 2018 release of Windows 10 Narrator’s functions and keyboard commands have been dramatically expanded. We are now at a point in it’s development that it will start to rival the third party screen readers we have become accustomed to using in the Windows environment. Finally, it might be said that PC computers purchased off the shelf are accessible to blind and low vision users out of the box.

The latest version of Windows 10 is the October 2018 Update, version “1809,” which was released on October 2, 2018. The below tutorial podcasts only apply to the latest version 1809, so please check to see the current version running in your computer.

How do I know what version I’m running?

To determine whether or not these tutorials apply to Narrator in your computer you can check your version number as follows:

Press and release the Windows Key and type the word Run, or merely hold down the Windows key and press the letter R.
In the window that pops up type the text, WinVer and press the Enter key. Typing immediately will replace any text that might already be there.
The computer will display, and your screen reader will speak the version of your operating system. If it indicates you’re running version 1809 Narrator will function as outlined in these podcasts, however if your computer is still running an older version please disregard these tutorials for now. Press the Space Bar to close this dialog.

The Complete Guide to Narrator on the Microsoft Windows Help Page:

Click here to access the Complete Narrator’s Guide on the Windows Help Page.

David Woodbridge produces great podcasts under the title, iSee – Using various technologies from a blind persons perspective. Below are the links to each individual podcast for you to Stream in your favourite podcatcher.

Narrator Tutorial Podcasts from iSee – Using various technologies from a blind persons perspective by David Woodbridge:

Windows 10 Narrator Series Episode 9 – Navigating on the Web with Narrator

To subscribe to the “iSee – Using various technologies from a blind persons perspective” podcasts by David Woodbridge click on this link.

Thx, Albert A. Ruel

Resource: New Tech for 2019: A Wrap-up of the Assistive Technology Industry Association Conference – AccessWorld® – February 2019

New Tech for 2019: A Wrap-up of the Assistive Technology Industry Association Conference

Author: J.J. Meddaugh

Date Written: Feb 23, 2019 at 4:00 PM

Date Saved: 2/24/19, 10:59 AM

Source: http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pubnew.asp?DocID=aw200208

2019 looks to be a busy year for new products and innovations, as evidenced by the exhibit hall at the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) annual conference in Orlando. This year’s event was held January 30 through February 2 at the Caribe Royale Hotel and Convention Center and featured an array of devices from transportable video magnifiers to tech toys for kids and seniors. I’ve recapped some of the major highlights below. AFB AccessWorld also sponsored exhibit hall coverage on Blind Bargains, and links are included to audio interviews with text transcripts where appropriate.

The BrailleNote Touch Gets Refreshed

Humanware’s BrailleNote Touch has been a popular option for students and teachers since its release in 2016. But the hybrid touchscreen and braille keyboard device has been stuck on an outdated version of Android due to hardware limitations.

Humanware sought to modernize the notetaker with the announcement of the BrailleNote Touch Plus. It has basically the same shell and shape as its predecessor, but includes a faster processor, a USBC port for charging, and the Android 8.1 Oreo operating system. As Humanware’s Andrew Flatters explains in this Blind Bargains interview, moving to a modern version of Android allows Humanware to take advantage of up-to-date features such as the Chrome Web browser and the Google Assistant for voice commands. The unit also includes 4GB of memory and 64GB of built-in storage as well as support for more modern wireless and Bluetooth protocols.

Orders can be placed now for the BrailleNote Touch Plus in either 18- or 32-cell configurations, at $4,195 and $5,695 respectively. Current BrailleNote Touch users can upgrade to the new model, which will transplant the existing braille cells to a new unit, for $1,295.

A Braille Display of a Different Kind

The cost of a 32- or 18-cell braille display is still prohibitive for many people, so a company called BraiBook is offering an alternative idea with a product of the same name. The mouse-sized device includes a single braille cell and can be loaded with books in several formats. Characters are displayed in contracted or uncontracted braille a cell at a time, and the speed can be controlled using a joystick. A headphone jack allows the user to plug in an external headset or speaker to hear words as they are displayed. The small size and weight of the unit is its major advantage. But reading braille one cell at a time can be either tediously slow or nearly impossible, depending on the speed of the unit, potentially requiring a sharp learning curve. Priced at around $450, it faces an uphill climb against the likes of the Orbit Reader and BrailleMe, two 20-cell units available for about the same price. Hear more with an interview with BraiBook CEO Sébastien Lefebvre.

Magnified Options for People with Low Vision Revealed

There was no shortage of new video magnifying options on display at the conference. This year’s focus was on updates to what are often referred to as transportable video magnifiers, units that generally will sit on a desk but are light enough to be moved around if necessary.

Irie-AT is introducing the ReadEasy Evolve to the United States, a video magnifier that can capture an entire 11-by-17-inch sheet of paper in a single picture, useful for large items such as newspaper pages. Capturing is accomplished by moving the camera between two different mounting points. The lower camera hole is designed to read standard-sized paper, while the elevated slot is for larger documents. It was quick and painless to move the camera between the two slots. As for the actual reading of text, this was accomplished within about 4 seconds, though the company is working to make this even faster. Speech was clear using modern voices from the Vocalizer speech engine, and the optional keypad can be used for finer control. An optional monitor can be attached for users with low vision.

The 4-pound ReadEasy Evolve folds so it can be taken with you, and will run on an optional battery pack. The base unit is available from Irie-AT for about $2,000. You can listen to a demo with Irie-AT CEO Jeff Gardner who also talks about a new affordable braille embosser called the Braille Buddy.

Back over at the Humanware booth, two new and slightly heavier desktop magnifiers were announced, the Reveal 16 and Reveal 16I. Weighing in at a still transportable 13 pounds, Humanware is targeting these two models at two very different markets. The Reveal 16 is designed for seniors and elementary school students who desire a simple unit with basic controls. It features only four buttons: power, autofocus, zoom, and contrast. Images can be magnified from 1X to 45X and displayed in a variety of contrast modes. The camera can either point down at the base of the unit or be pointed outward for distance viewing.

Advanced users may prefer the Reveal 16I, which offers the same features as the basic model but adds a touchscreen, an OCR camera, and a fifth button, used for switching to an Android 7 tablet. Users of the Prodigi interface will be familiar with this mode, which can be used to read books aloud or run Android apps from Google Play.

Both models collapse and can be carried using an optional case. The Reveal 16 retails for $2,995 while the Reveal 16I sells for $3,995. Learn more with Humanware’s Eric Beauchamp who talks everything low-vision in this podcast.

A New Kind of Wearable

There weren’t as many wearables in the hall as in 2018, but Zoomax was showing a new take on the category. The Acesight is a lightweight headset that displays images using augmented reality. Individual screens are centered over each eye and display magnified images of what’s in front of you. This approach allows you to focus on what’s ahead of you while using your peripheral vision to see other items at the same time. Magnification is available in a variety of contrast modes from 1.1X to 15X. The Acesight will be available soon for $4,995. Learn more from Zoomax’s David Bradburn in this podcast.

Teaching Braille and Code to Kids

The American Printing House for the Blind was showing two products designed to teach important concepts to children who are visually impaired. BrailleBuzz is a toy designed for kids ages 2-5 to teach braille letters. The bumblebee-shaped toy includes buttons for each braille letter that announce the letter or its sound when pressed. A 6-cell Perkins-style braille keyboard is positioned below and will speak the braille letter that is typed, or play a sound if something besides a braille letter is entered. The BrailleBuzz is designed in the style of other audio-based children’s toys that teach basic letter and phonics concepts. It’s available now for $99.

Older kids may love Code Jumper, an educational toy collaboration between APH and Microsoft for teaching basic coding concepts. More and more kids are learning how to write code for computers or mobile devices, and many systems have been created to teach early foundations and concepts at a young age. Code Jumper is one of the first of these systems to be fully accessible for people who are blind or visually impaired.

The brains of the device are housed in the Code Jumper Hub, a Bluetooth device that will play back sounds or music based on what it is connected to. You may not be familiar with programming concepts such as loops, constants, or if statements, but the hands-on approach to the connected pods illustrates these and more to the most novice student or teacher. APH also plans on developing lessons for both teachers and students to complement the system. You can sign up for a waiting list to be informed when the product is released, likely later this year.

A New Guide for Seniors

Dolphin has completely rewritten the software it designed to simplify the Internet for seniors. The new GuideConnect allows you to read and write emails, listen to radio stations, read books, and browse the Web using a simplified interface. The Windows 10 software runs on computers, tablets, and can even be displayed on a TV using a customized set-top box and a remote control, similar to a Roku. The product will be available from Irie-AT in the United States starting at around $800, depending on options. You can listen to Gareth Collins talk about the benefits of the new software and other Dolphin developments in this podcast.

Conclusion

The ATIA conference was busier than in past years, and several major products were announced over the four-day event. We will continue to follow many of these products as they are released, and review some of them in future issues of AccessWorld. The CSUN Assistive Technology Conference, our next big opportunity to learn about new technology, moves to Anaheim this year and will be March 11-15. If you can’t make it, you can read about it right here.

This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.

Comment on this article.

More by this author:

Primer on Converting Photos of Text on Facebook for Blind Screen Reader Users

A quick primer on how to convert a Facebook photo from your iPhone/iPad containing text so that screen reader users can enjoy the learning/laughter as well. This primer supposes you are using iOS 12.x.

download and install the free iOS app called Seeing AI. It’ll be your conversion tool.
With focus on the target photo in Facebook one finger double tap to open it.
Scroll through the page to find the More Button and one finger double tap to reveal a list of options, the first of which will be the Save Button. One finger double tap that button and the photo will be saved to the Camera Roll in your Photos Folder.
Navigate to your Photos Folder and locate the last photo saved in the Camera Roll and open it with a one finger double tap.
With the photo opened navigate to the bottom of the page and one finger double tap on the Share Button.
Scroll through the list to find Seeing AI in the list and one finger double tap to launch it. It will convert the photo and any text therein for you. If the photo contains a picture it will attempt to interpret it, and in another section of the screen it will present the converted text.
copy the text to the clipboard with a three finger quadruple tap.
Navigate back to Facebook and locate the photo in question. You may have left it open when you navigated to the Photo Folder, so locate the Close Button and one finger double tap it. Otherwise, scroll to the original photo and perform a two finger double tap and hold to launch the edit field where you will paste the converted text.
In the active Edit Field you will spin your Rotor to the item called Edit, then swipe up or down with one finger to find the Paste Button and one finger double tap it to paste the text from the clipboard.
Once the text is pasted you can scroll to, and one finger double tap the Save Button.

Thank you in advance for making the FB world a little more accessible and enjoyable for blind, partially sighted and deaf-blind Facebook users.

CCB Tech Articles, Donna’s Low Tech Tips, Scam Alert, February 18, 2019

February 18 2019

A scam alert

Hi there! It’s Donna and thank you for allowing me to come into your inbox.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to my scam alert.

A scam alert

Emails telling you that you just won a huge lotto

Talk about being taken in and this is one of the most common scams and these scammers play on your emotions and are depending on you to fall hard for this type of email.

You are congratulated on winning a huge lottery somewhere in Europe.

You are told how much you have won and it is usually in either Uros or Sterling pounds.

You are told that you need to collect your prize within a certain time frame but you need to provide details of your email address in order to be able to collect your lotto prize.

Simply delete this email for it is a fraud.

What happens if you have a mental lapse and reply to this type of email? Well; it will be all over before you know it.

Much sooner than later, unknown persons will be hacking into your system and it would only be a matter of time before they take control of your hardware and then as they say the rest will be history.

That’s it from me for this week.

If you would like to become a member of my CCB Mysteries chapter you can do so for the price of $10 annually and in return you will receive unlimited access to either of the following libraries.

Recipes –

http://www.donnajodhan.com/library-recipes.html

Audio mysteries for all ages –

http://www.donnajodhan.com/library-audio-mysteries.html

Or you can subscribe to both for the price of $20 annually.

Now you can subscribe to “‘Let’s Talk Tips”‘ which is my monthly resource for the most current and reliable informational tips available in the areas of Technology, Nutrition, Media, Business, and Advocacy.

To stop Internet Explorer from asking to save your passwords:

list of 4 items

1Click the Settings menu  and choose “Internet options”.

2Click the Content tab.

3In the AutoComplete section, click Settings.

4Turn off “Forms and Searches” and “User names and passwords on forms”, then click OK.

list end

Published: Oct 2, 2018

WBU and ACB Announce Results from the First Worldwide Survey of Audio Description Activity

Feb. 7, 2019

A new international survey reveals that audio description (AD) is an important assistive technology worldwide providing access to people who are blind or have low vision to the arts and many other visually-rich events.

The new international AD survey (69 countries and the Pacific Disability Forum) finds that:

.67% of respondents said that AD is available in the respondent’s country;

.cinema, television, live performing arts, and DVDs lead the list of the type of AD experiences available (followed by museums, the web, smartphones, in educational settings and in visitors’ centers);

.almost 45% said that AD is required by law (64% of those respondents reported that it was required for broadcast television); and

.99% of respondents said that they believe AD or more AD should be available.

The World Blind Union and the American Council of the Blind are long-time supporters of the growth of AD. Both groups are eager to learn more about the use of AD by people who are blind or have low vision in its member nations, including some of the barriers to its use. (The World Health Organization reports that an estimated 253 million people live with vision impairment.)

Audio description makes visual information of media and the visual or performing arts, in particular, more accessible to persons who are blind or vision impaired. For media and in the performing arts, language, carefully crafted and timed, is voiced usually during the natural pauses in a program’s original soundtrack.

Kim Charlson, President of the American Council of the Blind, emphasizes that “Cultural activities are an important element of our society, often expressing values, trends, fads, historical perspectives, or future directions. People who are blind or visually impaired want and need to be a part of society in all its aspects. Audio description provides the means for blind or visually impaired people to have full and equal participation in cultural life, accessibility to an event, and the right to be first-class citizens. In short, the ability to contribute to, participate in, and enjoy the treasures that society offers.”

Jose Viera, CEO of the World Blind Union, says that “Throughout the world unemployment among people is a significant problem. I am certain that with more meaningful access to our culture and its resources, people become more informed, more engaged with society and more engaging individuals-thus, more employable.”

The full report from this survey is available at:

http://acb.org/adp/docs/WBU-ACB%20%20AD%20Survey-FINAL%20REPORT.pdf

Additional information about ACB’s Audio Description Project is available

at:

www.acb.org/adp.

About the World Blind Union

The World Blind Union (WBU) is the internationally recognized organization, representing the 253 million blind and partially sighted persons in 190 member countries. We are the voice of the blind, speaking to governments and international bodies on issues concerning blindness and low vision in conjunction with our members.

WBU brings together all the major national and international organizations of blind persons and those organizations providing services to people with low vision to work on the issues affecting the quality of life for blind people. Globally, we are divided into six regions, with each region having its own President and volunteer executive team to assist the needs of the local members.

For more information about the World Blind Union, contact Jose Viera, CEO, World Blind Union, 1929 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario Canada M4G3E8; phone 1-416-486-9698, e-mail: info@wbu.ngo

About the American Council of the Blind

The American Council of the Blind is a national membership organization. Its members are blind, visually impaired, and fully sighted individuals who are concerned about the dignity and well-being of blind people throughout the nation.

Formed in 1961, the ACB is one of the largest organizations of blind people in the world, with more than 70 state and special-interest affiliates and a nationwide network of chapters and members spanning the globe.

For more information about the American Council of the Blind, contact: Eric Bridges, Executive Director, American Council of the Blind, 1703 N Beauregard Street #420, Alexandria, VA 22311; phone (202) 467-5081 or toll-free, 1-800-424-8666; or visit the web site,

www.acb.org.

CCB Tech Articles, Donna’s Low Tech Tips, Privacy Protection, February 11, 2019

February 11 2019

Privacy protection

Hi there! It’s Donna and thank you for allowing me to come into your inbox.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to my tip on privacy protection.

Privacy protection

Paying at a restaurant

Okay, you have just enjoyed a sumptuous and delicious meal and now it is time to pay.

You can pay either by cash and if so just make sure that you keep your wallet out of sight as you remove your cash.

or you can use the good old Credit card or debit card.

For either of these two methods be sure to enter the pin number for yourself if the keypad is user friendly for you.

If not, and if you are presented with a touch screen, you need to request assistance at the service desk to ensure that your info is protected.

Chances are that the waiter may be very trust worthy but one never knows who is watching from another table.

That’s it from me for this week!

If you would like to become a member of my CCB Mysteries chapter you can do so for the price of $10 annually and in return you will receive unlimited access to any of the following libraries.

Recipes – A collection of hard to find recipes

Audio mysteries for all ages – Comfort listening any time of the day

Home and garden – A collection of great articles for around the home and garden

Or you can subscribe to all 3 for the price of $30 annually.

Visit

http://www.donnajodhan.com/subscription-libraries.html

To contact me, send me an email at info@sterlingcreations.ca and I’d be happy to respond.

Have yourselves a great day and see you next week.

Donna

Must-Have Blindness Related Assistive Tech Podcasts, As Determined by GTT Participants, February 1, 2019

Must-Have Blindness Assistive Tech Podcasts

As Determined by

GTT Participant’s

Revised on February 1, 2019

To stay in touch with the blind world of accessible and assistive technology GTT participants refer frequently to the following list of podcasters. Some we go to just to hear what’s new, what’s coming, what does or doesn’t work, and some we go to when we want to learn how to do a task, set-up a device or how to use an app. Either way, these are our collective go-to podcasts for your consideration. Please don’t think that you have to agree, and if you have others not yet included in this list please share them and they will be included. The list is alphabetical and not by importance.

Thanks goes out to those GTT participants who helped make this list a little more complete.

Accessibility Moving Forwards Podcast, for interesting interviews and assistive technology presentations.
Airacast with Jonathan Mosen, for interviews, Agent and Explorer features and news about Aira.
AMI Audio Live, for blindness related radio programs on AMI Audio.
AppleVis, for learning how to, and for the news related to all things Apple.
AT Banter Podcast by Canadian Assistive Technology, which consists of interviews with interesting people in the blind and multi-disabled assistive tech worlds.
Audio Pizza, by and for the Blind, audio reviews and tutorials on the things we’re passionate about. Assistive tech from Apple’s Mac & iOS to reviews of the latest bespoke devices.
Blind Abilities, for learning how to, and for the news related to all things assistive tech.
Blind Bargains Audio, for learning how to, and for the news related to all things assistive tech.
CNIB, Blind Wide Open Podcast, for presentations and interviews about blindness. Kim Kilpatrick was featured on January 8, 2019 talking about GTT.
CNIB, Venture Zone Podcast, which seems to be interviews with blind entrepreneurs
Comments On, Blind Vet Tech Quick Guides, for learning how to use all manner of apps and devices.
Cool Blind Tech, it has over 400 episodes available, and appears to not have added anything new since August 2018.
Devon Wilkins operates three podcasts related to blindness, Guide Dogs and our first love, old time radio, and they are called: Insight Peterborough; Spotlight On Assistance Dogs; and Canadians in Old Time Radio.
Double Tap, an AMI Audio Show dedicated to blindness assistive tech interviews.
Eyes on Success, a weekly, half hour radio show / podcast covering a wide variety of topics of interest to the visually impaired.
FS Cast by Freedom Scientific giving you all the news about JAWS, ZoomText and Fusion.
IACast, Making Success Accessible!
iHabilitation by Tom Dekker, which is an iOS training podcast offering paid training sessions along with some free episodes.
InTouch, a BBC interview podcast dealing with blindness and low vision issues.
Kelly and Company, an AMI Audio program that features some assistive tech segments, local reporting and other blindness related interviews.
Main Menu, ACB Radio, for the news related to all things assistive tech and blindness.
Mystic Access, for free tutorials, helpful hints and news about the online and home-study courses they sometimes offer on a fee-for-service basis.
Parallel, Relay FM, an interview podcast featuring many experts and innovators in the blind/tech world by Shelly Brisban. She is the author of the series of books titled, iOS Access for All, and is herself vision impaired.
RNIB Tek Talk, for news on the blind assistive tech world.
Seminars at Hadley, for hour long presentations, discussions and interviews related to assistive tech.
TedTalks, consisting of several separate podcasts related to Education, Health, News and Politics, Society and Culture, and Technology, which all must be searched for and subscribed to individually.
Technology Podcasts, NCBI from Ireland, Working for people with sight loss.
The Canadian Council of the Blind Podcast, just because I have a couple of episodes on there, and the CCB Health and Fitness program has many more than that.
The Tech Doctor Blog and Podcast, which posts new episodes infrequently, and that is very good, all-be-it completely Apple ecosystem based.
Victor Reader Stream Information, which is infrequently updated with new material.
Woodbridge, David, iSee – Using various technologies from a blind person’s perspective, for learning how to use many apps and devices.

Thx, Albert

GTT Beginners National Conference Call Summary Notes, NVDA Session One, January 22, 2019

GTT Beginners National Conference Call

The NVDA Screen Reader, Session One

Summary Notes

January 22, 2019

What is NVDA,

NVDA is a screen reader.

What does NVDA stand for.

Non visual desktop access.

Where do i get NVDA.

You can do a google search for NVDA free download or you can go to NVaccess.org and hit enter on the download which will take you to a donate page and if you hit the up arrow on the thirty dollar field you will see it change to not this time, now tab twice to download now.

Remember that NVDA relies on donations so if you can afford it send a donation to support and they also have a tutorial and language pack you can purchase.

During the install process you will get the option to select capslock as the NVDA modifier key; by default the insert key is the modifier key.

To get into the menu after completing the instal press the NVDA key and the letter n at the same time then down arrow which will be preference, then right arrow to settings and hit enter. You are now into a tree view of all your NVDA settings.

In the tree view the first item is general, use the tab key to go through the items for your general settings.

To move to different settings, ie from general to speech, use the down arrow.

Now lets talk a little about addons. An addon allows you to enhance NVDA. You can get add ons at the following link,

https://addons.nvda-project.org/index.en.html

The first add on you should install is the windows 10 essential, after you have downloaded the add on just go to your download folder and install it as you would any program or app.

Now lets go back to the NVDA settings,

Below preferences

You will have tools and right arrow and up arrow to addons. There you will see all the addons you have installed and there you can uninstall or disable the ones you wish. We will expand on our next call.

Ok if you are not bored to death yet lets talk about shortcut keys, don’t run away just yet i will only give you a few and you can go to the user guide for specific ones.

To start NVDA, control+alt+N

To close NVDA, NVDA+Q

To learn what keys do what and learn your keyboard layout, NVDA+1.

To put NVDA in sleep mode, handy for applications with built inreaders, NVDA+S.

To wake up NVDA, NVDA+S twice.

To check battery level, NVDA+shift+B.

To check the time and date, NVDA+F12 will give you the time, press twice for the date.

I hope this was helpfull and join us February 26^th for our NVDA beginners session part 2.

GTT WordPress Blog, Facebook and Twitter Feeds:

If you wish to follow the CCB-GTT Groups now starting to gather all over Canada, you can do so by registering your email address as follows. Registering will have you receiving each announcement in your email inbox without any effort on your part.

Here’s how to register:

Point your Web Browser to,

www.GTTProgram.Blog

Find the link near the bottom of the Web Page called “Follow” and press the Enter Key.
This will take you to a page where you may type in your email address.
Tab to the “Sign Me Up” Button and Press the Space Bar or Enter Key. This will prompt the sending of a message to the email address provided.
Launch your Email Program and find an email message from the GTT Program Blog and open it.
Scroll through the message to find the Confirm Link and Press the Enter Key.
This will take you to the GTT Program Blog and should display a message confirming that you have been successfully registered to receive ongoing Blog Posts.

Congratulations! You’re part of the GTT Team. Welcome aboard.

To stay in touch with the CCB and GTT on Twitter please follow the three Twitter Feeds listed below:

@GTTWest @GTTProgram @CCBNational

To see what GTT is up to across Canada, and to ask your burning questions you can become a member of the Facebook Group at:

https://m.facebook.com/groups/414313508657159?refid=27

For more information please contact:

Albert Ruel on the West Coast: or Kim Kilpatrick in Ottawa

Email: Albert.GTT@CCBNational.net Email: gttprogram@gmail.com

Or Toll Free: 1-877-304-0968

Guest Post: Lets Talk Tips Newsletter, A Donna Jodhan Publication, February 4, 2019

February 04 2019

My let’s talk tips free monthly newsletter

Hi there! It’s Donna and thank you for allowing me to come into your inbox.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to my free monthly newsletter.

Tips on technology, media, business, neutrition, and advocacy.

Enjoy!

Let’s Talk Tips for Saturday, December 1st 2018 – Volume 3

An Author Donna Jodhan Publication

http://bit.ly/LETSTALKTIPSV3

About | Let’s Talk Tips is your monthly resource for the most current and reliable informational tips available in the areas of Technology, Nutrition, Media, Business, and Advocacy. Find out more at: http://bit.ly/ADJLTT

Web Version | Read this Volume of the Let’s Talk Tips Newsletter on the web at: http://bit.ly/LETSTALKTIPSV3, or at http://www.donnajodhan.com/lets-talk-tips-newsletter-2018/12012018/index.html.

Spam Filtering | To ensure that you receive each issue of the Let’s Talk Tips Newsletter please be sure to add the following two email addresses to your Address Book, Email Contact List, Trusted Sender’s List, and/or Safe Sender’s List today: enews@donnajodhan.ccsend.com and enews@donnajodhan.com.

Facebook | Share this Volume of the Let’s Talk Tips Newsletter on Facebook using this link: http://bit.ly/SHARELETSTALKTIPSV3.

Subscribe | Subscribe to receive this newsletter at:

http://bit.ly/ADJSubscribe

Greetings,

This month in Let’s Talk Tips:

***********************

#Technology

***********************

1.) VR Roller Skates

Do you want to really, physically walk around in virtual reality? Is an omnidirectional treadmill too bulky for your taste? A giant hamster ball too confining? Redirected walking too trippy? An empty warehouse too expensive? If so, we’ve got good news: Google is trying to patent a design for VR roller skates.

http://bit.ly/2RacCE0

2.) Your Time on Facebook

Fifteen weeks after Facebook announced its “Your Time on Facebook” tool that counts how many minutes you spend on the app, the feature is finally rolling out around the world. Designed to help you manage your social networking, the dashboard reveals how many minutes you’ve spent on Facebook’s app on that device each day for the past week and on average.

https://tcrn.ch/2r3t7WY

3.) LockedIn

LinkedIn has cut off email address exports with a new privacy setting. A win for privacy on LinkedIn could be a big loss for businesses, recruiters and anyone else expecting to be able to export the email addresses of their connections. LinkedIn just quietly introduced a new privacy setting that defaults to blocking other users from exporting your email address.

https://tcrn.ch/2DCJdhQ

4.) How to Get Air Quality Info on iPhone with Weather

The iPhone Weather app can offer information about the air quality at specific locations, including an Air Quality summary and an Air Quality Index score rating.

http://bit.ly/2TD49en

5.) Emoji8: Microsoft App Rates Your Expressions Against Emojis

Microsoft has launched a free Windows app that uses machine learning to guess the facial expression you’re making when imitating an emoji. Called Emoji8, the app gives you a score for how well you recreate the emoji, and it’s mostly meant to show off the capabilities of this brand of artificial intelligence in an accessible way.

http://bit.ly/2S7HRjq

***********************

#Nutrition

***********************

1.) Do You Like It Hot?

Weight loss is a topic which comes with a wealth of different kinds of advice. When choosing a diet plan, it really comes down to which type works the best for your body and lifestyle – but if you’re looking to slim down quickly, incorporating this type of food could mean you see results sooner.

http://bit.ly/2TE2kxC

2.) Diwali Weight Loss Tips

Six smart ways to prevent belly fat and look gorgeous during the festive season.

http://bit.ly/2TBulG8

3.) What Do Marathon Runners Really Eat?

The winner of last year’s New York City Marathon, Shalane Flanagan, will be running again in 2018. Here’s how she fuels up for a race.

https://on.today.com/2S7oarN

4.) 7 Healthy Eating Tips To Fuel Your Workout

Have you ever laced up your running shoes only to realize you’re hungry? What do you grab to eat – if anything? Your body needs fuel to exercise, but not all foods will benefit you. Try these healthy eating tips to help you power through your workouts.

http://bit.ly/2DEReD3

5.) Is It True You Don’t Have To Train Like An Athlete To Stay Fit?

You might think losing weight is all about hard work at the gym and following a strict diet. Exercise is clearly good for our bodies – but you don’t have to train like an athlete to stay fit. Sometimes, even the smallest amount of effort can deliver major pay-offs.

http://bit.ly/2DVtFa9

***********************

#Media

***********************

1.) Apple’s New Holiday Ad Is Absolutely Heartwarming

Apple’s holiday commercials are an annual tradition, designed to evoke the strongest of emotions in those who watch the lengthy ads play out. This year’s commercial manages to accomplish that feat, but it looks a little different: it’s fully animated.

http://bit.ly/2KwqlCU

2.) LinkedIn Looks To Be Testing Reactions and Stories

LinkedIn looks to be testing its own versions of Reactions and Stories. Although these tests have not yet been confirmed by LinkedIn, they have been spotted in some form of testing. That means they could be for real, or they could be a limited test – meaning, basically, that they might never see the light of day.

http://bit.ly/2AeX4aZ

3.) Switch Between Two Different Twitter Timelines

What’s it going to be for you, ‘top tweets’ or the new reverse chronological order timeline? After teasing us with the news last month, Twitter is finally giving users the ability to choose.

http://bit.ly/2DHdgoV

4.) TikTok Surges Past 6M Downloads in the US

TikTok is one of the world’s most popular apps, recently surpassing 6 million users last month in the US and landing in the top spot on Apple’s App Store in the United States. Now, more celebrities are joining the app, which allows people to upload their own videos using a variety of editing tools and filters. Jimmy Fallon and Tony Hawk have both recently joined, using the app to participate in current trends and try to connect with a larger audience.

http://bit.ly/2r0VFAJ

5.) Google Employee Challenges The Wording of Google’s Internal Process for Granting Disability Accommodation And Wins

When Google changed the wording of its internal process for granting disability accommodation late last week, employee Cathy Fitzpatrick took it as proof that you can effect change by speaking out.

https://cnb.cx/2R7q4IY

***********************

#Business

***********************

1.) The Kids Are Coming. Winning The Generation Game

Home care providers are failing to effectively engage with intergenerational markets, an industry conference has heard.

http://bit.ly/2R8CikB

2.) Website Security Tips for Marketers

Today we are going to discuss some practical security tips that marketers can put into practice.

http://bit.ly/2DJwcDx

3.) Bucking the Geezer Stereotype

The concept of developing one’s personal brand to stand out and succeed in the marketplace is a recent phenomenon that classic baby boomers often find repugnant. Shouldn’t doing your job well all these years be enough?

http://bit.ly/2FGlcJt

4.) 8 Tips To Protect Your Small Business Against Cybercrime

The forecast is bleak for companies of any size. This is particularly true for small businesses that often don’t have enough IT security and protection to diminish or block the attacks.

http://bit.ly/2Ksh5iU

5.) Current Cyber Security Tips To Ensure Your Business Is Safe

Cyber security is a huge threat to people and businesses all over the world, especially in the USA. With that in mind, this article touches on a few different cyber security tips to make sure your business and yourself stay safe and avoid potential disaster.

http://bit.ly/2RaMzg4

***********************

#Advocacy

***********************

1.) People With Disabilities Face Significant Barriers in Education System

Ontario’s education system needs to modernize its approach to supporting disabled students at every age level and do more to eliminate persistent barriers they face in school, the province’s human rights commission said in a statement.

http://bit.ly/2Ad42x8

2.) Blind Marylanders Sue Walmart, Saying Self-Serve Checkouts Violate ADA

Three blind Maryland residents and the National Federation of the Blind are suing Walmart, alleging that the company violates the Americans with Disabilities Act because its self-checkout kiosks are not fully accessible to blind customers.

https://bsun.md/2DF4bwG

3.) Wegmans Adds a ‘Game-Changer’ for Visually Impaired Shopping (Video)

Grocery shopping can very stressful. Navigating crowded aisles in a store full of people is frustrating, but if you’re blind, like Kim Charlson, then grocery shopping can be almost impossible. A new tool, however, could revolutionize shopping for people who can’t see. It’s an app that helps the visually impaired navigate the world and does it using the eyes in your smartphone.

http://bit.ly/2KtXWgp

4.) Losing Touch. Finding Intimacy

I had come to believe I was unable to break through my physical disability. I was wrong.

https://nyti.ms/2zlnrMz

5.) What Does Blind Have To Do With It?

The Right to Parent from a Sighted Daughter’s Perspective.

http://bit.ly/2R98hRN

***********************

#Subscription Information:

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ABOUT:

The Let’s Talk Tips Newsletter is an Author Donna Jodhan Publication. Author Donna Jodhan is a blind author, advocate, blogger, podcast commentator, and accessibility specialist. The Let’s Talk Tips Newsletter is your monthly resource for the most current and reliable informational tips available in the areas of Technology, Nutrition, Media, Business, and Advocacy. The Let’s Talk Tips Newsletter is sent out by email and Facebook on the 1st Monday of every month at 6:00 AM EST.

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If you would like to support Author Donna Jodhan, the CCB Mysteries Chapter, or any of the other many initiatives undertaken by Donna Jodhan and Friends, or the many organizations with which they collaborate, please consider becoming an active support member today. Learn more at:

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ARCHIVE:

Visit the Let’s Talk Tips Newsletter Archive at:

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where you can reference all past issues.

CONTENT CONTRIBUTORS:

Each month we aggregate all of the very best tips we can find in the areas of Technology, Nutrition, Media, Business, and Advocacy. If you are a writer, author, blogger or podcaster of informational tips in any of these areas, and you would like for your content to be considered for publication within this newsletter, you may send any information for future issues to our editor, Donna Jodhan, at: LetsTalkTips@DonnaJodhan.com.

***********************

That’s it from me for this week.

If you would like to become a member of my CCB Mysteries chapter you can do so for the price of $10 annually and in return you will receive unlimited access to either of the following libraries.

Recipes –

http://www.donnajodhan.com/library-recipes.html

Audio mysteries for all ages –

http://www.donnajodhan.com/library-audio-mysteries.html

Or you can subscribe to both for the price of $20 annually.

http://bit.ly/ADJSubscribe

To contact me, send me an email at info@sterlingcreations.ca and I’d be happy to respond.

Have yourselves a great day and see you next week.

Donna

Narrator Tutorial Podcasts for Windows 10 by Blind Vet Tech Podcast

Narrator Screen Reader Tutorial Podcasts by Blind Vet Tech

How do I know what version I’m running?

To determine whether or not these tutorials apply to Narrator in your computer you can check your version number as follows:

Press and release the Windows Key and type the word Run, or merely hold down the Windows key and press the letter R.
In the window that pops up type the text, WinVer and press the Enter key. Typing immediately will replace any text that might already be there.
The computer will display, and your screen reader will speak the version of your operating system. If it indicates you’re running version 1809 Narrator will function as outlined in these podcasts, however if your computer is still running an older version please disregard these tutorials for now. Press the Space Bar to close this dialog.

The Complete Guide to Narrator on the Microsoft Windows Help Page:

Click here to access the Complete Narrator’s Guide on the Windows Help Page.

Blind Vet Tech Guides and Tutorials:

Are you a visually impaired Veteran interested in learning more about technology and adaptive software? Have you received a device, like an iPhone or iPad, from a Blind Rehab Center, but require more information on how to use it? Are you a visually impaired Veteran looking for a network of peers to assist you in determining if updating your device is the right choice? If you answered yes, or simply are interested in learning more about assistive technologies for blinded Veterans, the Blind Vet Tech Quick Guides and Tutorials podcast will assist you. Developed by blinded Veterans aiding our fellow peers adapt to sight loss, Blind Vet Tech focuses on iPhones, iPads, computers, other smart phones, and different technologies Veterans might receive to increase their independence.

To that end, BVT have produced a spectacular series of tutorial podcast episodes ateaching users how to maximize their use of the latest version of Narrator. Below are Hyperlinks to each of the Blind Vet Tech Podcast episodes on the web.

Blind Vet Tech Direct Links to Narrator Podcast Episodes:

To subscribe to the Blind Vet Tech podcast follow this link.

Thx, Albert A. Ruel

CCB Tech Articles, Donna’s Low Tech Tips, Beeping Luggage Tags, January 28, 2019

January 28 2019

Meet the luggage tags that beep

Happy New Year everyone!

Hi there! It’s Donna and thank you for allowing me to come into your inbox.

Today, I’d like to talk about luggage tags that beep.

Meet the luggage tags that beep

Yes, these tags sure work and they are quite handy for anyone; especially so for a blind person.

When you are in a busy airport, or at a conference, and you need to depend on someone sighted to help you identify your luggage, then the beeping luggage tags come in very handy. How do they work?

You attach the tags to your luggage and then you have a remote that you can press that will pick up the encoded tags on your luggage. It beeps to within 50 feet of where you are.

You can also use this little gadget or device for other purposes. Just use your imagination and see what you can come up with. All I know is that I can use it when I travel and am in airports or train stations or even at hotels.

I am happy to endorse this nifty little gadget as I constantly use it when I travel to navigate to my hotel room.

I hang the tag on the door of my hotel room and then I use the transponder to locate the tag on the door. There is a beeping sound that is emitted when the transponder is pressed. You can hear the beep as you get closer.

So go out there and make friends with the luggage tags that beep.

That’s it from me for this week.

If you would like to become a member of my CCB Mysteries chapter you can do so for the price of $10 annually and in return you will receive unlimited access to either of the following libraries.

Recipes –

http://www.donnajodhan.com/library-recipes.html

Audio mysteries for all ages –

http://www.donnajodhan.com/library-audio-mysteries.html

Or you can subscribe to both for the price of $20 annually.

http://bit.ly/ADJSubscribe

To contact me, send me an email at info@sterlingcreations.ca and I’d be happy to respond.

Have yourselves a great day and see you next week.

Donna

GTT Toronto Summary Notes, Seeing AI, TapTapSee, Be My Eyes and Aira, January 17, 2019

Summary Notes

GTT Toronto Adaptive Technology User Group

January 17, 2019

An Initiative of the Canadian Council of the Blind

In Partnership with the CNIB Foundation

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Toronto Group was held on Thursday, January 17 at the CNIB Community Hub.

*Note: Reading Tip: These summary notes apply HTML headings to help navigate the document. With screen readers, you may press the H key to jump forward or Shift H to jump backward from heading to heading.

Theme: Seeing AI, TapTapSee, BeMyEyes and Aira

GTT Toronto Meeting Summary Notes can be found at this link:

Ian White (Facilatator, GTT)

Chelsy Moller Presenter, Balance For Blind Adults

Ian opened the meeting. Chelsy Moller will be presenting on recognition aps.

General Discussion:

We began with a general discussion. OrCam will be presenting at the White Cane Expo. AIRA will not. We’re still in negotiation to see if they will open up the event as a free AIRA event space. Apple will also not be there. They make it a corporate policy not to present at generalized disability events.
Ian raised the issue of getting a media error 7 when he’s recording on his Victor Stream. Is there a list of errors somewhere? Jason answered that perhaps it’s a corrupted SD card. A member said that there’s a list of errors in an appendix to the manual, which can be accessed by holding down the 1 key.
Michael asked if there’s a way to add personal notes in BlindSquare, such as, 25 steps. One recommendation was a document that you could access through the cloud. Another recommendation was to mark a “point of interest” in BlindSquare. When you do this, you can name it, so you could call it, Shoppers 25, to indicate 25 steps. Another recommendation was to make notes using the iPhone notes ap. Another recommendation was to set up geo-dependent iPhone reminders. Within a radius of the spot you want, your phone would just tell you whatever information you put in.
A member raised the problem of using Windows 10 and Jaws, trying to synchronize contacts email with Apple, and having duplicate folders in his Outlook email. Microsoft exchange might help.
Jason told the group that he has an Instant Pot smart available for sale. This is a pressure cooker that works with the iPhone, and it’s no longer available as an iPhone connectable device. He’s thinking $100, talk to him privately if interested.
Then he described a new keyboard he got. It’s a Bluetooth called REVO2, which he received as a demo unit. It’s got 24 keys. You can type on your phone with it, or control your phone with it. Its most useful use is when you need to key in numbers after having made a call, such as keying in bank passwords etc. Alphabetic entry works the way old cell phones did, press 2 twice for B. It has actual physical buttons. It can control every aspect of VoiceOver. You can also route your phone audio to it, so you’re essentially using it as a phone. It’s about $300. It can be paired to iPhone and Android. Here’s a link to the David Woodbridge podcast demonstrating the Rivo Keyboard:
A member asked if Phone it Forward is up and running. This is a program in which CNIB takes old phones, refurbishes them, then redistributes them to CNIB clients. Phone It Forward information can be found at this link.

Seeing AI, TapTapSee, Be My Eyes, and AIRA Presentation:

Ian introduced Chelsie, who is an Adaptive Technology Trainer, and Engagement Specialist. She’s here tonight to talk about recognition aps.

We’re going to focus on 4 aps, Seeing AI, TapTapSee, Be My Eyes, and AIRA.

Seeing AI is an ap that allows the user to do a variety of visual tasks, scene description, text recognition, vague descriptions of people, light levels, currency recognition, and colour preview. Each of these functions is called a channel. As a side note, Chelsie said that her iPhone10 uses facial recognition as your password. A store employee told her it wouldn’t work because it needs to see your retina, but this isn’t true; it works from facial contours.

Chelsie opened the ap. There’s a menu, quick help, then channel chooser. To get from channel to channel, flick up. She did a demonstration of short text with a book. It’s helpful for reading labels and packaging. Try to keep the camera about a foot above the text, and centred. This requires some trial and error. The document channel takes a picture of the text. It’s better for scanning a larger surface. Short text is also very useful for your computer screen if your voice software is unresponsive. Short text will not recognize columns, but document mode usually will. The product channel is for recognizing bar codes. This is a bit challenging because you have to find the bar code first. Jason said that it’s possible to learn where the codes typically appear, near the label seem on a can, or on the bottom edge of a cereal box. The person channel tells you when the face is in focus, then you take a picture. You get a response that gives age, gender, physical features, and expression. Chelsie demonstrated these, as well as currency identifier. It’s very quick. The scene preview also takes a picture, and gives you a very general description. The colour identification channel is also very quick. There’s also a hand writing channel, that has mixed results. The light detector uses a series of ascending and descending tones. Beside the obvious use of detecting your house lights, it’s also useful in diagnosing electronics. If you turn all other lights off, you can use it to see if an indicator light on a device is on.

Seeing AI is free. It’s made by Microsoft, who has many other ways of generating revenue.

TapTapSee is a very good ap for colour identification. This is always a tricky thing, because colour is often subjective, and is affected by light levels. TapTapSee takes a picture, and gives a general description including colour. For more accurate colour description, Be My Eyes and AIRA are better. TapTapSee is free.
Be My Eyes is a service in which a blind person contacts volunteers who help with quick identification or short tasks. Because they’re volunteers, the quality of help varies. You may have to wait for a volunteer. There’s a specialized help button. You can use Be My Eyes to call the disability help desk. This is useful if you need technical help from Microsoft, and they need to see your screen. This ap is also free.
AIRA is a paid service. Chelsie has been using it for a month. She’s very happy with it. It connects a blind user with a trained, sighted agent. This could be anything from “what is this product?” “I need to find this address,” I need to navigate through a hospital or airport. When you set up your profile, you can specify how much information you want in a given situation, and how you like to receive directions. They can access your location via GPS, in order to help navigate. They will not say things like “it’s safe to cross,” but they will say things like, “You have a walk signal with 10 seconds to go.” They’re seeing through either your phone camera, or through a camera mounted on glasses you can ware.

They have 3 plans, introductory, 30 minutes. You cannot buy more minutes in a month on this plan. You can upgrade though. The standard plan is 120 minutes at $100, or the $125 plan, that gives you 100 minutes plus the glasses. The advantage of this is that you can be hands-free when travelling. The glasses have a cord connecting them to an Android phone that has been dedicated to the AIRA function. Otherwise, you simply use your own phone with its built-in camera. This happens via an ap that you install.

The question was raised about whether the glasses could be Bluetooth, but the feedback was that there’s too much data being transmitted for Bluetooth to work.

On the personal phone ap, you open the ap and tap on the “call” button. With the glasses, there’s a dedicated button to press to initiate the call.

Chelsie spoke about how powerfully liberating it is to have this kind of independence and information. You can, read her blog post about her experience here

The third plan is 300 minutes and $190. All these prices are U.S.

Jason added that, in the U.S. many stores are becoming Sight Access Locations. This means that if you already have an AIRA subscription, use at these locations won’t count against your minutes. The stores pay AIRA for this. This will likely begin to roll out in Canada. Many airports are also Sight Access Locations. You can’t get assigned agents, but you may get the same agent more than once. If you lose your connection, the agent will be on hold for about 90 seconds so that you can get the same agent again if you call back immediately. For head phones, you can use ear buds or Aftershocks.

Upcoming Meetings:

Next Meeting: Thursday, February 21 at 6pm
Location: CNIB Community Hub space at 1525 Yonge Street, just 1 block north of St Clair on the east side of Yonge, just south of Heath.
Meetings are held on the third Thursday of the month at 6pm.

GTT Toronto Adaptive Technology User Group Overview:

GTT Toronto is a chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB).
GTT Toronto promotes a self-help learning experience by holding monthly meetings to assist participants with assistive technology.
Each meeting consists of a feature technology topic, questions and answers about technology, and one-on-one training where possible.
Participants are encouraged to come to each meeting even if they are not interested in the feature topic because questions on any technology are welcome. The more participants the better able we will be equipped with the talent and experience to help each other.
There are GTT groups across Canada as well as a national GTT monthly toll free teleconference. You may subscribe to the National GTT blog to get email notices of teleconferences and notes from other GTT chapters. Visit:

http://www.GTTProgram.Blog/

There is a form at the bottom of that web page to enter your email.

GTT Edmonton Summary Notes, AIRA and Library Services, January 14, 2019

Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting January 14, 2019

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held January 14, at 7pm at Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 83 Street in Edmonton.

28 people attended.

Reading Tip: These summary notes apply HTML headings to help navigate the document. With screen readers, you may press the H key to jump forward or Shift H to jump backward from heading to heading.

January Topics – AIRA and Library Services

AIRA

Carrie introduced Ashley, a CNIB staff member and independent blind person, who lives in Saskatchewan. Ashley joined us remotely and presented her experience

With AIRA, a paid subscription service where blind or vision impaired people make an audio and video connection through a smartphone to trained sighted agents who can help them with virtually any task.

The AIRA user, referred to as an Explorer, uses their smartphone with an AIRA app or an optional set of smart eyeglasses called Horizon. The Horizon kit provides eyeglasses with built-in camera and audio connected to a dedicated Samsung smartphone that enables contact with the AIRA agents. The Samsung phone cannot be used for any other purpose other than to connect to the AIRA agent. The agent can see whatever the explorer points their phone camera at or, in the case of wearing the optional Horizon eyeglasses there is a camera that transmits video of whatever the explorer is looking at.
The agent becomes a sighted assistant talking to the explorer in real time and helping them navigate or perform other tasks at home or away.
Ashley emphasized that AIRA does not replace your mobility device. The agents will not assist you outside your home if you are not using a white cane or guide dog.
The agents will also not talk to you while you cross the street.
The AIRA subscription fee ranges from $29 USD per month for 30 minutes assistance up to $199 per month for 300 minutes of assistance.
The optional Horizon kit is $600 USD or can be purchased over time at $25 per month.
With Horizon your network data is covered in the AIRA fee. If you use your own smartphone then you must pay the cost of data through your own phone plan. It’s estimated that 1 hour of AIRA costs about 1GB of data.
There are now many sponsors of AIRA such as airports, retail stores, college campuses where your time on AIRA is free. However, Ashley was not aware of any sponsors in Canada yet.
Complete information about AIRA is available at http://www.aira.io/ or you can call them at 1-800-835-1934.

If you want to know more about Ashley, visit her blog at http://www.blindmovingon.com/

Edmonton Public Library and CELA and NNELS

We were treated to a presentation on Edmonton Public Library services by Cassidy Munro, the community librarian at the Strathcona library branch.
Cassidy can be reached at 780.975.8102- or by email at: Cassidy.Munro@epl.ca
Cassidy described the CELA accessible library service for print disabled Canadians which provides many services including: downloadable recorded DAISY books, downloadable DAISY eBooks, downloadable Bookshare DAISY eBooks, DAISY books on CD mailed to your home, braille books mailed to your home, print-brailled books for kids, over 150 downloadable DAISY e-text magazines, recorded DAISY magazines by download or mail, and over 40 daily newspapers that can be read online.
Many will recognize these CELA services to be the same as those previously provided by the CNIB Library. CELA took over the CNIB Library
- In 2014 and now serves all print-disabled Canadians not just those who are blind or vision impaired.
- Edmonton Public Library (EPL) also has 100 or so DAISY CD books that can be borrowed for those who want to experience a DAISY book prior to registering for CELA service.
- EPL also has a few Victor Reader Stratus DAISY CD players that can be borrowed to test the service. Customers must purchase their own book player or CNIB clients can approach
CNIB who may be able to subsidize 75% of the cost of a player.
In addition to playing CD books the Victor Reader Stratus can also receive direct to player DAISY books over the Internet. The user chooses their book by logging into CELA online and once a book is chosen it is sent directly to the player. For non-computer users, CELA customer service
or Cassidy can set up a reader profile for you and then the CELA computer will choose your books and send them directly to the player or on CD mailed to your home.
Cassidy also suggested some may prefer the pocket sized Victor Reader Stream which can accept the direct to player books and perform other online functions Such as getting Bookshare books and listening to podcasts and radio stations.
- CELA books can also be played on your iPhone or Android phone using the free Dolphin EasyReader app.
Visit the CELA web site for information on all their services or call their customer service at 1-855-655-2273.
Cassidy can register you for CELA service.
Cassidy can also register you for NNELS another library service for print-disabled Canadians that offers downloadable DAISY or e-text books. Cassidy highlighted that NNELS is a good source for local content and First Nations content.
EPL also has non CELA materials you may be interested in such as CD books, Overdrive downloadable recorded books, Music recordings, large print books and more.
Cassidy was asked about fees. There is no fee for an EPL card, CELA service, Bookshare service or NNELS service.

Next Meeting (Monday February 11, 2019 at 7pm)

Cassidy from Edmonton Public Library plans to come to the February meeting. She can answer your library questions and register clients for CELA and NNELS that were unable to come in January.
As always, for help with technology bring your devices and/or questions to the meeting.

Meeting Location and Logistics

Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 – 83 Street NW, Edmonton.
We meet in the basement hall. There is elevator access.
Enter the church from the back door. There is parking at the back.
Meetings are every second Monday of the month at 7pm.
If you have someone helping you your assistant is welcome to remain for the meeting.

GTT Edmonton Overview

GTT Edmonton is a chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB).
GTT Edmonton promotes a self-help learning experience by holding monthly meetings to assist participants with assistive technology.
Each meeting consists of a feature technology topic, questions and answers about technology, and one-on-one training where possible.
Participants are encouraged to come to each meeting even if they are not interested in the feature topic because questions on any technology are welcome. The more participants the more talent and experience we will have to help each other.
There are GTT groups across Canada as well as a national GTT monthly toll free teleconference. You may subscribe to the National GTT blog to get email notices of teleconferences and notes from other GTT chapters. Visit:

http://www.gttprogram.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, activate the “Follow “link at the bottom of that web page to enter your email.

National GTT Email Support List

CCB sponsors a GTT email support list to provide help and support with technology for blind and low vision Canadians. To subscribe to the email list, send an empty email to:

GTTsupport+subscribe@groups.io

[End of Document]

Resource: Audible App, Deleting books on iPhone 6 Running iOS 11-4-1

Deleting books in the Audible App on iPhone 6 in iOS 11-4-1

With the My Library Tab at the bottom left corner of the main Audible Player screen selected, and Device selected near the top of the screen the iPhone will list the books on the device.
2. Flick right several times from the top of the page to find the Delete Button icon and one-finger double tap it. Now, each book in the list will have something appear just before the title labelled, Delete from Device.
3. Flick with one finger through the list to find the book title to be deleted and flick once to the left to access the Delete From Device Button pertaining to that book. One-finger double tap that button to start the deletion process.
4. Focus will remain on the Delete From Device icon just activated, and above it will be found another button with the same label. Flick once to the left to locate that one and one-finger double tap it to finalize the deletion of the book.
5. If there are multiple books to delete repeat steps 3 and 4.
6. To turn off the Deletion process go back to the top of the page then flick right to locate the Delete Button and one-finger double tap it. The list of books wil return to its original state.