Category: Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB)

Canadian Council of the Blind Is the Voice of the Blind in Canada™
Based on belief in ABILITY, not disability the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB) is a vibrant network of active members across Canada. Each chapter is unique to its geographic area and engages in a variety of social and recreational activities based on the particular interests of their local members.

CCB Tech Articles: Donna’s Low Tech Tips, Talking Alarm Clock, June 4, 2018

June 04 2018

Meet the talking alarm clock

 

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

Today, I’d like to talk about the talking alarm clock.

 

Of course, there are several places where you can buy one of these and I would prefer not to endorse any one in particular but here is the picture.

 

I am always excited whenever someone comes along and improves on an existing product and this is what I have seen in the case of the talking alarm clock.

 

Just imagine!  Now you can find a clock that accepts voice commands!  No more having to press the button to hear the time!  No more having to set the time with buttons!  You now have the best of both worlds!

 

You can either choose to set and hear the time with the press of a button or you can do this through voice commands. Most of these alarm clocks come with extra nice to have add-ons.  Timers, thermometers, date, and more.  You can even choose which voice you want to have announce the time and so on and many of these voices are extremely clear and easy to understand.

 

No more having to depend on sighted assistance to set the time or alarm for me.  No more having to ask someone for the time.

 

So go out there and make friends with the talking alarm clock.

 

Here are a few places for you to contact if you are interested to learn more.

CNIB – toll free = 1800 563 2642

Frontier Computing – toll free = 1-888-480-0000

Or visit http://www.futureaids.ca

You can also call them at 1-800-987-1231

There is also no harm in checking out http://www.independentlivingaids.com and

http://www.maxiaids.com

 

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.

 

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

 

CCB Tech Articles: Donna’s Low Tech Tips, Medications, May 28, 2018

May 28 2018

Medications

 

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

Today, I’d like to talk about how we deal with medications.

 

If you are taking medication, you may wish to take advantage of the many pill organizers available at drug stores.  Some               have one section for    each day; others are larger and have two or more sections for each day.

These are especially useful for people who take several kinds of pills in the morning, at lunch, at dinner, and            at bedtime.

 

Organize medication according to frequency of use, in alphabetical order, or in categories used.

Large print or braille labels may be placed on medicine bottles to easily identify them.  Any personal marking (for example, a piece of tape) will do the trick as long as it is understandable by you.

When refilling medications, simply transfer the new medicine to the old bottle or ask your pharmacist to use the same container.  If your label will fit on the lid of the bottle, you only need to transfer the lid.

 

“Bubble Packing” service is available from drug stores. The system consists of a weekly supply of medication per card. “Days of the week” are located along the left side of the card and the “time of day” is located across the top of the card. The upper side of the card consists of a series of clear moulded elastic bubbles, containing the pills; the under side is foil. By pushing down on the bubble, and breaking the foil, medications are easily removed into your hand or small glass.                      Since the bubble is crushed by this procedure, it is always easy for a blind or visually impaired person to tactually check to ensure medications have been taken.

 

I hope that these tips are helpful to you.

 

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.

 

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

 

Tech-Ease/ Get Together with Technology Regina Drop-In Meeting Summary Notes, Accessible Shopping & Banking, April 28, 2018

Tech-Ease/ Get Together with Technology

Regina Drop-In Meeting

Summary Notes

April 28, 2018

 

Sponsored by Vision Impaired Resource Network (VIRN),

Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB)

And the

Regina Public Library

 

Assistive Technology Peer Support by and for people who are blind/low vision

 

In attendance: 11 Participants. Amber, Doug, Michelle, Kari (RPL), Camille, Wes, Donna, Lori, Anna, Barry, Jerome

 

Today’s topic: Accessible Shopping & Banking

 

 

Accessible Shopping:

We discussed pros & cons of online shopping in general

Pros: Fast, convenient, don’t have to go out and get help, don’t have to navigate new spaces or remember familiar ones, sometimes there are deals online that aren’t in the store, don’t have to haul things home from store or get a cab

 

Cons: Can’t see online pictures and descriptions aren’t always great, can’t try on clothes to make sure they fit, can’t feel fabrics, many only take credit cards, aren’t exactly sure what you’ll get

 

We discussed examples of online vendors that people in the room have used, the following is notes on each online vendor we discussed, I have tried to group them by type.

 

Online Only Vendors:

Amazon – $30 and then free shipping on all of their items, they have 3rd party vendors that should be avoided, can only use credit card at this time,  there is a disability support area you can contact if you need help due to accessibility and they are very helpful (https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/accessibility?ie=UTF8&ref_=s9_acss_bw_cg_a11ymcro_md1_w&skip=true or http://www.amazon.ca/access ), they have a great return policy as you can just put box in mail return to sender, they also work with people when there are problems to resolve them, you can call their customer service as well for help: 1-877-586-3230

Amazon.ca: Online shopping in Canada – books, electronics, Kindle, home & garden, DVDs, tools, music, health & beauty, watches, baby, sporting goods & more

www.amazon.ca

Amazon.ca: Online shopping in Canada – books, electronics, Kindle, home & garden, DVDs, tools, music, health & beauty, watches, baby, sporting goods & more. Free two-day shipping with Amazon Prime.

 

 

Zulily – Mostly clothes, sizes tend to run small, great deals, good return policy, takes a long time to arrive as they come from Asian countries primarily

 

Facebook Ads that lead to vendors – Hit or miss, many aren’t checked, a few of us have never received products from these and been ripped off the money

 

Stores that have online options:

Chapters – They will deliver to your house or the store, if you choose the store and there is any problem with it they can return your money in store. If you go to the store to purchase something and they don’t have it they will assist you to order it in via the webstore, can use credit card or paypal

 

Toys R Us – They have a lot more options online, they will deliver to the house and you can return in store or by mailing back if there is any problem, there are often deals online they don’t have in store and better prices

 

Wal-Mart – Can deliver to you or to the store, they can return in store if there is a problem with anything, more selection online, online does tell you if the item is available locally but it is not always accurate

 

Costco – Good for a variety of products, you can return in store, they ship right to your house or the store, some good deals online, saves having to deal with crowds in store, you still need a Costco membership to shop online

 

Best Buy – The accessibility of the site is not great, the mobile version is better than web version, they will help in store with website if they don’t have product in-store you are looking for

 

Quarks – They have more selection and better deals online but it is better to go in to store to try on shoes for sizing before ordering online

 

Online Marketplaces:

eBay – Is wither an auction site or a buy it now site depending on how you have your preferences set, the auction aspect can be addicting, Hit or miss, depends on the vendor, generally good for small cheap products as they come from online stores in Asian countries, very hit or miss when dealing with individual sellers, always read ratings before choosing who to deal with, long wait times primarily for things to arrive (2+ months), can use credit card or PayPal

 

Etsy – Artisans marketplace primarily for buying crafts and antiques, depends on the vendor, always read their rating before dealing with them, hit and miss for how long items will take to arrive, some items are made to order so make sure you understand what you are buying before you purchase as the expected wait times may be 3+ months, you have to have PayPal to use Etsy

 

Local Grocery Options that Deliver:

A lot of people felt the best way to utilize delivery from stores is to buy the things that are heavy or non-perishable like pop and paper towels and go to the store for the produce themselves

 

Save on Foods – Order online, deliver to your door, it gives you certain windows for deliveries, need a credit card, there is a delivery charge approx. $10

 

Superstore – Does not deliver but does do Click and Collect where you can choose items on-line and then show up in window and they will hand your groceries to you, need a credit card

 

Lakeview Fine Foods – Delivers locally on certain days to certain areas, $14 (ish) delivery charge

 

Walmart – Delivers to your door through their website but not a lot of fresh food options are available online, free delivery on orders over a certain amount (either $30 or $50)

 

Local and Fresh: http://localandfresh.ca/

– Local, fresh, seasonal produce, delivered monthly or more often, credit card online or debit at the door

 

Delivrr: https://www.deliverr.ca/

– Delivers whatever you want, how much you pay is how much you have delivered and how long it takes them to pick it all up, groceries, fast food, liquor, etc.

 

Reach Regina: http://www.reachinregina.ca/

– Delivers “convenience meals” pre-made meals on a weekly or monthly basis, made fresh and then frozen, just defrost, cook and eat, prices and plans vary

– They also have Good Food Box depots around the city to get local fresh, seasonal produce

 

Other notes about shopping:

  • PayPal – PayPal is a way to pay online, your PayPal account is linked to your bank account and/or credit card, it allows you to type in a username and password at checkout online instead of a credit card number, it is very secure and has been around for 15+ years
  • Both Safeway & Sobeys have commitments to help customers who are blind and partially sighted to shop, to take advantage of this the best plan is to call ahead or go during a down time (middle of the afternoon) and go to customer service to receive help with shopping
  • PC Points – offered through Superstore & Shoppers are a great way to earn free groceries, they have an app that goes on the mobile phone or a physical card, for the most part points are accumulated automatically but it is a good idea to check you received all the points you were entitled to after a shopping trip, this can be done online or through the app
  • In some cities Sobeys has a liquor store and it delivers, we don’t have this yet in Regina but it should be happening soon
  • In some cities Superstore delivers as well so keep an eye our for that option here in the future
  • In some cities (Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, etc.) there is a service called Mrs. Grocery that delivers, keep an eye out for this service coming here

 

Accessible Banking:

  • The main 5 banks have a commitment to accessibility: TD, Scotiabank, RBC, CIBC & Bank of Montreal
    • Because of this they have accessible ATM machines that have a place to plug in headphones so that the banking experience is audible
  • The mom & pop banks (like Conexus, Teachers, Affinity, etc.) do not have the same commitment but they often offer better customer service to help those with needs
  • All banks offer things like RDSPs, RRSPs and TFSAs, the bigger banks may not be as accessible in getting these things as the smaller mom and pop banks are.
    • Both RBC & Scotia have a phone line to help set up RDSPs
  • Some investment companies like Sunlife and Mackenzie group offer RDSPs, TFSAs, RRSPs, etc. and it may be advisable to go with one of these as the financial advisor will often come right tot your home

 

Some other items of note from today’s meeting:

  • The Regina Public Library has 18 Victor Stratus machines for loan, if you would like to borrow one please contact Outreach at the downtown library
  • By 2019  CELA will partner with Book share so even more titles will be available to CELA patrons
  • Sobeys is getting talking prescription labels, to find out more talk to your local Sobeys pharmacist

 

Nest Meeting:

will be Saturday May 26, we will also be meeting in June before our summer hiatus. The topic for the May meeting will be Accessible Games, mostly online, but also physical games will be discussed. We will also be discussing the Access 2 Entertainment card***

 

Connect with us:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GTTTechEaseRegina/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/techeasesk

Tech-Ease YQR YXE (@techeasesk) | Twitter

twitter.com

The latest Tweets from Tech-Ease YQR YXE (@techeasesk). Are you Visually impaired, Related to someone visually impaired, or an educator of someone visually impaired …

 

 

 

GTT National Conference Call Summary Notes, NuEyes Smart Glasses, May 9, 2018

GTT National Conference Call.

 

An Initiative of the Canadian Council of the Blind

 

Summary Notes

 

May 9, 2018

 

Attendance: 12 participants.

Theme: NuEyes Smart Glasses

 

Rajish from NuEyes Presented about their device:

 

Removable smart glasses, US based California designed for military by two vets.

From 2X to 12X magnification

 

Watch TV, distance and close-up

125 grams, light weight. Looks like ordinary sunglasses.   There is a light that can be turned on and off battery pack can last for up to 14 hours with battery pack.

 

Prescription lenses can be inserted to the glasses.

Wireless Bluetooth remote to zoom and operate the camera and light.

 

3 different nose pieces.

Text to speech OCR, capture the image so the book doesn’t have to be held.  Change the colours and mirror the image for better contrast.

Headphone jack and Charging ports are magnetic.

Does it de-colonize, no.

64 GB of internal storage for photos and text.

Bluetooth speaker or headphones can be used, as there is no built-in speaker on the device.

Glasses will last up to 2 hours if fully charged.

There is a YouTube presentation for this device.

Best for Mac Degen, best for vision of 40/600 or better.

 

OCR happens in milliseconds.

OCR voice can be adjusted, for gender  and fast or slow.

Text size can be adjusted, as well as black on white or white on black.

Remote is about 2 inches and attaches to the finger with a strap.

Verbal commands for increasing and decreasing magnification.  Verbally request the glasses capture the image before you.

Controls on the bottom of the glasses for adjusting magnification.

30 degrees field of view with the glasses.

Auto light adjustment for bright or dark rooms.

NuEyes is primarily a magnification device with OCR features added.

It will magnify or OCR text on a wall like menus.

Firmware upgrades are pushed to the glasses when connected to Wi-Fi.

It can read bar codes as well, only when connected to Wi-Fi.

Scans QR codes, however not yet completely developed yet.

$8,595 CDN

NuEyes is more streamlined and less obtrusive when worn in public.

Funding programs, hoping that funding with loans through the company which will allow for monthly payments.

Not available through ADP in Ontario.

Based in California, and Rajish is in Toronto.

No current resellers in Canada, besides Rajish.

2 year warrantee.

Glasses are tested in harsh conditions and are built by a military contractor.

Android platform, with Facebook, Google Maps, Twitter and YouTube features to come.

Will it be able to install the BeMyEyes app from the Google Play Store? Not yet.

 

GTT National Conference Call Overview

  • GTT National Conference Call is a monthly discussion group of the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB).
  • GTT National Conference Calls promote a self-help learning experience by holding monthly meetings to present and discuss new and emerging assistive technology.
  • Each meeting consists of a feature technology topic, along with questions and answers about assistive technology.
  • Participants are encouraged to attend 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 an email distribution list where assistive technology questions are provided by participants. You may also subscribe to the National GTT blog to get email notices of teleconferences and notes from other GTT chapters. Visit:

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

There is a form 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]

 

 

 

GTT Edmonton Summary Notes, MAC vs Windows Computers and iPhone, May 14, 2018

Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting May 14, 2018

 

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

17 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.

 

May Topics –MAC vs. Windows Computers and iPhone

 

MAC vs. Windows PC Discussion

There are several things to keep in mind when you are in the market for a new computer. The following are some considerations:

 

  • What do your friends and/or family use?  These are the people you will turn to for assistance. Are they a Mac or PC user?

 

  • What are you going to use the computer for? Most employers use Windows PC and Microsoft Office.

 

  • Microsoft Office works well on a MAC, too.

 

  • BrailleNote Touch works with both PC and MAC.

 

  • A MAC computer is more expensive than a PC. However, voiceover is built in and if you use a screen reader you do not need the expense of paying for JAWS.

 

  • On the other hand, you can get the NVDA screen reader (by a small donation) and it works with Windows.

 

  • If you are buying a new computer for a specific purpose, e.g. work or school, make sure you have enough time to become proficient with it before you need to use it for that purpose.

 

  • The built-in magnification on Windows is very good and in some respects is better than the magnifying program ZoomText.

 

  • One caution with MAC is that the operating system is colour-based and if you have some vision this can be overwhelming.

 

Russell’s MAC Experience

  • In 2009 Russell bought an iMac. At first, he was frustrated with all the interacting one had to do on the Mac, but after a while, it became second nature.
  • One concern Russell did have with the Mac is that Voiceover, the built-in screen reader on the Mac, did not let the user know when text was formatted in a heading style. This has recently change though, and in High Sierra, the latest Mac OS, and the latest version of Pages, the Apple equivalent of Microsoft Word, VoiceOver does now announce when text is formatted in a heading style.
  • Websites are easy to browse on the Mac with either Safari or Chrome. You can navigate by headings, links, visited links, etc. There is also a “Quick Nav” setting that allows single-letter navigation, so you can navigate a website by headings by pressing just the letter “H”, just as you can do on the Windows side using Jaws or NVDA.
  • Russell said he considers the Mac to be as accessible to a blind person as is Windows but did warn that there was no accessible database program for the Mac so, if a user had need of a database program, the Mac might not be the way to go.
  • Another factor that might prevent someone from purchasing a Mac is that a Mac computer usually costs quite a bit more than a Windows machine. This might be offset a little by the durability of a Mac. Russell purchased his iMac in 2009 and used it for 8 years without much of a noticeable slowdown till the last year.
  • Russell advised that if a blind person was looking to purchase a new computer, they shouldn’t be afraid to purchase a Mac because of accessibility concerns. The main thing is to think about what you will be doing with the computer, how much you are willing to spend, and then go out and try both platforms to see which you like better. If you are currently a Windows user, and plan to move to a Mac, there is quite a steep learning curve, so don’t purchase a Mac a week before beginning University or college courses.

 

Laptop versus Desktop

 

Some things for you to ponder as you decide about buying a laptop or a desktop:

 

  • What will you be using your computer for? If you will be using it mainly for email and web browsing, then a laptop will do. If you will be using your computer constantly, especially in one location, then you should probably get a desktop.

 

  • How much do you want to spend? A desktop priced around $300. – $400. will be about the equivalent of a $1000. laptop.

 

  • The keyboard on a laptop is smaller and may not have a built-in number pad which is necessary for navigating the screen with JAWS.

 

  • It is good to have some separation between the groups of function keys, so you don’t press the wrong ones.

 

  • It is also good to have space around the cursor cross keys, so you can quickly find them.

 

  • If you elect to buy a laptop you can still buy a full-sized keyboard and a large monitor to connect to your laptop.

 

  • When you buy a computer the F1-F12 function keys are often pre-set to special laptop functions.  This is not good for non-mouse users because many Windows functions require the F1-F12 keys (e.g. Alt+F4 to close programs, F2 to rename files etc.). To allow them to behave as normal Windows F1-F12 functions you may need to reset them in the laptop settings or get your vendor to reset them.

 

  • Laptops are more expensive to repair.

 

  • How much will you be moving around?

 

  • Desktops are generally faster although most of us don’t need the speed to do simple computing such as email, browsing, document writing.

 

  • Desktops are becoming smaller – now you can carry around a desktop and plug it into a monitor.

 

  • You can get breakage insurance if you think it is worthwhile.

 

 

iPhone Gestures

Gerry took a small group to demo and discuss iPhone gestures related to the rotor and text entry/editing.

  • The rotor gesture consists of using 2 fingers or 2 thumbs to make a small clockwise or counter clockwise rotating motion on the screen. Each rotation navigates through a contextual menu of options and each of these options has a submenu of choices that can be selected by flicking up or down with one finger.
  • For example, the rotor menu items might be characters, words, headings, speech rate, language and so on. If you were browsing a web page and you rotated to the Heading menu then you would flick up or down with one finger to jump forward or backward to headings on the web page. If you rotated to the Speech Rate menu you would then flick up or down with one finger to speed up or reduce the rate of Voice Over speech.
  • The rotor menu is contextual because the menu items change depending which program you are using.
  • You may add, remove, or reorder items on the rotor menu by going to Settings, then General, then Accessibility, then VoiceOver, then Rotor.
  • The rotor is handy for editing typos in dictated text. For example, suppose you are in the text message app focused on the message text field. Double tap with one finger to start edit mode. Now you can double tap with 2 fingers to start dictation, say your message, then double tap with two fingers once more to end your dictation. Now if you hear that there is a mistake in the dictated text you can correct it with the rotor. Rotate on the screen with 2 fingers until you hear the choice called, Words. Now you can flick up or down with one finger to move forward or backward a word at a time to the incorrect word and tap the delete key to erase one character at a time. You may also rotate to the menu choice called, Characters, to navigate the text by character.

 

Next Meeting (Monday June 11 at 7pm)

  • Huseyn has offered to demonstrate how a blind person can use the iPhone to take pictures and record videos.
  • 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 and drop off space for taxis, DATS.
  • 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 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.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, use the form 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]

 

 

CCB Tech Articles: Donna’s Low Tech Tips, The Talking Watch, May 21, 2018

May 21 2018

Meet the talking watch

 

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

Today, I’d like to talk about the talking watch.

 

I am a great advocate of the talking watch and it may not be for everyone but for those who do not know Braille and would prefer to hear the time announced out loud; then this is the perfect product for you.

 

The talking watch comes in all sizes and styles.  Several manufacturers have put out their own version of the talking watch.  There are talking watches for the man, talking watches for the lady, and talking watches for the sporty one and even more.

 

The talking watch is what I call a sort of backup device for you to tell the time.  It is portable of course and most talking watches have an alarm set on them.  You would be amazed to learn how this nifty little device can help you to keep up with your schedule.  Sure!  The Apple watch is now here but there is absolutely no reason to ignore the talking watch.

 

So go out there and make friends with the talking watch.

 

Here are a few places for you to contact if you are interested to learn more.

CNIB – toll free = 1800 563 2642

Frontier Computing – toll free = 1-888-480-0000

Or visit http://www.futureaids.ca

You can also call them at 1-800-987-1231

 

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.

 

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

May 21 2018

Meet the talking watch

 

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

Today, I’d like to talk about the talking watch.

 

I am a great advocate of the talking watch and it may not be for everyone but for those who do not know Braille and would prefer to hear the time announced out loud; then this is the perfect product for you.

 

The talking watch comes in all sizes and styles.  Several manufacturers have put out their own version of the talking watch.  There are talking watches for the man, talking watches for the lady, and talking watches for the sporty one and even more.

 

The talking watch is what I call a sort of backup device for you to tell the time.  It is portable of course and most talking watches have an alarm set on them.  You would be amazed to learn how this nifty little device can help you to keep up with your schedule.  Sure!  The Apple watch is now here but there is absolutely no reason to ignore the talking watch.

 

So go out there and make friends with the talking watch.

 

Here are a few places for you to contact if you are interested to learn more.

CNIB – toll free = 1800 563 2642

Frontier Computing – toll free = 1-888-480-0000

Or visit http://www.futureaids.ca

You can also call them at 1-800-987-1231

 

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.

 

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, Aira Smart Glasses Explained, May 17, 2018

Summary Notes

 

GTT Toronto Adaptive Technology User Group

May 17, 2018

 

An Initiative of the Canadian Council of the Blind

In Partnership with the CNIB

 

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Toronto Group was held on Thursday, May 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.

 

May 2018 Topic – Aira Smart Glasses Explained:

 

GTT Toronto May 17, 2018 Meeting Summary can be found at this link:

 

Thanks again to Chris Malec for taking these awesome notes! People may not realize it, but she writes these in real time!

Jason opened the meeting by saying that there was a BlindSquare announcement that many airports will be BlindSquare enabled; they went live today.

Tonight’s meeting is about AIRA, which is newly launching in Canada. Our guests are Greg and Kevin from AIRA.

Len Baker Vice President for Strategic Partnerships and Innovation, spoke on behalf of CNIB. CNIB wants to unleash the power of technology. We want to make sure accessibility is built in to products off the shelf, and to remove cost as a barrier to getting technology into the hands of blind and visually impaired people who need it. This can work first through government eg; the ADP program, then through industry and infrastructure. AIRA, BlindSquare and KeyToAccess are three partnerships that CNIB is involved with to better the lives of its clients. Len’s role in CNIB is to help foster these kinds of partnerships with all kinds of organizations.

Kevin began by explaining that AIRA stands for artificial intelligence remote assistant. You download an ap, then dial up a live agent who can see through your phone camera, or through glasses. The glasses have a camera mounted on the side. Either way, you’ll live stream video to trained agents. These agents provide instant access to information. They’re not meant to replace basic skills, but they can check labels, navigating a new environment, assembling furniture etc. From a navigation point of view, the agent won’t tell you what to do, just give you information.

Greg took over. If you have the ap, you’ll find that all CNIB locations have been AIRA enabled for two days as a trial. The ap will tell you that you’re in an AIRA access location. This means that, whether you have an account or not, you can use the service for free in that location.

The agents are heavily screened. We get thousands of applicants, and are very strict in the hiring process. The agents are trained to think like a pair of eyes, not like a brain. Their job is to tell you what they see, not what they think, or what you should do.

Greg then did a demo. He opened the ap. He immediately got a notification saying that he could call for free, because he’s in a “free access” location, i.e. the CNIB. AIRA has been partnering with many organizations and businesses to do this, airports for example. He tapped on the “call AIRA for free” button. Greg asked the agent for a general description. The agent described the room, wall colour, tables, items on the tables, individuals along the edges of the table, artwork on the wall. Greg asked for more detail about what was on the table. The agent replied, “A 1l Sprite bottle, grapes, cheese and crackers.”

Greg then asked the agent to describe what she could see in his profile. She said what they look for are things like whether you use a guide dog or a cane, what level of vision you have, how much detail you prefer in description, and how you prefer to be given directions, clockface verses cardinal directions etc. Greg explained that, when you sign up, you complete a five-minute questionnaire about your preferences, that goes into your profile.

The agents are distributed throughout the U.S. They need to prove that they have a secure, quiet location to work from, and get thorough background checks. The background check includes a criminal background check.

When you sign up, you get a pair of glasses. They connect wirelessly. You can then choose to use the glasses or your phone camera. Navigation tasks or anything you need to have your hands free for, are good choices for using the glasses.

Some users wear their phone on a lanyard, or place it in a pocket with the camera exposed. Many users prefer the phone camera at all times. The phone camera is sharper, and better for reading; the glasses are better for panning.

An agent can invoke a holding period if you’re call is cut off before your task is complete, so that you’ll get the same agent next time. Often, agents will take a photo of something so that they can enlarge it and see it more clearly, or transcribe it into an email and send it to you labelled. Students use it to have blackboard notes transcribed.

When you call in, the agent gets a dashboard. They see your camera image, a Google location map of where you are, and a Google Maps search box, so they can look for something for you. The agents’ ability to multitask is truly impressive. They might be navigating an airport or describing an art installation.

IOS10 or later is what’s required. AIRA has a partnership with ATT, which has global connections. When you sign up in Canada, you get a small My-Fi box that handles all your data, because this takes a lot of bandwidth. You can use Wi-Fi too. It doesn’t use your data if you’re using the glasses, but it does if you’re using your phone camera. The charge on the My-Fi lasts about six hours, and the charge on the glasses lasts about two hours. For $89.00 U.S. you get 100 minutes per month, the glasses, and the My-Fi. This converts to $113 Canadian as of this writing. The calls aren’t recorded, but you can arrange to record a call if you want to. Australia and Canada are the latest new additions, but the UK and Ireland are coming. You can still use it in other countries if you use your phone camera. It’s not clear yet whether AIRA is available in parts of Canada that aren’t covered by Rogers.

An agent can remote into your computer to help you through processes that aren’t accessible to a screen reader. Some users use it for fashion sites, matching etc. At the end of each call you can rate the agent and leave comments. The community is still small enough to be pretty tight, so any bad behavior on the part of an agent would become known pretty quickly.

$329 is unlimited minutes. You can up your plan if you know there’s a month you’ll be needing it a lot. The minimum commitment is one month. Renewal will be automatic, so canceling requires you to take action.

When creating your profile, you can include photos of people important to you, which can help you find them in a crowd. You can ask an agent to favourite pictures, which means they’re kept in your profile. This might be useful for taking a picture of your luggage, to make it easier to find at an airport. You require a phone to use the ap. You can’t use it with just the glasses and My-Fi.

If you sign up today, you should have your glasses within approximately five days. As soon as you sign up however, your account is active, and you can use the service through your phone. The cost is explained by the fact that you’re getting live time with a highly trained professional.

Agents will not speak while you’re crossing a street; this is a very strict policy, from a liability perspective. There’s a slightly gray area: if you’re crossing and missing the kerb they might say something. It’s an information tool, not a safety tool. The explorer agent relationship is emphasized; you can get as much information as you want.

An agent has the right to end a call if they’re not comfortable.

Hearing aids can connect if necessary, and a text communication option is coming. This could be useful not only for hearing impaired users, but for times when you’re in an environment where you can’t speak out loud, but need information. The audio is rooted through your phone, so you can use whatever headphones you choose, or your phone speaker.

AIRA is connected to the prioritizing protocol of ATT, so if you’re in a crowded environment, AIRA calls get prioritized just below emergency data transfer. Users must be 18 or older.

Greg explained that one of the challenges is trying to mediate the social impact of using AIRA, and having the public around you confused by what you’re doing. People will still offer to help, and you have to figure out how to balance that. It makes a different and new kind of social interaction. One solution is to just say you’re on the phone. There’s a sighted-person social cue, point to your ear to indicate that you’re on the phone, and people will go away.

When you sign up, you can gain access to the AIRA community. There’s a mailing list and a Facebook group.

AIRA has partnerships with Uber and Lift. The agent can summon the car for you and help you find the car, or contact the driver for you. Work is in progress to have French-speaking agents available in the future.

You can go right to the AIRA site. There’s a sign-up form. You can download the ap, then find the, become an explorer, button. This will take you to the sign-up process. It’s a choice of whether you want to sign up on the computer or the phone. There’s a referral program. If you refer someone, you each get a free month. Whatever plan you sign up for, is what you’ll get as your second free month.

 

 Upcoming Meetings:

  • Next Meeting: Thursday, June 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.wordpress.com/

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

 

GTT Victoria Summary Notes, Low Tech Accessible Devices and Apps, May 2, 2018

Get together with Technology (GTT) Victoria

 

A Chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind

In Partnership with

Greater Victoria Public Library

 

Summary Notes

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

GVPL Main branch, Community Meeting Room

 

The meeting was called to order at 1:00 pm by Albert Ruel

 

Attendance, There were 15 individuals in Attendance. Albert welcomed everyone to the meeting. We were privileged to welcome Kelvin Adams from the Campbell River CCB/GTT chapter (and the newest member of the CCB BC-Yukon Division Board) to our meeting.

 

Albert Gave everyone a brief overview of the 2018 CCB BC-Yukon Division AGM held on April 25th in Langley BC. Both Albert Ruel and Corry Stuive were in attendance. During the afternoon of the AGM a presentation was given on Emergency Preparedness. A lengthy discussion ensued amongst the group including our responsibilities as persons with disabilities, what to put into an emergency kit, where to keep it, etc. Albert stressed his number one takeaway from the CCB AGM session as being, It’s our responsibility to be prepared and as self sufficient as possible. Don’t simply expect the emergency responders to “look after us” just because we have vision issues.

 

Mike Carpenter added a great deal to the conversation including, if possible pack a little extra into a kit to perhaps help another person or two. Keep in mind there might not be cell, Hydro, internet or gas services available so be prepared. Make sure you have lots of water, food, medicine, some money and don’t forget your pets. Ham radio might in fact be one, if not the only source of communication still available in the event of really big emergencies.

 

The Nationwide Emergency Alert that will be tested next week was also discussed. The test in BC will take place on May 9th at 1:55pm. All radio, television and cell phones (connected to an LTE network) should receive a test notice at that time.

 

Low Tech Accessible and Affordable Solutions:

From there the topic moved to Low cost tech solutions and Albert informed the group that a new CCB Tech Email Distribution List is now available where you can buy, sell and/or trade used assistive equipment/software. To participate simply send an email to the following address:

CCB-Tech-BuySellTrade@Groups.io

Wanted items are welcome, as are Commercial venders to list previously enjoyed items but may not list new product offerings.

 

Older equipment seamed to be the preferred choice of many in the room as a solution for a low cost entry point into the assistive tech market, particularly in regards to smart phones. Some alternative software and apps were discussed (like BeMyEyes as opposed to Aira, or NVDA as opposed to JAWS, etc.)

 

Tom announced that a Major Windows 10 update is starting to roll out tonight for all users. Also for those using screen magnification apps on their PC computers, Tom recommended the following video be watched for help and guidance in setting it up and to learn more about some of the new magnification features:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ibu0BY-kAX4

 

QCast, QRead and Chicken Nugget were also talked about as very accessible and affordable means of accessing Podcasts, News Feeds and Twitter respectively from the PC computer.  Here’s what they say on their website:

“Accessible Apps creates high quality accessible software for the blind.

 

We make useful, innovative software, the kind blind people hope someone will make but can’t really find anywhere else. Why do we say this? Our development team is made up of blind people who have many of the same needs. We write software because we need to do something, and we can’t find an accessible way to do it. Our mission is to create software that improves the computing experience for blind and visually impaired people. We’re committed to innovation, and accessible, affordable software.”

 

The apps they produce are obtainable for demo or purchase at the following URL:

https://getaccessibleapps.com/

 

After a break the conversation continued and centered on some low tech ideas. A tactile sewing tape measure, Braille and talking watches, sock sorters and lock-Dots were discussed. The Braille Superstore, MaxiAids and Shop CNIB were three purchasing options suggested by group members.

 

Under the category of general discussion:

Downloading audio and electronic text based books from the library was raised and talked about. Some of the locations for such downloads are, BookShare, Dolphin EasyReader, Hoopla and Overdrive. More information will be forthcoming during the June 6, 2018 GTT Victoria meeting when Scott Munro from the Greater Victoria Public Library will give the group an overview of services and products available through GVPL.

 

In closing:

Mike Carpenter gave everyone a quick update on the CCB Health and Fitness initiative. Mike is a local champion with that CCB project, and he told us about a Nationwide Virtual 5K challenge coming up on June 1.  He invited everyone to get involved, and also generously offered his time and energy to anyone interested in improving/maintaining good health and fitness after vision loss.  He can be reached at any time by calling or emailing him at, +1-250-384-5644 or MikeCarpenter@Shaw.ca.

 

Meeting adjourned at 2:50 PM.

Next meeting: June 6, 2018

(Note, the June meeting will be our last until September.)

 

Meeting notes submitted by Corry Stuive

 

GTT Victoria Overview

  • GTT Victoria is a chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB).
  • GTT Victoria 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.wordpress.com/

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

 

National GTTSupport Email distribution 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]

 

CCB Tech Articles: Donna’s Low Tech Tips, Bathroom Tips, May 14, 2018

May 14 2018

In the bathroom

 

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

Today, I’d like to touch on the subject of in the bathroom.

 

If you have a white or light-                           colored bathtub, buy dark colored contrasting soaps. They are easier to locate than white soap, especially if they float.

 

Use soap on a rope or liquid soap dispensers.  They are easy to locate and you avoid the slippery soap problem.

 

A shower caddy (available in department stores and at hardware stores) is useful to hang over your shower head and to hold personal care items such as shampoo and soap.

 

A clear plastic shower curtain allows more light into the shower area than an opaque or solid one.

 

Use your index finger to guide a small amount of toothpaste onto your toothbrush.  If you have your own personal tube of toothpaste, squeeze a small amount directly onto your finger or directly into your mouth. It’s much easier and less messy.

 

I hope that these tips are helpful to you.

 

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.

 

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

Fred’s Head from APH, a Blindness Blog: Throw Back Thursday: Relief Puzzle Map

Fred’s Head from APH, a Blindness Blog: Throw Back Thursday: Relief Puzzle Map
— Read on www.fredshead.info/2018/05/throw-back-thursday-relief-puzzle-map.html

GTT/Tech-Ease Regina Summary Notes, Travelling with a Disability, March 24, 2018

Tech-Ease/ Get Together with Technology

Regina Drop-In Meeting

Summary Notes

March 24, 2018

 

Sponsored by Vision Impaired Resource Network (VIRN),

Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB)

And the

Regina Public Library

 

Assistive Technology Peer Support by and for people who are blind/low vision

 

Attendance: 10 in person and 2 on the phone from Saskatoon.

 

topic: Travel with disability: Plane, Train, Car Airport procedures, reliefe etc:

Train/subway:

Toronto subway system audible announcements very effective and functional, Calgry C train same, ETS(Edmonton) LRT accessible without question

Mexico City accessible transit system for subway for the VI community, other aspects of city less accessible

Bus:

Most city transit systems have stop announcements, Regina recent and primarily functional most of the time, Saskatoon rarely functional currently in process of change.

Other cities have accessible systems in place

Car:

Dogs are trained for back seat, or floor in front. Front floor placement not recommended as airbags if deployed can injure the dog fatally.

It is illegal under ADA in the USA to disallow service (guide) dogs into cabs/ubers/lift services

Airports:

Ticket booking:

WestJet is very accessible both on web base and application.

Does not provide discounted price for attendant for VI passengers

Document to receive this accomidation requires you to be declared basically unable to travel alone. Fear of issues if flying solo due to this documentation.

Disallows self checkin for those who have declared a service animal

AirCanada:

Provides discount price for attendant for a Vision impaired passenger upon presentation of CNIB client number.

Disallows self check in if service dog is declared

Web base is not very accessible nor is application

Both airlines provide over the phone service for both medical desk and ticket booking.

Form for service dog, on both airlines requires all dimensions of dog, width/height/gerth/weight/length name, and breed.

Airport Navigation and special areas:

Upon request  assistance to security can be provided

Security may pull you aside and do your security check in another section of checkpoint for benefit of you.

Assistance from check point to your gate (via cart) in larger airports

Will assist you through customs

Do research before departing to find out the relieving areas at each airport you will be going to. Some may have internal relieving areas, some require you going outside the secure area. Vancouver for example has internal near International terminal.

There is an app  for iOS and android. That is free. Called working like dogs. Where to Go.

gives the general directions of use their indoor relief areas for United states airports . or directions to the nearest area outside the terminal.

Denver has a Special Needs room, for handlers and dog to relax in,  or disabled folks or seniors while not having to worry about flight or gate changes.

Bus:

To catch  the Greyhound bus you are now travelling to Regina airport. And there is a tiny counter near the car rental counters. For grey hound bus service.

For  in the province travelling between cities.  In Sask. Right now it’s a 15 passenger van service called  rider  express..

if you tell the driver  or receptionist when you buy your ticket. that you have a disability .  you have the ability to get on  board first.  Service dogs ride free and are welcome. As stated on rider express website.

Also if you’re  vision impaired. And travelling with  a human companion.  Ask about the two-for-one discount on ticket.

Their physical office is located downtown Regina. 1517 11th Ave..  in other major cities there drop off places / pick up locations . are typically Tim Hortons  parking lots.  Saskatoon also has a 2nd pick up drop off location at Subway on  8 th Avenue. As well  The Tim Hortons on 22nd St w.

Please check www.riderexpress.ca  for more details.

Riders Express Transportation » Transportation to Estevan …

www.riderexpress.ca

PLEASE NOTE: Our new office location is Unit #36, 1736 Quebec Ave, Saskatoon, SK. This location is the only location to pickup and drop off in Saskatoon effective April 11.

 

 

In the works with a different disability organization. Within the province ,. they are working on a wheelchair accessible transportation service. So hopefully that will not be restricted to just  a van . Maybe something bigger.

 

General discussion on airport and travel experiences

Brit mentioned that  purchasing a “burner” or prepay phone in country you are visiting is beneficial and sometimes much cheeper than using home countries phone

 

Discussion of next month topics.. thoughts were online banking / accessible banks. and shopping online on Amazon

Notice:

 

Saskatoon/YXE Tech-Ease termination for summer. Attendence will be welcome via phone or Facetime

Connect with us:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GTTTechEaseRegina/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/techeasesk

Tech-Ease YQR YXE (@techeasesk) | Twitter

twitter.com

The latest Tweets from Tech-Ease YQR YXE (@techeasesk). Are you Visually impaired, Related to someone visually impaired, or an educator of someone visually impaired …

 

 

GTT/Tech-Ease Regina Summary Notes, Ways To Get There, February 24, 2018

Tech-Ease/ Get Together with Technology

Regina Drop-In Meeting

Summary Notes

February 24, 2018

 

Sponsored by Vision Impaired Resource Network (VIRN),

Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB)

And the

Regina Public Library

 

Assistive Technology Peer Support by and for people who are blind/low vision

 

In Attendance Feb 24, 2018: 18 participants, Amber, Michelle, Camille, Lori, Donna, Darlene, Anna, Barry, Wes, Jerome, Tracy & Mitch, Kari, Linda & Blaine

 

Today we Talked about Ways to Get There

 

BlindSquare:

An app, paid or non-paid, for iPhone. It works off FourSquare (Swarm) maps as well as Apple maps. It helps people with no or partial sight navigate their environment by announcing places nearby as you walk, the places are announced within feet of your location so it is very well triangulated.

There are beacons that can be set up in building that have specific to BlindSquare information loaded on them by the building owner that provide the BlindSquare user additional information. For example, when you walk into the CNIB in Regina the beacon tells you have entered CNIB and the reception desk is to your left and seating is to your right. You can have multiple beacons in a space.

There are also BlindSquare specific QR codes you can put on doors to tell you about who or what is in that room. These can be scanned with the reader installed within the app.

 

BlindSquare has a free and paid version, the free version works with BlindSquare Events, the paid version works with maps and announces businesses, points of interest, etc as you walk. With Events it just announces information from beacons and lets you scan QR codes. The CNIB in Regina is set up as an event so you can go there and see how beacons work in real life.

 

The library is hoping to get beacons soon. Other places that often have beacons are places like malls, stadiums, downtowns, government buildings, etc.

 

Example of how it works:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU8geoiMF8g

 

Download BlindSquare here:

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/blindsquare/id500557255?mt=8

 

Google Maps:

Google maps comes installed on all Android devices, it can be downloaded on iPhones. It is a map program. It can help you navigate your environment by driving, walking, cycling or taking transit. It is rather accurate in it’s routes and finds the best routes for pedestrians or the fastest transit routes when those are chosen.

 

It is a very visual map but it does work well with Talk Back (Voice Over for Android). It shows locations and puts pins on the map to identify them. You can switch the view to satellite or street view for more information if you are partially sighted.

 

It does have voice navigation as a built-in option.

 

It works with Regina Transit and is very accurate.

 

Google Maps Tutorial (this is a sighted person explaining so apologies for no DVS):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPzuz1x839k

 

Google Maps explained:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spel7vfkpNc

 

Download Google Maps for iPhone here;

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/google-maps-gps-navigation/id585027354?mt=8

 

Moovit:

An app for transit, it shows you the best routes for buses, it tells you when your bus will arrive (not GPS enabled so pretty accurate but not perfect). It will tell you how many stops until your stop and will tell you when to get off the bus. It also tells you how to walk to the place you are going from the bus stops or from where you are to the bus stops. It gives you multiple route options if multiple option exist.  Works well with Voice Over & Talk Back.

 

Moovit Tutorial (sighted person explaining so apologies for no DVS):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH_nJW-64Xc

 

Download Moovit for iOS:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/moovit-public-transit-app/id498477945?mt=8

 

Download Moovit for Android:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tranzmate&hl=en_CA

 

Nearby Explorer:

(literally copied from description in app store as I have never used it)

 

Nearby Explorer is a full featured GPS app designed for use by people who are blind. Instead of just providing directions, it describes the environment in ways comparable to reading signage or observing road characteristics.

It uses onboard maps, so a data connection is not required, but if you have one, Nearby Explorer supplements the on board map data with crowd collected locations from Foursquare or Google Places. It includes complete maps for the United States and Canada which contain millions of points of interest. The onboard maps are over 4GB in size, so be sure the device you plan to use has enough available space before purchasing.

Nearby Explorer works with any device running iOS version 9 or later, but if the device does not contain its own GPS receiver, like most iPads and iPods, you must use an external GPS receiver. All iPhones contain GPS receivers.

Nearby Explorer works by letting you select from several different location related options about what to announce as you move. These include both typical items like street name and address and specialized options like approaching streets, intersection configurations, and nearby places and the distance and direction to them. (All announcements are optional.) All of this information is shown on the home screen and is available at any time, but typical use is to adjust the level of announcements, then lock the screen and put the device away. This keeps both hands free and let’s your preferred voice speak the characteristics of the environment as you move.

You may also use the devices position and orientation to obtain additional targeted details such as pointing the end of the device to scan for businesses, even in a moving vehicle, or tilting it vertically to function as a compass, including a listing of streets in the indicated direction. This all works with the device locked, so one need not fuss with the touch screen while moving. You may even mark a point, then use the position of the device to get haptic feedback about that point’s location.
Nearby Explorer includes a transit feature that provides detailed mass transit schedules for over 60 metropolitan areas in the U. S. and Canada. It treats transit stops just like favorites and points of interest by announcing their name and relative position as you move, but in addition, transit stops add next vehicle stop time, direction of travel, and route name to the announcements. You can use the transit schedules to look up times or even follow a route.

You may virtually move to any area in the U.S. or Canada and explore the road network, search, or use the transit maps for that area.

For complete details about Nearby Explorer, see http://tech.aph.org/ne

 

Download Nearby Explorer:

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/nearby-explorer/id1095698497?mt=8

 

City of Regina has a transit line at 306-777-RIDE you can call to find out what bus to take or when your bus it going to arrive.

 

Trekker Breeze/Victor Trek:

Jerome was explaining how his Trekker Breeze works.

There is a device that goes on your shoulder (speaker) and another that clips to you belt (GPS & controller). You program in where you wan to go using the alpha-numeric keypad on the controller and it lets you plan a route. You can save favourite routes.

 

It announces streets/intersections as you get to them, 25 feet before. When you plan a route is saved it rings bell 25 feet before you reach your location.

 

You program in by addresses, not by GPS coordinates. You can put in waypoints and name them for future use. Once your route is entered you can preview in simulation mode so you have an idea of where you are going.

 

The city had an install of all the bus routes that added them as waypoints to the Trekker, but it hasn’t been updated in a few years.

 

It uses NavTech maps.

 

The new Trek can program in virtual routes. It knows the names of places. It can look around you and tell you points of interest around. It uses TomTom maps

 

The new Trek is also a Victor Stream so you can get your podcasts, e-books, internet radio, streaming things on it as well.

 

Cab Companies in Regina:

People have had varying degrees of luck with all these companies for accessibility, guide dog access and ease of use.

  • Co-OP Cabs & Regina Cabs are run by the same company apparently
  • Capital Cabs
  • Premiere Cabs, which also may be part of Regina Cabs

 

Advocacy with Cab Companies’ – It is always important that you report troubles with any of the companies to dispatch and if you don’t feel you are being heard take your complaints higher up to managers or owners of companies and if you still don’t feel heard to go Human Rights and file a complaint.

 

ParaTransit:

Very hard for a partially sighted or blind person to get permission to use unless they have another disability.

 

Your doctor needs to fill out a form to try to get access. The form is available on the City of Regina Website as well as the rules and conditions of use:

https://www.regina.ca/residents/transit-services/regina-paratransit/

 

There are some people who have seasonal or special circumstance passes to ParaTransit.

 

Uber/Lyft:

Will be coming to Regina in the future. It is a ride share program. You can pay to have a ride by yourself or pay less to ride share with others going to similar destinations. It is all controlled by an app.

 

CNIB is working with the government across Canada to ensure that Uber & Lyft are accessible for guide dog users and person who are blind or partially sighted.

 

Connect with us:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GTTTechEaseRegina/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/techeasesk

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GTT/Tech-Ease Regina Summary Notes, Online Shopping at Amazon, April 28, 2018

Tech-Ease/ Get Together with Technology

Regina Drop-In Meeting

Summary Notes

April 28, 2018

 

Sponsored by Vision Impaired Resource Network (VIRN),

Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB)

And the

Regina Public Library

 

Assistive Technology Peer Support by and for people who are blind/low vision

 

Since I know some of you  are frequent users of amazon or Online shopping in general. here’s a few things that I found regarding screen reader accessibility.

 

If you have any thoughts that you would like to add please feel free to add to the list.

 

I’ll send out a separate email regarding accessible online banking options. Just to keep the two topic notes separate.

 

Michelle

……..

 

We’re glad you’re here

Amazon’s vision is to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, and that includes customers with disabilities. We’re working hard to provide the tools, services, and devices that make it easy for you to enjoy everything Amazon has to offer.

 

Shopping Made Simpler

Customers who use assistive technologies may prefer the mobile version of our site, even when they’re using a laptop or desktop computer. The mobile site is optimized to work with screen readers, and provides an improved keyboard-only shopping experience. Try it today, and if it doesn’t work for you, simply return to the regular view by clicking the “Amazon.com full site” link at the bottom of the page.

 

Mobile site.

https://www.amazon.com/?_encoding=UTF8&ref_=mw_access

 

 

Tips for using a screen reader on a laptop or desktop

Many pages on Amazon.com are packed with information, but you can skip what you don’t want and get to what you do want faster.

  • When you’re ready to buy, use your screen reader’s “Button” quick navigation hotkey to go to the “Buy Now” or “Add to Cart” buttons.
  • If you get stuck in a page section that continuously loads images, use your screen reader’s heading keys to navigate to a heading outside that section.

 

 

Navigating search results with a screen reader

Product search result titles are structured as headings. On a computer, use the heading keys or heading dialog to navigate your search results. On your mobile device, use the appropriate gestures to navigate the headings.

 

 

Frustration-Free Packaging

Frustration-Free Packaging is designed to alleviate “wrap rage” by avoiding plastic clamshell casings, plastic bindings, and wire ties—all materials that make it more difficult for customers to access items. Frustration-Free Packaging is available on the products in the Frustration-Free Packaging storefront, with more products being added every day…

 

 

Still need help?

Contact our specially trained customer service team.

Click to call

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/accessibility?ie=UTF8&ref_=s9_acss_bw_cg_a11ymcro_md1_w&skip=true

(. Send you to a series of drop-down boxes where you can select what you’re having problems with placing an order payment where your stuff is.  Etc .  And giving The support team the best way to contact you . )

 

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CCB Tech Articles: Donna’s Low Tech Tips, Tactile Measuring Tape, May 7, 2018

May 07 2018

Meet the tactile measuring tape

 

Hi there!  It’s Donna and thank you for allowing me to come into your inbox once more.  Today I’d like you to meet the tactile measuring tape and it’s all in keeping with my low tech tips.

 

This nifty little thing as I will call it is neither a gadget or device.  It is truly below the realms of technology and is simply a measuring tape with tactile dots to mark off the half and whole inches.

 

Whoever developed the tactile measuring tape simply used common sense to do it.  I have the 60 inch version.  It is made out of very sturdy material and the half and whole inch indicators are clearly marked off with dots and holes with dots representing the half inch and the holes representing the whole.

 

I bought the tactile measuring tape when I started learning how to knit.  It is a God send to me and now I use it for so many other things.  One just needs to be careful when placing it on a surface such as a table or counter.  Just ensure that both ends are securely held down so that the tape itself does not slip and run away on you.

 

Here are a few places for you to contact if you are interested to learn more.

CNIB – toll free = 1800 563 2642

Frontier Computing – toll free = 1-888-480-0000

Or visit http://www.futureaids.ca

You can also call them at 1-800-987-1231

 

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.

 

Have yourselves a great day and see you next week.

Donna

throwback Thursday, American foundation for the blind,

Throw Back Thursday: The Portable Plus

Our object this week is the last Talking Book phonograph from APH, the Portable Plus. The machine was designed and entirely assembled at the American Printing House for the Blind under an agreement with the Variable Speed Corporation. It was introduced in 1990, but APH had already stopped making rigid vinyl records for the National Library Service, and flexible records used for magazines would be phased out a few years later.

It is a lesson about how long it takes to bring a product from the drawing board to production. Sometimes it is obsolete even before you start making it. The Portable Plus only lasted a few years before it was discontinued. But while available it was a marvel. The tone arm was spring loaded and would play a record even when the machine was tipped on its side! And it had an internal rechargeable battery, so you could take it anywhere.

Micheal Hudson

APH Museum Director

Photo Caption: The Portable Plus was about 13 inches square, with a gray plastic case and a speaker in the lid.

CCB Tech Articles: Donna’s Low Tech Tips, April 30, 2018

April 30 2018

Jewellery

 

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

Today, I’d like to touch on the subject of jewellery.

 

Small boxes are useful to keep items separated.  In addition, everything from socks to jewellery to cassette tapes may be stored this way.

 

Picking through many pieces of jewellery in order to find a particular set which matches can be                                                    frustrating.  Use jewellery boxes divided into a large number of sections and/or earring trees in order to keep jewellery separated.

 

To avoid tangled chains and necklaces, you can screw cup hooks to the inside of your closet door  in order to create tangle-free hanging.

 

A variety of plastic trays, (for example an ice cube tray) and adjustable drawer dividers can also help when storing jewellery.

 

So there you go and I hope that these tips are helpful

 

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.

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.

 

Have a super day and see you next week.

GTT National Conference Call Summary Notes, Auto-Mower, Google ChromeCast and the Roku Stick, April 11, 2018

GTT National Conference Call.

 

An Initiative of the Canadian Council of the Blind

 

Summary Notes

 

April 11, 2018.

 

Programmable Auto-Mower:

Michel gave us a presentation on an electric lawn mower, Robo mower or auto mower he uses to keep the grass looking good on his half-acre property.

  • They have been available in Canada for about 2 or 3 years, and in europe longer.
  • Some are made by Honda and John Deer, and the Huscavarna 450 is what Michel chose. He indicated there are three or four models sold by that manufacturer.
  • They are quiet and can be operated any time of day or night.  Some people use them at night only. They can cut grass whether it is raining or if the sun is shining.
  • They are safe for kids and pets because they stop or change direction as soon as they touch anything, and they slow down as soon as they detect an approaching opbsticle.
  • The more bells and whistles they have the more they cost. The one Michel purchased has a built-in anti-theft alarm system. If someone picked it up to steel it an alarm will sound that won’t stop until you key in a pin-code number.
  • It has a built in GPs so you can track it’s location in the yard it at all times.
  • It is rather techy looking but about the size of an electric lawn mower.
  • It even has LED headlights.
  • The blades are small and sharp so they don’t stress the grass, and because it can be scheduled to mow the grass several times each week it never has to cut long grass.
  • Michel says he has not had to change a blade and has used it one whole season.
  • It is a little like the Roomba vacuum system.
  • It has an outside charging station to which it returns automatically once the batteries start to run down, or when it’s finished mowing the scheduled area.
  • To set it up you will install buried perimeter wire in parts of the yard where there aren’t already fences or raised beds that will turn the unit away. The wire is buried like invisible fences for dogs.
  • Another item to bury in the yard is a guidance wire that will guide the mower back to the charging station. It docks itself to re-charge and returns to work once scheduled or if not finished the current schedule.
  • It can be used without perimeter wire as long as fences or raised beds border the area being mowed.
  • It has GpS assisted guidance.
  • It learns the yard and becomes more efficient as it learns where all of the obstacles are.
  • The two upper models sense obstacles and objects, like people and animals.
  • It has two speeds, fast like a fast walk and it will slow down to a crawl when it senses opsticles.
  • It learns what areas of the yard grow faster and it cuts them first and more often.
  • Michel indicated he can do 90 percent of the unit’s functions from the app on his iPhone. Start, stop, control the height, and he can see where it is in the picture. This feature is not likely accessible to blind users.
  • There is an emergency stop button on it which is a big red button, after which you can’t restart it unless you enter the pin-code.
  • The user can adjust it for height, time and schedule as well as monitor right from the app.
  • It will mow for about 4 5 hours and then charge for about an hour before going out again.
  • The less expensive models cut about 1,000 square meters, and his cuts about 5,000 square meters.
  • It can be set up for multiple zones if you let it cut one zone and then take it to the other zone.
  • It could be shared with other people in the neighbourhood, or friends and family.
  • It is capable of mowing on ground that is up to 45 degree angle.
  • Huskavarna is trying to make the features on the upper model more affordable, as these lawn mowers start at $1,900 and go to $3,900.
  • The kits to create a perimeter are about 200 dollars.
  • It doesn’t need to be cleaned as much as a traditional gass or electric mower at the end of the season. Changing blades is easy, and rarely needed.
  • These devices do have firmware upgrades on occasion.
  • Michel has low vision and uses it easily, however didn’t know whether or not the app is accessible with voiceover.
  • The display is LCD, but the start and stop buttons are tactile.
  • One could put locator dots on the buttons if they’re too difficult to feel.
  • The keypad is about the size of a typical phone keypad.
  • Some wondered whether it will work from a Google Home.
  • The app is available for both iOs and Android
  • It rides over things and does not damage them.
  • If it bumps against you it does not hurt you as it slows down upon detection of obsticles.
  • If you have raised beds it will leave a one inch strip similar to conventional mowers, and you can set it to cut past a perimeter wire by determined distances up to about 4 inches.
  • They have been using them at airports and other large areas that have to be cut regularly. Some are larger for such industrial applications.
  • It can cost less than having someone come in and cut the grass, and some companies will install the wires and rent you the lawn mower for a monthly fee. Apparently that is happening in Toronto.
  • It goes right back to the charger when it needs to or when you tell it to go home through the app.
  • It is about two feet long. Probably weighs less than 10 pounds, and it does not collect a lot of things in the tires.
  • You can set up sounds for it.
  • The phone app indicates how much charge remains.

 

Section Two of the Meeting:

Emergency Alert System:

Question how do we get rid of the sound on phones when they test the emergency system. It is assumed that once the alarms are sounded they quiet down and the cell phone is left with a text message indicating where to go or what to do.

Apparently the level of accessibility for these messages is dependent on who sends out the message.

Weather alerts could be from Environment Canada, and other alerts could be for tidal waves and forest fires from provincial and federal government.

Provided you have location tracking turned on you will get the alert for where you currently are.

If you do not have a data plan will you get the message? Answer from the website, http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-wireless-emergency-alerts-starting-this-spring-1.4502011

  • Unlike SMS, LTE messaging uses a phone’s data connection rather than its much slower and more crowded telephone connection.

 

Thunder Bay has an emergency radio station, and there’s one in Muscoca. There aren’t as many as before. Check with http://www.Informationradio.ca to see/hear what it is like.

If I’ve put my phone on mute will I get the sound? Yes, the sound will carry through mute and do not disturb.

How will we get the sound to stop? Sound will be audible once or twice and then go to your text message on Android phones and the Notifications Window on iOS devices.

It will also use unique vibration patterns.

More info about this system on www.Canada.ca

iOS 11 or better will receive alerts, which are the iPhone 5C or newer.

Many Android smart phones are also compatible.

 

Q.: What is Chromecast?

  • : Chromecast is a device that you plug into your TV’s HDMI port, powered by a USB cable (included). Using your smartphone or computer as a remote control, you can use Chromecast to access video content from Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, the Google Play Store and other services. You can also use it to stream almost any kind of content from the Chrome browser on a computer.
  • Albert bought google home and can only use youtube with it through ChromeCast Video. It will only play movies and Youtube video and music through the television and not the GH speakers.
  • You can ask it to pause, resume, rewind, fast forward by any amount of time, 3 minutes 5 minutes.
  • You can say Hey Google, quit or stop.
  • You can use it with netflix.
  • Google ChromeCast sells for about $35.
  • Use the Google Home app to associate ChromeCast with same Wi-Fi network as the GH speakerand then they work well together.
  • It ships with a short HDMI cable for connecting to the TV and a power cord. It is a very small round disc.
  • There is Google Chrome Audio also, to which you can plug in an external speaker or headphones.
  • Google Chrome Video cannot detach HDMI cable from round disc.
  • Can you get traditional television stations with chrome cast? No, only what you can cast from your smart phone, tablet, computer or GH speaker. One could download CBC, CTV or other TV app and see if it has the capacity to cast to Google ChromeCast.
  • Some tv’s are google chrome ready, and could be connected to the Google home speakers without the need for a ChromeCast device.
  • If you don’t have enough HDMI ports on your TV you can buy an HDMI hub. Albert got a 4-port HDMI hub at best buy.

 

Roku streaming stick.

  • Someone indicated that for the Canadian market it doesn’t have a screen reader built-in.
  • There are many channels you can watch. It can be purchased from amazon. Looked everywhere but no screen reader, and even updated the software and it’s still not there.
  • Apparently the screen reader is only available in the USA version.

 

Does anyone have a Nest thermostat who uses voiceover?

No one seemed to be able to answer this question. How does one reboot the memory this device stores so that a new schedule can be established?

 

GTT National Conference Call Overview

  • GTT National Conference Call is a monthly discussion group of the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB).
  • GTT National Conference Calls promote a self-help learning experience by holding monthly meetings to present and discuss new and emerging assistive technology.
  • Each meeting consists of a feature technology topic, along with questions and answers about assistive technology.
  • Participants are encouraged to attend 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 an email distribution list where assistive technology questions are provided by participants. You may also subscribe to the National GTT blog to get email notices of teleconferences and notes from other GTT chapters. Visit:

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

There is a form 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]

 

 

GTT Victoria Summary Notes, O6 Remote Switch and WayAround Tags, April 4, 2018

Get together with Technology (GTT) Victoria

 

A Chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind

In Partnership with

Greater Victoria Public Library

 

Summary Notes

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

GVPL Main branch, Community Meeting Room

 

The meeting was called to order at 1:00 pm by Albert Ruel

 

Attendance, There were 17 individuals in Attendance.

 

Albert welcomed everyone to the meeting including 3 “first timers”. Welcome Ken, Bevan and Suzanne to your first CCB GTT Victoria meeting.  Albert reviewed the agenda, that being 2 presentations during the first half, and open discussion following a break during the second half.

 

Albert welcomed Tom Decker, our presenter, who will demo and explain two relatively new products to the group, the O6 Remote Switch and the WayAround Tagging system.

 

The O6 Switch website is here:

And for more specific information about the accessibility features of the product go here:

 

This is a small, round device, approx 2 inches in diameter, that is battery powered (USB chargeable) that was designed primarily for mainstream hands free use of any iOS device. It would be very useful for folks that struggle with the on screen finger gestures. The entire screen can be navigated via a small wheel that clicks when turned, moving from app to app on the screen. By pressing the center button, it will open the desired application or app and again permit access via some additional movement to the device.

 

The product was developed in India. Approximate price is $100, (USD). It has an advanced mode that kicks in automatically when you are using the device with Voice Over, however it is also usable by sighted iOS users without VoiceOver.

 

For more information you can watch Tom Dekker do a demo here:

Or listen to David Woodbridge’s demo of the same device here:

 

The second product is called WayAround Tagging System:

 

It is a system, somewhat similar to the Pen Friend, however using NFC rather then RFID tags. Tom demoed the product by putting the info on a tag and highlighting the fact that the amount of info you can put on is endless. There are product categories and if what you want is not there, you can add it. For the demo, for example Tom tagged his coat, including color, washing instructions, etc.

 

The tags come in all sorts of shapes and sizes including magnets, pins etc. The tags are a bit pricey at $1 each, but can be reloaded. The system is waterproof and unlike the Pen Friend, your tag info is stored in the cloud, and will not disappear if the base unit goes down.

 

The unit will work with iPhone 7 and better, but you can buy a scanner for older phones. The scanner is approx $100 (USD) and a starter pack of labels is $60 (USD)

 

For a great video demo of the product watch Tom Dekker here:

 

A special thanks to Tom Decker for his top notch demonstrations. Tom, the Ihabilitation man, can be heard weekly on AMI Audio’s Kelly and Company.

 

After the break the group went to open discussion. The first topic was Fusion. A few members of the group were struggling a bit and there seams to be some confusion on compatibility with windows 10. Albert said he would deal with the issues on a one on one basis and forward a listing of the more common keystroke shortcuts to those who are interested.

 

Aira, a relatively new service was discussed at length. Detailed information on this product can be found by reading the Summary Notes for the March 14, 2018 CCB-GTT National Conference Call meeting.

 

Also, an excellent review of the product by Jonathan Mosen is available here.  Albert highly recommended it saying it was extremely detailed.

 

Where to buy low tech items like watches was discussed, options include several places on the net, CNIB and the Braille Superstore.

 

Topics for next meeting, Affordable Adaptive Technology was suggested.

 

Next meeting, Wednesday May 2, 2018 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM, same location.

 

Meeting notes submitted by Corry Stuive

 

GTT Victoria Overview

  • GTT Victoria is a chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB).
  • GTT Victoria 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.wordpress.com/

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

 

National GTTSupport Email distribution 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]

 

 

GTT Edmonton Summary Notes, Google Home and General Tech, April 9, 2018

            Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting April 9, 2018

 

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held April 9 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.

 

April Topics –Google Home and General Tech Discussion

 

Google Home

Wanda demonstrated her Google Home speaker/voice assistant. The Google Home speaker is about the size of a large soup can. IT costs $179. It is a hands-free way to ask questions and get answers simply by saying, “OK Google” followed by your question. Here is some sample dialog with the speaker.

Ok Google, how do I say “good morning” in French?

Bonjour

Ok Google, when is the next Raptors game?

They’ll be back in action against Chicago tomorrow night at 7:30 PM

Ok Google, how much time is left on my pizza timer?

You have 14 minutes and 35 seconds remaining

Ok Google, play my Friday Starts Now playlist

Ok, playing your Spotify playlist called Friday Starts Now

 

Wanda showed how you can ask questions with longer answers such as “Ok Google. Do you have a recipe for chocolate chip cookies?” Google Home will then provide the recipe one step at a time allowing you to simply say “Next”, to have it announce each step.

 

You can ask almost anything since the Google search engine is powering the speaker. You can also make hands-free telephone calls. You can get the daily weather, news, sports scores, stock quotes, play radio stations. Listen to audio books, ask it to remember your appointments, remember your grocery list and more.

 

If you buy additional home control modules then the Google Home can turn lights on or off, set your thermostat and so on.

 

Wanda also showed the smaller Google Mini speaker which is the size and shape of a doughnut. IT has the same functionality but is smaller and costs only $79.

 

Both devices take only minutes to setup. You do need an Internet connection in your home. To link the speakers to the Internet simply use the free app that is provided.

 

Activate the above links to read more about both products including tech specs and other Google Home accessories.

 

General Tech Discussion – Finding iPhone Apps

After the demo we had general discussion on various topics including how to find accessible iPhone apps. The best way to research for an app that works well with Voice Over is to visit the AppleVIS web site. This site is managed by blind people for blind people. They have reviewed hundreds of apps for both iOS devices and for MAC computers. You can search for apps by name or by category. When you find an app of interest you can read a description of the app that includes a rating on its accessibility. In some cases, there are also podcast reviews of the app by AppleVIS contributors. Indeed, you can subscribe to the AppleVIS podcast feed using your favorite podcast app or the Victor Reader Stream to keep up to date on all the AppleVIS podcast reviews and tutorials as they are released.

Next Meeting (Monday May 14 at 7pm)

  • No demonstration topic has been suggested yet.
  • 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 and drop off space for taxis, DATS.
  • 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 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.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, use the form 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]

 

 

GTT Toronto Summary Notes, What Was New At CSUN, April 19, 2018

Summary Notes

 

GTT Toronto Adaptive Technology User Group

April 19, 2018

 

An Initiative of the Canadian Council of the Blind

In Partnership with the CNIB

 

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Toronto Group was held on Thursday, April 19 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.

 

April 2015 Topic – What Was New At CSUN:

 

GTT Toronto April 19, 2018 Meeting Summary can be found at this link:

 

Jason opened the meeting by greeting participants who joined via the Zoom conferencing system. Tonight’s guest speaker is Stephen Ricci. He will be speaking about his experiences at CSUN, which is the largest assistive technology workshop in the world. It’s held annually in San Diego.

Jason interjected with a couple of comments and ideas. One thing that isn’t happening as much in this group as we might like, is to have formal time to exchange questions or curiosity about specific technologies. Our meetings have generally consisted of a speaker, then social time, but the idea of GTT is to share information between members of different levels of knowledge and experience. This is what we’d like to encourage, so at the end of the meeting tonight, we’ll have a go-around to ask if anyone has questions they’d like to ask.

Stephen then took over. The conference offers a pre-conference portion, which is a good idea if you’re attending for the first time; it helps orient you to what’s available and how to get the most out of the experience. It’s often true that you learn more after-hours socializing, than you do in the formal workshops. Next year it’s moving to Anaheim. Over 4800 people attended in 2016. It’s not primarily a consumer show. Consumers do attend, but it costs over $500 U.S. to go, and it’s really directed at businesses, high-end users, researchers, professionals and policy-makers. The conference has several aspects, and it’s common for attendees to go with a specific agenda in mind.

The conference is launched on the first night by a keynote speaker. It’s a good way to get into the groove. The speakers range widely, and are usually entertaining. The exhibit hall is a collection of display tables where venders can show their latest products. The exhibit hall runs for around 3 days.

Networking is a huge part of the experience. You meet people, learn about new products, and find out about trends. There are a lot of parties and receptions sponsored by venders. There’s collaboration so that the largest organizations don’t overlap, so you can attend as many as possible. Smaller ones might be hosted by manufacturers, larger ones might be hosted by someone like Microsoft. Awareness, inclusivity and accessibility are the principles of the conference.

Another aspect of the conference is announcements and unveiling. Often announcements end up not being surprises, as the community is a bit small.

Presentations, panels and workshops go on, with a wide range of topics covered. They are categorized by disability streams. The conference covers multiple disabilities, so it’s necessary to focus on the area that’s relevant to you. Stephen said that the presentations and workshops have become less important to him than the networking and exhibit hall.

What’s new at CSUN this year? There are fewer venders, because there have been mergers. VFO was created by Freedom Scientific, Optelec, and AI Squared.

Notable products Steven saw included APH’s new product called Graffiti, a tactile graphics display. It’s a tactile device that will render an image on a page-sized surface. It’s not ready for release yet. It’s not arranged in cells, so it can be more flexible in what it shows. Stephen asked around at CSUN about the braille Orbit, and the answer he got is that the problem at this point is inventory. The Orbit is a 20 cell display that’s going to cost hundreds rather than thousands. It’s an international project that has had setbacks, but intends to bring an affordable braille display to blind users, especially in developing countries.

Hims is a company Stephen likes. He finds them to be leaders in innovation, and likes their staff. They’ve released the Polaris Mini, a 20 cell note-taker. It’s on an Android platform, and is being sold mainly to students. It’s braille in, braille out, has a hard drive, and has an introductory price of $4000 U.S. The Polaris, a 32 cell with the same functionality, is $6000 U.S. The Braille Sense U2 and the Braille Sense Mini are covered by ADP in Ontario, the Polarises aren’t covered yet.

Hims has a near and distance camera with a monitor, and they’ve introduced one with optical character recognition. They’re also reselling Handitech products. This is a European company that makes nice braille displays. Those aren’t covered by ADP. While the ADP program has some limitations, we’re lucky in Ontario compared to other provinces. Also, school-age students have access to quite a bit of funding for assistive tech through the schoolboard, and post-secondary institutions often offer bursaries for that purpose.

Every year seems to have themes at CSUN. This year, themes were head-worn tech gear like eSight. There was also OrCam, New Eyes, Patriot Point, Iris Vision, and Jordy. These range in complexity, but all essentially offer magnification in real-time. There was lots of talk of AIRA as well, glasses with a camera that connect you to a trained live agent to answer questions. The advantage of these types of tech is that they’re hands-free.

Other new things in prototype included insideONE Tactile braille Tablet by Insidevision. It runs Windows10, and is a note-taker by a new company trying to break into the market. It’s a tablet with a braille display, and raised braille keys. It’s about $5500 or $6000 U.S. These expensive products are mostly geared for the education sector. Another prototype product is the Braille Me, a 20 cell refreshable braille display from a company called Innovision from India. It has limited note-taking ability, and it’s being sold for under $500 U.S. It’s a direct competitor to the Orbit. The Braille Me is available now, but no one was sure how. The company’s online. They’re looking for distributers in North America, and their device uses magnetics. As a representative of Frontier Computing, Stephen is always on the lookout for new products to expand their line. He likes to stay aware however, that even if prices are cheaper for products from Asia, you need to consider what happens when the products need repair. There is usually no one in North America who can repair them. You need to consider how long will you be without the product while it’s being sent away for repair. Zoomax is a Pacific Rim company who make good products at good prices. They’ve opened a North American office recently, so we may see them coming up as a competitor for companies like Hims. The net effect may be to bring down prices overall.

VFO is shifting so that all of their products will update in the Autumn of each year, and be named for the year following its release. These include products like Jaws, Zoomtext, and Zoomtext Fusion. There is still a wide range of portable magnifiers. Table-top magnifiers are becoming more sleek and foldable.

Jason contributed that at CSUN, he got to check out the Canute, a 9 line 40 cell display. You can get about a half a printed page on it. Its best use is for things like math, braille music, or a calendar. Its cost is around $2000. Jason said he will be getting a unit for testing within a month or 2, and will be looking for testers.

A member asked about portable recording devices. Answers included the Victor Stream, the Olympus line, and the Plextalk. CSUN didn’t offer anything new this year. With an Android phone, you can go to the Google Play store, and look for aps with the highest rating. A member described an ap which records speech and converts up to 3 minutes of speech into text.

 

A member raised the question of good laptops. People generally agreed that there’s not a huge difference between mid-range and high-end models, but that cheaper models can be sluggish, particularly if you’re running multiple functions at the same time. SSD or solid state drives are becoming more and more common.

A member asked whether it’s possible to run a desktop computer without a monitor, and the answer was yes. Macs might freak out without a monitor, but you’re fine with Windows.

Jason asked for ideas for future meetings. A member suggested a go-around in which each member describes an ap they like, and how to get it.

Another member suggested an evening about audio devices in general and book players in particular.

A member raised the question of whether a 3D printer could be used to create music as an alternative to using braille music. He asked for some brainstorming on the idea. Another member described an online process where 3D printing can be crowd-sourced for a fee. The issue is that you need to have the program or blueprint to start with.

 

Upcoming Meetings:

  • Next Meeting: Thursday, May 17 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.wordpress.com/

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