Guest Post: Latest Report from NNELS on Library Services Project

In late July 2017, NNELS was among a number of organizations invited to apply for a grant from the Government of Canada through the Social Development Partnerships Program – Disability Component (SDPP-D) to develop partnerships and produce alternate formats for Canadians with print disabilities. In mid-December we were notified that the BC Libraries Co-op would receive $1 million to carry out the activities in a revised NNELS proposal. Work began in January and a public announcement about the project was made on February 15th. The deadline for the completion of the work was originally set to March 31st but was revised on March 19th to May 31st, 2018.

 

Most of the projects are nearing completion and final reports on each of them will be distributed before the end of May. This interim update is for members of our partner organizations.

 

 

  1. E-text Production

 

We hired six people with vision impairments to learn how to produce ebooks and help improve both book quality and the NNELS workflow. This work was complete as of March 31. During the project, weekly activities related to book analysis and production were led by our team of Production Assistants in Alberta. Through email and discussion forums (discuss.nnels.ca), the new production assistants analyzed EPUB files, explored the functionality of reading and editing tools, and learned by working on books of their own choosing, some of which are complete and available in NNELS. Some projects are continuing, thanks to momentum: in particular, a team from the Ontario College of Art and Design is working with one of our now-former production assistants to explore how a university-level physics textbook could be accessible through audio, tactile, and visual modalities.

 

We loved this experiment. We have ideas for next steps for involving readers of accessible formats in book production and hope to work again with the outstanding people who helped us so much. Our thanks to Karoline Bourdeau, Daniella Levy-Pinto, Ka Li, Richard Marion, Steve Murgaski, and Ryan Ollis. Thanks also to the production assistants in Alberta: Leah Brochu, Jenn Lortie, and Rachel Osolen.

 

 

  1. Accessible Publishing

 

We organized seven workshops with EPUB accessibility expert Laura Brady of Brady Typesetting. These workshops took place in Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Montreal, Halifax, and Toronto. A total of 73 publishers, editors, and alternate format producers attended, with about ten more requesting access to a video recording. Special thanks to provincial publishers’ associations who helped with promotion, and to Alternative Education Resources for Ontario (AERO), and Bob Minnery there, for organizing and sponsoring local arrangements for the Toronto workshop.

 

Laura Brady also analyzed EPUB files for 21 Canadian publishers, creating comprehensive three to five-page reports for each publisher, full of accessibility and coding suggestions.

 

The workshops and audits both contained a lot of information and were overwhelming for many people. We learned that most publishers are still producing EPUB 2 files, probably out of habit, and very few publishers know much about accessibility. Also, many publishers outsource their ebook production to overseas companies. Many ebooks, whether outsourced or produced in-house, are missing basic accessibility functionality such as headings for navigation and descriptive text for images.

 

Our collective goal is for books to be published accessibly so that they do not require further intervention to be read with assistive technology. We are a long way from reaching that goal. There is a lot of pressure on publishers to learn and implement accessibility changes, and they are nervous about the cost and time required to implement everything being recommended to them. Many publishers do not know a lot about HTML and CSS, let alone standards such as ARIA. We need to chunk lessons into short, prioritized, and digestible lists, and find ways to support publishers in making changes. We have some ideas for what to do next.

 

Coincidentally, this project was supported by our purchasing work: while we were prescribing a standard for accessible publishing, we were offering to pay publishers for any EPUB 2 or 3 files that they had already published. This was a good approach and we suspect it encouraged publishers to work with and sell files to us.

 

These projects also gave us some recognition in advance of our presentation to publishers and editors at the ebookcraft conference in Toronto in late March, organized by BookNet Canada. Laura Brady opened many doors for us: she was a conference co-organizer, she presented alongside us, and she initiated a number of conversations which we expect will be fruitful for years to come.

 

 

  1. Print-Braille Children’s Books

 

This project benefited from the extended deadline: these 15 print-braille children’s books are still in production and we’re looking forward to seeing the results. We’ve chosen great books, and the team at the Vision Impaired Resource Network in Winnipeg is using an innovative approach to create a fully accessible reading experience: stay tuned.

 

 

  1. National Braille Study

 

Mary Ellen Gabias, President of the Canadian Federation of the Blind, has been volunteer-leading a team of five writers: Michelle Creedy, Danny Faris, Holly Hoffmann, Kerry Kijewski, and Marcia Yale, and one research assistant, Lilith Lee, to propose a sustainable long-term strategy for making braille accessible to all Canadians in print and digital forms. The report will discuss how to manage decisions about storing and mailing braille material, and the comparative costs and benefits of building library collections, supporting digital collections, and printing on demand. The extended deadline has allowed for extra writing and editing. When complete, the report will be available in both French and English.

 

 

  1. Recording Kits for Libraries

 

Thanks to support from the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB), we’ve had a really great team for the past few months: two people with audio recording experience and two librarians have created a plan and instructions for volunteers to record audiobooks in Canadian public libraries. We have ten recording kits complete with good quality headset-microphones, USB keys, quick instructions, and a bright red shipping case. These kits are in the final stages of assembly and are about to be sent to the first libraries that have expressed interest so far. They can be sent to any library in Canada that wants to record an audio version of a children’s picture book. Working with this team, and with CCB, has been an immense pleasure.

 

 

 

  1. Purchasing EPUB & Audiobooks

 

Thank you to members of the Alliance for Equality for Blind Canadians (AEBC) and the Canadian Federation of the Blind (CFB) for their help with making purchasing suggestions, and encouraging members to request books.

 

To date, we have purchased 17,767 EPUB files (we committed to 14,000) and 3,435 audiobooks (we committed to 3,000) and we are currently adding these files to the NNELS repository. With the weight of the Co-op behind us, we were able to get favourable pricing from vendors, and work with eBOUND and Demarque to purchase a large amount of Canadian ebooks in both English and French. We’ve also been able to work directly with a number of Canadian publishers, many of whom were probably able to sell files to us because the accessible publishing work that was happening alongside this project.

 

We also commissioned 30 narrated audiobooks, some of which were requested by AEBC and CFB members. We have notified some of the requestors that their books are now available, and there are more to come.

 

Finally, the extended deadline gives us more time to work with the Camp Bowen Society for the Visually Impaired. Their team is using machine learning tools to help us improve our production workflow, and we are supporting them to develop that technology. They are also producing 50 books in accessible formats, contributing a number of narrated titles, and making much-needed improvements to the NNELS website, particularly our catalogue searching.

 

If you have comments or questions about any of these projects, please get in touch with us: info@nnels.ca <mailto:info@nnels.ca>, or 1-888-848-9250, option 5. Thank you so much for your time.

 

CCB Tech Articles: Donna’s Low Tech Tips, Loc Dots, April 23, 2018

April 23, 2018

 

Meet loc dots

 

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 loc dots.

 

Talk about the lower levels of technology and you can easily say that loc dots is not even classified as technology.  I would say that it is  more like someone’s creative thinking, ingenuity, and a way to bridge the gap.

 

The good thing about loc dots is that it can be used by so many people.  From the one who has no vision to the one who has high partial vision and those in between.

 

So what exactly is loc dots?  They come in packages and they come in various shapes, sizes, and colors.

 

You can use loc dots to mark almost anything.  From screens and panels to file folders, CD cases, and so on.  I would recommend however that you use them to mark spots on your screens.  You can use something more appropriate to mark your CD cases and I’ll talk about this in another blog.

 

Loc dots really do make great indicators.  You peal off the back of the dot and then place it on the spot that you wish to mark.

 

For those with enough vision to see colors, you can definitely use the colored dots to further help you distinguish spots.  However, if you are unable to use various colors then there are the various shapes or even the sizes.

 

I bought my packages of loc dots a few years ago and I have been having a great time using them.

 

So why not go out there and purchase a package of loc dots just to try them out?  They are economically priced.

 

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.

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.

 

 

CCB Technology Buy, Sell and Trade Email List is up and running

Hi all.  For those of you who have previously enjoyed assistive tech to donate or sell, or if there are things you seek please subscribe to this new group and hopefully you will find the perfect device, or a new home for those items no longer needed.

To register please send an email message to:

CCB-Tech-BuySellTrade+subscribe@groups.io

Tell all your friends about it as well so we can capture a large number of donors, sellers, buyers and traders.  Not that we want the political type of traders, but we’ll welcome the assistive tech traders and users.

Companies may only advertise special sales and donations of used equipment, not their new offerings.

A full set of rules will be released soon, so stay tuned.  Of course it stands to reason that the CCB will not assume any responsibility for the quality or value of the equipment/software exchanged on this list, and anyone offering or requesting illegal items will be removed.

Now, let’ss start trading!

Thx, Albert

***

Albert A. Ruel, GTT Coordinator

Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB)

Get Together with Technology Program (GTT)

Toll Free: 1-877-304-0968 Ext. 550

iPhone: 250-240-2343

Email: albert.GTT@CCBNational.net

GTT Blog: https://gttprogram.wordpress.com/

URL: http://ccbnational.net/fresco/

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

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

Twitter: @GTTWest @GTTProgram @CCBNational

From an Island in the Pacific

Parksville BC Canada

“If you think you can or if you think you can’t, you’re right”.

Henry Ford

CCB Tech Articles: Donna’s Low Tech Tips, Clothing, April 16, 2018

April 16 2018

Clothing

 

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 clothing.

 

Clothing in a closet is easier to find when it is organized. For example, garments may be separated by color, or casual                          clothes may be placed at one end of your closet and formal clothing placed at the opposite end.

Place matching outfits (for example a suit jacket, shirt, tie and slacks) on one hanger or several hangers tied together.

A variety of closet organizers and shelf units are available in hardware or department stores.

To identify clothing color, cut a geometric shape (from cardboard or plastic) to place over the hanger.

Put a large print and/or braille label on the geometric shape.

 

In order to distinguish one clothing item from another, look for differences in texture, style, type of buttons, collars, hems, etc.

 

If you have two pieces of clothing which are identical except for color, attach a small safety pin to the tag or label of one garment; sew one button or several buttons on the inside of a hem or a seam to identify colors.  (Small, flat buttons work best.)  Similarly, small braille clothing tags or an embroidery stitch can be placed on the underside of a garment to indicate color on similar designs of clothing.

 

That’s it from me for today and I hope that my 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.

 

Have a super day and see you next week.

 

Alexa Is a Revelation for the Blind – The Atlantic

Legally blind since age 18, my father missed out on the first digital revolution.
— Read on www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/05/what-alexa-taught-my-father/556874/

GTT National Conference Call: Emergency Alert System Website Follow-up From April 11, 2018 Discussions

Fellow GTT Participants, here is the text of a Federal Government website related to the Emergency Alert System discussed during the April 11, 2018 GTT Nat Con Call.

 

Emergency Alert Messages and the National Public Alerting System (NPAS)

crtc.gc.ca

https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/television/services/alert.htm

 

Emergency Alert Messages and the National Public Alerting System (NPAS)

 

In 2014, the CRTC required that FM radio, AM radio and over-the-air (OTA) television stations, as well as

subscription-based broadcasting service providers

Footnote 1,

to participate in the National Public Alerting System (NPAS).

 

Since April 6, 2018, the CRTC requires that all wireless service providers participate in the NPAS and begin distribution of wireless public emergency

alerts on their long-term evolution (LTE) networks.

 

Emergency alert messages are issued by public officials

Footnote 2

who are designated by the federal government or your province or territory to warn the public of imminent or unfolding hazards to life and property (e.g.,

fire, natural disasters, biological threats, hazardous materials, environmental disasters, civil emergencies). These officials are also responsible for

issuing scheduled test messages.

 

Each year, during Emergency Preparedness Week in May, wireless service providers and broadcasters will distribute a test alert. Read more about alert types

and testing at

Alert Ready.

 

For more information about the NPAS:

National Public Alerting System.

 

The list of subscription-based broadcasting service providers currently participating in the NPAS

 

The following list indicates the subscription-based broadcasting service providers that distribute emergency alerts. If you subscribe to one or more of

the subscription based broadcasting service providers below, you should be receiving emergency alert messages. If you require more details, please contact

your broadcasting service provider.

 

Subscription-based broadcasting service providers that distribute emergency alert messages:

list of 24 items

  • 2251723 Ontario
  • Access
  • AEBC Internet
  • Bell
  • Bell ExpressVu
  • Bragg Communications Incorporated
  • Câblevision du Nord de Québec
  • Cogeco Connexion Inc.
  • IAAK Technologies
  • K-Right Communications
  • Nexicom Communications
  • Northwestel
  • Persona Communications
  • Rogers
  • SaskTel
  • Shaw
  • Shaw Direct
  • Sogetel
  • TBayTel
  • TELUS
  • Vianet
  • Vidéotron
  • Wightman Telecom
  • Zazeen

list end

The map of FM radio, AM radio and over-the-air (OTA) television stations broadcasting emergency alert messages  figure

If you want to find out whether you can receive emergency alert messages where you live, consult the map below:

 

TV and Radio Stations that Broadcast Emergency Alert Messages

The map of FM radio, AM radio and over-the-air (OTA) television stations broadcasting emergency alert messages  figure end

 

Wireless Public Alerting

 

To be able to receive wireless alerts, your mobile device must be an LTE device like a smartphone, compatible with wireless public alerting, and connected

to an LTE cellular network at the time the emergency alert is issued.

 

Emergency alerts are issued to a defined geographic area, such that only people in the defined area will receive the emergency alerts. If you are travelling

in another province when an alert is issued, your compatible wireless device will receive the alert, provided your phone is powered on and connected to

the LTE cellular network. There is no need to enable the location services on your wireless device to receive alerts.

 

When an alert is issued, you will hear the same alert tone on your mobile devices as you currently do while listening to the radio or watching television.

The alert will also trigger a unique vibration cadence.

 

To know more about the compatible wireless devices offered by your wireless service provider, visit

Alert Ready.

 

Important Notes

 

There might be radio or TV stations or subscription service providers broadcasting or distributing emergency alert messages that aren’t on our map or that

do not appear in the list. Why?

 

There are two possible reasons.

 

First, the map and list are created by using data collected from CRTC annual surveys that are issued to FM radio, AM radio and over-the-air (OTA) television

stations, as well as

subscription-based broadcasting service providers.

Recipients are required to submit the surveys to the CRTC no later than November 30 of each year. The data contained in the list and map were collected

as part of the November 30, 2016 annual surveys. Any station or service provider that started broadcasting or distributing emergency alerts after November

30, 2016 may not appear on the map and in the list.

 

Second, the surveys were only sent to FM radio, AM radio and over-the-air (OTA) television stations and

subscription-based broadcasting service providers

holding a broadcasting licence from the CRTC. Some stations or service providers, under very specific conditions, are not required to have a licence and

therefore do not appear in the map or list.

 

Guest Post: Gateway Navigation C3 Newsletter – Accessible Audio Indoor Navigation, April 2018

GNC3 Newsletter – Accessible Audio Indoor Navigation

Published April 2018 by Gateway Navigation CCC Limited

Website: www.gnc3.com

Email: partners@gnc3.com

Contents – Newsletter

Straight Talk – Indoor Navigation

Upcoming Event – AEBC Workshop

Standard of Excellence – Wayfindr Open Standard

Action – BC / RHF Accessibility Grant

Next Step

Straight Talk – Indoor Navigation

Listen to Mike May – Founder Sendero Group, David LePage – Co-Founder Buy Social Canada, Albert Ruel – Canadian Council of the Blind: Get Together with Technology and Steve Barclay – President Canadian Assistive Technology discussion on accessible audio indoor navigation with David Brun – Founder Gateway Navigation. To listen, click here

Upcoming Event – AEBC Workshop

Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (AEBC) is holding their National Conference at the Burnaby Metrotown Hilton Hotel – April 27th to 29th, 2018.

AEBC Workshop – Augmented Reality: 1:30 PM Friday, April 27th, 2018.

Join Albert Ruel, Canadian Council of the Blind, David Brun and Jim Taggart, Gateway Navigation CCC Limited at the Burnaby Metrotown Hilton Hotel. Presentation exploring the potential and opportunities possible through BLE (Bluetooth low energy) beacons, smartphones and apps. Focusing on the importance of standardization and best practices to create consistent and repeatable experiences for users. With hands on experience using the Right-Hear Accessible Zone Management Platform and App. Experience how this technology can augment our reality of indoor environments.

Standard for Excellence – Wayfindr Open Standard

Wayfindr was founded through collaboration and partnership between the Royal Society for Blind Children, ustwo design studio and Transport for London. Supported by an Impact Challenge Grant from Google.Org. All coming together to problem solve a need identified by blind youth. The desire and importance to be able to independently navigate the London Underground”. Starting their journey in 2015. They quickly realized the potential of what they were undertaking went far beyond the scope of their initial purpose. Last month Wayfindr published version 2.0 of their Open Standard.  Here is the update and the vision we share.

Wayfindr’ s Open Standard is an approved international standard by the International Telecommunications Union as ITU-T F.921.

Why an Open Standard?

When individuals and organizations get behind a purposeful vision, solutions to what previously seemed like big challenges become attainable.

The aim is that this Open Standard will help lower the barrier for built-environment owners and digital navigation services to make their environments, products and services inclusive from the outset as we continue to weave technology into our cities

Once the Open Standard is adopted across the built-environment and digital navigation services alike, vision impaired people will benefit from a consistent, reliable and seamless navigation experience.

Emerging indoor navigation technologies such as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Beacons and 5G hold the key to opening the world for vision impaired people. However, to achieve the greatest impact globally, there is a pressing need to develop a consistent standard to be implemented across wayfinding systems. This will truly open up a world where vision impaired people are no longer held back by their sight loss, removing barriers to employment, to seeing friends and family and engaging in their community.

The Wayfindr Open Standard aims to do just that. As the Open Standard develops it will give venue owners and digital navigation services the tools to implement high quality, consistent, audio wayfinding solutions. It includes an open-source demo app that enables people who download it to use BLE beacons to understand and implement the open standard with real users, in real contexts, in real time.

The Directors of Gateway Navigation and our Canadian Council of the Blind advisors support the work and open standard concept being undertaken by Wayfindr. We encourage all stakeholders to support the standards and best practices published in version 2.0…Through collaboration, partnership and advocacy stakeholders all play a vital role in developing accessible audio indoor navigation solutions that are consistent and repeatable regionally, nationally and globally.

Click on the link for more information on Wayfindr version 2.0:www.wayfindr.net

Action – BC / RHF Accessibility Grant

Read how you can help initiate accessibility, inclusion and independence in your local community. By supporting and advocating for the installation and deployment of accessible audio indoor navigation projects.

“Creating livable communities begins with integrating accessibility into everything we do, our workplaces, buildings, neighbourhoods and businesses. This is the province I believe in and want to help build – a place where everyone can contribute and help make our communities inclusive, welcoming, and vibrant.” BC Premier Horgan

In the spirit of the Premier’s vision of building accessible, inclusive communities for all people. The Government of British Columbia is funding two programs designed to improve universal access in communities across the Province.

Through $9 million in provincial funding, the Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF) has launched two new programs to improve accessibility for British Columbians.

“When we remove the physical barriers, we create communities where everyone feels welcome. We are pleased to support the Rick Hansen Foundation with this initiative where together we can build a better B.C. for people of all abilities to be able to live, work and play,” said Shane Simpson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.

With the provincial funding, the Rick Hansen Foundation has developed the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification (RHFAC) and the BC Accessibility Grants Program. RHFAC is a LEED-style system to rate accessibility for retail, commercial, institutional and multi-family residential buildings. Provincial funding is enabling approximately 1,100 free accessibility ratings within British Columbia, until March 2019.

Once rated, organizations will be eligible to apply for B.C. accessibility grants of up to $20,000 to use toward accessibility improvements. All projects will provide people with disabilities increased access and opportunities related to workspaces, health and fitness, arts and culture, and education. The upcoming round of B.C. accessibility grant applications must be submitted by May 31, 2018.

Gateway Navigation CCC Limited is a Community Contribution Company in partnership with the Canadian Council of the Blind. Our objective of being involved in accessible audio indoor navigation projects are to:

  • Uphold and contribute to the UN Telecommunications recognized (Wayfindr) open standard in the design, installation and maintenance of pilots and projects.
  • Share venue data so all app developers can include the venue in their app database. Allowing users to select the app that provides them with the best experience for their individual needs.
  • Facilitate engagement with stakeholders inside and outside of the local communities in raising awareness on the benefits and value the technology offers.
  • Identify and implement training and employment opportunities for disabled persons in projects we undertake.

Gateway is dedicated to improving the accessibility of interior spaces for members of the blind and visually impaired community in Canada. Just as smart phone-based GPS has made exterior navigation easier for everyone, so Gateway supports wireless network solutions that will make all buildings more accessible to all those who cannot read signage or interpret other visual wayfinding cues.

Unlike GPS, interior navigation systems of a similar kind must be established one building at a time. Through the Accessibility Grant Program, we have a path to accelerate the deployment and recognition on the value this technology brings to our communities.

The current BC / RHF funding provides the opportunity to raise awareness and accelerate acceptance of this empowering technology. Through engaging venue partners to be accessibility champions.

However, it is vital for those who share our vision. To advocate our message to stakeholders and venue owners and operators in their local communities. Stressing the importance of building accessible audio indoor navigation environments. Benefiting seniors, new immigrant’s, people with vision loss and many others. Building – a place where everyone can contribute and help make our communities inclusive, welcoming, and vibrant

Next Step

For more information, provide feedback or venues we can contact to participate in the Accessibility Grant Program for the installation of accessible audio indoor navigation click here..

Or contact: David Brun

Gateway Navigation CCC Limited

Email: david@gnc3.com

Mobile: 604.499.4818

To unsubscribe GNC3 Newsletter: Accessible Audio Indoor Navigation click here

End of Newsletter

 

 

 

 

 

GTT Edmonton Summary Notes, Google Home and General Tech Discussion, 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 7at 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]

 

 

CCB Tech Articles, Donna’s Low Tech Tips, Talking Timer, April 9, 2018

April 09 2018

Meet the talking timer

 

Hi there!  It’s Donna and thank you for allowing me to come into your inbox.  As mentioned previously, I would like to concentrate on the lower levels of technology and today I’d like you to meet the talking timer.

 

Ah yes!  The talking timer and over the years this precious commodity has both shrunk in size and cost.  There was a time when the talking timer was not very portable and it was also extremely clumsy and clunky in shape.  Today however, the talking timer has shrunk in both size and cost and it is even now possible for you to stuff one in your pocket or purse.

 

The cost of a talking timer has also dropped dramatically and you can now buy one for less than $20.  The nice thing about the talking timer is that there is a variety of styles and sizes for you to choose from.  Some talking timers come with a talking clock add on while others do not.  I have both.

 

You can get a talking timer for your kitchen or have one that clips on to your belt.  I have a talking timer/clock that gives me the option of choosing different sounds for when the timer goes off and I also have one that does not give me the option.  They are both very portable and I can clip them onto my belt.

 

You’ll have to find the one that best suits you.  Just make sure that the one you want is the one you end up with.  The talking timer is a very nifty little gadget to have.  Use it to time your cooking and baking.  Use it when you wish to time yourself while you are pedaling away  on your exercising equipment or use it for anything else.  The ones that I have work with triple A batteries.

 

Of course, the talking timer is now competing with other types of talking timers that can be found on your i device and on your appliances.

 

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

 

So have fun now with your talking timer and see you next week.

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

Recipes –

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

Audio mysteries for all ages –

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

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

 

CCB National Newsletter: Visions, April 2018

 

 

 

 

 

VISIONS

Canadian Council of the Blind Newsletter

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 2018

 

 

“A lack of sight is not a lack of vision”

Photo by June Admiraal on Unsplash

Announcements

 

 

President’s Message++

1 Louise Gillis –

National President

Welcome Spring! As we “spring” forward in time let us spring into action in several ways. It is time to become more active physically now that we have sidewalks that are clear and easier access to travel we can participate in CCB Health & Fitness activities with Ryan as our guide. Ryan can provide individual fitness plans to help improve our physical and mental health so please read the article in this newsletter to find out how to get involved.

 

Another way to spring forward is through “advocacy”. Advocacy does not stand alone, but rather, it needs people to take action to get things done in a non-aggressive way. That is to say that we work with organizations, industry, government, etc. to help find appropriate solutions to issues at hand. Some concerns that we have been active in working to find solutions for are VIA Rail – to make the train stations and new cars better suited to needs of those traveling with disabilities. We continue to support the need for accessible library materials for persons with print disabilities. We are working on Point of Sale (POS) devices with two other organizations, banks, industry, and businesses. There are a number of drug and therapeutic items that we continue to be active with as well. CCB has been working with WBU to find what the barriers are that prevent individuals from becoming leaders in a global sense as well as in Canada then look for ways to change or reduce the barriers.

 

There are other initiatives that CCB continues to work on both nationally and at our individual chapter level. If you have items that you need assistance with finding a solution for, you may notify our National Office and they will pass it on to our committee.

 

By springing into action we can build a stronger and healthier body to help us meet the everyday challenges we face individually as well as an organization. Positive thoughts support and understanding will help us along the way.

 

Louise Gillis, National President.

 

CCB Health & Fitness Monthly Update++:

 

 

Good day all newsletter readers!  In our attempt to keep you better informed on the CCB Health & Fitness program and all that is happening, we will look to post a monthly update.  Certainly we encourage you to reach out to Ryan Van Praet, the Program Manager, if you have any questions, suggestions for video or podcast topics, or if you want to offer up your abilities as a “local champion” (see below).  So with that, here is a brief update on all things health, fitness and fun!

 

1) Local Champions

We are still and always looking for local champions to contact Ryan and be added to the list.  Local Champs are essentially ambassadors

to the Health & Fitness programs within their community.  You need no special training or knowledge, just a desire to promote health and fitness and physical activity within your community.  You will convert information about our program and then will pass along any questions or comments from your group, back up to Ryan.  This allows great flow of questions, information, inspiration and networking!  Get on the list today!

 

2) #eyeammore

The EYE AM MORE campaign is designed to get everyone thinking about who they are as individuals.  Our commonalities are our visual impairments, however we are all unique and capable of great things.  Submit a few words or a short video on who you are MORE than just someone with vision loss.  We can share your story to everyone through our videos or podcasts, inspiring other by how cool you are and getting them to think about what makes them awesome too!  Self-esteem is key to being motivated to be active and aim big!   Email your story or video to Ryan today!

 

 

3) Virtual Run

June 1st – Our second ever virtual 5k run/walk is going to be held on Friday June 1st.  Ryan will host his event at about 6pm EST and encourages you to run or walk 5k, with friends, family, your community, at roughly the same time.  Cost is $30 and you get a cool CCB Health & Fitness trucker hat.

Log onto the blog or contact Ryan to get Registration link.  Deadline to ensure a hat is May 6th, but you can register right up until June 1.   WIN a Wahoo Tickr heart rate monitor that interacts with your smart device, or a gift card, if you are the lucky name drawn.

 

4) “Peercast” to launch

In an attempt to further engage our members and drive discussions on how to live a kick butt lifestyle while dealing with vision loss, we are starting a new show on the Podcast channel.  Currently on “The Canadian Council of the Blind” podcast Ryan hosts the Health & Fitness show but will be starting the Peercast Show very shortly.  An interview style discussion on various topics on living with blindness, how to thrive, how to support each other and more.  It’s all about engagement and this show will be designed to present a topic then wait for your comments and considerations.  Subscribe to the podcast, listen to all the content we have up already, it won’t put you to sleep, we promise!

 

5) Coaching calls

Ryan is always accepting coaching calls if you need some personalized coaching towards your fitness goal, just shoot him an email or give him a call to set up a time to chat…all FREE to you!

 

Tons of ways to follow us and contact us.  Please like, follow, subscribe, share and comment on all our social media content.  We want you to engage with us!

 

Facebook – search “CCB Health & Fitness”

Youtube – search “CCB Health & Fitness”

Podcast – search “The Canadian Council of the Blind”

Twitter – @ccb_healthfit

Email list – email ccbhealthandfitness+subscribe@groups.io

Blog: https://ccbhealthandfitness.wordpress.com

Newsletter – email Ryan to be added at: ccb.healthandfitness@gmail.com

Call: 226-627-2179

 

Introducing Canadian Assistive Technology Ltd.++:

Canadian Assistive Technology was founded by Steve Barclay and now, after a year of operation employs Ryan Fleury for Technical Support and Rob Mineault for Sales and Marketing Support.  All three were former employees of Aroga Technologies and have many years of experience with assistive technology.  Rob, Ryan, and Steve are also the hosts of the AT Banter Podcast, which offers news and insights about all manners of assistive technology, as well as human interest stories from the community of people who use it.

 

2Left to right – Ryan Fleury, Rob Mineault, Steve Barclay Picture from canasstech.com

 

 

The company focuses primarily on cutting edge technologies for people who are blind or visually impaired, but also carries products for people with physical and communication limitations.

 

Included in our product lineup are some of the leading manufacturers in the world including:

Ablenet, AI Squared, ALVA, Duxbury Systems, Dolphin, Enhanced Vision Systems, Eschenbach, Freedom Scientific, Handitech, Hartgen Consultancy, HIMS, Humanware, Iris Vision, Innovation Rehabilitation, KNFB, Low Vision International, Optelec, Orcam and Right-Hear.

 

Our mission is to provide the highest level of service and support for our clients.  We maintain a demo pool of equipment which people can arrange to borrow and try before making a purchasing decision. We offer a 30 day no-questions asked money back guarantee on all of our hardware based low vision aids and we cover all of our products with lifetime toll-free technical support.  We try to ensure that hardware warranty and non-warranty repairs can be conducted in Canada and work with our servicing partner, Chaos Technical Services, owned by Rick Chant another past Aroga veteran.  As part of our standard terms we will also cover all shipping costs for any product we have sold that needs to go in for warranty repair.

 

We are passionate supporters of Braille and all efforts to promote Braille literacy.  Our free Unified English Braille chart, developed in conjunction with Cay Holbrook and the vision teacher training program at the University of British Columbia, is used as a resource by educators all over the English speaking world.

Our free Low Vision Guide, developed in conjunction with Enhanced Vision Systems is used as an education piece by Optometrists and Ophthalmologists all across the country.  This guide and the Braille chart are also available by download from our website.

 

If you or a loved one are investigating assistive technology options, please call us and explore our website.  We have many years of experience in helping people find the right solutions for their needs.

Visit http://www.canasstech.com or email steve@canasstech.com and phone 1-844-795-8324

 

Librarians Seek Reading Recommendations++:

 

Hello, my name is Sabina and I work as a librarian with the National Network for Equitable Library Service, commonly known as NNELS. We produce books in accessible formats for Canadian readers with print disabilities. I am writing to you because we are looking for book recommendations.

 

Specifically, we are looking for readers’ favourite children’s picture books: either those people read as children, or those they enjoyed in adulthood.

 

We are looking for these book recommendations because librarians and volunteers have been asking for an easy way to record books for us, and we finally have a way to invite them to do just that. Volunteer-recorded audiobooks are available for free download from our website for any Canadian with a print disability. And who knows where they will go from there: they might be enjoyed by a reader on the other side of the country or on the other side of the world.

 

In March, we completed a project with support from the Government of Canada’s Social Development Partnerships Program – Disability Component, the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB), and others to create twelve recording kits. Each kit contains a headset microphone, a USB key for saving files, and links to online instructions. With a kit, and a deal with a local public library, volunteers can record a book. Kits can be loaned and sent to any library in Canada for the cost of shipping.

 

These recording kits are not a magic wand that will suddenly turn all the stories into audiobooks. Rather, they are a small piece of a large puzzle. We hope the kits will remind librarians in communities of all sizes about the importance of accessibility, literacy, and reading. And we hope they bring people the joy that comes from learning and making something new.

 

In a fragile and sometimes fractured world, one of the very best things we can do is make the time to share stories. And as a librarian who loves children’s books, I would argue that what makes us human, and what reminds us of who we might become, can be found in the stories we share with children. We hope these kits are the beginning of something good. Maybe someone in your own community will surprise you with a wonderful recording. Maybe you will read a book that your great-great- grandchild will hear.

 

We are looking for books that tell the story through the words rather than the illustrations, do not have any chapters, and that are well-written, as these work best for audio recordings. If you have something to recommend, please call 1-888-848-9250, option 5, or email books@nnels.ca. For more information about the project, please visit https://nnels.ca/volunteer/record

 

We appreciate the significant contribution of the CCB and their support throughout the project.

 

 

 

Script Ability will be coming to a Sobeys location near you soon++:

Please advise our CCB National office of a Sobeys location near you which you would like to carry the equipment to provide this service. This way they can preorder supplies so that when the program is launched the equipment will be available right away. There is no additional cost on your prescription for this service. This is an initiative that CCB has been working with Sobeys to provide to their pharmacy customers (both old& new). For more information, please contact 1-877-304-0908.

 

 

GTT Edmonton Meeting Invitation, Google Home Voice Assistant, April 9, 2018++:

 

You are invited!  Blind and low vision GTT participants meet monthly to learn about and share their experiences using assistive technologies in their daily lives at home, school, or at work.

Agenda for the Next Edmonton GTT Meeting:

Date: Monday April 9, 7pm to 9pm.

Location: Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 – 83 Street NW, Edmonton. You must enter from the back door. If you arrive late the door may be locked. Please ring the bell to the right of the door.

Theme: Google Home Voice Assistant

During the first half hour Wanda will demonstrate how she and Dave use their Google Home voice assistant speaker to get answers to everyday questions, play songs, make phone calls, and more by simply using their voice.

The remainder of the meeting will be devoted to you. Bring your questions, and any tech you need help with – for example, iPhones, laptops or DAISY players.

 

Who Should Attend?

Any blind or low vision person who is interested in learning how assistive technologies can help them lead more independent lives.

 

For More Information contact:

GTT.Edmonton@gmail.com or 780.990.8448


 

Visually impaired singer takes on world++:

There was a great article that was in the Chronicle Herald on CCB Blind Sports Nova Scotia member Tarah Sawler.

 

3 Tarah Sawler Playing Piano at home from the Chronicle Herald

To read the article, please visit:http://thechronicleherald.ca/thenovascotian/1555874-visually-impaired-singer-takes-on-world

 

The article talks about Tarah’s passion for music and some of her experiences as a straight A first year university student with a visual impairment.

 

On another note, Tarah will be leading the Nova Scotia Junior girls at the Canadian Junior Goalball Championships in Halifax on April 7 & 8 at the Halifax Independent School.

 

Advocacy

 

Support the Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities Act++:

 

Groups like the CCB work hard to maximize opportunities for people with disabilities. Yet sometimes, government seems to stand in the way. As you know, when people with disabilities start earning income, they not only pay taxes, but also face sharp clawbacks of their income, medication, housing, and other supports — meaning they can lose more than they gain from getting a job, earning a raise, or working more hours.

 

It is a story Linda Chamberlain knows all too well: “After three decades of battling schizophrenia and homelessness and poverty, Chamberlain finally got a job,” wrote former Toronto Star reporter Catherine Porter. As a reward, the government boosted Linda’s rent almost 500% and cut her disability payment, making her $260 per month poorer because she got a job.

So she had to quit her job and remain poor.

She is not alone. “According to Statistics Canada’s 2012 Canadian Survey on Disability, there were over 650,000 disabled individuals aged 15 to 64 who were not in the labour force at the time of the survey and either used to work or indicated they were capable of working. Of these, roughly 94,000 reported that if they were employed, they felt that they would lose additional support. About 82,300 individuals reported that they expected their income to drop if they worked,” according to Statistics Canada.

 

The Bill

The Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities Act would allow workers with disabilities to gain more in wages than they lose in clawbacks and taxation. It does this through three steps:

 

  1. Measurement

The bill would require that Finance Canada calculate how much people with disabilities in each province lose in taxes and benefit clawbacks as a result of each additional $1,000 of income earned up to $30,000.

Calculations of the clawbacks would include lost benefits like income assistance, housing, medications, and so forth, and would use publicly available tax and benefit rules, not any person’s private tax and benefit information.

 

  1. Action if the calculation finds that people with disabilities are losing more than they gain due to clawbacks, the Finance Minister would have to consider changes to the Working Income Tax Benefit Disability Supplement, the Canada Pension Plan Disability Pension, or any federal tax measure that would ensure people with disabilities always benefit from their work.

If the Minister deemed that provincial taxes and clawbacks were the cause of the problem, he would consult with the province to remedy it.

 

  1. Enforcement The Opportunity Act would attach another condition to the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act requiring provinces to arrange their taxes and transfers so that people with disabilities never lose more than they gain from working.

 

Conclusion

This bill will only pass with the help of respected organizations like the CCB. So, if you agree that governments should reward rather than punish the work of people with disabilities, please add your voice to the Opportunity Act.

 

Here are three things you can do to help pass the bill:

Please encourage your local Members of Parliament to vote for the Opportunity Act. And ask your friends, family, and supporters to do the same.

Use #OpportunityAct on social media when endorsing and discussing the bill.

 

Please email my office a few sentences endorsing the bill that we can use for social media and other communications that will build momentum towards its passage. You can email Pierre.Poilievre.A2@parl.gc.ca.

 

Thank you for your help. Together, we can empower Canadians with disabilities to get ahead through their talents and work — because, as Dr. Martin Luther King put it, “all labour has dignity.”

 

Sincerely,

Hon. Pierre Poilievre, P.C., M.P.

 

 

World Blind Union Survey++:

The WBU Low Vision Working Group is working on initiatives to encourage more engagement of persons with low vision or partial sight in the work of the WBU and our members.  In order to do that we want to know more about the present situation both for organizations and for individuals who have low vision.

 

Please visit the below link to complete a survey for individuals who are partially sighted or have low vision. We ask you to encourage as many low vision or partially sighted persons as you can to complete the survey.

 

The deadline for completing the survey and returning them to us at penny.hartin@wbu.ngo  is April 30th.

 

The survey can be found at:

http://ccbnational.net/fresco/surveys-from-the-world-blind-union/

 

Many thanks for your assistance.

Penny Hartin

Chief Executive Officer and

Chair WBU Low Vision Working Group

 

 

In the News

 

Usability Tester Showcase: Bruce Turner’s Story — Knowbility++:

 

Fellow CCB GTT Members and Participants–Here’s a story about one of our own, Bruce Turner of the GTT Victoria Chapter.


Bruce Turner’s Story — Knowbility

For several years now, Knowbility has recruited people with disabilities to participate in usability studies. During that time, we’ve added hundreds of people from across the United States and beyond to our AccessWorks user testing panel, which partners testers with disabilities with companies interested in improving the accessibility and usability of their products.

 

So, when a popular Canadian media company reached out to our AccessWorks team with a request for Canadian testers with different disabilities, we were prepared. Bruce Turner was one of these testers, and we’re proud to share his experience.

 

Born with retinitis pigmentosa and profoundly deaf, Bruce uses a variety of assistive technologies to get things done. He uses ZoomText, a screen magnification program to change the color scheme on his computer. Bruce prefers his text to be white on a black background.

 

To be more productive on the phone, Bruce uses a relay service. An operator types what is heard on the line, Bruce reads it, and then he responds. It was with this suite of technology and the marvels of off-the-shelf video conferencing software that Bruce successfully completed the usability study. The retired civil servant credits today’s tech in playing a role in promoting social and economic integration.

 

“If I didn’t have this technology in front of me I don’t think I would be doing as well as I am,” Bruce said. “This technology I wish the heck I had when I was younger. I like the fact that I can do email, I can go online, I can do my banking, I can talk to people, I can communicate.”

 

Bruce says he enjoys learning how to accomplish tasks online, for example, the steps that are needed to arrive at a website’s homepage.

 

“It’s like playing a brand-new game for the first time, not knowing what to do, but simply getting there and getting my feet wet and see what I can do,” Bruce said.

 

Bruce first heard about AccessWorks via a post on the website of Get Together with Technology (GTT), a program run by the Canadian Council of the Blind. Though at first leery about the program’s claims—that people with disabilities could earn extra money working as usability testers—GTT’s Albert Ruel reassured him that Knowbility could be trusted.

 

“Bruce did a great job! He provided us with a different perspective. He actually helped us to consider other ways of communicating….and we actually did it….we were so thrilled. We learned so much and as a result, we feel very confident going into it!” Marine Menier, AccessWorks Project Manager, said.

 

Bruce was born and raised in Kamloops, British Columbia. He graduated from the University of Victoria in 1973 and worked for the Canadian federal government for 35 years. As a child, he attended school alongside people of many different ethnicities and varying abilities. He feels that this has influenced his attitudes towards inclusiveness.

 

“The way I look at the word inclusiveness is getting along with people who have all kinds of disability,” he said. “People who are blind, people who are low vision, people who are deaf, we all share a little bit of everything.”

 

He considers Knowbility’s usability tester program a force for good, both for companies that need knowledge about the accessibility of their products and for people with disabilities who want to help make websites more accessible.

 

“The AccessWorks program also increases the self-esteem of those who participate, and that is an important benefit,” he added.

 

Now retired, Bruce lives with his wife in Victoria, British Columbia.

In addition to reading online articles from ZDNet and GTT to learn about the latest tech, he enjoys photography, gardening, and taking walks along the Gorge Waterway, a scenic inlet near his home.

By Marine Menier

 

 

 

Deaf-Blind Runner Showcased in the Media:++

Gaston Bedard, marathon runner, was on television on March 27.

 

The interview took place at the CTV studio, in Ottawa. Gaston chatted about guiding in the Ottawa Race Weekend coming up May 26 and 27, 2018; in which Gaston is registered in the Scotiabank Ottawa Half marathon.

 

The idea is that everyone can participate, it’s easy to walk, jog and guide. Full participation is everything.

 

The CTV interview clip is called, Race Weekend for Everyone.

We were third in the CTV interview along with our host Annette.

From left to right, in the interview video:

Michel, Annette, Gaston and Christopher.

 

Please visit the CTV video clip at:

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1356965

 

Gyms must do more to accommodate people with disabilities++:

 

Advances in modern medicine have led doctors to a better understanding of the benefits of exercise in managing a broad range of chronic conditions, from multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and epilepsy. Unfortunately, traditional gyms aren’t designed with this end use in mind. Sure, there’s bound to be an automatic door opener for people with mobility issues, maybe even a wheelchair lift or a ramp, but that tends to be the extent of the services provided to make fitness accessible to all.

 

Irony of ironies: Where most gyms fail is in serving people with physical disabilities or chronic medical conditions – in other words, people who, in many cases, literally need to work out to save their lives.

 

I work for a not-for-profit facility that prides itself on inclusiveness and diversity. Forgive me if I sound a little too Hands Across America, but I love the fact that my gym – our gym – can serve as a home away from home for everyone, regardless of their race, gender, sexuality or income.

 

But of course, even idealistic wonderlands have their blind spots.

 

A couple of months ago, I had a conversation with a member of our gym that left me feeling like an ignorant fool. This young woman told me about her medical condition, explained how basic movement is painful and how she often has to rely on mobility assistance devices. Her doctor recommended yoga as a gentle means of managing this condition, but our yoga studio is on the second floor of the building, and the elevator doesn’t allow for direct access. She would have to take the stairs in order to participate, which, given her condition, is not an option.

 

Many physical disabilities are easily identifiable for fitness professionals, as are the solutions to the challenges they pose. Some, however, are harder to identify. Take, for example, the guest that dropped by our gym with an unmarked service dog trained to detect seizures. In Ontario, it’s not required for these sorts of service animals to wear identifying harnesses or vests; if a person has a doctor’s note recommending the use of the animal, and that animal is well-behaved, it’s a violation of their rights to deny them access to services and facilities. Of course, when our members saw someone jogging on our indoor track, furry friend in tow, they assumed this dog was simply a pet. Our staff was equally confused.

 

Granted, this sort of thing isn’t a common occurrence, but it does illustrate how ill-informed – and ill-prepared – businesses are when it comes to addressing non-physical disabilities.

 

Thankfully, we have people like Dr. Darren Ezer, co-owner, along with his wife, Lianne, of the Live Well Exercise Clinic in Toronto. Live Well is a medicinal fitness franchise that specializes in small group fitness classes for people with chronic diseases, physical disabilities and mental illnesses.

 

With 14 locations across British Columbia and Ontario, Live Well is

striving to meet the needs of those who may not feel welcome at commercial gyms by delivering evidence-based exercise programs specific to each individual’s condition in a fun and positive environment.

 

“We’re very different from places like GoodLife,” Ezer said. “Our members find gyms filled with young, fit people intimidating. We offer a huge service by providing group-based exercise with a peer group that looks familiar and specialized equipment that’s truly accessible.”

 

A new Live Well location is scheduled to open in Oakville, Ont., this year. It’s my hope that more fitness pros and gym owners will take after this example and begin offering a broad range of programs and services for everyone, not just the young, jacked and tanned.

 

Otherwise, unifying ideals such as diversity and social inclusion lose their power and become nothing more than buzz words for virtue-signaling poseurs.

 

As for my gym, I’m happy to report that steps are being taken to ensure the next noble service animal that pays us a visit will be welcomed with open and understanding arms.

 

Paul Landini is a personal trainer and health educator at the Toronto West End College Street YMCA.

 

You can follow him on Twitter @mrpaullandini.

By PAUL LANDINI, Globe and Mail

 

 

 

Assistive Technology

Donna’s Low Tech Tips, Identifying Money:++

 

Hello there, I’m Donna Jodhan and I’d like to talk about IDENTIFYING MONEY and I have some great tips for you re how you can go about dealing with your money.  Dollar bills, coins, and cheques.

 

PAPER CURRENCY

There are many different ways to identify bills and it really doesn’t matter how you do it as long as your method works for you.

 

 

 

Here are some tips.

Some individuals prefer to separate bills by denomination, placing them in different sections of their purse or wallet. You can purchase a special                          billfold which has different sections for different bills. You can fold your bills in a special way for easy identification. For example:

-Leave five dollar bills completely unfolded.

– Fold ten dollar bills in half lengthwise.

-Fold twenty dollar bills in half, end to end.

-Fold fifty dollar bills end to end, then lengthwise.

-Fold hundred dollar bills in half and in half again.

-When you receive money from others, ask what each bill is and fold it right away or put it in a special section of your wallet so you will be able to recognize it later.  Take your time, don’t be hurried.

 

An electronic bank note reader is available (through the CNIB) to identify paper currency. The device is easy to use.

Insert a Canadian bank note, push the button at the front of the device, and the reader will announce by voice (in either English or French) the denomination of the bill.

 

COINS

Coins can be identified by touch.

Select one coin at a time and use a fingernail or your fingertips to feel the different sizes and edges of each coin:

-A dime has a serrated edge.

-A nickel has a smooth edge.

-A quarter has a rough grooved edge and is larger and thicker than a nickel.

-A dollar coin (loonie) has an eleven-sided smooth edge and is larger and thicker than a quarter.

-A two dollar coin (toonie) is larger than a loonie. The edge of the coin alternates from rough to smooth.  The centre of the toonie is gold in color and the outer edge is silver.

A special purse or coin organizer with separate slots for nickels, dimes, and quarters may be a useful item.

CHEQUES

Large print/tactile cheques are available from your bank. You may find it helpful to make your own cheque template with sections cut out for date, cheque amount, and so on.

 

So have fun now with your money!

 

 

 

www.ccbnational.net                1-877-304-0968

ccb@ccbnational.net

A review of Aira. What it is, how it works, and the ways it has changed my life, by Jonathan Mosen

Here is a great article written by Jonathan Mosen about Aira:

 

http://mosen.org/aira/

 

A review of Aira. What it is, how it works, and the ways it has changed my life

mosen.org

 

A review of Aira. What it is, how it works, and the ways it has changed my life

Introduction

 

Recently, I was pleased to attend the CSUN assistive technology conference. I’ve had the privilege of going to 10 of these before, but it has been a few

years since I was there last.

 

When you’re involved with an industry, you tend to watch developments so closely that changes usually seem incremental. But occasionally, something new

comes along that is so game changing, it stops you in your tracks. For me, San Diego-based Aira is one such technology. I am late to this party. Aira has

been rolling out for some time in the United States. And indeed, we covered Aira in an edition of

The Blind Side Podcast

last year. But since mentioning my Aira experience to people via outlet such as my Internet radio show,

The Mosen Explosion,

I’ve learned that not everyone yet fully understands what the service is or how it works. For those not familiar with Aira, or who would like to read

someone else’s impressions of it, read on.

 

What is Aira

 

According to

the company’s website,

 

Aira is today’s fastest growing assistive community. One tap of a button instantly connects you with a sighted professional agent who delivers visual assistance

anytime and anywhere.

 

Here’s what that means in practice. At present, Aira is a smart phone app, available for iOS and Android. Since Aira is a service for blind people, it’s

no surprise that the app is exemplary in terms of its accessibility. And in iOS, it even sports Siri integration.

 

Using the app, you can connect via video, much like a FaceTime call, with agents who can provide you with visual information. Audio quality is excellent,

far clearer than a standard cell phone connection. Essentially, an Aira agent can tell you anything at all that a pair of functioning eyes can see, plus

perform a range of tasks pertaining to that information.

 

You can acquire the visual information using your smart phone’s camera, or, when you become a subscriber to the Aira service (Aira calls its customers

“explorers”) you receive a pair of smart glasses. These are included as part of your subscription, so there’s no hardware cost upfront.

 

The service is available officially in the United States at present, where Aira has an arrangement with ATT. Aira explorers receive an ATT MiFi device,

allowing them to use the service on the go without the data consumed by the video connection eating up a customer’s own cellular plan. If you have a cellular

plan equipped with the personal hotspot feature, you are free to pair your Aira glasses with your phone using that method. For those with large data plans,

this may be attractive because there is one less device to keep track of, carry, and charge. The downside, other than the data consumption, is that a video

connection to Aira for a long time may cause significant battery drain on your smart phone.

 

When you’re at home, work, or anywhere that Wi-Fi is available that doesn’t require web-based authentication, you can pair your Aira glasses to that network.

As far as I have been able to ascertain, 5 GHZ Wi-Fi isn’t supported at present.

 

Because of the need for high quality video, the glasses pair via Wi-Fi, and not Bluetooth. The glasses are associated with your Aira account. This is useful

if, like in Bonnie’s and my house, you’re sharing your minutes as a couple. More on that later.

 

The upshot of all of this is that for 18 hours of every day, professional, well-trained sighted assistance is just a few taps or a Siri command away.

 

Describing it like this makes it sound kind of cool. But I want to explain the impact that Aira has had on our lives in the brief time we have had it,

to illustrate that, at least for some of us, this technology is more than just pretty cool, it’s life-changing.

 

My first Aira experience

 

If you’ve been reading this blog or listening to The Blind Side Podcast over the years, you will know that in recent times I have come out as having a

hearing impairment. I love going to these big conferences because I get to catch up with old friends and make new ones, as well as see the latest and greatest

technology. I hate going to these big conferences because often, I find myself in difficult audio environments. It can be very noisy. Hotel lobbies and

restaurants are often exceedingly crowded, with high ceilings causing noise to bounce everywhere. The environment is difficult and tiring, but I keep going

and doing the best I can, because the alternative is to sit at home and rust away, and I’m certainly not going to do that.

 

One smart thing that Aira has done is to start rolling out a concept called “site access”. With appropriate sponsorship, or perhaps at times where there

will be many potential customers in one place, Aira can enable free access to a location or even the entire city through their smart city project. There

are two benefits to the strategy. First, it’s helpful for existing Aira explorers because they can use the service as much as they want without it counting

against their monthly plans.

 

Second, anyone, even those not signed up with an Aira monthly plan, can go to the iOS App Store or the Google Play Store, download the app, create a guest

account, and use the service for free. As I found out, it’s convenient to have access to Aira in such situations, and it offers the opportunity for Aira

to convert those guests into full-time explorers. Smart stuff.

 

It was thanks to this program that I gave Aira a shot. Had I been required to go to the booth to give it a go, I probably would have run out of time and

wouldn’t be writing this post. But it was a cinch to download the app and set up my guest account.

 

I first decided to put Aira through a simple test. Having arrived in San Diego after a long journey, I wasn’t taking much notice of the hotel layout when

the porter showed me to my room. So, the next morning, I made my first call to Aira, and asked the friendly agent to guide me to the elevator. Not only

did I get to the elevator effortlessly, I was also guided right to the button for the elevator.

 

But the call I will never forget is the one I made to ask for assistance getting to the exhibit hall while exhibits were being set up. If you’ve visited

the Grand Hyatt in San Diego, you’ll know how cavernous the lobby can sound. When the lobby is full of people, I find it impossible to navigate, because

there’s just so much sound bouncing everywhere. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from Aira, but I was keen to see what would happen.

 

This is the moment when I transitioned from the intellectual understanding that “this is quite a good concept”, to the emotional connection that made me

say “holy guacamole, this thing is changing my life!”

 

I’m not a guide dog handler at the moment, but I have been in the past. One of the advantages of working with a dog over using a cane is that you avoid

many obstacles without ever coming into contact with them. The exception is if you are a cane user with good echolocation. I think that even with full

hearing, I would have found echolocation difficult in that very noisy lobby, but it’s certainly not viable for me now. Therefore, in that type of environment,

I often find myself hitting people’s legs with my cane, as I try to find a way forward. With the Aira agent talking in my hearing aids which were also

delivering environmental sounds, I was getting information about where the crowds were, and when I needed to veer to avoid running into people. I was told

when it was necessary to turn to reach my destination and given confirmation that I was indeed heading in the correct direction.

 

Because of my hearing, and the fact that I know navigating these environments can be difficult, I had allowed myself plenty of time to reach the exhibit

hall. But I reached it much more quickly than I had anticipated, and with much less stress than usual.

 

When we eventually reached the exhibit hall, which was some considerable distance away, the agent informed me that the door was closed. I expected this,

since I was heading to the exhibit hall before it was officially open to the public. The icing on the cake was when she said that she could see a counter

to the left of the door with a sign labelled “Exhibit Services”. She then informed me that there was a man behind that counter and offered to lead me to

him. She did so, and he let me in. Astounded, I thanked the agent, and ended the call.

 

Full disclosure, at this point, it gets a bit embarrassing. No technology has made me cry for joy before. But a stressful experience I have to psych myself

up for had just been made effortless and enjoyable. I was utterly overwhelmed. This was all achieved with no more than the free app and the camera on my

iPhone X.

 

Piloting Aira outside the US

 

I’ve no doubt that I would have been wowed by Aira even if I had been blind without a hearing impairment. But, having had a taste of the independence it

was giving me, even better than the independence I had when I was a traveller without a hearing impairment, I really wanted to see if there was any way

I could take this home to New Zealand. I knew it would be unlikely, because Aira is very clear that they are only available now in the United States and

I think parts of Canada. But I genuinely felt that having had a taste of Aira, I would feel a sense of disability if I lost it again.

 

I met with Aira’s CEO, Suman Kanuganti, who kindly agreed to let me pilot the service here. Since this is a fairly glowing review of the service, I want

to be clear that I am paying the same as everyone else. This is not a paid advertisement. And I’m aware of the limitations of using the service here when

it’s not officially supported. For example, Aira is currently unavailable between 1 AM and 7 AM Eastern time. At this time of year, that equates to 5 PM

to 11 PM New Zealand time. That’s a time when we have had a need for the service, but I signed up knowing what I was getting into, so that’s an observation

rather than a complaint. Even for Aira’s existing customer base, I’m sure many hope that this downtime will soon be a thing of the past. I’m one of those

totally blind people without light perception who has non-24 sleep/wake disorder. I’m fortunate that because most of my deliverables can be delivered at

any time, I just let my circadian rhythm do its thing. That means I’m sometimes very productive at 2, 3 or 4 AM. I’m sure there are many Aira users in

the United States in a similar position, who’d value having access to Aira at that time.

 

I’ll also be providing feedback on any technical or cultural issues relating to the use of the service here, should they arise. The most obvious cultural

issue is that many of our place names are in the Maori language, the indigenous language of New Zealand. Understandably, Aira agents don’t have experience

pronouncing them correctly, but that’s no different from listening to the same place names spoken by most text-to-speech engines.

 

When mobile, Bonnie and I are using Aira with our mobile data plans. We share a cellular plan that has 25 GB of mobile data per month, and our LTE networks

are very robust here, particularly in urban environments.

 

Signing up as an explorer

 

Typically, when you sign up as an explorer, you can start using the service right away with your smart phone, and the hardware is shipped to you. Since

I was at the CSUN conference, I was able to sign up online, and collect my hardware from the Aira booth.

 

The ability to use the service as a guest is fairly new, and one of the problems I had was that I couldn’t sign up with the email address I had associated

with my guest account, because the system flagged it as already in use. It would be nice to have a feature within the app that allowed you to upgrade to

a paid account while signed in as a guest. Hopefully that will come in time. The only way around it for now is either to sign up with a different email

address or complete the process over the phone.

 

When you make your first call as a fully-fledged explorer, an Aira agent assists you to create your profile. It’s here that you really start to appreciate

how carefully the services been devised. Suman Kanuganti and his team have worked closely with Blind people, sought their advice, and taken it to heart.

It would have been easy for a service like this to have become patronising. Instead, the culture feels like it is truly a partnership between the explorer

and the agent.

 

As part of the induction process, you are advised that Aira will never tell you that it’s safe to cross the street, and agents will remain silent while

you are crossing. If you are mobile, and the agent detects that you’re not travelling with a cane or a dog, they will disconnect the call. They make it

clear that they are not a substitute for your blindness skills, or for your mobility tool of choice. And they advise that they keep personal opinions out

of all descriptions and interactions.

 

You’re asked if there are any additional disabilities that it would be helpful for them to be aware of. I was able to tell them about my hearing impairment.

 

Rather like when using JAWS, you are offered three levels of verbosity. The three levels are explained to you clearly. Your default level is recorded in

your profile. You can change the default at any time, or for a particular call. The most verbose option will even describe people’s facial expressions

as you’re walking down the street.

 

You’re asked whether you prefer directions to be given as a clock face, or in terms of “left” and “right”. In a noisy environment, it’s easier for me to

differentiate between 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock, than between left and right.

 

Once the process is done, all your preferences are recorded and immediately made available to the agent when you call in.

 

Ride sharing Integration

 

Using the APIs of the ride sharing services Uber and Lyft, Aira can connect to your accounts to both call and monitor your rides. You may ask the agent

to initiate the entire process for you, or you could use the app of your ride sharing service of choice to call a vehicle, then get the agent online who

can see the car you’ve been allocated, and help you watch for its arrival.

 

Some people have safety concerns about using ride sharing services, since you might walk up to a car that you think is the one you’ve called, only to find

its some random person. Having an Aira agent assist you to the vehicle will avoid that.

 

It’s also a brilliant way to catch drivers who speed away because of your dog. An Aira agent can take pictures remotely using the camera you’re connecting

with, be it the camera on your smart phone or the one built into the glasses. This gives you photographic evidence of the driver speeding away.

 

Sharing minutes

 

Recently, Aira introduced the ability to share minutes with up to two additional people. The feature is great for blind couples like Bonnie and me. Inviting

Bonnie to share my minutes was easily done from the app, and she was signed up in minutes, although there was a technical issue which prevented her from

logging in. This was resolved in a few hours after contacting Aira.

 

How we’ve used Aira

 

There is a wonderful section on the Aira website and in its app, with extensive lists of the way that people are using the service. As the father of two

daughters, one use case that both resonated with me and amused me was the explorer who asked an agent to describe their daughter’s new boyfriend.

 

But here are just a few of the ways that we’ve used Aira since we’ve had it.

 

What does this button do?

 

It was wonderful to be able to ask an agent, trained to explain things clearly, how to operate the air-conditioning in my hotel room in San Diego. I was

also curious about a little panel to the right of the air-conditioning unit. After getting me to look at the unit, the agent took a photo, blew it up,

and told me that it was a control panel for the windows in my hotel room. I probably wouldn’t have bothered investigating it had it not been for Aira.

 

Journalism

 

Bonnie has now embarked on a journalism course. Today’s journalists must operate in a multimedia environment. This includes taking their own photos. Thanks

to the technology VoiceOver offers, it’s possible for a blind person to take good photos. When action is moving fast though, it may not be possible to

capture that action quickly enough. And VoiceOver’s camera functions are limited to recognising people. Seeing AI will recognise scenes, but only after

you’ve taken the picture. Aira to the rescue.

 

Just a couple of days after Bonnie began sharing my Aira minutes, she needed to cover a popular Wellington street festival. Bonnie tells me she couldn’t

have done it without Aira. Giving instructions to the agent ahead of time about the kind of material she wanted to capture, the Aira agent was able to

take pictures at exactly the right time and give Bonnie advice about how to angle the camera. Her photography lecturer praised the photos.

 

The agent gave vivid, detailed descriptions of the festival and the people participating in it, which made it easy for Bonnie to write a descriptive, colourful

newspaper story that wasn’t devoid of visual imagery even though she is blind.

 

When Bonnie got the munchies after a hard day’s journalism, the agent helped her locate the food truck she wanted from a number that were at the festival,

and then read her the menu on the side of the truck.

 

Preserving the moment

 

Since Aira can take pictures using the glasses or camera remotely, we recently used it at a birthday party we attended to get the perfect picture for our

own records, and for posting to social media.

 

Compiling reports

 

When you travel and collect receipts, you end up with little bits of paper, business cards from cab drivers with receipt information scrawled on the back,

and big pieces of paper.

 

I’ve become adept over the years at performing optical character recognition on all of it for the compilation of expense reports, but it’s time-consuming.

I took the stress out of the situation and handed it to Aira. My agent advised using the camera on the iPhone X for this task rather than the glasses.

She gave instructions regarding the positioning of the camera, took pictures of all the documents, and I had no doubt that each receipt was fully in the

picture.

 

She put them all in a single document which she then emailed to me. This process took probably a third to a quarter of the time it would have usually taken

me.

 

Transcription

 

As someone who’s been totally blind since birth, I’ve enjoyed becoming more familiar with effective use of the camera and understanding the relationship

between distance and getting the subject of a photograph fully in the picture. When in hotels, I sometimes find getting a good-quality capture of hotel

compendia and in-room dining menus a challenge. The print may have become faded over time, or there’s a wide variation of print types. It can also take

time to work out whether there is print on both sides of the page or not, and sometimes that can vary even within the same document.

 

At a recent hotel stay, Aira took all the stress out of rendering the in-room dining menu accessible to Bonnie and me. The agent very quickly snapped pictures

of all the pages and could see at a glance when the pages were single or double-sided. Then, the agent transcribed the text into a fully accessible Word

document. I was given the choice as to whether I wanted a full transcription, which of course took a little longer, or just a summary of the items on the

menu and their prices.

 

The mysteries of the minibar

 

Many hotel minibars now have sophisticated sensors that charge you for an item when you lift it out of the fridge. Rather than hunt around for a barcode

on each bottle, can, and food item, an Aira agent was able to recite the cans in the fridge in left-to-right order.

 

Real-time audio description

 

Bonnie and I recently took a gondola ride in one of the most picturesque parts of New Zealand. One of our party was sighted, nevertheless, I decided to

call Aira, to ask an agent if she could give me real-time audio description as we rode the gondola, then as we stood on the viewing platform. It was a

moving experience to get such detailed descriptions of the water, the tree line and the city below. Our sighted companion was impressed, saying that Aira

had told us things she wouldn’t have thought about describing.

 

Does Aira harm the accessibility cause?

 

When I’ve discussed Aira with some blind people, a few have expressed the concern that the service may discourage those of us who have it from continuing

to advocate for a truly accessible world. They fear that as providers of information and services become aware of Aira, they may feel under less of an

obligation to do the right thing when it comes to accessibility.

 

For example, if you read this blog regularly, you will know I’ve been campaigning about the code to complete the New Zealand census not being accessible.

If I had been an Aira explorer at the time, an Aira agent would have read the access code to me, and the process would have taken about a minute maximum.

Would I have begun my campaign for the codes to be inherently accessible if Aira had been in our home to do that for me? I would like to think so.

 

A similar concern was expressed when JAWS introduced the ability to perform OCR on inaccessible PDF files.

 

I believe Aira is a pragmatic solution that delivers access to us today. That in no way means that those of us with the skills and inclination to advocate

for a more accessible world shouldn’t continue to do so. If we’ve been able to use Aira to work around the problem, it’s just that, a work-around. Most

of the world’s written information today is born accessible. Someone must take a deliberate step to convert it into something inaccessible, and we must

always object to that occurring. So, we must still advocate for all aspects of life to be as accessible as possible.

 

In this highly visual world, there’ll always be plenty of tasks for Aira to perform, even as accessibility improves.

 

Does Aira erode blindness skills?

 

The arrival of the pocket calculator, the cell phone with a built-in contact directory, and many other technologies have been the cause of people expressing

concern about the “dumbing down” of the human race. A few people I’ve spoken with about Aira have wondered if it will cause an erosion of blindness skills

among its users. I don’t believe so. I contend the impact will be positive.

 

For me personally, other circumstances, specifically my hearing impairment, have made travel time-consuming and exhausting. Freedom of movement should

not be the privilege of the blind elite who happen to find travel intuitive and easy. Freedom of movement is, in my view, a fundamental human right.

 

With the ability to travel under less stress, I believe my travel skills, which may have eroded a little over the years as I’ve begun avoiding tricky situations,

will in fact improve due to increased use.

 

Remember, Aira does not replace your cane or dog. You must still know how to use your cane in a way that helps you locate obstacles and provides you with

clues about your environment.

 

What it costs, and is it value for money?

 

Assuming you have a smartphone, there is no other hardware you must purchase to use Aira. It’s all included as part of the package.

 

The current pricing structure looks like this:

 

list of 4 items

  • Basic Plan. 100 regular minutes a month for $89.
  • Plus Plan. 200 regular minutes a month for $129.
  • Pro Plan. 400 regular minutes a month for $199.
  • Premium Plan. Unlimited regular minutes a month for $329.

list end

 

I believe it is possible to get further discounts on the Pro plan if you pay a year, or even several years, in advance.

 

If you run out of minutes, you can purchase additional ones.

 

You can cancel or upgrade your plan at any time.

 

Whenever a company provides a service directly to the blind community, there are always people who will express concern about cost. Unfortunately, the

economic reality is that the cost of research and development, as well as the overheads involved in running a business, must be spread across a smaller

group of people when providing a service to our community. This equation is made more difficult because so many people in our community are unemployed

and living hand to mouth. Sure, for some people, Aira will be worth sacrificing a few daily cups of premium coffee for, but it’s not that easy for everyone.

 

Some people question whether the service is worth the cost given that there is a free service, Be My Eyes, which connects you with sighted volunteers.

Be My Eyes is a useful service, and I don’t seek to denigrate it at all. I am signed up with it, have supported it since before it went live, and I use

it from time to time. But Be My Eyes relies on volunteers. Some people are so keen to assist a blind person that they answer a call when they may have

been better letting it go. Others simply don’t explain things clearly enough. And yes, there are some who are outstanding. But I equate using Be My Eyes

with asking a stranger for directions in the street. Sometimes you will get somebody who couldn’t be more helpful. At other times you will get somebody

who doesn’t know their right from their left, or just isn’t observant about the world around them.

 

With Aira, the agents have been trained extensively, plus they have tools that help pinpoint your location and provide other data. There’s also a guarantee

of privacy with Aira.

 

I know of people who’ve used Aira to help them sign employment contracts, complete tax returns and more.

 

So, in my view, there is no question that Aira will revolutionise the lives of many blind people if they can afford to access it. This raises important

public policy questions. Many agencies serving blind people will provide funding for sighted assistance to be available on-location at specific times.

Perhaps such agencies fund several hours of assistance each week in the workplace. Other agencies may fund a human reader to visit a blind person’s home.

Aira gives you access to sighted assistance on demand, at your convenience, not at the convenience of the sighted person. This is important because some

tasks may only take a couple of minutes, but they can be show stoppers on the job until we can get that assistance. In a work environment, sighted assistance

on-demand through Aira has the potential to improve a blind person’s productivity.

 

There’s also the social investment argument. If a much wider range of blind people can feel comfortable about travelling in unfamiliar areas, government

investment in Aira could pay dividends by improving employability.

 

Looking to the future

 

Most blind people become blind later in life. And most of those people don’t have smart phones. This group is often forgotten, so it’s encouraging to see

that Aira has been giving them considerable thought. The coming generation of seniors will be more assertive and tech savvy. They will have had experience

of technology in the workplace, and they are willing to spend money to ameliorate the consequences of their age-related disability. However, they may decide

that coming to terms with the blindness specific touchscreen paradigm is just too difficult. Certainly, that’s the case now. Yet I think many seniors would

love to have access to Aira. If they can have an agent assist them to read the newspaper in the morning, describe pictures of the grandchildren or go through

their mail, that’s something many would gladly pay for.

 

The market for Aira’s services is going to increase significantly with the introduction of their new Horizon technology. Currently, to use Aira, you need

at least two things – a smart phone, and the glasses, both of which need to be charged. If you want to use it without eating into your data plan, you’ll

need to carry the ATT MiFi device around with you. That also needs to be charged separately. That’s three things in total that need to be charged.

 

Within the next few months, Aira is promising to simplify their offering significantly. They’ve taken a Samsung Android device, which includes a physical

home button, and developed their own firmware for it. This device is not designed to be used as a cell phone. Rather than requiring a MiFi, the data SIM

will be in this device. The new Horizon glasses, which are much more fashionable and elegant looking, are tethered to this device with an unobtrusive-looking

cable. The field of view is much improved, as is the video quality. That means less need to keep turning one’s head at the instruction of the Aira agent.

With the glasses getting their power from the Horizon device, battery life is massively improved.

 

This all means that someone who doesn’t have a smart phone will fire up the Horizon device, double tap the button, and talk to an agent. Smart phone users

will retain the option to control their Aira experience via the app they’re used to.

 

This configuration also reduces latency and any potential for video degradation. There will no longer be a wireless hop that the video needs to take between

the glasses and the device transmitting the video to an Aira agent.

 

Clearly, considerable thought and capital investment has gone into the next generation of the service. This demonstrates that Aira is continuing to innovate

and thinking about broadening its base.

 

Over time, artificial intelligence will become smarter, and will be able to do more of the things that human agents are doing for Aira explorers now. It’s

therefore sensible forward planning that Aira has begun work on their own artificial intelligence engine they are calling Chloe. Initially, Chloe will

offer optical character recognition, and perform functions relating to the operation and configuration of the Horizon device. I imagine that over time,

Chloe will become more capable. That will increase efficiency for the explorer and reduce overheads for the company.

 

Concluding thoughts

 

Aira’s evolution is an exemplary case study of how to tap into a niche market and create a new, innovative product. Of course, it’s not perfect, but what

is? Sometimes, you can lose cellular coverage when you really need it, causing the connection with the agent to drop. There’s nothing Aira can do about

that other than ensuring they’re using hardware that maximises the cellular signal, and to have a robust protocol in place for seeking to re-establish

the connection. But all in all, the service is fantastic.

 

There’ve been a few phases of Aira adoption for me. The first was hearing about it and understanding intellectually that it was a clever idea. The second

was the strong, powerful, emotional realisation that this could really change my life. The third is the dawning realisation that I’m not imposing on anybody

anymore. Many of us can relate to having sighted family members or friends who we turn to when we need a pair of working eyes, and we hope we are not overdoing

  1. When I first started using Aira, I had a twinge of reluctance about making calls, wondering if someone might need the help of the agent more than me.

Then, one day, it really dawned on me. The people at Aira want me to make the call. After all, if I use up all my minutes, I might buy more. So, when I

make a call to Aira, I’m not inconveniencing anybody, I’m strengthening their bottom line. How wonderful it is to call on sighted help without feeling

like I might be a burden.

 

If you’d like to try Aira

 

Due to the exchange rate between the United States and New Zealand, unfortunately Aira is a little more expensive here than it is in the United States.

Bonnie and I are presently using the Plus plan, at $129 USD a month, which equates to $179 NZD. When the novelty wears off a little, it will be interesting

to see if we need the 200 minutes.

 

So, if you would like to give Aira a try, I’d appreciate it if you’d sign up using our referral link. The referral program means that the person being

referred, and the person who did the referring, each gets a free month. Pretty good marketing. To take Aira for a spin,

activate my referral link.

I hope it makes as much of a difference to you as it has to Bonnie and me.

 

Are you an Aira explorer? What do you think of the service, and what are some of the ways you’re using it? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

 

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CCB Tech Articles, Donna’s Low Tech Tips, Writing Your Signature, April 2, 2018

April 02 2018

Writing your signature

 

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 writing your signature.

 

When signing your name, place a signature guide over the line requiring your signature. Then write your name in the space provided.

 

Another way to locate the proper                   place to sign is to ask someone                       to make a fold which you can feel along the line requiring your                    signature.  (Make sure the ridge                      of the fold is upward.)

Or have someone place your index finger at the beginning of the signature line and sign your                    name to the right of your finger.

 

People with low vision may find lines easier to locate if traced with a dark pen or marker.

many people who are visually impaired find it helpful to use dark-lined paper when writing.

If the edges of the paper seem to disappear, place the paper on a                 contrasting surface.  For example, if you are writing on white paper, place the paper on a dark place mat, or dark table top, or another dark surface.  The contrasting surface will make it                         easier to see the edges of the              paper.

 

Many people find it difficult to read materials written in pen.  Writing with a wide-tipped black marker on white paper is generally easier to see.

 

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 a super day and see you next week.

Donna

 

CCB Tech Articles, Donna’s Low Tech Tips, Meet the Talking Bathroom Scale, March 26, 2018

March 26 2018

Meet the talking bathroom scale

 

Hi there!  It’s Donna and thank you for allowing me to come into your inbox.  As mentioned in my previous blog, I would like to concentrate on the lower levels of technology and today I’d like you to meet the talking bathroom scale.

 

Now, I’ll state up front that I bought this nifty piece of technology many years ago and I am not sure who sells it today but I can give you some contact info to check out.

 

When I bought my first talking bathroom scale, I was lucky enough to have my friend Maria bring it to me from the United States as she had purchased it for me at a convention.  However, I am hopeful that someone in Canada would be selling it today and I’ll share my contact info with you at the end of my blog.

 

The talking bathroom scale is really a very simple device.  It is larger than the regular scale and when I bought it the cost was quite a bit more than the regular scale.  It works through the use of a square battery and you can insert the battery into a small compartment at the bottom of the scale.  So you’ll have to flip it over in order to locate it.

 

My present talking bathroom scale can announce my weight in either pounds or kilos and I can choose my preference of announcement by tapping the bottom right hand corner of the surface of the scale with my foot.  Each time I tap with my foot the scale announces what I have chosen.  The voice is in a clear male tone with a somewhat British like accent.

 

To use the talking bathroom scale; I first place it on a level floor surface.

Next I stand on the scale and I  place each foot on either side of a large round button which is located towards the top left hand corner of the scale.

Within seconds you’ll hear a voice that says “please step off.”

When you step off the voice will then tell you your weight in whichever format you have chosen.

At this point you could tap the bottom right hand corner to change the format of your weight and the scale will announce it to you.

 

So for example:  I stand on the scale placing my feet in the position indicated above.

The scale asks me to please step off.

It announces my weight to me in pounds.

I tap the bottom right hand corner of the scale with my foot and it then announces my weight in kilos.

 

The next time I stand on my scale it will announce my weight in the format that I previously chose.

Note:  When you first stand on the scale, it beeps before it asks you to please step off.

 

Simple and easy and here is the contact info that I can share with you.

Frontier Computing – Toronto – 416 489 6690

The CNIB store – I would phone the main number and ask for the store – 416 486 2500.

I am not sure who else in Canada sells it.

 

So have fun now with the Talking Bathroom Scale and see you next week.

 

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

Recipes –

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

Audio mysteries for all ages –

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

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

 

Have a super day and see you next week.

Donna

GTT National Conference Call Summary Notes, Aira Smart Glasses, March 14, 2018

GTT National Conference Call.

 

Sponsored by the Canadian Council of the Blind

 

Summary Notes

 

March 14, 2018.

 

Theme:

Aira Smart Glasses; Our name is derived from two interesting sources: the emerging field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the ancient Egyptian mythological being and symbol known as the Eye of Ra (RA). Steeped in the mysteries of Egyptian mythology, the Eye of Ra has symbolized protection, healing and the power to perceive and interpret both the seen and unseen in the universe.

Check it out at:

https://aira.io/

 

Guests:

Jason Fayre, Debbie Gillespie and Victor Marques are using AIRA glasses and joined the GTT Nat Con Call to tell us about their experience so far.

 

  • AIRA has been around for about a year publicly and is based out of California. They connect users with live agents that can describe the environment, read printed info, and help guide the user through many life situations. Anything you might need eyes for, sort of like having a sighted person in your pocket.
  • It is similar to BeMyEyes, however the major difference is that Aira is not free.
  • BeMyEyes volunteers are not trained in sighted guide technique, nor are they always aware of issues related to blindness and vision loss, whereas all Aira agents are employed and well trained by the company.
  • Aira Agents sign agreements of confidentiality, and the user also signs an agreement regarding amount of information wanted and things they won’t be permitted to request, etc.
  • The presenters agreed they would not have a BeMyEyes agent read credit card information to them, but they may have an Aira agent read such info.

Price:

Cost of service is not cheap.  It needs to be more affordable to more people.

Most basic plan 89 dollars a month USD provides 100 minutes.

$199 USD Premium Plan

$329 USD unlimited plan

No specific Canadian pricing yet.

Victor Marques Said following the call:

A reminder, as I mentioned, that if you do decide to try AIRA, your first three months should be on a double minute promotion. Do not sign up straight away for the $329 unlimited plan because the $199 Premium plan comes with unlimited minutes for the first three months anyway. You can change plans as you wish at any time once you figure out what your usage will be.

 

Also, if a current explorer refers you, you’d get your second month of whichever plan you choose for free.  Feel free to contact any of us who presented tonight for further information so that we can arrange that for you.

 

How it works:

  • The user has an app on their smart phone and a pair of glasses with a camera mounted on the right-hand side.
  • The package includes a Mi-Fi connection device that connects the iPhone and the glasses with the Agent over a high priority high speed cellular connection.
  • The data the glasses use is not part of the user’s cell phone plan.
  • It does use a significant amount of data.
  • Data uses is included in your monthly subscription.
  • The data for the voice portion of the call goes through your cell phone but video does not.
  • Currently all agents are in the USA, so if you have no long distance cell plan to call the USA it could be more expensive to use Aira.
  • If users do not want to use the glasses, they can connect through the phone’s camera, however the call will use the cell phone’s data for the video portion, as well as the cell phone’s long distance charges.
  • You can minute share. Can have up to three users using 1 account.
  • More than one person can be on a call at the same time with agents, however only 1 pair of glasses is issued per subscription.
  • You can connect through your home Wi-Fi or use your phone as a hot spot, and you don’t have to have a North American plan to connect to Aira.
  • AIRA support is a regular long distance phone call to the USA, so if you don’t have a long distance plan on your cell phone it might be wise to Use your land line to call AIRA support.
  • Minutes are determined by the amount of time you use with an agent.

 

What is the advantage of wearing the glasses vs using the smart phone camera:

  • The glasses are good for navigation hands free.
  • Data is optimized for video streaming. Gets priority if wearing the glasses.
  • It is supposed to have better connection.
  • Aira is just about to release a new pair of glasses, which it is estimated will have a wider field of vision and higher resolution.
  • The camera on the phone is better for fine detail because it has higher resolution. For reading small print the phone camera might be better.
  • An agent may ask you to call back using your phone for fine detail.
  • They can take a photo for you in your app and it stays in the app that both the user and the agent can utilize in the future, like photos of people the user will want to recognize in group settings, etc. They can e-mail you photos and other information captured during a session.
  • Aira has apps for iPhone and android.
  • AIRA is not officially launched in Canada, however they are accepting new users.
  • The presenters weren’t sure when the official Canadian launch is slated to be announced.
  • They are currently shipping the Mi-Fi unit AT and T that connects with the Rogers network. It is assumed that Aira won’t work outside of Rogers’s cell coverage areas
  • The presenters recommended that people use AfterShokz or other bone conducting head phones with the glasses.
  • AIRA is your eyes not your brain, you need to be able to cross streets. It is imperative that users have good mobility. Aira can enhance but not replace those good skills to help users do what they want to do.
  • When working with an Aira agent they are trained not to talk to users while crossing streets.

 

When to use it:

  • Jason wanted to go to a store he had never been to before. He looked it up and got close to it by bus, and as there was no one around to offer guidance he contacted an agent and the agent guided him right to the door of the location. From the street, the store entrance was around the back of the building and through a large parking lot.
  • In addition to what the agent sees through the glasses, they have access to GPS so they can look around your location on a map.
  • Aira really helps in unfamiliar Cities, parts of your own City and/or construction areas.
  • You can give them an address and they will help guide you to it from where you are.
  • You can register your Uber and Lyft accounts and the agent can call them for you, and they will stay on the line to help you identify the car when it pulls up and that it is the correct one. They will also guide you to the door if the driver isn’t helpful in that regard.
  • The agents can read hand written charts and other paperwork in a work setting, or anywhere else.
  • They have been used by Victor’s wife for describing diagrams and visual things for University courses.
  • They are often used in busy airports for transferring to connecting gates, or for getting through the airport to begin with.
  • Victor told stories of times when their meet and assist did not show up, so they used Aira to quickly get to the next gate.
  • Aira is good for independent shopping to help find things.
  • Aira is good to use when travelling to a place you’ve never been, and might not ever go back to. Debbie indicated she is often required to go places once, so rather than learning the travel intricacies of accessing such locations she will use an Aira agent.
  • Some folks use Aira agents to read computer screens when screen readers fail to complete a task or action.
  • The presenters have used Aira to order an Uber.
  • Aira provides a convenience and independence factor.
  • After every call you can rate your experience.
  • When you sign up you do have to complete a user profile.
  • Each profile can have a documents/photo folder associated with it, which is available to the agent and/or the user.
  • The presenters indicated that agents will take/save a photo of someone you might wish to find during a conference or seminar, and they will help you find/identify that person when he/she walks in the room.
  • The user can correspond with agents by email to share documents, photos etc.

 

AIRA employment program:

  • Subscribers can use Aira for free for job seeking, guidance for visual resume proof-reading/preparation etc. without using minutes from their personal account.
  • Part of the over-all desire is to have employers pick up the cost of Aira once you are working.

 

How quickly do you get an agent, and do they try to link you with the same one:

  • They do not connect you to the same agent, but maybe if an agent has a specific expertise they might.
  • At this point most calls are connected in about a minute, and sometimes a little more.
  • Agents are available 7 AM to 1 AM eastern.
  • A rule of thumb is to let the agent know quickly and efficiently what you want to do so that minutes aren’t wasted with long explanations.
  • With the soon to be released new glasses Aira may be eliminating the need for Mi-Fi and the phone. Perhaps all will be built into one device instead of three as it currently stands.
  • It will be good if they include a push button on the glasses for answering/making the call.
  • The presenters indicated that there are too many parts right now, with a smart phone, the Mi-Fi device and the glasses that all need to be connected to each other in order for the system to work.
  • Also, the user has to make sure all these items are charged.
  • It was emphasized that users should always have a backup plan and independent mobility and orientation skills.
  • Debbie leaves the glasses and Mi-Fi on and pared so she can use it quickly.
  • The presenters indicated that having an agent guide you through touch screen devices isn’t always great.
  • They will identify whether or not it’s too dark, which limits their ability to assist.
  • Rural areas may pose issues if the Rogers cell coverage is weak or nonexistent.
  • All Aira plans include one set of glasses and the Mi-Fi device, and the user has to have a smart phone and a cellular service plan in place.
  • There are areas in Canada that do not have Rogers’s cell phone coverage and this might mean that Aira won’t be available in those areas.
  • The glasses are tinted and apparently quite stylish.
  • Some people think they are a little heavy to the right side due to the camera being mounted there.
  • When signing up each user gets an orientation.
  • The presenters were asked if people express problems with their having a camera built into their glasses, and all indicated they’ve never been asked to take the glasses off because of the camera.
  • If users plan to minute share all parties must have their own profile, and when signing up users receive an email and are taken to a profile page where they are asked questions like name, address, email, subscribe to Aira news, mobility skill level, how much description information do you want on a scale of 1-5, and the Type of directions, clock face, cardinal, or degrees, how much vision does the user have, is night blindness an issue, is the user a cane or dog guide user?
  • Users are also asked about their cause of vision loss, however that question is optional.
  • The average length of calls is about 8 minutes for Debbie.
  • Jason and Victor agreed that most of their calls are about 5 minutes long.
  • Victor when he was on the unlimited plan at the start of his use of Aira had the Kamloops Santa Claus parade described to him.
  • If you are running low you can purchase another block of 100 minutes for 50 dollars in a month, and your minutes roll over if unused.
  • If someone refers you you get a free month.
  • Aira has approached several businesses to sign them up as Aira subscribers, so when you use your Aira equipment there you do not use your personal minutes. In addition to some retail outlets, a few Airports in the USA have signed up. Check the Aira website for a listing of supportive businesses. Other places are some grocery stores, Disney world and some Museums.
  • You have to pay your monthly payment in advance by credit card which is kept on file.
  • The presenters were asked if wearing a hat effects the camera, and that only happens if the hat covers the camera that is mounted on the right arm of the glasses.
  • Some thought it might be good to use when looking for lost things, like keys, dog poop and the TV remote.
  • There are some operating buttons on the right side, and it’s a USB cord that is used to charge it.
  • One of the buttons tells you your battery status and the glasses do have a tiny speaker built-in.
  • When a user signs up it is a month to month contract.
  • If you run out of time for the month the agent will not cut you off during a call, and your remaining time can be checked in the app.
  • Like all cell phones and GPS devices, you cannot use them underground.
  • While connected to an Aira agent, you can put it in privacy mode so agent cannot hear or see you until you are out of privacy mode, like in washrooms and other private conversations and situations.
  • The agent sees about 60 degrees with the camera, whereas the human visual field is about 120 degrees. Jason and Victor indicated that the new glasses will have 120 degrees of vision.
  • The camera is good for distance, and not as good for close up or small print access.
  • Soon it will have features similar to the OrCam glasses, where it will read text and identify things in the immediate environment without the need for an agent or the use of precious minutes.
  • At this time Aira will not allow the user to call someone he/she knows through Aira, only trained agents.
  • The agent will tell you what object is in your path, or that the traffic light is green but he/she will not tell you it is safe to cross the street.
  • Some suggested that around the house one could use BeMyEyes unless hands-free is needed, then it might be better to call an agent through Aira.
  • An Aira agent can help you sign documents.
  • Some of the Aira agents have remote control app for computer and can remote in and click on something graphical on your computer that the screen reader can’t identify.

 

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]

 

 

Re-Post: Canadian Federation Of The Blind @CFBDotCa launches a six month study on the quality and availability of #DescriptiveVideoService in Canadian #MovieTheatres

Re-posted on behalf of Erik Burggraaf and the Canadian Federation of the Blind, CFB:

Hello,

 

I’m writing to let you know that the Canadian Federation Of The Blind (CFB) this week launched a six month study on the quality and availability of descriptive video service in Canadian Movie Theatres.

 

We’re asking blind theatre-goers who request dv equipment at their theatre to visit:

http://www.cfb.ca/blindside/?p=590, , link

 

and fill out the form to share their experience.  The form can be filled out multiple times, and we encourage participants to leave feedback for multiple movies if they have it.

 

We plan to use the feedback to interest theatres in providing more dv and raise the quality of the equipment that is available, but also to highlight areas or theatres who do descriptive video better to inform the blind public.

 

The Canadian Federation Of The Blind is an organization entirely comprised of blind people working to change what it means to be blind in Canada through training, advocacy,, and research by the blind for the blind.  To learn more about the Canadian Federation Of The Blind, visit:

http://www.cfb.ca

 

If you have questions about the study, please contact Kerry Kijewski at:

kkherheadache@gmail.com

 

For general questions about the CFB, please contact Erik Burggraaf at:

burggraaferik@gmail.com

Or Mary Ellen Gabias at:

president@cfb.ca

 

Thanks and regards,

 

Erik Burggraaf

 

GTT Victoria Summary Notes, Online Shopping, March 7, 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, March 7, 2018

GVPL Main branch, Community Meeting Room

 

The meeting was called to order at 1:20 pm by chair Albert Ruel, There was a bit of confusion in regards to the meeting date and use of the room, thus the slight delay in getting started.

 

Attendance, There were 18 individuals in Attendance.

 

Albert welcomed everyone to the meeting,

 

Albert started the meeting with an explanation about the CCB GTTSupport email list and explained the difference between it and the Blog. The list is enjoying tremendous success and he invited everyone to come check it out. Albert did warn perspective participants that due to the lists popularity, the volume of emails one receives from the list could be an issue for some people, but remember the delete button is only a finger reach and click away.

*Note: Links for both the GTTProgram Blog and GTTSupport email list are found at the bottom of these notes.

 

From there the discussion moved to today’s topic matter, online shopping, banking etc.

 

Some questions about Talking ATMs were addressed and one of the concerns was the need for the end user to provide there own ear buds or listening device. It seams that all ATMs seam to be standardised in regards to function control commands and that the 2 command blanks the screen, offering an extra layer of security for a VI user, using voice.

 

From there online banking and its security were discussed. Mike Carpenter, a former bank employee reconfirmed that a bank like RBC has the maximum amount of security built into there online banking platform. Companies like Amazon would have the same.

 

Online grocery ordering was discussed and the Save on foods service seamed to be the most accessible thus far. Thrifty’s has come a long ways and was also used by a few in attendance. For some individuals the Apps associated with both grocery stores seem to be a little more user friendly than going to the company’s website, although the websites appear to be very accessible.

 

Save-On-Foods Online Grocery Shopping Link:

Save-On Foods iOS App:

Save-On Foods Android App:

 

Thrifty Foods Online Grocery Shopping Link:

Thrifty Foods iOS App:

Thrifty Foods Android App:

 

The importance of dealing with reputable service providers was talked about and also using a service like PayPal for the financial transaction of the purchase was discussed. Using PayPal means only one company has your credit card info, and it too is a large multinational company with a high level of security.

 

Phishing scams were talked about at length and reputable places like banks will never ask you to click on a link to update and account. When in doubt, don’t click. And call the provider to see if they are needing or wanting some sort of information from you. Voice mail messages are also to be viewed as potentially suspicious.  When you receive an email message or voice mail suggesting there’s something wrong with your Visa account for example, instead of accessing the link or toll free number provided in the message, go back to the toll free number on the back of your credit card, or the direct link to their official site to inquire with your service provider in question.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 2:45pm

 

Next meeting, Wednesday April 4 @ 1:00pm.

 

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, Using the Touch Tone Telephone, March 19, 2018

March 19 2018

 

Hello there and I’m Donna Jodhan thanking you for allowing me to come into your inbox.

 

Today, I’d like to talk about how you go about using the telephone.

So here we go.

 

USING THE TELEPHONE

Touch Tone Telephones

 

 

* All touch tone telephones are identical in the display of the numbered buttons, making it                                    easy to memorize the location of each number.

 

Numbers are arranged in this way:

 

top row from left to right –  1 2 3

second row from left to right-  4 5 6

third row from left to right –  7 8 9

zero is in the centre of the fourth row.

Use your index finger to skim the buttons and locate the desired                 numbers.

 

* Try the three-finger method in which the second row of buttons (4,5, and 6) act as the home row:

Put your index finger on 4, your middle finger on 5 and your ring finger on 6.

With your index finger on 4, reach up to 1 or down to 7.  Likewise with your

middle finger on 5 it can reach up to 2, down to 8 and 0, and with your ring finger on 6 you can move it up to 3 and down to 9.

 

With practice, it won’t be long before you will be able to dial as fast as someone looking at the numbers.

(“Lefties” will have to reverse this process, just as with everything else in this right-                                   handed world.)

 

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 unlimitted 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.

Donna

 

GTT New Westminster and Vancouver Summary Notes, Bluetooth Keyboards, February 20 and March 3, 2018

Get Together with Technology (GTT)

New Westminster and Vancouver Meetings

 

A Chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind

in partnership with

Blind Beginnings and

Vancouver Community College

 

Summary Notes

February 20 in New Westminster and March 3 in Vancouver, 2018

 

Attendance at both meetings totaled 17

 

Summary Notes on Bluetooth keyboards

 

John Ogilvie lead both discussions:

There are Bluetooth keyboards available for the IPhone and IPad.  Some are smaller and fold in half, and others are larger.

Using the keyboard, means you don’t have to use the touch screen and gestures

There are various keyboards which are slightly different

Quick Nav – left and right arrow together puts you in or out of this mode

When we are writing we turn it off, but when we’re reading we turn it on.

Swiping left and right with quicknav on is just using your arrow keys

To get to the top of the screen – control up arrow, or control down arrow to get to the bottom

When it says actions available you can use your up and down arrows to hear what options there are

Double tap on the keyboard is up and down arrow together

Hitting 2 takes you to level 2 headings

Option key with left or right arrow is to go back one word or forward one word – when writing

Command key is like the control key on a PC

Keyboard help allows you to touch any key on the keyboard to figure out where the keys are.

Control option K turns on the keyboard help

To exit keyboard help press Escape

Control option A is read from where your cursor is onwards

Mail

Control up arrow to top of mail

Right arrow will take you through each of your messages

Hit control to stop it from reading

Attachments are always at the bottom of the Emails and you can get there by doing a control down arrow

Up and down arrow together to select or open

Hold down an arrow can skip you forward or back quickly

Roter on the keyboard is up arrow with left arrow, or up arrow with eright arrow and then just arrow up or down to read.

When you are going through the list of your Emails you will hear actions available.  When you hear actions available you arrow up and down to hear the options.  Select more to get to reply

 

When you are moving your arrow to the right it puts your cursor to the right of the character, and when you are arrowing left, it puts your cursor to the left of the character

Option left and right brings you from one screen to the next

Skype

Works similarily to navigate around

Search button on the keyboard – type in what you are searching for

Use QuickNav to look through the options to find the one you want and select it with up and down arrow together

 

next meeting: March 20, 2018

Facebook – using the GTT group

 

For more information about GTT contact:

Shawn Marsolais                  Albert Ruel

Shawn@BlindBeginnings.ca         Albert.GTT@CCBNational.net

604-434-7243                        1-877-304-0968 Ext. 550

 

GTT New Westminster and Vancouver Overview

  • GTT New Westminster/ Vancouver is a chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB).
  • GTT New Westminster and Vancouver promote 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.

 

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, CELA Library Newspapers and General Tech Discussion, March 12, 2018

            Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting March 12, 2018

 

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held March 12at 7pm at Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 83 Street in Edmonton.

20 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.

 

March Topics –CELA Library Newspapers and General Tech Discussion

 

CELA Online Newspapers

Gerry demonstrated the free online CELA Library newspaper service that allows you to read 50 local, regional, national and international daily newspapers directly from the CELA Library website.

 

CELA Membership Required

You must have a CELA member online account to use the newspaper service. The CELA online account is free for those with an Edmonton Public Library (EPL) card which itself is free. For Edmontonians who self identify as having a print disability, i.e., Blind, Low Vision, Learning disability, you can register online for free CELA membership or by going to an EPL branch. Membership not only gives you access to the newspapers but also the extensive CELA collection of audio and braille books and Bookshare’s online library of over 350,000 DAISY e-books. More about public library access was provided in the February meeting notes. If you want to talk to CELA customer support, you can reach them at 1-855-655-2273.

 

How to Read the Online Newspapers

  1. Once you have a CELA membership, start by going to the CELA home page. Then select the sign in link and enter your CELA account number and password. You can check to box to have your browser remember your password so that you don’t have to sign in everyday. Also, you may want to create a desktop icon to the CELA home page to quickly reach it everyday.
  2. On the CELA home page, select the Newspapers link. A list of all the newspapers will be displayed. This page also has links to a newspaper FAQ and tutorial. Each newspaper is a link so just activate the link of the newspaper you wish to read.
  3. Then a page will open for the selected newspaper. This page is an index of links to the various sections of the selected newspaper. Activate the link of the section you are interested in.
  4. Then a page will open that contains links to the articles of the selected section. Simply activate the link of the article you want to read.
  5. A screen opens with the article contents. At the bottom of each article are 3 links: the first will return you to the list of newspapers, the second to the index of sections within the current newspaper, and the third to the list of articles in the current section.

 

Note: Because the newspapers are just contained in a website, you can also perform the above steps on any computer or smartphone. Note also that only today’s edition of the newspapers are available. You cannot read prior issues.

 

General Tech Discussion

After the newspaper demo we had very good general discussion on topics such as:

  • Differences between Windows 7 and Windows 10
  • Pros & Cons of Windows browsers: Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. The general conclusion was that people should probably abandon Internet Explorer because Microsoft has already done so some years ago. Consequently, Internet Explorer does not work well with many web sites, frequently crashes, and is more vulnerable to security issues. Microsoft’s new browser called Edge is part of the Windows 10 operating system and is much more secure. However, screen readers are still not fully compatible with Edge, so, many are using Google Chrome or Firefox as their default browser.
  • It was asked how to set the default browser in Windows 10. Simply press the Windows key and type, “Default app”, (without the quotes) and press Enter. This will take you to the Windows 10 settings where you can see the various default programs for apps such as email, music player, browser etc. Press Enter on the browser button and you should be able to TAB through the apps available to you. Select the one you want and press Enter to set it as the default.
  • We discussed the importance of learning Windows keyboard shortcuts to be more productive. These shortcuts have nothing to do with screen readers and are available to all Windows users. They are necessary to learn if you cannot see to use the mouse or just to know because they are often more efficient than the mouse.
  • We talked about the built-in low vision accessibility features of Windows 10. To examine these features, press the Windows key and type, “Ease of access center”, (without the quotes) in the search box and press Enter. Recall that the February meeting notes provided extensive information about Windows 10 low vision access.
  • iPhone accessibility with the Voice Over screen reader. New member, Andrew, recommended a free app that is a Voice Over tutorial. It’s called VO Starter and can be found on the Apple app store at:
    https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/vo-starter/id586844936?mt=8

Also, recall that the February meeting notes provided a list of 12 basic gestures to get started using the iPhone with Voice Over.

Next Meeting (Monday April 9 at 7pm)

  • Our member, Wanda, has volunteered to demonstrate how she uses her Google Home Voice Assistant to help simplify daily tasks at home.
  • 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/

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 Toronto Summary Notes, Accessing Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Information, March 15, 2018

Summary Notes

 

GTT Toronto Adaptive Technology User Group

March 15, 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, March 15 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.

 

March 2015 Topic – Accessing TTC Information:

 

GTT Toronto March 15, 2018 Meeting Summary can be found at this link:

 

Ian opened the meeting. Tonight’s topic is about aps related to the TTC, Toronto Transit Commission. Jason will be presenting.

Before talking about TTC, Jason wanted to let the group know that AIRA has launched unofficially in Canada. There will be an announcement upcoming, and a future GTT meeting will focus on it. It’s a visual assistant where the agents are trained and dedicated. It uses smart glasses with a camera, and your smart phone. The website is www.aira.io and it’s a subscription service. So far the pricing is in U.S. but they may launch Canadian pricing in the future. The official announcement should be next week.

Related to TTC, we’re going to cover new beacons at subway stations, transit aps, and the website, as well as the TTC texting service.

St. Clair subway station now has beacons. If you have BlindSquare turned on, you will get lots of information about the layout of the station as you move through it. There are 16 beacons arranged around the station. You don’t need the paid version of BlindSquare, you can use BlindSquare Event, which is the free version. The TTC hopes to roll this out to other stations eventually. At the moment, BlindSquare Event covers Bloor to Laurence, and Don Mills to Avenue Road. The purchase price is about $65. The beacons at St. Clair station is a pilot project. TTC approached CNIB, responding to feedback of passengers wanting more transit information. Bluetooth must be turned on in order for the beacons to work. There’s a setting in BlindSquare to turn Bluetooth beacons on and off. It’s on by default, but it’s worth checking if your not getting beacon information. You also may need to close BlindSquare and re-launch it. One user reported that beacons plus all the other information was overwhelming, and it can be helpful to change your settings to filter announcements.

A useful resource is to read subway station descriptions. If you want the layout of a subway station, the quickest way is to do a Google search for station description for the station you want. You’ll get a description of street exits and where they’re situated, how many levels the station has and what’s on each level, and roughly where on the platform stairs and elevators are located. You can also access these pages from the TTC website, but a Google search is the fastest way to get the information you want. One useful strategy is to pull this information off and put it into a document so you can download it onto a portable device, and keep it with you.

Jason then moved on to talk about the TTC trip planner. It used to be very good for helping to plan a rout, but it got taken over by Metrolinx, and they destroyed its accessibility. There’s a trip planner on the Triplinx ap which is somewhat useful. An advocacy representative from CNIB says that Metrolinx is working on it, but not quickly. She advised any concerned individuals to try and get on committees for Metrolinx to get our voices heard. There was a lot of frustration in the room over the issue. www.triplinx.ca has a feedback form, unlike the TTC website. Members encouraged each other to give feedback to them about the problem. TTC is obligated to use the regional Metrolinx platform, and it’s nearly impossible to retrofit the trip planner for accessibility. Members agreed that we as a group should take some sort of action. Ian offered to draft a letter, and Debbie G offered to find the right place to send it. Another member reported that, while it’s not a solution, you can call customer service and have them do a trip plan for you over the phone. Ian suggested to all members to take action on as many levels as possible using social media or direct contact with the TTC.

Jason moved on to speak about relevant aps. These give schedule information overall and in real time. Transit aps are generally free, but you need data or Y-Fi. An ap called Transit runs on iPhone and Android. Jason opened the ap to demonstrate. The main screen will show you routes nearby. Double tapping on a route/stop will give information for the same stop going the other way. The information is reading from GPS on the vehicles. It also tells you how long it would take to get an Uber from your location. It gives you times for the next 3 vehicles coming, the route name, and the stop. You can set routes as favourites so they’ll show up at the top. You can also activate something called, ride this route, which tells you the next few stops when you’re riding a vehicle. The accessibility is generally good. In some parts of the ap there’s a repeating message saying, “no places visible,” over and over. They know the bug, which is Voiceover related, and they’re working on fixing it for the next update. It’s available in multiple cities. The map data is updated as you move, so you’ll hear frequent clicks as you travel. If you’re on a street with many bus routes, it’s helpful to choose only the route you want, so that you’re not bombarded with information you don’t need, for example routes with multiple branches.

The next ap Jason discussed is called moovit, note the unusual spelling if you’re looking for it. Jason launched it to demonstrate. These aps generally don’t require much setup. They’ll ask for permission to access your location and permissions for notifications. The search function stores several of your previous searches. Debbie volunteered that the ap works best when you add frequent destinations to your favourites. That way you can populate your search field much more quickly. The walking directions get better when it’s in favourites too. Jason demonstrated running a trip plan. There are fields for start and end points, then you get options of routes, which give you how long the trip will take, and how accessible the transfer points are. You can activate a button that tracks you as you move through the trip, and warns you that your stop is approaching.

Jason tried an ap called NextBus, but found it not very accessible. It’s the TTC recommended ap, which feeds data to other aps, but it’s not as accessible as Moovit or Transit.

Jason then went on to describe the texting function for scheduling. Every stop has a 4 or 5 digit number associated with it. If you text the TTC at 898883, then put the stop number in the body of the text, it will send you the next 3 arrivals in real time. If you’re at a stop with multiple routes, enter the stop number, a space, then the route number. If you put the word, “help” in the body of the message, it will come back with assistance. Stop numbers are posted at each stop on a visual sign, and also available on the TTC website. You can also call customer service to get stop numbers. You can subscribe to TTC e-services, and receive email notifications when there are service disruptions on lines you care about. There’s also a Twitter feed put out by the TTC with alert information going out in real time. Some aps will allow you to request notifications about disruptions on routes of your choice.

 

Upcoming Meetings:

  • Next Meeting: Thursday, April 19 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.