Category: Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB)

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

GTT Calgary Summary Notes, Copying, Cutting and Pasting with iOS, March 22, 2017

CCB-GTT Calgary

Summary Notes

March 22, 2017.

We had 7 members  in attendance.

Our topic was to be copying, cutting, and pasting with the iPhone.

In our attempts to accomplish our task, we found several inconsistencies while copying, cutting and pasting with voice/over.  First, there were times when you would copy, but when you paste the contents back, into whatever into your selected application, the contents of the clipboard would not be there.

Next we tried working with notes, and messages to see if the process was any different.  We found that by using a pinching method, it is indeed possible to copy text, but it is unreliable and you can’t do it with any accuracy as to content.  Using pages is even more of a challenge.  Pages is set up more like the mac layout, and may be intimidating to some users who aren’t familiar with it.

Our conclusion, unless someone on the blog has information that we don’t have, and is willing to share, we found copying, pasting, and cutting information on the iPhone inconsistent and unreliable.  If you must do this, my suggestion would be to use a keyboard.

Ted, try sharing this link with your members titled, iFocus Selecting, Copying and Pasting Text.mp3, produced by the Hadley Institute for the Blind.

Thank you for your attention.

 

Ted Phillips

tedsmusicom@telus.net

CCB Calgary

GTT Coordinator

 

 

The Transit system in Ottawa (OC Transpo) introduces exterior bus announcements starting this Sunday April 23rd.

Hello everyone from Kim Kilpatrick.
This is an official news release from OC Transpo in Ottawa. I was glad to be on this committee and glad that we finally have exterior bus announcements here. Thanks to the staff at OC Transpo for taking our thoughts and suggestions into consideration and for working with us so well.
OC Transpo takes bus announcements outside
On April 23, OC Transpo launched improvements to its next stop announcement system. Exterior bus announcements, which audibly announce the route and destination of the arriving bus, can now be heard by customers waiting at all bus stops and transit stations.
Some customers are unable to see or read the visual destination sign of an approaching bus – particularly, customers who are blind or who have vision loss. This affects their ability to identify the bus, and to use transit independently and safely. Exterior bus announcements will assist all customers in confirming they are boarding the correct vehicle, especially at stops and platforms served by multiple routes.
Generated from a speaker located outside the front door of the bus, this technology will automatically announce, in both official languages, the same information that can be seen on the exterior destination sign of the bus. When the operator opens the door, the bus will make the announcement – for example, “Route 95 Baseline, Circuit 95 Baseline.”
Announcement volumes have been set to be only a few decibels above the ambient or surrounding street-level noise at the stops. They are intended to be heard by those waiting at the stop. The volume of the exterior bus announcements will also vary depending on the time of day – getting quieter from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.
The implementation of OC Transpo’s new exterior bus announcements has been guided by feedback from an eight-member community working group, composed of residents and stakeholders with an interest in the provision of a more accessible transit service. This group helped to initiate the project, provided OC Transpo staff with an enhanced understanding of the unique challenges faced by some customers, and assisted in the development of the announcement content and sounds. The community working group included representatives of the City’s Accessibility Advisory Committee, Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), Alliance for the Equality of Blind Canadians, Canadian Council of the Blind and Women’s Initiatives for Safer Environments.
For more information on OC Transpo’s exterior bus announcements or on the other accessibility features that make it easier for customers to use transit, please visit http://www.octranspo.com or contact OC Transpo Information at 613-741-4390 (TTY 613-741-5280).

Tutorial Resource: How To Connect a Refreshable Braille Display to iDevices

Hello GTT members across Canada:

For those of you who are blind and may be thinking of connecting an electronic braille display to your iPhone or iPad the following are tips from one of our GTT Edmonton student members, Owais Patel.

Thanks to Owais for sharing his experience.

 

Hi Gerry.

Here are the important things that I would like you to share with all of our Gtt members regarding using a Braille Display with your iOS device. Finally I have completed them now. Thanks for sharing them for me.

 

Note: These instructions apply to the iPhone but for most of the part are same for all iOS devices and the following instructions apply to the Braille Sense U2, however make sure with the Tech Team of your Braille Display that these instructions also apply to you. Most likely they should be the same.

 

How To Connect a Braille Display to iDevices:

  1. Locate to Utilities and Terminal For Screen Reader on the Braille Sense and select Bluetooth Serial Port, press F1 and then F4 which will put you in a mode where all of your display will be blank.
    1. Now on the phone locate to Settings, General, Accessibility, VoiceOver and then Braille. Find the Heading labeled Choose A Braille Display and scroll down once. Here your Braille Display’s name should appear. Double-tap and you will be placed in the Text field of entering a 4 Digit Pin Code. If you want to remember it easily try to keep one number repeated 4 ts. Quickly
  2. do this and click on Pair Button. Now on your Braille display you will have a Pop-up saying Pin Code. Here enter the code which you entered on the phone quickly and press enter. You should be now connected.

 

Keystrokes To Use With The Braille Display:

  1. When you are connected to a Braille Display you don’t need to touch the screen of your phone and everything becomes even faster but everything you do also changes.
  2. In the situation of a Braille Sense your Home Button is the Function Key 2.
  3. To scroll up and down you may use the Scroll keys on the sides of the U2/.play. If these keys don’t appear there, use Space bar and Dot Dot 1 to go up or to the previous item and Space bar and Dot 4 to go Down or to the next item.
  4. Press Space bar and Dots 1 2 4 5 to toggle between the Braille codes in which the stuff from your iPhone is displayed on your Braille Display.
  5. Although this is different when you write because this code doesn’t apply to the Output of the phone onto your Braille Display.
  6. To manage this code press Space Bar and Dots 2 3 and 6. To swipe up poess space and dot 3 and to swipe down press space and Dot 6.
  7. To Delete something in a Text Field press Space and D.
  8. To write something from the Writing field of the Braille Sense into the real iPhone field press Space and E. For example when you trying something in search field and you you write “Weather Today”
  9. to paste this into the Search field press space and E. This can also be used to insert a blank line in a document. It works like the enter key on your Qwerty keyboard.
  10. To go to the very top of the screen press space and Dots 1, 2 and 3. To go to the very bottom of the screen press Space and dots 4, 5 and 6.
  11. To Double-Tap using the Braille Sense use the Cursor Keys.
  12. To open the help menu to see what each keystroke does press Space and K, or a 4 finger Double-Tap. When you’re here you can do any keystroke to see what each does for you. Don’t worry because Voiceover will speak each keystroke’s action or the the spoken words will pop up text on the display. Although the real keystroke in this section will perform its action.
  13. Once you would like to close this don’t press space bar and K, instead you will have to do the 4 Finger Double Tap on the iPhone screen.
  14. To activate Rotor options press Space bar and Dots 5:6 to go forwards and Space bar and dots 2 and 3 to go back. Then swipe up and down to select and deselect text.
  15. Press Space bar and S to see all of your bars Battery Remaining Etc.
  16. When your done with this do the keystroke to go to the top of the screen and this will take you back to the home screen or where you were before you activated this Status Bar Screen.
  17. To go out of a Window on your Phone or go back to something press space and letter B.

 

Voiceover Braille Display Short Forms:

When you just use Voiceover to use the phone you will not notice the short forms which Voiceover uses to label things in several places on the iPhone, because Voiceover just speaks the original phrase or words directly.

  • Firstly the short form used for Heading is Hd. The short form of Button is B.T.N. These are the main ones only. Hope they help.

 

Important Notices:

  1. There are several places on iOS devices where Pop-ups happen. As a result if your a slow reader you may not be able to read what was on your screen before the pop-up happened. A tip for this is to wait for the pop-up to disappear and then read without moving up or down what’s on the Braille Display. To refer back to the Pop-up scroll down-up and go back to where the pop-up appeared.
  2. You can adjust all the Braille Settings based on your opinion in the Settings and this will really help.
  3. Sometimes the doesn’t connect to the Braille Displays we use. It’s a great idea to reset both devices and then retry. If it still doesn’t work try turning your Bluetooth on your iPhone off and retry. Hopefully this will help.
  4. Sometimes when entering a password or a Username it may be a problem to enter it because of the Braille Code translation. However if this happens. Use your screen to type for this time only and you should be all right.
  5. It’s a great idea to turn the Speech Off when you’re using a Braille Display with your Ios device because the speech slows everything down. For example if you on an app title, Voiceover will still speak the title even though your at the next app on your Braille Display.
  6. Whenever you’re in any Text Field it is a great idea to do the keystroke Space bar and Dots 2, 3 and 6. It’s a great idea because it might mess up your writing in my experience.

 

Contact Info:

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you face any problems. I will try my very best to help. My email address is written below.

Email:

owaisipatel@gmail.com

Also using a Braille Display with all of the MacBooks is extremely accessible as well. To get all the keystrokes regarding the use of Braille Displays with the Mac please contact Kim the Gtt Coordinator in Ottawa.

Email:

gttprogram@gmail.com

 

Kind Regards,

Owais

 

 

 

 

GTT Edmonton Summary Notes, Object Recognition Apps, April 10, 2017

Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting April 10, 2017

 

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held April10 at 7pm at Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 83 Street in Edmonton.

14 people attended.

 

April Topic – Object Recognition Apps

Lorne and Russell demonstrated the following iPhone apps that help identify objects.

 

Barcode Scanning

 

SeeWithMe

 

From the iTunes App Store

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/see-with-me/id1118710695?mt=8

Description

 

Blind or visually impaired? This app was developed for you! It allows you to simply move your smartphone over a product’s barcode, and the product name will be read out loud to you. Use it at home or at your grocery store. A connection to the internet (either Wi-Fi or cellular data) is required.

 

Most products from Save-On, Overwaitea and PriceSmart locations may be scanned by this app (excluding items packaged in-store, such as the deli and bakery). We’re working to add more stores soon!

 

Have some personal items at home that you need help identifying (e.g., CDs, medication)? You can print custom barcodes for them too, just visit our website at seewithmeapp.com

Digit-Eyes

From iTunes App Store

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/digit-eyes/id376424490?mt=8

 

Description

 

Best. Barcode. Reader. Ever! Scan UPC / EAN codes and hear the names of over

37 million products! Make your own QR code labels on the Digit-Eyes website and print them on inexpensive address labels. These barcoded labels may contain text that VoiceOver reads aloud or they can be used to record audio on your iPhone or iPad that is played back whenever the bar code is scanned.

 

Blind? Dyslexic? Having problems reading? Digit-Eyes is for you! With Digit-Eyes, you can

 

– Record your own labels. Visit the Digit-Eyes web site to print specially coded quick-response (QR) digital code labels, apply one to your calendar or a box of leftovers, scan, and record a message. To listen to the recording, just rescan the label. This is how Nancy keeps track of her appointments; how Jeanette labels her canning and how Randy keeps the fridge clean.

 

– Make text-based labels. Visit the Digit-Eyes web site to type up to 250 characters per label, print the specially coded quick-response (QR) barcodes on address labels on your local printer and apply them to your file folders or CDs. To listen to the text, scan it with the Digit-Eyes application on any iPhone or iPad. This is how Will’s secretary labels his folders and how Ana snoops through her friends’ CD collection.

 

– Buy pre-printed washable labels. Sew them into your clothing and record whatever you want to about the garment: color, fabric care or what it should be worn with. Even when the labels have been washed, bleached, sent through the dryer or dry-cleaned, you’ll still be able to scan them with the Digit-Eyes app on your iPhone or iPad and hear what you recorded about the garment.

This is how Davey makes sure he is wearing matching clothing and how Elizabeth can easily sort the laundry.

 

– Use the manufacturer’s product code to find out what the item is.

Digit-Eyes includes a feature that enables you to identify many groceries, CDs, and other consumer goods by scanning the UPC and EAN codes on the products. Just point the camera of your iPhone, Pad or iPod Touch 5g at a package label, scan the code, and wait for Digit-Eyes to call our database and tell you what the item is. This is how Deborah picks out her yarn, how Kevin finds the beef stew, and how both get ready to record their audio labels.

 

– Read standard inventory tags in code 39 or code 128 format. This is how Michael knows which printer is which at work and how Ben does the shelf stocking in his store.

 

– Print labels directly from your iPhone on your Bluetooth-connected printer;

 

– Create and read QR vCard format business card information and add the content to your contacts. This is how Digital Miracles gets information from customers at conferences and how we share our own contact information;

 

– Create lists of code that you’ve scanned; edit them, type additional information and share them with others. This is how Robbie notes what items are getting used up and tells Gary what to buy at the store;

 

– Use Digit-Eyes with any blue-tooth connected laser scanner, integrated as a single unit. This is how John is able to work at a grocery store reading the shelf tags to find where to stock the product.

 

Use of the free Digit-Eyes website comes with the product. The website contains extensive tutorial material designed for users of the iPhone and iPad who are not sighted. The product purchase also includes free online support and tutoring.

 

Digit-Eyes is available in English, Danish, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Norwegian, Spanish and Swedish.

 

Digit-Eyes

www.digit-eyes.com/

 

Remote assistance apps

 

Be My Eyes: https://www.applevis.com/apps/ios/lifestyle/be-my-eyes-helping-blind-see

Connects to a human helper who can see through your camera to tell you what they see.

 

The following 2 apps Take a picture and within a minute, return a description of what it is by a person, either in text or an audio description or both

 

 

Real Time object recognition

(a computer is doing the object recognition, so it will probably be faster, but perhaps less accurate then the above apps) Aipoly Vision: https://www.applevis.com/apps/ios/utilities/aipoly-vision

Third Eye: https://www.applevis.com/apps/ios/medical/thirdeye-empowering-blind-and-visually-impaired-object-recognition

Identifi: https://www.applevis.com/apps/ios/utilities/identifi-object-recognition-visually-impaired

Talking Goggles:

https://www.applevis.com/apps/ios/productivity/talking-goggles-camera-speech

 

Educational Materials for our Chapter

All e-textbook and audio tutorial training materials have now been purchased and the links to download them have been emailed to those who requested the materials. If you have not received your download link please let us know at

Gtt.edmonton@gmail.com

 

Training

At the April 10 meeting, we also provided basic Victor Reader Stream training to one person.

 

Next Meeting (Monday May 8 at 7pm)

  • As usual, we will provide one-on-one training especially iPhone and DAISY players. If you have other training requests email your interests to us so we can try to accommodate you.
  • 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 in Ottawa, Toronto, Kingston, Northern Ontario, Pembroke, Halifax, Sydney, Regina, Calgary, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Victoria, Nanaimo, Vancouver, and more to come.
  • There is also 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.

[End of Document]

Step-By-Step Resource: How to Rip CDs in Windows 10

How to Rip CDs in Windows 10

 

Related Book

Windows 10 For Dummies

 

By Andy Rathbone.

 

In a process known as ripping, Windows Media Player in Windows 10 can copy your CDs to your PC as MP3 files, the industry standard for digital music.

But until you tell the player that you want MP3 files, it creates WMA files

– a format that won’t play on iPads, most smartphones, nor many other music players.

 

To make Windows Media Player create songs with the more versatile MP3 format instead of WMA, click the Organize button in the top-left corner, choose Options, and click the Rip Music tab. Choose

MP3 instead of WMA from the Format drop-down menu and nudge the audio quality over a tad from 128 to 256 or even 320 for better sound.

 

To copy CDs to your PC’s hard drive, follow these instructions:

 

Open Windows Media Player, insert a music CD, and click the Rip CD button.

 

You may need to push a button on the front or side of your computer’s disc drive to make the tray eject.

 

Windows Media Player connects to the Internet; identifies your CD; and fills in the album’s name, artist, and song titles. Then the program begins copying the CD’s songs to your PC and listing their titles in the Windows Media Player Library.

You’re through.

 

If Windows Media Player can’t find the songs’ titles automatically, however, move ahead to Step 2.

Right-click the first track and choose Find Album Info, if necessary.

 

If Windows Media Player comes up empty-handed, right-click the first track and choose Find Album Info.

 

If you’re connected to the Internet, type the album’s name into the Search box and then click Search. If the Search box finds your album, click its name, choose Next, and click Finish.

 

If you’re not connected to the Internet, or if the Search box comes up empty, right-click the first song, click Edit, and manually fill in the song title.

Repeat for the other titles, as well as the album, artist, genre, and year tags.

 

Here are some tips for ripping CDs to your computer:

 

Normally Windows Media Player copies every song on the CD. To leave Tiny Tim

 

off your ukulele music compilation, however, remove the check mark from Tiny Tim’s name. If Windows Media Player has already copied the song to your PC, feel free to delete it from within Windows Media Player. Click the Library button, right-click the song sung by the offending yodeler, and choose Delete.

 

Windows Media Player automatically places your ripped CDs into your Music folder. You can also find your newly ripped music there as well as in the Windows Media Player Library.

 

end of article.

 

Crashes and problems with the autour app have been fixed.

I had a message from the developers of the Autour GPS app to say that the app crashes have now been fixed. Some people were asking about autour, it is a free GPS app. It is designed to give you a picture of what is around you. It is unique in that if something is on your right, it speaks in your right ear, if something is on your left, it says so in your left ear. If something is straight ahead it speaks in both ears. It tells you streets and businesses you are passing but does not give any turn by turn navigation. It is free to try. It has been developed by University students and their professor in Montreal.

Important information about the autour app.

This is a message from the developer of the app Autour. At present, Autour is crashing at startup, as a result of a certificate that our university needs to update with the Apple App Store. Regretfully, we had no notice that the certificate was about to expire until this morning. We are hoping that the university’s IT Services department will remedy this promptly so that Autour’s services can be restored. We will notify you once this is done, but in the meantime, our sincere apologies for the disruption.

Important information about Jaws and an upcoming Windows 10 update!

The message below is from Jason Fayre from CNIB who is one of the leaders of GTT Toronto. I do not know how this applies to other screen readers such as NVDA. If anyone has any additional information, please send it to me at
Gttprogram@gmail.com and I will post to the blog.
Hello all,
On April 11, Microsoft will begin roling out the next major update to Windows 10. This is a very large update, so Microsoft is sending it out in stages. You will probably not get the update immediately.
JAWS must be updated to the latest version of 17 or 18 to be compatible with this new update. If you already have the latest JAWS 18 update, there is nothing you need to do.
If JAWS is requesting that you update it, you should run the update. To be sure, I would suggest going to the Help menu in JAWS, then selecting “Check for Updates.”
The latest version of JAWS is 18.0.2530.

GTT British Columbia: Promote Your GTT Groups on AMI Audio Monthly Through Amy Amantea

Hi GTT friends and colleagues.  See below, and let me know if you have any questions.

 

Amy has been offered an exciting opportunity to present on AMI Audio Once a month to showcase upcoming events in British Columbia that are relevant to those living with sight loss and their networks. Please consider providing her with your May activities during the first week of April.

 

What, the name of your event and organization; When, the date; Where, the location address; What, Who, How, A quick summary; For more information about your event contact:

Person’s name;

phone number;

email;

website;

 

Please provide the info to Amy Amantea by April 7 at the end of the business day:

604-763-2695

amyamantea@hotmail.com

 

Hello friends and supporters of people with sight loss.

 

I’ve been offered an exciting opportunity to present on AMI audio Once a month to showcase upcoming events in British Columbia that are relevant to those of us living with sight loss and our networks.

 

As you can well imagine this is a great opportunity but a large research task.

 

Here is where I ask for all of your help. You are all well connected and a part of many organizations with their finger on the pulse of activity in our community.

>

> I want to know everything! Every social gathering that people can attend, AGM’s, workshops, fundraisers, raffles and 50-50 draws, sporting events, arts and culture… You name it.

>

> Don’t assume that I already know about your event or activity.

>

> During this first week of April I will be collecting data on activities and events happening in May 2017. But please, if you have calendars with other dates already secured please send me those in advance and I can archive them.

>

> There’s really only two qualifications… It must be relatable to British Columbia it must be relatable to people living with sight loss.

>

> So, let me know what you have going on in your respective community… No event is too small.

> If there’s an exciting triumph in accessibility related to people with the sight loss I may be able to work some of that into the piece as well.

>

> I will also be posting on Facebook but I have one request, please send me your event details via email. I must admit, I’m not a great Social media user but I think this new project might be A reason to stretch my boundaries.

>

> This opportunitythis opportunity can be great for securing new membership, ticket sales and so many other things.

>

> The details I would need: the name of your event, the date, the location and address A quick summary and a contact phone number/email/website.

>

> I am very excited to have been asked to participate in this way with AMI And I hope I can count on our community to help me source what’s going on.

>

> Remember, no idea it’s too small…

>

> Thank you in advance to you all. Please feel free to circulate my contact information

>

> I want to make sure we get representation from the corners of British Columbia that don’t often get focus, So please pitch in and let me know what’s happening in your area.

>

> You can reach me at anytime.

>

> Kindest regards, Amy

> 604-763-2695

>

>

>

> Sent from my iPhone

> Message has been dictated with the use of Apple dictation software. This message may not have been checked for dictation errors.

>

>

> Sent from my iPhone

> Message has been dictated with the use of Apple dictation software. This message may not have been checked for dictation errors.

 

Tribute Post: RIP Natasha Achter, CCB White Cane Club and Get Together with Technology Regina

The GTT community would like to honour the loss of a quiet leader, supporter and genuine Canadian.  Natasha Achter, President of the Regina White Cane Club and Get Together with Technology Coordinator passed away peacefully on March 28, 2017, and she will be sadly missed by all she came into contact with.  A celebration of her life will be held on April 1, 2017 in Regina, click on this link for details. 

 

On March 28th the CCB and the blind community lost a vibrant young soul, a kind Canadian and a dedicated friend and family member.  We also lost a leading peer mentor and assistive technology advocate and supporter.  Rest In Peace Natasha.

 

Below is a reprint of an article featuring Natasha that was published in the March edition of the CCB National Newsletter.

 

CCB National Newsletter March 2017

 

Member Spotlight++:

 

We would like to take a moment to recognize an up and coming member in CCB: Natasha Achter, from Regina, SK.

Natasha has taken the initiative to start up a GTT group in her area, is a strong advocate for the blind and also happens to be a great curler!

 

She was the featured curling athlete for Curling Canada, and the following is the article that accompanied the accolade.

 

Since 2005, when she started blind curling in Regina, Natasha Achter has been accumulating trophies and titles.

 

That first season, her team made it to the Blind Curling National Championship in Ottawa, finishing third, and Natasha’s performance earned her recognition as Athlete of the Year for the Saskatchewan Blind Sports Association (SBSA).

 

Originally a lead, Natasha began skipping in 2007. Although her team finished at the bottom of a three-team league that first season, they rose to the challenge and took home the league’s Grand Aggregate Trophy twice, in 2009 and 2011, as well as the City Championship Trophy for playoffs in 2009-2010.

 

Natasha’s on-ice accolades include MVP status at the 2008 and 2009 Western Blind Curling Championship, an event she attended in 2011 with a team made up of players under the age of 30.

 

“I was very proud of them,” she says about her most recent trip to the event. “This was only our second Western Championship as a team.”

 

Birthplace:  Regina, SK

Hometown:  Regina, SK

Curling Club:  Caledonia (Callie) Curling Club and Highland Curling Club

Current Team:  SBSA Team Achter

Position:  Skip

Delivery: Right

Nickname:  Nash

 

Quick Hits with Natasha Achter

Do you have any superstitions?

“Yes I almost always have to wear my lucky pink toque. I just seem to win more with it than without it.”

 

Three people, living or not, whom you would invite to a dinner party.

“Kevin Martin, Abe Lincoln, and Rachel Ray to cook the food.”

 

If you could be a star in any other sport, what would it be, and why?

“Hockey, because I used to skate but was never that capable to play other than with my brothers.”

 

If you could change any rule in curling, which one would it be, and why?

“If I could change one rule it would be that we would be able to hit the boards, so that almost every rock is in play and this would make it so much easier for two reasons. One is that it would be easy to learn and two it would keep more of the totally blind curlers’ rocks in play.”

 

What music do you like to listen to before a game?

“Usually it’s just country on the radio in the car on the way to the rink, but last year at Westerns we had to listen to “I Got a Feeling” by the Black-Eyed Peas before every game to get us pumped up.”

 

Favourite:

… Website?  “Facebook I guess it’s not my fave, just the one I visit most.”

… Order from Tim Hortons?  “Iced coffee in the summer and hot chocolate in the winter”

… Vacation destination?  “Maui, Hawaii. Aloha”

… Junk food?  “Cheesies!”

Do you have any pet peeves?

“My third trying to change my mind (lol)! And when they say “Oh!” when the shot I called works. Just kidding. I don’t really have any.”

 

Three things you always travel with?

“My iPod touch, money, and good people to accompany me.”

 

First thing on your Bucket List?

“To go to Hawaii – but crossed it off the list February 2011.”

 

Favourite pastime between draws?

“Listening to music and visiting with people. Also we usually spend some time talking about our pros and cons of the previous game, i.e. what we did well and what we could improve on.”

 

One thing most people don’t know about you?

“That I love most water sports. I like fishing, kneeboarding, surfing; love snorkeling, rowing; would love to try kite boarding. I am not a big fan of tubing or wakeboarding. I have tried water skiing but failed miserably.”

 

What is the biggest misconception about curlers?

“That curlers are all old.”

 

Your ideal shot to win an Olympic gold medal:

“Guard raise takeout to win the game by two.”

 

GTT Calgary Summary Notes, iDevice Radio Apps, February 27, 2017

GTT Calgary

Summary Notes
Feb 27, 2017

We had 9 people in attendance.
Side notes:

There was mention of something called vocal eyes. According to what information we have, the service is available in the U.S. and Canada, and if you let them know you need sighted assistance at an event such as a movie, sports event, ETC. they will provide it.

*Note: Ted, VocalEye is located in Vancouver and more can be found here:
http://www.vocaleye.ca/

RADIO aps:

 The first ap covered is Tune-in radio. This ap has been a favorite for years. You can browse local stations, search stations for content, and find content from around the world. There is both a free and a paid version of this ap available.
 The next ap covered is Sero. This is the ap that use to be iBlink radio. Blain gave a brief demonstration of the Sero ap.
 Ventage radio is next. This is one of my favorites. CHERRYL briefly showed how the ap workthe. This ap will let you listen to or download old time radio shows.
 The next one covered is OOTUNES radio. This also features an alarm clock, sleep timer, recording functions, including recording scheduling. This is the same service that brings you your radio service on your victor streme. Cherryl briefly showed the layout and some of the features of the ap.
 The last ap covered today was iHeart radio. This ap is a resource for George Naurie who we are fans of. This ap had lots of unlabled buttons but could be delt with if you are willing to work with it, you can find results. You can also search for stations or content by name.
 We also informed people about VIA which is an iphone ap that lists aps for blind and low vision people. This ap lists hundreds of aps to choose from for their iPhones.

Next Meeting Topics:
for the next meeting: Downloading, copying and pasting on the iPhone.
The question of a new day for GTT:
New time and day March 22 at 1:00 P.M. until 3:00 P.M.

Thank you all for your attention
Ted Phillips
GTT Coordinator
CCB Calgary Club

GTT Victoria Summary Notes, How Do You Access The News, March 1, 2017

Get together with Technology (GTT) Victoria

A Chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind

Summary Notes
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
GVPL Main branch, Community Meeting Room

The meeting was called to order at 1:05 pm by chair Albert Ruel

Attendance: Kara, Bruce, Doug, Trever, Karen, Sky, Debra, Brent, Marion, Godwin, Barb S, Joan, Tom, Barbra A, Albert, Corry.

First Hour:
Albert welcomed everyone to the meeting, Nice to see three new faces out this meeting, a special welcome Debra, Goodwin and Barb S.

The meeting started with some discussion about an app that had been seen on the BBC news service similar to the BeMyEyes app. Various apps were discussed and the pros and cons of such apps. The liability involved in having someone identify potentially dangerous situations (like street crossing signals) was discussed. Albert mentioned that Kim had spoken about a new color detector app, being developed at Carlton, that might be available soon.

From there the discussion turned to some description about products that were available for loan from the library. Karen informed the group that tablets were available and that a 30 minute training session was also available to be booked. More training could be booked if the initial session did not suffice. Meeting participants had questions about what was on the tablets and the process involved in reading books on the loaned equipment.

Internet and email security were discussed and the importance of remembering your pass codes and access codes was communicated to all. Often, on sites like FaceBook and even on iDevices, access can not be obtained without this valuable information. Make a point of remembering your codes, Super important. There are smart phone and computer apps and programs available to help you remember like Password Vault and SplashID.

repurposing equipment was discussed. Bruce mentioned that iPhones were often available at Government Surplus. Deb expressed in interest in obtaining a used tablet and or phone. Albert will look into the matter. it was also noted that a original Victor Stream was required and requested by Barb A and Bruce was interested in a repurposed phone. Regarding the latter, Albert mentioned that the Lions of Victoria have a program that helps put an iPhone into the hands of blind and vision impaired users, More information at the Pacific Training Centre for the Blind.

Quick notes, SSD’s were discussed, is there a need to defrag, Sky will test…CELA is testing a new direct to player app, more details to come…CD with MP3 files are still available from the library…KNFB app, still one of the best, but also pricy, the app and what it does was discussed……The bookShare program was discussed.

remember the email address for this group is GTT.Victoria@Gmail.com

Second Hour:
After a break the main meeting topic was discussed, that being NEWS. Where do you get your news, and how has the process evolved over the years based on technology advancements. Facebook and Twitter and other social media outlets were identified as sources, with the cautionary note that all news is not true. Fake news and the attention it has garnered recently was talked about, and how you can best judge it accuracy. The library of congress and the inability of Canadians to access this extensive resource was discussed. Albert mentioned the Newspapers that were available via CELA. How to source news via a web search was discussed.

Before closing the question of when we should hold meeting was raised. Should we attempt an evening meeting? Should we meet more or less then once a month? The consensus was to continue to meet once a month in the daytime.

The meeting was adjourned at 2:50

Next meeting Wednesday April 5, 2017

Meeting notes submitted by Corry Stuive

Canada Revenue Agency Post: Why claim medical expenses

Your association or organization has been identified as a key stakeholder of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). We hope you will share the following information with your membership.

English version ***La version française suit***

The below text can be found at the CRA Web Site:

Did you have medical expenses? You may be able to claim them on your income tax and benefit return

Why claim medical expenses

You can reduce the amount of federal tax you pay by claiming a non-refundable tax credit on a wide variety of medical expenses, including hospital services, nursing home fees, and medical supplies.

You may be able to claim medical expenses for yourself, your spouse or common-law partner, your dependent children (under 18 years of age), and other dependants.

Conditions for claiming medical expenses

To claim medical expenses, the expenses must:
* be eligible
* have been paid by you or your spouse or common-law partner
* have been paid within a 12-month period ending in 2016 and not claimed for 2015

Before filing your return, make sure you are claiming eligible medical expenses. If you claim expenses that are not eligible (for example, athletic or fitness-club fees or over-the-counter medications), the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) may reassess your return accordingly.

Claiming travel expenses

Did you travel at least 40 kilometres (one way) from your home to get medical services? If so, you may be able to claim the public transportation (for example, taxi, bus, or train) expenses you paid. Where public transportation is not readily available, you may be able to claim vehicle expenses instead.

Did you travel at least 80 kilometres (one way) from your home to get medical services? If so, you may be able to claim accommodation, meal, and parking expenses in addition to your transportation expenses.

Did someone accompany you? If so, you may be able to claim that person’s transportation and travel expenses. To make that claim, a medical practitioner must certify in writing that you were not capable of travelling alone to get medical services.

Refundable medical expense supplement
If you have a low income and high medical expenses, you may be able to claim a refundable credit of up to $1,187.

Visit the CRA’s website for more information on eligible medical expenses you can claim on your return or watch Segment 3: Medical Expenses in the CRA’s video series on Tax Measures for Persons with Disabilities.
Stay connected
To receive updates on what is new at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), you can:

· Follow the CRA on Twitter – @CanRevAgency.
· Follow the CRA on LinkedIn.
· Subscribe to a CRA electronic mailing list.
· Add our RSS feeds to your feed reader.
· Watch our tax-related videos on YouTube.

Votre association ou organisation a été désignée comme intervenant clé de l’Agence du revenu du Canada (ARC). Nous espérons que vous partagerez les renseignements suivants avec vos membres.
Version française ***The English version precedes***
Avez-vous engagé des frais médicaux? Vous pourriez être admissible à demander leur remboursement dans votre déclaration de revenus et de prestations.

Pourquoi demander des frais médicaux

Vous pouvez réduire le montant de votre impôt fédéral en demandant un crédit d’impôt non remboursable pour une vaste gamme de frais médicaux, dont des services hospitaliers, des soins à domicile et des fournitures médicales.

Vous pourriez demander des frais médicaux pour vous ou votre époux ou conjoint de fait, vos enfants à charge (enfants de moins de 18 ans) ou toute autre personne à charge.

Les conditions pour demander des frais médicaux

Les frais médicaux que vous pouvez demander doivent :
* être admissibles;
* avoir été payés par vous ou votre époux ou conjoint de fait;
* doivent avoir été payées dans une période de 12 mois se terminant en 2016 et aucun remboursement ne doit avoir été demandé pour celles-ci en 2015.

Avant de produire votre déclaration, assurez-vous de demander des frais médicaux admissibles. Si vous demandez des frais non admissibles (par exemple, des frais d’adhésion à un club d’athlétisme ou à un centre de conditionnement physique ou l’achat de médicaments en vente libre), l’Agence du revenu du Canada pourrait établir une nouvelle cotisation de votre déclaration en conséquence.

Réclamer des frais de déplacement

Vous êtes-vous déplacé à au moins 40 kilomètres (en une direction) de votre domicile pour obtenir des services médicaux? Si oui, il se peut que vous soyez admissible à demander le remboursement des frais de transport en commun (par exemple, taxi, autobus et train) que vous avez payés. Lorsque le transport en commun n’est pas facilement accessible, vous pourriez plutôt demander les frais d’utilisation d’un véhicule.

Vous êtes-vous déplacé à au moins 80 kilomètres (en une direction) de votre domicile pour obtenir des services médicaux? Si oui, il se peut que vous soyez en mesure de demander le remboursement des frais d’hébergement, de repas et de stationnement, en plus de vos frais de transport.

Est-ce que quelqu’un vous a accompagné? Si oui, il se peut que vous soyez en mesure de demander le remboursement des frais de transport et de déplacement de cette personne. Pour présenter cette demande, un médecin praticien doit attester par écrit que vous étiez incapable de vous déplacer seul pour obtenir des services médicaux.

Supplément remboursable pour frais médicaux
Si vous êtes un travailleur à faible revenu qui a des frais médicaux élevés, il se peut que vous soyez en mesure de demander un crédit remboursable maximal de 1 187 $.

Pour plus de renseignements sur les frais médicaux admissibles que vous pouvez demander dans votre déclaration, consultez le site Web de l’ARC ou visionnez le Segment 3 : Frais médicaux dans la série de vidéos de l’ARC sur les mesures fiscales pour les personnes handicapées.
Restez branché
Pour recevoir des mises à jour sur ce qu’il y a de nouveau à l’Agence du revenu du Canada (ARC), vous pouvez :

* Suivre l’ARC sur Twitter – @AgenceRevCan.
* Suivre l’ARC sur LinkedIn.
* Vous abonner à une liste d’envoi électronique de l’ARC.
* Ajouter nos fils RSS à votre lecteur de nouvelles.
· Regarder nos vidéos sur l’impôt sur YouTube.

GTT Edmonton Summary Notes, CSUN Report, Educational Materials, and Training, March 13, 2017

Summary Notes
GTT Edmonton Meeting March 13, 2017

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held March 13 at 7pm at Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 83 Street in Edmonton.
12 people attended.

March Topics – CSUN Report, Educational Materials, and Training
California State University at Northridge (CSUN) Conference Report
A new GTT member Stu Starkey returned from last week’s CSUN Assistive Technology conference in San Diego California and gave us a rundown on some of the hot products and new technologies he had a chance to see.
OrCam
OrCam Technologies presents the world’s most advanced wearable assistive technology device for people who are blind, visually impaired, or have a reading or other disabilities. OrCam MyEye instantly and discreetly communicates visual information by utilizing a small, intuitive smart camera mounted on the wearer’s eyeglass frame. The breakthrough artificial vision device reads any printed text – from any surface – recognizes faces and identifies products
and money notes. OrCam gives independence.
Website: http://www.orcam.comm

Aira – Visual Interpreter for the Blind
Aira offers an innovative, on-demand service designed to help blind and low-vision users gain mobility and independence via live streaming and wearable technologies. It provides personalized assistance from orientation and mobility experts who can be trained Aira Agents, family members, or friends. Our experts, backed by state-of-the art technology, serve as visual interpreters and navigators for our users, helping them accomplish a wide range of daily tasks and activities.
Website: https:// aira.io/

Second Sight Medical Products
Second Sight Medical Products is the developer and manufacturer of the Argus II® Retinal Prosthesis System – the first and only approved long-term therapy for people living with advanced Retinitis Pigmentosa in the U.S. Argus II is designed to restore some level of vision to people who are profoundly blind and provide them with increases in orientation and mobility skills and is intended to increase their independence and quality of life by restoring their
ability to see objects and motion.
website: http://www.secondsight.com
Video describing one person’s experience with the Argus II https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhYe6REdljw

Orion I
For those who are not suitable candidates for the Argus II, Second Sight has developed a new product called the Orion I. it is described as a wireless Visual Cortical Prosthesis. instead of implanting electrodes on the Retina, this bypasses the optic nerve and directly stimulates the brain’s visual cortex. Here is their press release from their recent successful proof of concept clinical trial:
http://investors.secondsight.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=995211

More About CSUN 2017
most of the above descriptions are taken from the CSUN website, you can find much more information about these, as well as all the products and sessions at their website:
https://www.csun.edu/cod/conference/2017/rebooking/index.php/public/exhibitors/index/page:3

Educational Materials for our Chapter
We thank the Edmonton Blind Curling Club who have generously provided us a grant for training purposes. We used some of the grant to purchase a total of 29 audio tutorials and e-textbooks. These materials have been distributed via download links. The 6 most popular choices were:
• 4 x Mystic Access audio tutorial for Google Suite of products
• 4 x NV Access Basic audio tutorial for NVDA
• 3 x Mystic Access audio tutorial for Victor Reader Stream
• 3 x Access Technology Institute Word 2016 with JAWS textbook
• 3 x Access Technology Institute Excel 2016 with JAWS textbook
• 3 x National Braille Press Getting Started with the iPhone and iOS 10 text book

One-On-One Training
• The donation from the Edmonton Blind Curling Club also allowed us to provide another training session at the Norquest computer lab on March 2. Two people had basic training on Zoomtext and 3 others on JAWS. We are delighted that the 3 JAWS trainees were junior high students!
• At the March 13 meeting, we also provided basic Victor Reader Stream training to two people.

Next Meeting (Monday April 10 at 7pm)
• As usual, we will provide one-on-one training especially iPhone and DAISY players. If you have other training requests email your interests to us so we can try to accommodate you.
• 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 in Ottawa, Toronto, Kingston, Northern Ontario, Pembroke, Halifax, Sydney, Regina, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Victoria, Nanaimo, Vancouver, and more to come.
• There is also 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.
[End of Document]

GTT New Westminster and Vancouver Summary Notes, Making TV Accessible, February 15 and March 4, 2017

Get Together with Technology (GTT)
New Westminster and Vancouver Meetings

Sponsored by the Canadian Council of the Blind in partnership with Blind Beginnings

Summary Notes
Feb. 15 and March 4, 2017

Making TV Accessible

Feb 15 in New Westminster:
Present: Albert, Matthew, Ryan, Fay, Carol, John, Bill, Karim, Pat.
March 4 in Vancouver:
Present: Sean H, Ryan, Monty, Rita, Betty, Maria, John

Starting out with TV in general:
• Antenna or cable was the traditional way, but now you can access TV over digital, the internet, or satellite.
• IP TV is internet protocol television.
• Something like YouTube or Netflics uses an application to stream video from the internet.
• IP TV is similar in that it uses an app to access a server that broadcasts traditional live TV channels (CTV, CBC, Global, etc.).
• You need to subscribe to the service, and get some hardware like ChromeCast, Apple TV or the xBox.

How accessible is it:

• AE-BC internet corp is the only one Monty knows of, in terms of IP TV provider
• The are an internet service provider.
• They buy their bandwidth in bulk from bigger companies, so you are using the same infrastructure, but when you phone up customer service, you are talking to AE-BC.
• Internet plans are potentially cheaper, unlimited downloads as well.
• So you need the internet to have IP TV service.

So how do we watch it:

• They can sell you an Android cypher bar, which is a small Android box that plugs into the wall, and into your tv through HDMI, and it has USB inputs and a couple different audio outputs.
• It is about six inches by two inches, almost the size of a small braille display.
• Last year that box was the main option, it cost 200 dollars, and you had to buy it.
• Monty found that he could use talkback, the android accessible screen reader that is built in to the box.
• It did not work one hundred percent, but it was a partially talking set top box.
• The iPhone app was not 100 percent accessible either, but Monty was able to move up and down the navigation menu and choose the channel he was looking for, and he was able to toggle descriptive video on and off (however, the descriptive video was not working on shows he knew it was available on), so that was one drawback. He was also not able to get descriptive video on the iOS app.
• So you get the basic 40 local channels for free, and they allow you to bundle extra channels just like shaw and Telus.
• So that concludes the description of live TV over the internet.
• Participants gave information on Shaw Free Range TV, which is a similar internet TV service that is offered to shaw customers.

Moving on to Apple TV:

• It is a box you hook up to your TV with Voiceover – you can use Netflicks, Show Me, Crave TV, – has its own App store.
• Apple TV can only get info from the Internet – not from your regular cable TV. All cable TV menus are still not accessible.
• There is a device you can use to connect the Apple TV to your stereo to allow you to access the audio of the Apple TV programming.
• Google also makes the ChromeCast – is cheaper and everything is done through your smart phone.
• Shaw cable is starting to offer the ChromeCasts service in the Vancouver and Calgary areas, and are planning to go nationwide with it soon.
• Siri is available on the new Apple TV as well.
• You can ask Siri to go find a movie on NetFlics or iTunes or a song on YouTube.
• You can set triple click to turn off and on Voiceover on the Apple TV.
• You can turn on audio description so that any program you play that has audio-description will play automatically.
• You can use a Bluetooth keyboard instead of the apple TV remote.
• Price ranges from $150 – $250 depending on the amount of storage you want, 32, 64 or 128 GB.

Microsoft Xbox:

• Xbox also allows you to use Narrator to access Netflicks etc.

Tutorial Podcasts:

• Podcast providers like CoolBlindTech.com and David Woodbridge offer many opportunities to learn about the many apps and devices available.

Tell Me More TV:

• Another subscription service that is currently available is Tell Me More – everything is in described TV – like AMI for $7 per month – watch on Internet. They are working on an app
• Use the PromoCode Tellmemore17 and you’ll get $25 percent off

Topic for the next New Westminster meeting, March 15 will be GPS:

• We will play a podcast on Nearby Explorer.

The topic for April Vancouver and New Westminster meetings:

• Dropbox will be the focus, both a lecture component and then a hands on signing up for and installing Dropbox component. Bring your laptop computer or smart phone so you can receive the support you need.

CCB national office has had a flood and we are not able to work in there right now.

Hello everyone.
There has been a big flood at the CCB National Offices at 20 James street.
Staff are not able to work there right now. This means, that GTT training sessions or drop ins may have to be cancelled or moved.
Before coming to the office for anything related to GTT, please call or email Kim at the following numbers to check.
613-552-0533
Or gttprogram@gmail.com

Guest Post: VocalEye Newsletter, Spring 2017, Specializing in Audio Description of Live Performances in Vancouver and Victoria

** VOCALEYE NEWS – SPRING 2017
————————————————————
IN THIS ISSUE:
1) SPRING LOADED!
2) Described Performances in March and April:
3) Bittergirl at the Surrey Arts Centre
4) Angels in America at the Arts Club Stanley
5) Mom’s the Word 3 at the Arts Club Granville Island
6) Community:
7) Audio Subtitles
8) Coming Up:
Plex Talk Raffle
Alice Munro Stories at the Belfry
Comedy on Wheels for Realwheels
9) Support
10) Reminders

** 1) SPRING LOADED!
————————————————————
[This month’s opening image is a photo of a yawning bunny rabbit.]

This spring’s schedule is so loaded that I’m doubling up this issue! I’ve been invited to lead a describer training at the new Tangled Art Gallery in Toronto at the end of March. Tangled is the first art gallery in Canada dedicated to showcasing the work of artists with disabilities. I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to work with them to make their gallery more accessible to visitors with vision loss. (http://tangledarts.org)

I will get back in time to meet a grant deadline at the beginning of April… This tight squeeze means I won’t be able to send you an April newsletter, so I’m loading you with all the info I have on our upcoming shows. Please visit the VocalEye website for updates and support materials and keep in touch through Facebook and Twitter.

March will be a bit quiet for described performances, with Bittergirl at the Surrey Arts Centre and the launch of our “audio subtitle” project this weekend. If you’re craving even more comedy and drama this month, check out PlayMe, an innovative audio podcast that celebrates the work of Canadian playwrights and performers. (http://www.playmepodcast.com/listen-to-playme/)

If you’re looking for more podcasts, check out Aroga’s ATBanter and their most recent interview with Master Chef, Christine Ha. (https://soundcloud.com/user-639785526/at-banter-podcast-episode-39-christine-ha)

Or try A History of the World in 100 Objects, a look at human history through 100 objects from the British Museum. (https://soundcloud.com/a-history-of-the-world)

In case you missed it, this AMI video highlights VocalEye’s partnership with the Push Festival, Ingrid’s description and our first pre-show Touch Tour of Concord Floral last month. Big thanks to Erin Brubacher, Anika Vervecken, Grant Hardy and everyone who attended the show! (http://bit.ly/2lhRjQ4)

Rick Waines is busy describing his second season at the Belfry in Victoria and he sent us some lovely photos from the Touch Tour of last month’s show, Gracie. Our thanks to everyone who attended and to Jenn Swan and Erin Macklem for sharing some of the production’s backstage secrets!

In April, Rick returns to Vancouver to describe two performances of the award-winning Angels in America, Part 1 at the Arts Club Stanley. The Arts Club will produce Part 2 next season, so don’t miss it!

PAWS Trivia night is always so much fun and it turned out to be my lucky day as I won the coveted 50/50 draw for the second year in a row! More fuel for VocalEye! I want to thank our awesome Faux Paws team: Jeff and Meagan, Eileen Barrett, Rick Lin, Brian Nicol, Teri Snelgrove and Anika Vervecken for your impressive smarty pants. Big thanks to Wendy, Rosamund and Moose’s Down Under for hosting another great evening that supports PAWS for Independence! (http://pawsforindependence.ca)

I’ve received a number of inquiries about describing shows at the Queen Elizabeth and these take the most time to negotiate. Once again, I encourage you to let the producers know you’re interested in having shows described.
I’ve also been talking to several dance companies about describing dance. This would involve some special training and workshops with describers, choreographers, dancers and members of the blind community. Our resources are limited and we want to make the best use of them. Please let me know if you would be interested in having dance described, what kind of dance interests you and if you would like to participate in a development workshop (you can reply to this newsletter). If there is enough interest, we will pursue some funding for this project.

Time to get hopping!

Wishing you a happy spring with loads of chocolate bunny eggs!

Steph

** 2) DESCRIBED PERFORMANCES IN MARCH/APRIL…
————————————————————

** 3) BITTERGIRL, THE MUSICAL
————————————————————
BITTERGIRL, a new musical featuring the best breaking up and making up songs of the 60’s (on tour). Described on Saturday March 4, 2017 at 4 pm at the Surrey Arts Centre, 13750 88 Avenue, Surrey. Tickets are $25 for VocalEye users, while they last. Please call the Box Office to purchase at 604-501-5566.
(http://www.vocaleye.ca/shows/bittergirl/)

** 4) ANGELS IN AMERICA, PART 1
————————————————————
ANGELS IN AMERICA, PART ONE: MILLENIUM APPROACHES, an award-winning modern epic that tackles life, death, love, sex, heaven, hell, AIDS, Reaganism and redemption in 1980’s New York. Described on Sunday April 16, 2017 at 2 pm and on Wednesday April 19, 2017 at 7:30 pm at the Arts Club Stanley, 2750 Granville Street. Tickets are $29 for VocalEye users, while they last. Please call 604-687-1644 to purchase.
(http://www.vocaleye.ca/shows/angels-america-part-one-millenium-approaches/)

** 5) MOM’S THE WORD 3: NEST HALF EMPTY
————————————————————
MOM’S THE WORD 3: NEST HALF EMPTY, a touching and hilarious new chapter in the lives of Vancouver’s favourite Moms. Described on Tuesday April 25, 2017 at 7:30 pm at the Arts Club Granville Island, 1585 Johnston Street. Tickets are $29 for VocalEye users, while they last. Please call 604-687-1644 to purchase. This performance will be followed by a Talk Back with the cast.
(http://www.vocaleye.ca/shows/moms-word-3/)

** THEATRE BUDDIES
————————————————————
Theatre Buddies are available to guide VocalEye Members 18 years of age and over from a designated meet up location to and from selected theatres in the lower mainland. Reserve your Theatre Buddy by calling 604-364-5949 or send us an email (mailto:buddies@vocaleye.ca?subject=Theatre%20Buddy%20reservation) (48 hours notice is required). In Victoria, please contact Linda Bartram at 250-595-5888.

** 6) COMMUNITY…
————————————————————

** 7) AUDIO SUBTITLES
————————————————————
Audio subtitling is a new program VocalEye is offering in partnership with the Kids Culture Film Series and Reel2Real International Film Festival for Youth to make foreign language films with English subtitles more accessible to young children and to others who have difficulty reading print materials. The English subtitles will be read aloud and transmitted through VocalEye equipment. Headsets are limited. Please reserve when booking your tickets.

ANINA is an animated film from Uruguay suitable for children age 5 and up. This film is in Spanish with English subtitles and will be screened on Sunday, March 5 at 1 pm at The Rio, 1660 East Broadway at Commercial Drive. Advisory: some scenes of child nightmares. Kids $7 and Adults $10 in advance or $8 and $12 at the door. (http://kidscultureanina.brownpapertickets.com)

Anina Yatay Salas is a ten-year-old whose name spells trouble: those three palindromes in a row are an ongoing source of teasing at school. When a playground fight results in mysterious punishment, Anina will learn to put her problems in perspective and empathize with others in this sweet little daydream of a tale.

HEIDI is a Swiss-German film with English subtitles suitable for children age 9 and up. Screening on Saturday, April 8 at 2 pm at the Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour Street, Vancouver. Tickets are Kids $7 and Adults $10. (http://www.2017.r2rfestival.org/content/heidi)

Heidi is one of the most beloved and best-selling books ever written. Director Alain Gsponer’s fresh take on this classic tale conjures everything that is magical about the precocious orphan girl who is sent to live with her mysterious grandfather (Bruno Ganz, Downfall) in the Swiss Alps. When Heidi is whisked away by her aunt to a posh house in the city, her worldview expands rapidly. A term of Heidi’s lodging and education is that she is expected to provide companionship to Clara, the lonely, wheelchair-bound daughter of this well-to-do family. This is hardly a chore since goofing around with her new friend is decidedly fun, and Heidi is up for adventure. Ultimately, she finds herself caught between her friendship with Clara, and longing for the freedom of mountain life. Heidi is an epic tale of friendship, family, and following your instincts.

** 8) COMING UP…
————————————————————

We’ll launch our third raffle of a Plex Talk Mini, generously donated by Aroga Technologies, on May 1! (http://aroga.com)

ALICE MUNRO STORIES, the sublime words and blessed humanity of Canada’s celebrated author come to life.. Described on Sunday May 7, 2017 at 2 pm at the Belfry Theatre, 1291 Gladstone Avenue in Victoria. Tickets are $24.68 for VocalEye users plus a 25% discount for a companion, while they last. Please call 250-385-6815 to purchase. This performance will be followed by a Touch Tour.
(http://www.vocaleye.ca/shows/alice-munro-stories/)

VocalEye will also describe COMEDY ON WHEELS for Realwheels on May 18, 19 and 20.
(http://realwheels.ca/wheel-voices/comedy-on-wheels/)

In June, we’ll offer training workshops in sighted guiding, Fingerworks for Fireworks and introductory description. Filmmaker Sarah Race will begin shooting her documentary short about our fireworks project this summer as well. Dates and details still to be confirmed.

In July, we’ll be back at Bard on the Beach for two shows in the main stage tent with Touch Tours. Plus summer musicals at the Arts Club, Theatre Under the Stars, the Vancouver Pride Parade and more!

** 9) SUPPORT…
————————————————————
VocalEye will describe more than 40 performances and events this season for people who are blind and partially sighted, thanks to the generous contributions of our funders and supporters (http://www.vocaleye.ca/support-us/sponsors/)

We gratefully acknowledge the Canada Council for the Arts, the BC Arts Council, the Province of British Columbia, the City of Vancouver, Metro Vancouver, our Community Donors and Individual Donors for their critical financial and in-kind support. VocalEye is currently in the process of becoming a registered charity and will not be able to issue tax receipts for donations until our application is approved. In the meantime, donations are greatly appreciated from anyone not requiring a tax receipt.

We thank you for helping us provide people with vision loss greater access to arts and culture.

GIVE NOW
(https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=W6ZXMTEJ9MSGC)

** 10) REMINDERS…
————————————————————
* VocalEye’s complete season of described performances can be found on our website (http://vocaleye.ca/shows/) .
* Tickets and headsets must be reserved by calling the theatre, unless instructed otherwise.
* Be sure to mention VocalEye when booking your tickets to receive any discounts offered and indicate whether you have partial vision, a guide dog or other seating preferences. Seating options may be limited.
* Arrive early to pick up your equipment so you can be seated in time for a sound check and to listen to our pre-show introduction that includes brief descriptions of the set, characters and costumes. These begin 10 minutes before curtain.
* Our handheld receivers come with a single earpiece that can be worn on the left or right ear, or you can use your own earbuds or headphones. The audio signal is mono, so it will come through on only one side.
* VocalEye Memberships are FREE for people with vision loss.
* VocalEye Members are eligible for Theatre Buddy assistance, ticket discounts and equipment pickup without a deposit.
* VocalEye newsletters are available in your choice of formats: Plain Text or HTML with images. Both include a link at the top to a simple Word Doc format.
* VocalEye respects your right to privacy. We will not rent, sell or trade our list. Our mailings are intended to inform you of our events, programs, services and fundraising activities. You may unsubscribe at any time.
* You can help us spread the word about described performances and arts access for people with vision loss by sharing this newsletter with those in your network.

Thank you for reading through. See you at the theatre!

https://www.facebook.com/vocaleye/

http://vocaleye.ca
mailto:info@vocaleye.ca
http://www.youtube.com/vocaleyeful

Guest Post: Wal-Mart pharmacies in BC now offering accessible prescription medication information, Re-posted for Access for Sight-Impaired Consumers (ASIC)

The Canadian Council of the Blind, GTT is re-posting this information on behalf of Access for Sight-Impaired Consumers (ASIC). If you have any questions or comments please direct them to Rob Sleath at, info@asicbc.ca.

Wal-Mart pharmacies in BC now offering accessible prescription medication information

In addition to the eight pharmacy chains (listed below) which currently offer accessible prescription medication information (APMI), Wal-Mart Canada is now offering this service at no charge to its pharmacy customers in British Columbia effective February 2017. Wal-Mart pharmacies in BC join a growing number of pharmacy chains offering APMI at no additional cost to the consumer. These pharmacies include:

* Bulkley Valley Wholesale
* Coopers Foods
* London Drugs
* Overwaitea Foods
* Peoples Drug Mart
* PriceSmart Foods
* Save-On Foods
* Urban Fare

These pharmacies provide prescription information through an audio label affixed to the prescription bottle. Accessing the audio information is as simple as placing the prescription bottle atop a ScripTalk Reader and pressing a single button. The Reader will then announce the critical prescription information that your pharmacist has encoded into an RFID label, which will include:

• Patient’s name
• Name and strength of medication
• Dosage instructions
• Prescribing doctor’s name
• Refills remaining
• Dispensing date
• Prescription number
• Dispensing pharmacy name and telephone number
• Potential side effects and warnings

Readers can be acquired by contacting En-Vision America directly at 800-890-1180. They will ship one directly to your home at no cost provided you have a prescription pending and/or an established patient profile at one of the participating pharmacies listed above.

Access for Sight-Impaired Consumers is pleased that British Columbians who are blind or sight-impaired have several different choices when it comes to fulfilling their prescription needs with APMI. We intend to maintain close relationships with senior management from each of these participating pharmacy chains in order to work on further expanding these choices. We would appreciate receiving feedback regarding your experience with any of the pharmacies who provide APMI so that we can assist in ensuring consumers receive efficient and effective service.

Helpful Tips Regarding APMI Service
We offer the following tips for those interested in acquiring the APMI service:

1. For those who already obtain prescriptions from any participating pharmacy and wish to have all future prescriptions dispensed with APMI, contact En-Vision America today at 800 890-1180 and request they send you a ScripTalk Reader.
Delivery time takes approximately seven business days so requesting the Reader today will ensure you have the device when you next fill your prescription.
2. Ask your pharmacist to update your “Patient Profile” to indicate an encoded RFID label is required on all future prescriptions. This should eliminate the need for you to ask for it each time you present a new prescription or request a refill of an existing prescription.
3. Wherever possible, and before you conclude your appointment, ask your prescribing doctor to fax your new prescription to your pharmacy. Many pharmacies offering APMI require up to 48 hours turnaround time to dispense medications with APMI. Having your prescribing doctor fax the prescription in advance will save you a second trip to the pharmacy. And, when you pick up your medication, ask the pharmacist what turnaround time is required to encode the label as some pharmacy outlets are equipped to produce APMI labels in-store.
4. Also ask your prescribing doctor to add “requires accessible audio label” to your prescriptions. This will serve as a backup to ensure the pharmacist does not overlook this important requirement.

What You can Expect from Wal-Mart Pharmacies Wal-Mart Canada has committed to providing APMI service, with the following features, through its BC pharmacy outlets:

1. The prescription medication information to be contained in the auditory label is currently the default information programmed within the ScripTalk technology. This includes: patient name, name and strength of the medication, dosage, quantity, prescription date, use by date, refills remaining (if any), prescriber, name/telephone number of dispensing pharmacy, prescription number and warnings.
2. Patients or their personal representatives (with appropriate consent) may request ScripTalk encoded prescriptions in person at a Wal-Mart pharmacy or, in the case of an authorized prescriptions refill, by telephone call to a Wal-Mart pharmacy.
3. Physicians or other legally authorized health care professionals may request ScripTalk encoded prescriptions by telephone, electronically or by other authorized method when submitting a prescription to a Wal-Mart pharmacy.
4. If a ScripTalk encoded prescription request is submitted to a Wal-Mart BC pharmacy, Wal-Mart will make every effort to have the ScripTalk encoded prescription ready for patient pick-up within 48 hours from the time the ScripTalk encoded prescription request was submitted.
Wal-Mart will contact the patient to confirm that the ScripTalk encoded prescription is available for pick-up.
5. At the professional discretion of the Wal-Mart pharmacist, a 48- to 72-hour interim supply of the prescription medication will be dispensed to the patient and, if requested, the Wal-Mart pharmacy will take reasonable steps to mark the prescription container for easier identification by the patient. If the Wal-Mart pharmacist exercises his/her professional discretion against providing an interim supply, the patient will be entitled to choose either to fill the entire prescription at that time in the regular manner or to have the entire prescription filled as a ScripTalk prescription.
6. If a patient wishes to have a ScripTalk prescription delivered to his/her home, delivery will be free of charge for those Wal-Mart BC pharmacies that provide delivery service (currently, Penticton, Burnaby, New Westminster, Surrey West, Langley) and for the remaining Wal-Mart BC pharmacies if the patient lives within 10 km of the pharmacy. Otherwise, delivery charges will be borne by the patient. The provision of free delivery service for the remaining Wal-Mart BC pharmacies within 10 km of the patient’s home does not apply to prescription refills.

One of the many goals for Access for
Sight-Impaired Consumers is to expand sources where British Columbians who are blind or sight-impaired can acquire accessible prescription medication information. APMI enables those affected by significant sight loss to independently manage their medical prescriptions safely, confidently and independently. Please take a moment and share your APMI experience with us by emailing info@asicbc.ca so that we can work to further improve the service offered by participating pharmacies.

Resource Article: Dictation Commands for Mac OS X & iOS

Dictation Commands for Mac OS X & iOS

Find the text of Dictation Commands for Mac OS X & iOS here:

Additional resources titled, 60+ dictation commands available on your iPhone or iPad by Matt Hopkins:

And finally, follow this additional link to a YouTube video titled, Dictation on the iPad with VoiceOver:

Dictation is a feature of iOS and Mac OS X that lets you speak as you normally would, transforming your speech magically into text. It’s impressively accurate, letting you easily crank out notes, emails, diary entries, or just about anything else with it just by talking. To really get the most out of Dictation though you will want to learn a few extra commands, they will help with things like punctuation, creating paragraphs, jumping to new lines, and setting capitalization.

These commands will work in both OS X and iOS, so long as the Mac, iPad, or iPhone supports Dictation and has the featured turned on (here’s how to enable it in OS X and how to enable it for iOS, though it’s almost always turned on by default in the latest versions of both.)

List of Dictation Commands for iOS & Mac OS X

These are to be spoken when Dictation is active:

• “All Caps” to capitalize all of only the next word (e.g. START)
• “Caps” to capitalize the next word (e.g. Start)
• “Upper Case [letter]” for making a spelling out acronyms (e.g. SAT)
• “Caps On” to turn on caps lock
• “Caps Off” to turn off caps lock
• “No Caps” to use no capitals with the word
• “Numeral [number]” to type the number rather than word
• “New Paragraph” to create a new paragraph
• “New Line” to insert and start a new line
• “No Space” to prevent a space from being between the next word
• “No Space On” to turn off all spaces in the next sequence of words (helpful for passwords)
• “No Space Off” to resume normal spacing between words

Adding things like periods and commas can be done automatically by pausing in speech, or, usually more accurately, by just simply saying aloud the punctuation needed.

Here’s an example of how to use Dictation to write a quick message that looks as if it was typed normally:

“Hey Homer [comma] [new line]
What time do you want to see a movie I think the [numeral 5] showing is the [all caps] best [period] [new line]
Toodles [comma] Bart”

That would come out looking like this:

“Hey Homer,
What time do you want to see a movie? I think the 5 showing is the BEST.
Toodles, Bart”

There are a lot of other punctuation and special commands available, and even though most are common sense, you can find the full list below for convenience.

Punctuation & Special Character Commands for Dictation in Mac OS X & iOS

Most of the punctuation commands are common sense, but here’s the full list of possibilities from Apple:

table with 2 columns and 45 rows
Command
Result
question mark
?
inverted question mark
¿
exclamation point
!
hyphen
–
dash
–
em dash
—
underscore
_
comma
,
open parenthesis
(
close parenthesis
)
open square bracket
[
close square bracket
]
open brace
{
close brace
}
semi colon
;
ellipsis
…
quote
“
end-quote
”
back quote
“
single quote
‘
end single quote
’
double-quote
“
apostrophe
‘
colon
:
slash
/
back slash
\
tilde
~
ampersand
&
percent sign
%
copyright sign
©
registered sign
®
section sign
§
dollar sign
$
cent sign
¢
degree sign
º
caret
^
at sign
@
Pound sterling sign
£
Yen sign
¥
Euro sign
€
pound sign
#
smiley face (or “smiley”)
🙂
frowny face (or “sad face”, “frown”)
😦
winky face (or “winky”)
😉
table end

Many other commands were mentioned on the web page, so follow the link at the top of this document to access those comments.

Resource Article: VIA Rail and the Wallet App on iDevices

VIA Rail Tickets and the Wallet App:

Note: The below steps assume that a VIA Rail profile has been registered on their Web Site.

1. On your iDevice install the VIARail App from the App Store. It’s free.
2. In the VIARail App log in using your user name and password, which then will display your purchased tickets on the main page.
3. At the bottom of the page is a button called, Boarding Pass, double tap on it.
4. Near the top of the page will be a button called, Add to Wallet. Do that for each ticket you have purchased. In my case I had two tickets, my sighted guide’s and mine.
5. Open the Wallet App to confirm that your tickets are listed. If you have more than one ticket they will be stacked under the same item in the list. Double tap on it and near the bottom you will find a number picker that you will flick in order to show the second, or subsequent tickets. This might well be where you’ll find the bar code that the Ticket Agent will need to see when you board the train.
6. To remove the ticket once the event/trip has passed, double tap on the ticket in the Wallet App, then double tap on the More Info button at the bottom of the page, then scroll through the page to find the Remove Button. It will ask you to confirm that you want to remove it. Each ticket will have to be removed individually.

End of article.