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 National Conference Call Summary Notes: All About Windows 10 and Screen Readers, November 9, 2016

GTT National Conference Call
Summary Notes

November 9, 2016.

Screen Readers:
Screen readers being used by people on the call.

• JAWS, ranging from Version 13 to 17, paid only with time limited trials available.
• Window Eyes, free, trial and paid versions available.
• System Access, free, trial and paid versions available.
• NVDA, free with a suggested $30 donation.
• Dolphin Guide, paid only with a free 30-day trial.
• Many people are using windows 7, a few windows 8.1 and some windows 10 with one person still on xp but looking to change.
• One person is using ZoomText Magnifier/Reader but changing to NVDA.

Brainstorming specific questions:

PDF’s
Someone was trying to convert PDFs received by email into word documents without a scan and read program.
There are three main blindness specific scanning programs, and one that isn’t specific to blindness. There are also free web sites available to convert PDF files to text documents, and two of the screen readers discussed this night are able to convert PDF files to text on the fly.
• ABBYY FineReader, which is not a blindness specific program, however that is being used successfully by screen reader and magnification users.

• Kurzweil 1000, which is aimed at the blind market has been around a long time, and is used almost exclusively in the school and post-secondary systems. This program is available for the PC, and its sister program, Kurzweil 3000 is aimed at the Learning Disability sector on both the Mac and PC platforms.

• Openbook is also blindness specific and is a product of Freedom Scientific. It is only available for the PC platform.

• DocuScan plus is a blindness specific program and is created by Serotek, the makers of System Access. It is a stand-alone scan and read program that is self-voicing, and available for both the PC and Mac platforms.

DocuScan plus by Serotek appears to be the least expensive of the known scan and read software and is very easy to use.

Someone said that they try to read a PDF using Acrobat Reader and it says converting but then the screen reader says empty document.

This may be because the file has been scanned as an image and not converted for OCR. OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition, and you can learn more here. When someone is setting up their scanner they need to check the box which says check OCR so that it creates PDF files that will be readable by screen readers.

When a document has been scanned as an image file or when PDF files are received by email, programs like ABBYY FineReader, Kurzweil, Openbook and DocuScan can convert them to text based files electronically.

Also, sometimes iDevices read pdf’s that computers can’t access easily.
• The VoiceDreamReader app is good at converting and reading PDFs.
• The KNFB Reader iPhone app can also convert PDF files to text.

There is an OCR add-on that you can download from Freedom Scientific called, Convenient OCR. It is built into the latest versions of JAWS.

To OCR a document with JAWS, do the following:
1. Press jaws key plus the space bar
2. Press O for OCR then D for entire document.
3. Once converted to readable text one may select all or some of the text for pasting into an MS Word document. See more details by accessing the above link.

NVDA also has an OCR Add-on for converting PDFs to readable text. Download it by accessing the above link.

There are web sites that are free to convert PDF and other formatted files too many text based editable formats. One of them is, PDF to Text, and it can be found here. Narrator.
• In Windows 10 you can do more with narrator. You can move around your screen with it. It is not as robust as the above noted screen readers, however you can use narrator for the built in Live Mail and Edge Browser programs for Windows 10.
• You can use narrator to get to a website say to set up NVDA. Edge and Windows Live Mail are very inaccessible with any other screen reader.
• Narrator is not a full-fledged screen reader yet but people are encouraged to try it with Windows 10.
• It is free.

Google Searches:
It was pointed out that if you’re looking for download links to free software like NVDA, try typing in your Google Search NVDA Screen Reader Download or Thunderbird Download and it will usually take you right to the downloads page. Also, Google searches that start with “How do I…” will almost always get you good and helpful results.

General Questions:
Someone asked what version of JAWS is needed in order to run Windows 10? It is JAWS 16 or higher.

NVDA updates are always free and the software is free unless you buy the Eloquence Synthesizer voices which is around 80 dollars Canadian.

Once you have purchased the System Access screen reader, all updates are free, and it does work with Windows 10.

*Note: if your needs are being met with Windows 7 or 8.1 you don’t have to move to Windows 10. Those two operating systems will be supported by Microsoft for several years yet. However, if you are upgrading from Windows XP or Vista it might be worth your while to embark on a Windows 10 upgrade as you will be entering a significant learning curve anyway.

NVDA is a great screen reader developed by two people who are blind and they are updating all the time. This program is open source so some workplaces may not let you install or use it.

Many of the key strokes are very similar between NVDA and JAWS.

Trouble-shooting and training apps:
• JAWS offers a built-in training and trouble-shooting utility called Tandem which allows someone helping you to access your computer provided both are running JAWS.

• NVDA has a similar program called NVDA Remote.• TeamViewer is another utility that can be used for trouble-shooting and training that is not screen reader specific. Difference between screen readers on the PC and mac?
• The Mac has only one choice for screen reader. It is called VoiceOver and is built-in. It is available on all Macs and you do not need to buy it separately.
• All the native Mac apps, (Mail, Web Browser, Spreadsheet, iTunes, Notes, Word Processing work well with VoiceOver.
• It has good high quality voices.
• The way you use this screen reader is very different than on the PC so there is a learning curve.
• There are good books through National braille press, as well as guides and podcasts through AppleVis.com and many resources to help you with the Mac and other iDevices.
• If you use other iDevices, your content will sync well between them and the Mac.
• The Track Pad on the Mac lets you do many gestures which are the same as those you use with your iPhone.
• If you have a friend with a mac and you want to try it out, hold down the Command Key and type F5 to toggle it on and off. The Command Key is known as the Alt Key on a PC, and is found to the left and right of the Space Bar.
• When you launch VoiceOver on the Mac, you are asked if you want to run the VoiceOver Tutorial, which helps you learn the basic keyboard commands.
• One other advantage is that you can run a copy of Windows on your Mac with NVDA. So, you can have both systems running on one computer. You might only want to do this if you love technology however.
• If you have questions about the Mac, Kim Kilpatrick uses it almost exclusively and can talk to you about the pros and cons.
• Mac computers are more expensive than many laptops but they are good quality.

What resources are out there for learning screen readers?
There are many good free and paid resources for learning to use your products and screen readers.
Often if users are having trouble, it is because they have not taken the time to set up the machine for maximum benefit from screen readers, or they haven’t learned enough about how to access the computer with their screen reading software.

• CathyAnne Murtha textbooks are very good and highly recommended.• NVDA has put out a very good manual for learning how to use it and someone said it is one of the best manuals he has seen. The cost for it is 30 dollars Australian and it can be found on the NVDA web site.

• There are many other useful things on the NVDA Web Site including some tutorials, downloads of the software etc.
• Serotek also has good materials for learning the screen reader and the programs it supports.Disability Answer/Support Desk:
The below free technical support hotlines are reserved for screen reader, magnification, hearing or physical disability software users. All reports are that the people working these hotlines are quick, respectful, expert and friendly.

Someone was having an issue getting iCloud Mail running on the PC or on Android. No answers came out of the group gathered this night, so it was suggested that he call the Apple Accessibility Support number:
1-877-204-3930

For all troublesome matters related to screen reader or magnification users and the Microsoft Operating System or MS Office products, the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk number is:
1-800-936-5900

It was suggested you could use two different email programs on the PC. Say Outlook for Gmail and Thunderbird for iCloud.

It was pointed out that Thunderbird is a good email program and is recommended by those developing NVDA, but there can be a few problems such as not landing directly in your inbox.

The Edge Web Browser does not work well in Windows 10 but you can use Google Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer.

Next meeting, December 14, all about Streaming Services.

Respectfully submitted,
Kim Kilpatrick and Albert Ruel

GTT Vancouver and New Westminster Summary Notes, GPS and OrCam, September and October Meetings, 2016

GTT Vancouver
Summary Notes

Topic: GPS and the OrCam

Session 1, GPS and the OrCam
Date: Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Present: 16 participants; Shawn, Corey, Lilo, Nora, John, Louise, Fay, Carol, Pat, Mary, Lynn, Peg, Ryan, Albert, Clement, and Barry from OrCam

Session 2, GPS
Date: Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Present: 8 participants; Shawn, Albert, Geri, John, Fay, Carol, Louise, Kari-Lyn

First Saturday Meeting which dealt with GPS,
Date: Saturday, October 22, 2016 at VCC
Present: 24 participants; John, Jeremy, Nora, Rita, Tammy, John, Peg, Bev, Pat, Bridget, Mary, Mo, Richard, Perry, Icy, Tracey, Shawn, Sean, Matthew, Monty, Cathy, Becky, Owen and Anna

What is GPS – Global Positioning System?
• What is it and how does it work?
• -type of technology that tells someone or something where it is on planet earth
• relies on a series of satellites in the sky
• there used to be 24, now there are many more
• your technology communicates, gets a message to tell you where you are in relation to the satellite
• The accuracy ranges from 1 metre in military technology to 2-3 metres, or as bad as five, depending on the service provider

History and Evolution
• Satellites were used initially for GPS
• GPS is used for anything that does long distance travel
• Nowadays everybody has GPS – it now is enhanced by Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cell towers, and satellites.
• Some store maps so you can look at them even when there is no satellite signal or data connection.
• Portable GPS started in the late 90’s and were the size of back-packs and Laptops.
• The trekker was a PDA with special software added which was very expensive. Came with many components and wires to connect everything.
• It was full featured, would tell you points of interest, could browse a route, and was a very handy device. It had no Internet connection and relied on satellites. So, if it was rainy or cloudy it’s difficult to reach the satellites and would not work.
• Trekker Breeze had some improvements but was harder to relabel points of interest.
• At this point they started integrating GPS into note takers you could carry your one device.
• Freedom Scientific included it in the Pacmate which no longer exists. They used infrared for the receiver which meant you had to line it up perfectly in order to work.
• Then there was the BrailleNote which included GPS. You could add additional software for another $1500 which came with maps and a receiver. They used Bluetooth – Wi-Fi___33 without Internet – good for about 30 feet. This was more stable connection.
• Then BrrailleSense added GPS. Worked reasonably well.
• At the same time GPS were starting to be integrated into cars
• Then we started integrating into phones.
• Using 3G and cell networks.
• Apple came up with Maps on the IPhone so you did not need to purchase additional software.
• Google came up with google maps
• Now there is location tracking with phones.
• The more things you have transmitting on your phone the easier it will be for the GPS to work.
• Blue tooth will suck your battery life faster when turned on.

GPS apps – BlindSquare, Apple Maps, Navacon, Smartphone GPS, Seeing Eye, Nearby Explorer, AuTour.
• Google Maps, Apple Maps, and AuTour are free
• You do need data on your phone to use GPS on the go
• You may want an external battery pack or a phone case that charges it twice
• When you ask Siri to take you somewhere the phone will automatically use Apple Maps. Whenever you choose Get Directions uses Apple Maps
• Tell it to find a place and get directions or ask Siri to take you somewhere – tracking isn’t bad and directions usually will get you there.
• Apple maps will tell you when to switch lanes so it can be helpful if you are trying to help navigate for your driver
• Google Maps is more refined, better control, and you can do more stuff with it.
• You can find it in the app store, it’s free, and includes transit stops locally but not for every system.
• Five options driving walking, transit, biking, and ride services
• When you open google maps it opens a menu with an edit field. You can dictate as long as you have good service and your environment isn’t too loud.
• Menu will get you into settings, save your location
• When you click query you get a search field, recent history will give you the last places you’ve searched for, explore food and drinks, gas stations, pharmacy’s, nearby.
• Maps on the Trekker could be 2 years old but Google Maps are updated regularly.
• Not every business will show up but if you enter an address it will be able to find those smaller businesses
• You need location services on for GPS to work.

Seeing Eye has a look around arm that will tell you what is in each direction. It updates every 15 seconds which is why it sucks the battery so fast.
• Once it catches where you are it will tell you what is to your southeast or northwest. It will tell you what street is running from your left to right, or behind to forward.
• Seeing Eye uses worldwide maps. It pulls from foursquare or google maps.
• You can pay $13 per month, $60 per year, or buy it outright for $300.
• You can create routes, mark points of interest.

BlindSquare won’t give you turn by turn instruction
• It has a “look around” arm to see what is nearby
• It has a 15 minute sleep timer

Nearby Explorer is less than a third of the money but does pretty much the same as Seeing Eye.
• Both give route options, virtual walk abouts, include buses
• It also has a “look around” arm
• Nearby Explorer is $109. Covers North America. Downloads 4 gigs of maps into your phone and uses google maps and apple maps. It requires a lot of storage.

AuTour is a new free app
• You can point your phone at something and it will tell you what you are pointed at
• Radar will scan what’s around you 360 degrees. Beam tells you what you are pointed at.

Seeing assistant move, Lite and paid versions available
• -has a suite of applications, colour detector, light detector
• -it is an app, somewhere around nine or ten dollars
• -reason it is ten and not one hundred, is because it does not pay map companies to license expensive maps from third parties
• -instead it makes use of a project called OpenStreet Map, a project where people all over the world, have designed the map for the company
• anywhere people go, they log their current location, and open street map shares it with the rest of the users
• takes advantage of free mapping from countries
• -not as good as the ones that use really detailed third party maps, but probably about 90% as good, and much more affordable
• -don’t always need a data connection, but will need to download maps at some point
• -the presenter demonstrates the app to the group
• the presenter shows a point close to our location that he added to the open map
• the presenter hits the where am I button, gives a slightly different address, but that is probably the closest address to this classroom
• This app can also identify cross streets
• now giving an example of a route
• the presenter goes to all categories, clicks entertainment, to see what is around, and looks for close by restaurants
• clicks actions, hits add to track
• the app also tells you by clock face where your destination is, so as you approach it will say the place is at 11 clock, 10 o’clock, and so on, orienting you to the building
• calculate a turn by turn route
• start point, my location, end point, restaurant, route type, fastest
• designate and track route
• -drawbacks
• the simulate location feature
• tell your phone where you will be in the future, choose a place, and it can simulate that location, and then you can explore that area in the same way you would with the app if you were actually there
• this feature stopped working in parts of the app, however when the presenter contacted the developers, they were receptive and thanked him for pointing out the error

Which is the best GPS App:

Blind Square is inexpensive
• Accessible overlay that uses the compass, apple maps, transit app and makes it accessible
• Tells you where you are in relation to your destination but no turn by turn directions

• Ask your I-phone to find directions to an address
• Choose whether you are driving, walking and then it will talk you through the directions
• I-Beacon technology requires Bluetooth which will work indoors
• GPS doesn’t work in a mall
• Tap with 4 fingers at the bottom of the screen brings cursor to bottom or at top of the screen brings you to the top
• Four Square – you can pull up the restaurant where you are and rate your meal. The more places you check in at, the more places end up on Four Square
• Blind Square uses four square
• You can search for arts and entertainment, food, residences, shops, outdoor and recreation, colleges and universities, etc
• Sometimes it will tell you about a restaurant that is now closed

Nearby Explorer – need more than a 16 gig phone – a bit more expensive but does give turn by turn directions
• Costs more than Blind Square but less than Seeing Eye.
• Increase or decrease radius to hear what is closer or father away
• You can turn on a setting to tell you every street you cross, city boundaries, addresses, etc. You can choose as little or as much as you want
• Guidance can be turned on to give you guidance to get to your location
• Nearby Explorer was developed by American Printing House and it has been running on Android for 4 years.
• Once you have maps loaded on the app and you use only onboard apps, you don’t need data

Seeing Eye requires data for maps which is why it doesn’t require as much space.

OrCam demo from Barry Underwood
• Comes with glasses with a small camera attached. The camera can attach to any set of glasses
• Once the device is turned on, you hit the single button which is a trigger to take a photo of what you are looking at.
• You can also use your finger and point to the document and it will also take a picture and start reading

The next meeting topic is to be determined

November 23 will be the next Daytime GTT Vancouver Meeting at Blind Beginnings.
December 3 will be the next Saturday GTT Vancouver Meeting at VCC

GTT Victoria: Summary Notes, Identifi and OrCam, November 2, 2016

Get together with Technology (GTT)
Victoria Meeting – GVPL Main branch, Meeting Room
Summary Notes

Wednesday November 2, 2016

The meeting was called to order at 1:15 pm by chair Albert Ruel

Attendance, Karis, Bruce, Tom, Sabena, Karen, John, Sky, Shelly, Jenna, Evette, Steve, Corry and Albert. As well Barry Underwood, representing OrCam was in attendance for a second half presentation.

The group welcomed Shelly and Jenna from Salt Spring Island, who were both first time participants within the group and had made the trip over specifically for the GTT meeting.

During the first half, various topics were discussed. Albert started things off by introducing the group to a new app called identifi, Developed byAnmol Tukrel, a young Canadian residing in Toronto. Currently only available for iOS, the app lets one take pictures via the device camera and will provide an audio description of the item photographed. Albert demoed the app. Results took about 10 seconds. The app will not retain the photo and you can identify pictures from your camera roll. You must have iOS9 or higher on your iPhone, more info at the Apple Apps store.

John spoke in regards to needing an audible signal at the corner of Government and Humbolt/Warf, right by the tourist center. Extremely busy corner and an odd one for pedestrians to cross based on it’s configuration. Unanimous agreement.

Tom, communicated to the group that he is now featured as a regular guest on the Kelly and Company show on AMI Audio, more info at ami.ca. Tom also continues with his weekly world music program on Mushroom FM, more info at mushroomfm.com

Tom spoke of a new kitchen appliance he had purchased called the Onepot. The appliance can be controlled via an iPhone app, is Bluetooth enabled and to date Tom has no accessibility issues. Information on one such device can be found at https://applevis.com/podcast/episodes/demonstration-instant-pot-electric-pressure-cooker-and-its-companion-ios-app

A discussion ensued about other appliance and home security apps and programs. The group also discussed driverless cars, and the rapid growth of technology in this regard.

Question, what is Bluetooth, summation, short range wireless, seamed to be the best description. The discussion continued around Bluetooth settings on one’s phone, on or off if not in use and how much battery does Bluetooth take. Off and very little were the verdicts. The “find my iPhone” feature was also discussed.

Tom spoke of a luggage identifier that is now available and is accessible tracking one luggage when away from the carrier. more info at mosen.org.

Tom informed the group how pleased he is with the iOS10 on screen braille keyboard. Perfect was his description,

After a short break Barry Underwood made his presentation.
He placed in front of 6 participants an OrCam device then walked them through the unboxing and activation process. OrCam has undergone an upgrade in 2016 and now includes the ability to pause and resume reading, and guidance on whether or not the text is centered in the camera view. There are two versions of the device, the OrCam Reader and the OrCam MyEye. Many questions were asked and answered, and if anyone has additional need for information about the OrCam Barry can be reached at the below contact info.
http://www.orcam.com/
Barry.Underwood@OrCam.com
250-498-6515

Next meeting, Wednesday, December 7th, 2016
Time 1:00pm
Topic: Open Discussion about Assistive Technology, and Santa’s Wish List. LOL

CELA looking for users to be on their advisory committee.

See below for a post from CELA about becoming involved in a user advisory group.  In order to do this, you must fill in a survey or contact them directly.

See below.

Are you interested in sharing your experiences and providing input to improve services for the print disabled community? CELA is now accepting applications for its new User Advisory Group! The group will meet 6-12 times a year with the goal of informing technology decisions and overall strategy of the organization and strengthening CELA services for all.  CELA is looking for input from a variety of users with a wide range of experiences and abilities. Appointments to the Advisory Group is for a two-year term and CELA asks that those applying meet the following criteria:

 

  • Willingness and ability to commit to the necessary time and effort required to contribute meaningfully to the group;
  • Commitment and interest in the future of CELA services, with that interest informed by personal or professional experience and an ability to balance local and regional perspectives;
  • Skills and experience related to previous work with community-based and/or cultural or library projects

 

CELA welcomes and encourages interested GTT members to apply for the group by completing theapplication form (SurveyMonkey) by Friday, December 2, 2016. For additional information, please read the Terms of Reference (Word) or email Michael Ciccone, Executive Director.

Apple resource and also trying to make sure I can paste in links correctly.

I am trying out a new way to paste links into the blog.

This is a useful new portal apple has for accessibility so if you want to let me know if you can click on the following link, I’d be grateful.

 

 

http://www.apple.com/accessibility/

GTT Edmonton: Summary Notes, Dolphin Guide, October 17, 2016

Summary Notes
GTT Edmonton Meeting October 17, 2016

The most recent meeting of the Get Together With Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held October 17at 7pm at Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 83 Street in Edmonton.
16 people attended.

2017 Membership Dues
Thank you to those who paid their CCB 2017 $10 membership. We would appreciate if new or existing members can pay in November as we are required to submit our dues by the end of November to qualify for a 50% refund back to our chapter.

Research Project
Dean Kozak joined us briefly to explain his Master’s degree project to research the activity levels of blind and visually impaired people. Dean needs volunteers to survey for his research. We agreed Dean will construct a letter about the research which we will email to our members so those who wish to participate can contact him directly.

October Feature Topic – Your Needs and Dolphin Guide Software

Your Feedback
Carrie surveyed attendees so we could all hear what technology they use and what topics they would like to learn more about. Members wish to continue the demos of technology but they also want more one on one help with the basics including:
• Using computers especially Windows PCs with both JAWS and Zoomtext.
• Using DAISY players and downloading books to them.
• Basics of iPhone including iCloud and useful apps.

Several people would like a home visit by a technician to deal with computer issues. One person could benefit from a volunteer to take him on errands to acquire or repair technology. Most people have desktops they can’t bring to the meeting so we will look into whether some laptops could be borrowed for use at our meetings or we could rent a computer lab to teach people one on one. We will continue the discussion regarding your needs in the next meeting.

Guide Software from Dolphin
Lorne demonstrated the Guide software program from Dolphin that can be purchased and installed on your Windows PC.
• Guide replaces Windows for many basic computer functions such as writing letters/documents, email, finding/downloading/listening to audio books including those from CELA and Bookshare, listening to radio and podcasts, managing appointments and contacts, browsing the Internet, making Skype calls, even playing games, and more.
• Guide is self-voicing and has built-in high contrast magnification so you do not need a talking screen reader or screen magnifier.
• Guide reduces everyday tasks to simple menus that direct you to press 1 for this, press 2 for that etc. much like using an interactive telephone system.
• When you select a function such as sending an email it leads you through the process with simple spoken directions such as “type the email address you wish to send to”, “now type the subject line”, “now type the email body”.
• It has its own file format for documents so you don’t need to learn a program like MS Word or know how to manage document files. However, it can produce or read MS Word if needed.
• All functions work the same way so unlike Windows programs there is no need to memorize keyboard shortcuts or different interfaces for different programs.
• It could be a viable solution for people using a Windows computer for the first time or those who have difficulty remembering the steps to follow or keys to press for different programs.
• Cost is $1169 CDN.
• Dolphin is a UK company but the Guide program is available in Canada from Frontier Computing. For more information contact Frontier Computing at this link. A free 30 day trial is available. On the above web page there are additional links for product reviews and YouTube demos.

Next Meeting (Monday November 14at 7pm)
• We will try to identify the next steps to provide more one on one assistance especially with respect to using computers, DAISY players, and iPhones.
• No demo is yet planned. We will confirm on the agenda.
• Send your meeting topic ideas to GTT.Edmonton@gmail.com.
• 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 Team
• Carrie Anton is visually impaired and is the accessibility specialist for Athabasca University.
carrie.anton@hotmail.com
• Gerry Chevalier is blind. He is retired from HumanWare where he worked as the Product Manager for the Victor Reader line of talking book players.
GTT.Edmonton@gmail.com
• Heather MacDonald is a career and employment specialist with extensive experience helping blind and visually impaired people find employment.
• Russell Solowoniuk is blind and works with alternative formats and assistive technology at Grant MacEwan University.
rsolowoniuk@gmail.com
• Lorne Webber is blind and is the accessibility specialist for Norquest College.
lorne.webber@gmail.com

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 will present a feature technology topic and general question and answer about any other technology.
• Small groups or one on one assistance is possible at the meetings.
• 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, 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 Calgary: Summary Notes, Open Discussion, September 19, 2016

Summary Notes
Get Together with Technology (GTT) Calgary
A Chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind

The most recent meeting of the Get Together With Technology (GTT) Calgary Chapter was held September 19 at 10:00 AM at the CCB Office in the basement of the Calgary CNIB Service Center, 15 Colonel Baker Place NE.

Attendance- 4 members, Karen, Cherryl, Ted, Anthony.

As discussed, here are the desired topics for the coming months:
• Lots of people wanted to know more about the new features in iOS 10.
• AuTour was also mentioned as well.
• Priority for next month will be GPS aps, weather permitting.
• Since we have a couple of Android users, it was mentioned that we need to get somebody to come from Android to speak.
• We also said it might be good to have someone to come from Aroga and talk about what they have to offer.
• Some people less technically advanced also said they would like to go back to basics since some of what was and is covered is above their heads or too complicated.

If you have any questions, comments, or if there are any ommissions, please contact me or Cherryl McNab and we will be happy to assist you.

Next Meeting (Monday October 17 at 10:00 AM )
• Send your meeting topic ideas to Tedsmusicom@telus.net.
• As always, for help with technology bring your devices and/or questions to the meeting.

Meeting Location and Logistics:
• We meet in the CCB Office in the basement of the Calgary CNIB Service Center, 15 Colonel Baker Place NE.
• Meetings are held on the third Monday of each month at 10:00 AM.
• If you have someone helping you your assistant is welcome to remain for the meeting.

GTT Calgary Team:
Cherryl McNab, CCB Calgary Chapter and Alberta Division President
Ted Phillips, CCB Calgary Club Secretary
(403)801-2294 Tedsmusicom@telus.net

GTT Calgary Overview
• GTT Calgary is a chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB).
• GTT Calgary promotes a self-help learning experience by holding monthly meetings to assist participants with assistive technology.
• Each meeting will present a feature technology topic and general question and answer about any other technology.
• Small groups or one on one assistance is possible at the meetings.
• 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, 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 Victoria Summary Notes, Accessible GPS, October 5, 2016

Get together with Technology (GTT) Victoria

Sponsored by

The Canadian Council of the Blind

Summary Notes
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Held in the Community Meeting Room of the GVPL Main branch

The meeting was called to order at 1:15 pm by chair Albert Ruel

Attendance, 18

Hanna has communicated to Albert that she is no longer able to take meeting minutes, Moving forward we are looking for a new individual to assume this role. Corry agreed to take notes at this meeting.

The first portion of the meeting was devoted exclusively to discussion about the past, present and future of the GTT group in Victoria. Input from participants was encouraged along the lines of What do you like, what don’t you like, topic suggestions, etc. Input was also sought regarding the groups meeting day, time and location. Some suggestions included…..

Advertising, get the word out more
Streamline the amount of GTT material we receive, only interested in Victoria
More information for beginners, get back to the basics.
Access to room used at library is a bit tricky, is it possible to use at side entrance.
Product demo’s were liked, but perhaps go beyond “hi tech” items
More “one on one” mentoring, “one on two” if support people are limited
Participants liked day of week and time.

After a great deal of discussion it was decided that future meeting of the GTT Victoria group will be broken up into two distant halves, the first hour will be devoted exclusively to topic matter for new tech users, and the second hour (after a 15 minute break) will be targeted towards the more advanced user. Participants are welcome to attend ether or both. If additional “one on one” support is required, and the appropriate support personnel is available, participants from the first half might be able to break away to a smaller room for additional help beyond the first hour. This format will be evaluated after a few months to see how the process is working out.

Corry informed the group that GTT Victoria has a new email address. PLEASE direct all GTT related correspondence to GTT.Victoria@gmail.com

Alex Jurgenson informed the group that he does contract iOS training work at Simply Computing, 102-2000 Cadboro Bay Road, Victoria , British Columbia V8R 5G5 , Phone: 250-412-6899

Tom suggested that John Mossen has put together a great resource for iOS10 users titled iOS10 Without the Eye. find out more at http://mosen.org/ios10/

John inquired about Apps available to have Newspapers read to you. Tom will look into it, and perhaps this would be a great topic for a future meeting.

Albert informed the group of a great series of Training videos available via the Hadley Institute for the Blind called iFocus. He has loaded them into a Shared GTT dropbox folder and can make copies available to anyone who is interested. The folder was shared with the Pacific Training Center.

Tom informed the group of a major accessibility flaw with the Facebook App for iOS resulting from a recent Facebook app update and his frustration to communicate with the folks at Facebook.

Bruce informed the group that he was testing a new App on the iPad that will/is helping him communicate more effectively. He is extremely happy with the iPAD and his ability to participate dispite a hearing loss.

Tom informed the group the Braille onscreen keyboard and the connectivity to braille displays in iOS10 is “amazing”. Contact him at tom@ihabilitation.ca

There were a couple of questions about Fusion. Sky Mundell is a Fusion trainer, and he can be reached at
skyt@shaw.ca

Alex asked the group to brainstorm on “apps that have not been invented yet. His question, what would you like an app to do that is currently not available. Some ideas generated were, Detection of soiled clothes, and identification of stores in malls.

The last 30 minutes of the meeting were devoted to GPS, Albert lead the discussion talking about the different options available like the Trekker Breeze, Google maps, Apple Maps, Seeing Eye GPS app, Blind Square and his new personal favourite Nearby Explorer. Most can be found at ether the Android or Apple app stores. Cost of Nearby Explorer is $123.00 Canadian funds

Alex informed the group that he was making a presentation to BC Transit over the next few days in regards to providing an alternative to the “street identifier” currently being used on the Victoria Public Transit System. The project is called StopsPro. Alex suggested that his new system would call stops, identify buses and could be modified to accommodate a visual display. He let the group hear some audio samplings of a voice used in the testing process. Alex will keep the group informed of his progress.

Corry informed the group that CCB memberships for the 2017 year are now being collected. Cost is ten dollars, Please see Albert or Corry for more information.

Meeting adjourned at 3:50pm

Next Meeting is Wednesday November 2nd, 2016
1:15 for the “beginners” tech group
2:30 for the Regular GTT meeting with more advanced topic matter

Canadians with Disabilities Act Consultations: Barrier-Free Canada Resource for Participation

Dear BFC-CSB supporter: We are delighted to share our October newsletter with you and we again thank you for your continuing support of our initiative.
With best wishes
The BFC-CSB team

The Barrier Free Canada – Canada sans Barrières October 2016 newsletter

Table of contents
1. Summary of Recent Events
2. News coverage
3. From around the country
4. Question for consideration
5. Next steps
6. We need your feedback
7. Contact info

*****
Summary of Recent Events
The month of September was a busy one for us as BFC-CSB created and posted two articles on its website which are designed to help you as you get ready
to attend Minister Qualtrough’s public hearing engagements across Canada and you can read these two documents at
http://barrierfreecanada.org/two-resources-for-canadians-with-disabilities-act/
They were both written by David Lepofsky of our steering committee.
The first document is a Canadians with Disabilities Act Consultation Tip Sheet: Detailed Points to Present to the Federal Government’s Public Consultation
on What To Include in the Promised Federal Accessibility Law.
The second document What Should the Promised New Federal Disability Accessibility Law Include? – At a Glance

In September Donna Jodhan met with officials from the Canadian Transportation Agency and the purpose of the meeting was for her to share her views with
them on the CTA’s accessible transportation discussion paper. Donna has submitted a written response to the CTA and will be posting this shortly to the
bfc-csb website.

We will note here that in its response to the CTA’s accessible transportation discussion paper, the Greater Toronto Airport Authority has stated the following.
“Toronto Pearson terminals meet all federal regulations regarding accessibility standards, and the CTA has advised us that the GTAA is fully compliant.”
We would like to know where may we find any public information to support this statement? Additionally; the GTAA does not want the CTA to have any role
in new construction and assessment of plans for accessibility.

On September 23 Donna Jodhan made a presentation to members of a cross section of disabilities persons groups in Halifax Nova Scotia and the presentation
centered on advocacy and seeking support for Barrier Free Canada – Canada sans Barrières.
This trip was sponsored by CNIB and organized by Pat Gates and Louise Gillis president of CCB.

Among those attending were: CCB, CNIB, Canadian Paraplegic Association Nova Scotia, Muscular Dystrophy Atlantic, March of Dimes, CARP or the Canadian Association
of Retired Persons,Mt. St. Vincent University, MS Society, NS Health Authority, Municipal Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and a number of individuals
representing themselves.

Earlier in the Day Donna along with Pat and Louise met with Mike Savage; Mayor of Halifax and the Mayor has since written a letter in support of BFC-CSB.

*****
News coverage
Taken from
New legislation to give more options for people with disabilities and employers, minister says
New legislation to give more options for people with disabilities and employers, minister says Jonathan Charlton, Saskatoon StarPhoenix Published on: September
28, 2016 | Last Updated: September 28, 2016 9:15 PM CST Carla Qualtrough, minister of sport and persons with disabilities, says upcoming disabilities legislation
is important.
Wayne
Cuddington / Ottawa Citizen
The federal government is creating legislation to protect people with disabilities, and Saskatchewan residents will be able to participate in consultations
this week. A public meeting was held in Regina on Wednesday, followed by a private round table in Saskatoon Friday. Carla Qualtrough, minister of sport
and persons with disabilities, spoke with reporter Jonathan Charlton about why the legislation is important. This interview has been condensed and edited.
What are you trying to accomplish with this legislation?
“In short, we’re trying to create a law that proactively requires businesses, services providers, program deliverers within federal jurisdiction to remove
barriers for people with disabilities,” she said. Instead of waiting until someone is discriminated against and human rights law kicks in, the legislation
will create a systemic approach to dealing with inclusion. It would cover the government itself as well as federally regulated businesses such as banks,
telecommunications and Via Rail.
Why is legislation required, as opposed to something like a code of conduct or a mission statement?
“First of all it shows federal leadership in this area. It sends a clear message to Canadians that disability issues, disability policy, accessibility,
are priorities for our government,” she said. Legislation also tends to survive through successive governments, she said. “More than 50 per cent of the
complaints to the Human Rights Commission of Canada are on the grounds of disability. So there is a gap there. A lot of people with disabilities are being
denied jobs and services and so we felt a legislative response was warranted. And quite frankly Canadians with disabilities and their advocates have been
calling for this legislation for a decade.”
Advertisement
What sort of situation would the legislation prevent?
Qualtrough gives the example of a person who applies for a job, then in the interview it’s realized they have a disability, and they don’t get the job.
“That person, at that point of denial, the only recourse they have is to file a complaint with the Human Rights Commission. With our law in place, that
employer would have been advised well before the denial happened, here’s how you include someone with a disability in your application process, here’s
how you make the interview accessible, here’s the benefit of hiring someone with a disability, the unique perspective they will bring to that job. There
will be opportunities systemically to avoid that denial from even happening in the first place.
Might some businesses simply might not know how to accommodate, or see accommodation as time or resource intensive?
“I think that’s happening everywhere. A lot of what we’re seeing is people having a genuine interest in being inclusive but not knowing how, so again a
lot of the work we’re doing is around educating and giving employers and businesses the tools to be more inclusive. And it’s also dispelling a lot of myths
about the costs of hiring someone with a disability, explaining the business case for hiring someone with a disability, to be frank. About the untapped
labour market aspect, about the creativity and innovation, the employee loyalty.”
jcharlton@postmedia.com

If you would like to see how security personnel interact with travelers with disabilities at Pearson International Airport then we invite you to visit
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/catsa-airport-travellers-complaints-security-1.3779312
Here you will get a flavour for some of the types of challenges being faced by the passengers with disabilities public.

*****
From around the country
From British Columbia comes the following from the Barrier-Free BC Steering Committee.
At the annual convention of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) held in Victoria this year from September 26 – 30, Resolution B62 containing
the following text, passed unanimously:
Whereas British Columbians with disabilities encounter a variety of physical, sensory and technological barriers as well as ones related to communication,
education, employment, attitudes and many others on a daily basis; And whereas the Government of British Columbia launched a non-mandatory, non-legislated
initiative entitled “Accessibility 2024” in 2014 with the goal of making BC the most progressive province in Canada for people with disabilities by the
year 2024; And whereas both the Province of Ontario and the Province of Manitoba have enacted disability legislation with the Province of Nova Scotia working
toward the introduction and enactment of disability legislation in 2016:
Therefore be it resolved that UBCM believes it is important to achieve a barrier-free province for all persons with disabilities and calls upon BC’s Legislative
Assembly to enact a strong and effective British Columbians with Disabilities Act.
The passing of this Resolution is a giant leap forward for the supporters of the Barrier-Free BC campaign in that it now captures the support of every
city, municipality, district, town and village in the province. But the road ahead is still one we must travel and with the provincial general election
just over 7 months away, we must all pick up the pace to achieve our goal. Now, more than ever is the time to make contact with your MLA through a letter
or email telling your personal stories about the barriers you still face despite the Government’s ‘Accessibility 2024’ initiative. Personal stories get
the most attention and greater response from politicians. Telephone your MLA and relay your story or better still, pay him or her a visit. And social media
such as Twitter or Facebook are yet additional methods of letting your MLA know of the need to support disability legislation in BC. Visit
http://www.barrierfreebc.org
for additional information and write to
info@barrierfreebc.org
if you need assistance or direction. Our Steering Committee is here to help!
Rob Sleath
On behalf of the Barrier-Free BC Steering Committee

*****
Question for consideration
We at Barrier free Canada – Canada sans Barrières have a question for you today.
At the present time there are several Federal Government departments that do not offer accessible and user friendly online complaints systems and mechanisms.
Most of them are extremely difficult to work with, navigate, and there is not enough support from said departments. Accordingly, Canadians with disabilities
are at a tremendous disadvantage when it comes to being able to lodge complaints.
Do you think that a Canadians with disabilities Act could help to remedy this in any way?
If you do then please speak up and speak out now as it is the best time for you to do this and why? Because Minister Qualtrough has started her public
engagements to hear from Canadians to give input into this very important piece of legislation.

*****
Next steps
In the coming weeks BFC-CSB will be continuing its efforts to be a part of the public engagement process and to this end our committee is planning to play
a more active role. We will be working more closely with our founding organizations and supporting organizations to speak up and speak out and we will
be attending round table engagements when invited to do so.

*****
We need your feedback

If you are an individual wishing to speak up and speak out then by all means; send your thoughts and comments to your MP, your MPP, and to us at
info@barrierfreecanada.org.

If you are a supporting organization then we would like to hear from you too. Let us work more closely together to ensure that a Canadians with disabilities
Act is passed in a timely way.

*****
Contact info
We would love to hear from you; via email, via twitter, via Facebook.

To contact us, please send an email to
info@barrierfreecanada.org.
To keep abreast of our updates visit
http://www.barrierfreecanada.org/category/general

Visit us at
http://www.barrierfreecanada.org
and sign up to be a yes supporter or use the form provided to write to us with your organization’s letter of support.
Follow us on Twitter @barrierfreeca
And like us on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/barrierfreeca

Signed,

Donna Jodhan founder and chair
On behalf of the BFC-CSB steering committee

The Barrier Free Canada – Canada sans Barrières steering committee includes:
David Lepofsky, Steven Christianson, Chris O’Brien, Marc Workman, Jutta Treviranus.

Our five initial founding organizations are:
CNIB, March of Dimes, the MS Society of Canada, the Canadian Hearing Society, and Accessible Media Inc. A list of our supporting organizations is listed
below.
The Low Vision Self-Help Association
West Island, Montreal Quebec
The Coalition of Persons with Disabilities – NL Guide Dog Users of Canada (GDUC) Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB) Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians
(AEBC) SPH Planning & Consulting Limited The Rick Hansen Foundation Quebec Federation of the blind Communication Disabilities Access Canada (CDAC) Community
Living Toronto Deaf Blind Ontario Services Unifor StopGap Foundation Citizens with Disabilities Ontario Spinal Cord Injury Alberta Easter seals canada
Access for Sight-Impaired consumers Every Canadian Counts Coalition Québec Accessible Centre for Equitable Library Access / Centre d’accès équitable aux
bibliothèques Deaf & Hear Alberta Autism Canada Mayor of Halifax Novascotia

VR Stream New Gen Step by Step Instructions for Organizing Playlists

With the Victor Reader Stream it is easy to search for radio stations and add them to the favorites playlist by pressing the bookmark key. However, the favorites playlist can quickly grow to a large number of stations and become rather unwieldly. Let�s say your Favorites playlist had many stations consisting of music, old-time radio, sports, news or other categories. You can easily separate these stations into separate playlists for each category.
Below are step-by-step instructions for doing that. For example, to create a playlist of only the sports stations from your Favorites follow these steps:
list of 14 items
1. Press key 1 multiple times to reach the Stream’s Radio bookshelf.
2. Press key 4 or 6 multiple times to reach the Favorites playlist.
3. Press key 3 followed by the Pound (Confirm) key to export the Favorites playlist to the SD card.
4. Remove the SD card and access it on your computer.
5. You will find a file on the SD card named, Exported Favorites Playlist.xspf.
6. Rename this file to Sports.xspf.
7. Put the SD card back into your Stream.
8. Press the menu key 7 multiple times to reach the Internet Radio menu.
9. Press key 8 until you reach the menu item named, Import Internet Radio playlist from File.
10. Press the Confirm key to import the new sports playlist from the SD. Then press the Cancel key to exit from the Stream menu.
11. Press key 1 to reach the Radio bookshelf and then key 6 multiple times until you find the new Sports playlist.
12. Press Confirm to open the Sports playlist. It will be a duplicate of your Favorites playlist.
13. However, you can now use the 4 or 6 keys to navigate through the stations and press key 3 followed by Confirm key to delete all stations that are not
sports related.
14. Finally, use key 1 then keys 4 or 6 to return to the Favorites playlist, press Confirm to open it, and then use keys 4 or 6 to navigate your original
favorites and use key 3 to delete all the sports stations since they are now in your new Sports playlist.
list end
You can repeat the above steps for each new playlist you wish to extract from your Favorites.

Free Tutorial Resource, American Foundation for the Blind

View this Blog Post in your browserLearn Tech,
collage of people working on computers and closeup of hands on a keyboard

The American Foundation for the Blind is pleased to announce Learn Tech, a technology access initiative that features free online tutorials to help people who are blind or visually impaired learn how to improve their computer and technology skills. The tutorials can be accessed here. The newest tutorial offering for Learn Tech is a 10-part series on Using Google Docs and Google Drive with NVDA. Google Docs is a free, web-based application in which documents can be created, edited, and stored online. Google Drive is a file storage and synchronization service that allows users to store files in the cloud, and share files with people who are working on the same project. NVDA (Non-Visual Desktop Access) is a free screen reader for people who are blind or visually impaired.

When these tools are used together, computer users who are blind or visually impaired are able to use the computer for work or school without any additional, expensive software. These tools also allow for easy project collaboration with others at school or in the workplace, leveling the playing field.

Also available from Learn Tech are the previously released Learn NVDA free video tutorials that describe how to use the NVDA free and fully featured screen reader.

Additional tutorials will be added to Learn Tech over time. To learn more, or to share information with people who may be interested in using the tutorials, go to this web site.

Users are encouraged to provide feedback on the tutorials and other training topics of interest in the feedback links.

Learn Tech tutorials were made possible with support from the Lions Club International Foundation, the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund, and the Consumer Technology Association Foundation. AFB is pleased to partner with these organizations to support technology literacy. Together, we are working to create a more accessible, inclusive world for people with vision loss.

Follow-up Resource, CELA Library Article from their Openbook Publication, September 2016

Hello Everyone,

In July 2016 CCB/GTT and the Accessible Information and Copyright Committee of the AEBC jointly hosted a teleconference call, then followed up by posting the summary notes from that call in order to provide members with information about existing CELA and NNELS services.

We want to share one important update from the CELA September “OpenBook Newsletter”.

Read on!

Service tip: Say goodbye to the CNIB Library website

It’s time to update your bookmarks! If you are still using the CNIB Library website to access CELA services, please note that as of October 15, 2016 that site will no longer be active and all library services will be fully transitioned to the CELA website.
Please make sure you update your bookmarks today to use
celalibrary.ca
instead of
cniblibrary.ca.
Your account number and password remain the same as for the CNIB Library. Your search preferences, reading history, holds and reading lists will all be identical on the CELA site. The CELA system of book selections based on your interests and preferred categories will be the same as the CNIB system and you will not experience any changes to your delivery schedule.
For any questions regarding the move to
celalibrary.ca,
please call us at 1-855-655-2273 or email us at
help@celalibrary.ca

Student Resource: Apps and Web Pages for Accessing Printed Material for Living and Learning

INTRODUCTION

Back to school means lots of reading, as all students know! The purpose of this blog post is to provide you with info on programs, app,s and resources that will enable you to do the reading you have to do for courses and assignments, or for life in general.

The list of resources, found below, is the result of the collective work of:
Kim Kilpatrick, GTT Coordinator
Rebecca Jackson, GTT, Summer Student Project
Albert Ruel, GTT Coordinator
Leo Bissonnette, AEBC National Board Member,

Our compiled list is not exhaustive. Indeed, it’s a start and we would welcome comments about our suggestions, along with other apps that you may have found helpful.

LIST OF RESOURCES

Apps Available in Both the iOS Apple App Store and the Google Playstore

Kindle
The amazon Kindle app allows you to read books that you have purchased from amazon. You can download the kindle app by searching for it in the iOS app store. It is also available on android by searching the play store for kindle.

Voice Dream Reader
This app allows you to read documents and play media from a wide range of formats. This app is available for both iOS and android. It should be noted that at this time more features are available in the iOS app than in the Android app. More info can be found at, VoiceDream.com

KNFB Reader
This app performs OCR, optical character recognition. This means that you can scan printed material such as a printed handout and the text will be spoken on your phone. This app is available on both iOS and android. Just search for knfb on the Apple Store or the play store. more info at, KNFBReader.com

You can purchase stands that make scanning with the KNFB Reader app easier.
Here are links to two of them.

Giraffe reader, a stand for KNFB Reader at, Giraffe Reader

Fopydo scanning stand, link to purchase on amazon at, Fopydo Stand on Amazon

Capti Narrator
This app allows you to listen to documents with a text to speech voice. It is available on iOS and windows via Firefox. You can also use it on a Chromebook. More info at, Capti Narrator

iBooks
This app comes by default on your iOS device and is an online store that allows you to purchase and
read books.

Windows PC

Adobe Acrobat Reader
This program allows you to read accessible PDFs. To find out more about the accessibility of it go to, Accessible Adobe Reader

spokenText.net
This is a website that converts written electronic documents to synthesized speech output.
The website is, SpokenText.net

Codex
This application allows you to convert eBooks to a format of your choice. More info can be found at, Codex on the Web

Libre Office
This is a free alternative to Microsoft office.

Macbook2speech
Another service that converts text to speech, also available on windows.

Read Hear Pro
This app is a talking book player on mac and windows.

Scanning Systems Software/Hardware Combinations:

The systems, described below, work with both software and flatbed scanners and cameras.

Two Solutions from Kurzweil Educational Systems
Kurzweil 1000 for blind users, and Kurzweil 3000 for LV and LD users:
The Kurzweil 3000 is available on both the Mac and Windows platforms
The Kurzweil 1000 program has a number of useful features, including the ability to use a wide range of dictionaries and perform OCR, more info at, Kurzweil Systems

DocuScan Plus:
A self-voicing online scan and read app that works in Windows and on the Mac from any online computer connected to a scanner. It will allow documents to be scanned to the user’s folders in the Cloud for retrieval and use at the time, or later. It also converts PDF to text based files.

OpenBook:
A resident self-voicing scan and read app for the Windows environment that also converts electronic PDF files to text for reading or editing.

Abbyy FineReader:
A resident scan and read app and PDF conversion tool for both the Mac and Windows environments.

CourseSmart:
A new player in the field of textbook sellers that offers all students with a new option to either buy or rent their course textbooks. Accessibility to materials is available on all platforms and technical support is available to help users of JAWS, Android and iOS devices as well as Mac users. In order to use the CourseSmart service, you must create an account.

CONCLUSION
As you can see, there is a multitude of tools you can use to access printed materials and assist you in your studies. However due to the very individual nature of your post-secondary institution, it is very important that you contact your center for students with disabilities. The people who work there know your school inside out and will be able to advise you on your specific technological needs.

GTT Victoria: Summary Notes, Voice Dream Reader and 3M Cloud, September 7, 2016

Get together with Technology (GTT)
Victoria Meeting – GVPL Main branch, Meeting Room
Summary Notes
Wednesday September 7, 2016

The meeting was called to order at 1:10 pm by acting chair Corry Stuive

Attendance, 13;
The recording secretary was absent, Corry Stuive agreed to take notes.

The first portion of the meeting was devoted to “catch up” after the summer months. Corry informed the group of the GTT expansion in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, as well as the British Columbia expansion plans during the final quarter of 2016 that might include a group on the North Shore, Kamloops and Kelowna.

John suggested setting up a provincial GTT Facebook page.

Some discussion took place about Barrier Free Canada, and well as BFBC.

Members were reminded that the National GTT conference call is open to all individuals….”our participation is encouraged and welcome” Info available on the GTT Blog.

Several personal device specific questions were asked and answered.

In the second portion of the meeting Albert Ruel gave a presentation on the differances between NNELS, CELA and Bookshare. The process of Downloading content was communicated to the group. The VoiceDream app was explained and highly recommended.

Tom Decker followed with a demo and discussion on the 3M cloud app that the Victoria Public Library is now using to store and distribute there audio book collection. Tom informed the group that he will meet with a rep from Victoria Public Library staff next week to review, critique and make recommendations about the app to ensure it’s accessibility. Any and all input welcome prior to that session.

The final 30 minutes of the meeting were open to discussion and information sharing.

Corry asked the group to give some serious consideration pertaining to topic matter for future meetings. “it’s your group, tell us what you want”. A new email address has been set up for communication directly to the Victoria GTT organizers. gtt.victoria@gmail.com

Some discussion took place in regards to the BC Transit, Trekker Breeze situation. Consensus is still that the service is not consistent and not inclusive. A working group of both GTT and non GTT members is working on the matter and will present at a future meeting, date TBA.

Linda Bartram had the following announcements.

The Pacific Training Centre for the Blind (PTCB) is now holding training
sessions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the Disability Resource Centre 817a
Fort St. between 10 and 4. Enquiries: 250-580-4910.

The PTCB is also looking for members to join the Society. Annual dues
are $5. Call 250-580-4910.

There will be described VocalEye performances at the Belfry again this
year. The Victoria Society for Blind Arts and Culture has negotiated a
reduced ticket price for VocalEye patrons; $24.68 (regular price $39 – $45)
and a 25% discount for one companion. For more information call Linda at
250-595-5888.

Linda (250-595-5888) has two free assistive devices (new) available.
Trekker Breeze and a talking caller ID telephone device. Just pay shipping
costs. Note, in between the meeting and the distribution of these notes, both items have been spoken for.

Meeting adjourned at 3:45pm, Next meeting, Wednesday October 5, 2016

Respectfully submitted,

Corry Stuive,

GTT Edmonton: Summary Notes, Chromecast Device and Typeability Software, September 12, 2016

Summary Notes
GTT Edmonton Meeting September 12, 2016

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

2017 Membership Dues
Thank you to those who paid their CCB 2017 membership. Membership of $10 will continue to be collected in the October and November meetings. We would appreciate if new or existing members can pay in the next 2 meetings.

September Feature Topic – Chromecast Device and Typeability Software

Steve Cardy demonstrated his Chromecast
What is Chromecast?
• Chromecast is a media streaming device for your digital TV.
• Chromecast is a competing product to the Apple TV.
• It is a wifi enabled device that is oval shaped about 2 inches in diameter and a quarter inch thick. It has a 3 inch pigtail cable to attach to the HDMI port of your TV.
• It allows your TV to be connected to your home network router so that any other device that is also connected to your router will be able to transmit video and audio to your TV.
• Chromecast is controlled by the device you are using to transmit video/audio content. Thus it is as accessible as the device you choose to control it. That device can be your iPhone, Android or iOS tablet, PC or MAC. For a PC you need to install the Google Chrome browser. For iOS or Android you need to install the Chromecast app which is accessible.
• You find the desired content on your tablet, phone, computer, or Internet (e.g. YouTube videos, Netflix, music, pictures) that you wish to watch on your TV and then use the relevant Chromecast app to send that content to the TV.
• Cost is $45 considerably less than Apple TV
• Available from electronic stores such as Best Buy or Amazon.
• For more Information:
https://www.google.ca/chromecast/tv/

Steve Cardy is happy to answer any questions. You may email him at:
cardula@gmail.com

Typeability Software from Freedom Scientific
• Lorne demonstrated the Typeability software program that can be purchased and installed on your Windows PC.
• This program works only with JAWS screen reader or Magic screen magnification both from Freedom Scientific.
• It has 99 self-paced lessons to teach touch typing and other basic computer skills essential for blind and low vision learners to master.
• It is very interactive coaching and prompting you through each progressive lesson
• As well as teaching typing it instructs on other basic computer skills such as filling out forms and navigating windows dialogs using the keyboard instead of the mouse.
• IT has built-in tests for measuring typing accuracy and speed.
• IT is ideal for those who are new to computers or those who have deteriorating vision that requires transitioning to the JAWS talking screen reader.
• Cost is about $120.
• For more information:
http://www.canadialog.com/en/node/254

Next Meeting (Monday October 10 at 7pm)
This will be a meeting completely devoted to you and your questions. Discussions on anything and everything for example: JAWS, Zoomtext, iPhone, library, talking book players etc.
• Send your meeting topic ideas to GTT.Edmonton@gmail.com.
• 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 Team
• Carrie Anton is visually impaired and is the accessibility specialist for Athabasca University.
carrie.anton@hotmail.com
• Gerry Chevalier is blind. He is retired from HumanWare where he worked as the Product Manager for the Victor Reader line of talking book players.
GTT.Edmonton@gmail.com
• Heather MacDonald is a career and employment specialist with extensive experience helping blind and visually impaired people find employment.
• Russell Solowoniuk is blind and works with alternative formats and assistive technology at Grant MacEwan University.
rsolowoniuk@gmail.com
• Lorne Webber is blind and is the accessibility specialist for Norquest College.
lorne.webber@gmail.com

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 will present a feature technology topic and general question and answer about any other technology.
• Small groups or one on one assistance is possible at the meetings.
• 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, 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]

Consultations on Canada Post Services.

Hello everyone. I received this information and am passing it along although it is not quite related to technology itself. If the links in this document do not work, email me at
gttprogram@gmail.com and I will forward you the email.
Kim
In May, the Government launched an independent, evidence-based review of Canada Post to ensure Canadians receive quality and sustainable postal services at a reasonable cost.

This letter is to inform you that the first phase of the review process is complete. Today, I received the discussion paper prepared by the independent Task Force I established to undertake Phase 1 of the Canada Post review.

During this first phase, the Task Force undertook an analysis of Canada Post’s services and current financial situation, conducted public opinion research, met with key stakeholders, and examined international best practices for postal delivery.

It is clear that postal services are highly important to Canadians. Canada Post is an institution that is relevant and valuable to Canadians, and part of our fabric as a nation.

A copy of the discussion paper can be found on the Department’s Canada Post Review website.

The discussion paper will help inform the second phase of the review, which is being led by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates. The committee is carrying out national public consultations with Canadians from coast to coast to coast, beginning in Ottawa on September 20th. For more information on the consultations and how you can participate, please visit the committee’s website.

Based on its findings, the parliamentary committee will make recommendations to the Government on the future of Canada Post by December 2016.

This is only the beginning. A great deal of work has been done and more still needs to occur before the Government makes any decisions with respect to the future of Canada Post.

As always, please do not hesitate to share your thoughts on the review that will help ensure Canadians receive the postal services they value and need.

Sincerely,

Judy M. Foote, PC, MP

Minister of Public Services and Procurement

Notes from GTT national call brainstorming topics for upcoming sessions. Please read and get involved.

GTT National call September 14 2016.
Brainstorming for upcoming GTT national call topics.
Please rate these topics in order of preference. Give us your top 3.
If you have any expertise on presenting on any of these topics, please let us know that too.
IOS 10. What’s new for people who are blind or have low vision?
We especially would like someone to present on the new magnification features for low vision users.
Windows 10.
Downloading and reading audio books, which platforms to use, how to get your books to the device of choice, which device to use?
Apple TV and other accessible tvs like samsung.
Facebook for small business users
Twitter how to use it, which ways are most accessible?
Medical devices that are accessible?
Bluetooth devices for cooking and use around the house?
Low vision computer access solutions?
Employment panel of people in different employment situations and how to use technology while working?
Exploring hobbies?
Music streaming services and the dubious accessibility of Itunes?
Syncing across devices and systems, how to sync contacts, calendars ETC?
Scanning and OCR solutions Kurzweil, open book ETC?
Dealing with PDF’s?
Comparison of screen readers, jaws, NVDA, narrator, voiceover.
Kindle and Ebook reading solutions.
Favourite IOS apps.
Favourite android apps.
Cloud services, how to use them and which are most accessible and easy to use?
Zoomtext?
ORCAM.
GPS app comparisons?
New orbit braille display?
If you have other topics send them along.
Please send any thoughts and preferences and ability to present to
gttprogram@gmail.com

IOS 10 and voiceover and braille. Should you update?

Hello everyone.
I have been running the beta of IOS 10 for a few months now. There are some exciting new voiceover features. There are two bugs one quite annoying for braille display users. These are just my impressions.
You can also go to
Www.applevis.com to find podcasts about this.
Big Pluses
1. New voiceover voices. There are several new voiceover voices to try. Some of you may recognize them from the mac and they are very high quality.
2. Arranging apps on your phone. Gone are the days when you had to slide your fingers around the screen to arrange apps. Now, when you are on a home screen, swipe down with one finger and when you hear arrange apps, double tap with one finger and you can then begin arranging apps.3. Getting rid of stock apps you do not want. You don’t have to keep any of the native apps on the phone that you don’t use anymore.
4. Pronunciation dictionary for voiceover. It is here.
5. In mail, when you read a message and then press delete, it goes right to the next message body and starts reading that.
Two bugs.
One is a big braille bug. When you have a braille display paired with your I device and. You are reading mail, each new line it inserts the name of the mail sender. This is quite annoying and has been pointed out to apple. If you are just listening with voiceover, you do not hear this.
Another bug is that in some apps, if you do a 2 finger double tap to continue listening to music etc, it sometimes starts dictation.
We are always here to help everyone get used to IOS 10. There are some great magnification features for people with low vision.
Contact me if you want to talk this through further.
1-877-304-0968
Gttprogram@gmail.com

GTT Vancouver Summary Notes, The JAWS Screen Reader, August 17, 2016

Summary Notes
GTT Vancouver

Date: August 17, 2016

Present: Seven members attended;

Screen Reading technology is a way of converting text on the screen into synthesized voices. Screen readers only read pure text. Images, or text embedded into a photo will not be read.

JAWS is one of the 3 competitive PC screen readers on the market. Window Eyes and NVDA are the other two. Window Eyes is now owned by the same company that owns JAWS, and NVDA is a free, open source screen reader.

JAWS has been around since the early 90’ and is currently developed by Freedom Scientific.

It was designed primarily for the work environment – Word, Excel, Outlook – the Microsoft Office Suite.
• JAWS comes in two versions – home and professional.
• It is the screen reader that is most recommended and where the most support is available

Firefox is better than Internet Explorer with JAWS, and possibly even in general.

Many of the keyboard commands you use with JAWS are not specific to JAWS, as they are native to the Windows Operating System:
• Not all keyboard commands use the JAWS/Insert key.
• Control alt page up or page down will temporarily speed or slow down speech in JAWS but not globally across the computer. When you exit the program it will reset to the original speed.
• Some keys do different things when you have Navigation Quick Keys turned on when browsing the internet.

Forms mode on the Internet:
• You have to hit enter or the Space Bar before you can start typing in the edit boxes. When you hit the Enter key after typing your search string it will activate the Search Button and conduct the search.
• The second type of edit field is a multi-line edit box. You can use the Enter key to add a new line. You have to tab to the Search/Next button to move things forward.

Quick Navigation keys – single letters that will move your cursor to different places on the screen. To turn Navigation Quick KEYS ON OR OFF HOLD DOWN THE JAWS KEY AND PRESS THE LETTER Z. :
• H is for all Headings, and the first 6 numbers on the number row will access Level 1 through 6 Headings.
• L is for list.
• I is for items within a list.
• U is for unvisited links.
• V is for visited links.
• T is for tables.
• F is for form fields, but for clarification a form field is a button, edit box, check box, radio button, etc. so it’s not as specific as the other keys listed.
• E is for edit boxes.
• B is for button.
• X is for checkbox – use space bar to select the item you want to check.
• C is for combo boxes.
• M is for frames – skips past ad frames.
• K is for markers, and Control shift K will set a marker in a specific spot. They may not remain when Web-sites are updated or changed.
• Control f – Jaws find – type a phrase you are looking for and it will bring you there

Also, three more useful keys:
• Jaws Key + f7 brings up a list of links.
• Jaws key + f5 brings up a list box of form controls.
• Jaws key + f6 brings up a list of headings

Other JAWS resources:
• FS Reader is a DAISY Player that installs when JAWS is installed on your computer, and that can be used to play the JAWS Tutorial/Help files.
• Had is a Text Editor that installs when JAWS is installed on your computer. It has a Spellchecker built-in, so if you don’t have MS Word this can be used to create documents, or to read RTF and TXT files.
• JAWS key plus F1 will show you things dependent on where you are. If you are on a Web page it will list all the quick Navigation keys. Escape key will get you out of this mode.
• JAWS Key plus Number Row 1 will turn on and off Keyboard Help, it is a toggle. You can then press any key or key combination to find out what the keys are and JAWS will explain their function.
• JAWS key plus the letter H will give you a list of keys you can use where you are – Type Escape to exit this window.

JAWS key plus the letter J will launch the Jaws Menu, Options, utilities, languages, about, and help:
• Press the Alt Key to open the Menu Bar, then down arrow through the Options Menu to Basics, there you will find the following adjustable items;
Tutor messages helps by telling you your jaws command options and how to activate them. You can turn this on or off.
Access keys – you can turn this off if you know all your commands and don’t need a reminder
• Tutorials are in the Jaws menu under help – You will find Training audio files that will play in FS Reader.
• The PC cursor is your regular cursor on the screen, or the curser that types letters in your documents, web pages etc.
• Jaws cursor doesn’t show up it’s just where you are on the screen, and is otherwise known as your Mouse Curser.
• JAWS Key plus Escape refreshes the screen visually to show them where you are.

Topic for next time – GPS Technology
September 21, 2016

Other ideas that were suggested:
• Overview of Safari on the IPhone.
• Cover the GTT Facebook Group.
• Backing Up along with storage options such as One Drive or Dropbox – Cloud storage

Next GTT national conference call brainstorming topics for the year ahead September 14 2016 7 PM Eastern.

Our next GTT national conference call is a brainstorming session to pick topics for the upcoming year’s national calls. Is there something you want to hear more about? Is there a topic you can present on for us? Please join us to brainstorm. If you cannot join us in person, you can always send suggestions to us.
Here is the call in information.
Date: Wednesday September 14.
Time: 7 PM Eastern
Call in info:
1-866-740-1260
Passcode: 5670311
For more information: Call 1-877-304-0968 and ask for Kim or Albert
Or email gttprogram@gmail.com
Looking forward to a great year of information sharing ahead.