Category: GTT Edmonton

AccessibilityTraining7@Gmail.com

David Green 1-877-304-0968 Ext. 509

GTT Blog and Regular Zoom Meetings

CCB sponsors about 14 monthly Zoom meetings on technology, lifestyle, and open chat socialization. You may wish to read the GTT blog to find email notices of the Zoom meetings and other information such as the weekly Windows from the Keyboard Tips. If you would prefer to receive the blog posts in your email inbox, then you may activate the Follow link at the bottom of the blog web page to enter your email. IF you have difficulty contact Kim or David for assistance.

CCB Podcast

CCB sponsors a podcast feed. Use your favorite pod catcher app or the Victor Reader Stream book playing device to subscribe to the feed. Search for “CCB” (Canadian Council of the Blind). You will find episodes on technology as well as general interest topics such as CELA Library, NNELS Library, WBU, and more.

GTT Email Support List

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

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 2 hour meeting consists of a feature technology topic in the first hour and a general tech discussion in the second hour. If you know someone in the Edmonton area who would like to be a part of our group, simply ask them to email their full name and vision status (blind, low vision, sighted) to:

Gtt.edmonton@gmail.com

[End]

GTT Edmonton Meeting Notes, GTT History and Resources, September 14, 2020

Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting September 14, 2020

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held September14 at 7pm as a Zoom virtual meeting.

12 people attended.

September Topic –GTT History

Our guest was Kim Kilpatrick from the Ottawa national office of Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB). Kim is the founder of the GTT initiative in CCB and she presented a short history of GTT.

Kim, blind from birth, and an avid braille user and technology user has always been keen to learn from other blind people. She especially wanted to share their experiences with technology. She organized a small group and they had their first meeting in the CCB Ottawa office in 2012. They were enthusiastic and wanted to continue to meet and ‘get together with their technology’. However, they did not want to take on the bother of making a legal organization and board of directors. So, they asked if CCB would sponsor their group.

That was the birth of the GTT program within CCB and Kim was hired in 2014 to lead the program.

GTT now has chapters in Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Edmonton, Calgary, and Northern Ontario. Training others to use technology became an important GTT initiative. David Green was hired to train over the telephone and via the Zoom meeting app. David now trains full time – for example he had 6 students on our meeting day, September 14. Kim also does one-on-one training especially for students who want help with braille technology. Their contact information follows these notes.

Kim also highlighted the increased use of Zoom to reach out to GTT members across Canada which has become a significant innovation that grew out of the Covid requirements for isolation. Currently, there are Zoom meetings every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11am Edmonton time as well as a national zoom meeting on the second Wednesday of the month at 5pm Edmonton time. An Android user group meets every 3^rd Wednesday of the month at 5pm. A youth group now meets every Wednesday afternoon. The meeting invitations are posted on the GGT blog (see below). If you have ideas for Zoom meeting topics Kim wants to hear from you. Her contact information is below. Kim and David can also help you install the Zoom app on your phone or computer if you don’t have the app and want to participate in the GTT Zoom meetings. Thanks for a great presentation, Kim.

New Members

We welcomed to new attendees at the meeting Pamera and Katherine.

Additional Resources

Telephone Training and Support

Contact the CCB national office GTT coordinators to book one on one telephone training.

Kim: 877-304-0968 Ext. 513

AccessibilityTraining7@Gmail.com

David Green 1-877-304-0968 Ext. 509

GTT Blog and Regular Zoom Meetings

CCB Podcast

CCB sponsors a podcast feed. Use your favorite pod catcher app or the Victor Reader Stream book playing device to subscribe to the feed. Search for “Canadian Council of the Blind”. You will find episodes on technology as well as general interest topics such as CELA Library, NNELS Library, WBU, and more.

GTT Email Support List

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

Windows From the Keyboard Tips, File Explorer – Searching for Files, March 11, 2020

Hello. This is Gerry Chevalier from the GTT Edmonton Chapter. This weekly blog provides tips that I find useful as a keyboard user of Windows. The information is for Windows10 and Office 365, although many tips still apply to older versions. The tips do not require a screen reader unless specifically noted. Thus, the tips apply whether you are a keyboard user or low vision mouse user. Here is this week’s tip.

Windows File Explorer – Searching for Documents

Have you ever lost a file? You may remember downloading the file or saving it from an email attachment, but you can’t remember which folder it was saved in. Likely, it is in your Documents folder or one of its subfolders. To search your Documents folder and all its subfolders, open your Documents folder and then press Control+E to open the search edit box. Type one or more words that you believe are in the filename and then press TAB several times to reach the list of files that were found to have your search text in their filename. Arrow down the list to find your file. To abandon the search and return to your Documents folder from the search results, press the Backspace key. To open the file’s location (folder), press the Applications key to open a context menu. Arrow down the menu and press Enter on the “Open file Location” item. The folder containing your file will be opened.

To search your entire computer’s hard drive press Windows key +R to open the run dialogue. Type C:\ to open the root of your hard drive. Then press Control+E to type your search. This will search all the folders in your hard drive. Again, TAB several times to reach the list of search results.

That’s it for this tip. Until next Wednesday, happy computing.

GTT Edmonton Meeting Notes, Edmonton Publick Library Accessible Services, March 9, 2020

Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting March 9, 2020

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held March 9 at 7pm at Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 83 Street in Edmonton.

15 people attended.

Reading Tip: These summary notes apply HTML headings to help navigate the document. With screen readers, you may press the H key to jump forward or Shift H to jump backward from heading to heading. Read the Additional Resources section following the meeting notes to learn about our one on one telephone support, the National monthly teleconference, and the support email list.

March Topic –EPL Accessibility

Our guest was Vicky Varga, manager of the Castle Downs Branch of the Edmonton Public Library (EPL). Vicky presented on the topic of Edmonton Public Library accessible services and kindly provided the following extensive notes on these services. If you have any questions not answered in her notes, she is more than willing to get back to you. You can email her at:

vvarga@epl.ca

Accessible materials at EPL

Large Print Books, including hardcover and lightweight softcover books. These are available at all Library locations.

DAISY Books are digital talking books used by blind and visually impaired customers and played on a special player. They are different from audiobooks in that the discs are large format and contain an entire book on one disc versus multiple discs as well as a hierarchical structure with marked up text to make navigation easier. Anyone with a library card can request DAISY books online or via a library staff member at any branch.

Descriptive Videos/DVDs (DVS) are movies which describe the visual elements for people who are blind or have low vision. They can be played on any DVD or Blu-ray player. Nowadays, most (if not all) DVDs released in Canada provide this as part of their options. Because of this, we don’t catalogue items separately anymore. The best way to confirm if an item has described video is to go to epl2you and scroll down to where there’s a catalogue link to described video OR search our catalogue for the following: “audio description available”

Assistive technology at EPL

Victor Stratus devices read DAISY disks. The device can also be used to play regular audio books and CDS. Large buttons with high contrast colours.

Victor Stream can have materials (audiobooks, audio magazines, etc.) loaded on to it OR, if connected to the internet, have items pushed directly to it by CELA. The Streams also have internet radio and can have any audio file loaded to them.

EPL has a few of each that can be loaned to customers to provide an opportunity to test the devices to determine if they would be a good fit and to fill the gap while customers acquire their own. If they qualify, CNIB can provide support and grants for purchasing VICTOR devices that will subsidize almost the entire cost.

Home Service:

EPL has provided home delivery since the 1970s!

If you’re unable to come to us at the library for three months or longer, we’ll come to you. We can deliver to your home, extended care facility or seniors’ lodge.

Staff will work with you to select the types of books, movies and/or CDSs you like so we can meet your needs OR you can select what you would like yourself on our website.

You can have a friend or family member pick up materials for you at the library OR we will match you with a carefully screened and trained volunteer who will deliver your items directly to you.

Extended Loans

For customers who can come in, but not too often (i.e. Depend on rides/DATS/weather and/or health often keeps them home)

Loan period is extended to 6 weeks for print items (DVDs remain at 3 weeks).

Talk to a library staff member if you’re interested in extended loans or home service

CELA

The Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) is a national organization that supports public libraries in delivering equitable library service for their patrons with print disabilities.

CELA provides local library access to Canada’s largest collection of alternative format books and online resources for people who have difficulty reading print due to a visual, physical or learning disability.

CELA offers a collection of more than 500,000 books and more for people who have trouble reading print due to a learning, physical or visual disability. The collection includes:

Accessible books, magazines, and newspapers
Choose preferred format: audio, accessible e-text or braille
Full range of subjects, genres, best sellers and award winners for all ages

Access to the CELA collection is restricted to people with print disabilities living in Canada.

A print disability is a learning, physical or visual disability that prevents a person from reading conventional print.

More specifically, a print disability can be a:

Learning disability: An impairment relating to comprehension
Physical disability: The inability to hold or manipulate a book
Visual disability: Severe or total impairment of sight or the inability to focus or move one’s eyes

This definition of print disability is from the Canadian Copyright Act because it is this Act that lets CELA reproduce published materials in alternative formats for its collection. The term used in the Act is “perceptual disability”.

How to read CELA material

Download books to your mobile device and read with an accessible reading app like Dolphin EasyReader. Dolphin EasyReader is a FREE accessible reading app designed for readers with dyslexia, low vision or blindness. It’s what is recommended by CELA, but there are other apps that can be used including some paid apps.

Download or have books downloaded direct to a DAISY player over a wireless connection. Books can be chosen on the CELA website and downloaded to DAISY players, but CELA can also push books directly to DAISY or Victor Stream devices if they’re connected to the internet.

Receive audio (DAISY) or braille by mail. DAISY disks and braille books can also be mailed via Canada Post directly to customers. Braille books and DAISY magazines and newspapers are theirs to keep, but books have a return mail label included and must be shipped back.

Bookshare via CELA

Bookshare is a US-based accessible online library for people with print disabilities. Bookshare offers more than 500,000 titles, including books for all ages, best sellers, and more. The books are available in e-text and e-braille. Audio versions are in synthetic speech.

Bookshare creates its accessible books by automatically converting book files provided by publishers. This automatic process makes large numbers of books available quickly and in a wide variety of accessible formats. However, because humans do not check the books, you may find errors in the synthetic audio or computer-generated braille. In addition, books which rely heavily on illustrations, charts, and graphs may not be usable because this material is generally presented by the publishers as images which cannot be converted automatically.

Proof of Disability: If you wish to access the Bookshare collection, you must provide a proof of disability, as required by Bookshare’s agreements with publishers. CELA manages the proof of disability process and ensures the privacy of your personal information. If you prefer not to submit a proof of disability, you will still have access to the CELA collection.

Signing up for CELA

Visit CELA Registration Page or contact the library for assistance.

What students/individuals need to register:

EPL library card
You must have a print disability to use CELA services, but proof of disability is not required

CELA Educator Access

If you’re an educator supporting a student with a print disability, receive free access to CELA’s entire collection including Bookshare!

How do you register? Get a free library card from Edmonton Public Library then complete the online Educator Access Program Registration Form: educators.celalibrary.ca/

CELA’s Client Access Support

CELA’s Client Access Support program is designed for professionals who require access to CELA’s collection in order to assist individuals with print disabilities.

For example, if you work with students (being privately tutored), CNIB clients, residents of seniors’ residences or long-term care facilities, or those whose physical disabilities prevent them from manipulating a traditional book you could be eligible to access CELA’s alternate format collection on behalf of those you support.

What does CELA Client Access Support include?

The Client Access Support program provides access to CELA’s physical format collection including books on CD, braille books, descriptive video; our online formats such as downloadable DAISY audio or text; and electronic braille files available at celalibrary.ca.

Bookshare? No… Access to Bookshare is limited to educational institutions and to individuals with print disabilities who are registered for CELA. If you are working with individuals with print disabilities who want access to Bookshare’s online resources, you can assist them in adding the Bookshare membership to their CELA account.

Client Access Support accounts are valid until October 1 of the next year. Accounts approved on or after October 1 will expire on Oct 15 of the following year. CELA will send you a renewal notice.

National Network for Equitable Library Access (NNELS)

NNELS is funded by 8 separate provincial governments and is sustained and run by public libraries. Their goals are:

accessible public library service for everyone;
accessible publishing and distribution so that separate collections like ours are no longer required for access to books and reading.

NNELS is an online public library of 10,000+ titles in accessible formats. The most common formats are DAISY, PDF and e-text.

NNELS not only provides access to existing accessible books, but it also supports the creation of accessible versions of titles.

NNELS is unique in that it works closely with publishers and distributors to promote accessible formats, but it also supports the creation of accessible versions of titles as needed. Sometimes this means supporting local libraries in creating their own accessible versions – Lac La Biche just finished recording an audio version of a local collection of stories. Many Indigenous and locally-written material is not available in an accessible format and NNELS is working to combat this issue

Signing up for NNELS

To register for NNELS, individuals only need to contact the library. Library staff will change their membership to include NNELS.

Your library card number and PIN can then be used to access the NNELS catalogue on their website: http://nnels.ca

Next Meeting (Monday April 13 at 7pm)

Topic TBA.
As always, for help with technology bring your devices and/or questions to the meeting.

Additional Resources

Telephone Support

Contact our GTT coordinators, Kim Kilpatrick in the East or Albert Ruel in the West to book one on one telephone support.

Kim: 877-304-0968 Ext. 513

Albert: 877-304-0968 Ext. 550

GTT Blog and Monthly Teleconference

CCB sponsors a national GTT monthly teleconference. You may subscribe to the GTT blog to get email notices of teleconferences, meeting notes from GTT chapters, and other information. To subscribe, activate the Follow link at the bottom of the blog web page to enter your email.

GTT Email Support List

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

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 2 hour meeting consists of a feature technology topic in the first hour and a general tech discussion in the second hour.

[End]

GTT Edmonton Meeting Notes, Fitness Tech, February 10, 2020

Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting February 10, 2020

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held February10 at 7pm at Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 83 Street in Edmonton.

14 people attended.

Reading Tip: These summary notes apply HTML headings to help navigate the document. With screen readers, you may press the H key to jump forward or Shift H to jump backward from heading to heading. Read the Additional Resources section following the meeting notes to learn about our one on one telephone support, the National monthly teleconference, and the support email list.

February Topic –Fitness Tech

Lorne and Russell demonstrated the Apple Watch and other fitness and wellness technologies.

Russel Apple Watch Demo

Russell demonstrated some of the health and fitness apps available on his Apple Watch series 4. It is a great tool for helping to keep you motivated to exercise and stay fit. He demoed the Heart Rate App, the ECG App, the Activity App, the Workout App, and the Breathe App.

Heart Rate app

Your Apple Watch monitors your heart rate if you are wearing it. You can check your current heart rate, resting rate, and walking average rate at any time by opening the Heart Rate App. Russell showed an example of his heart rate stats for the day. You can also set the Heart Rate App to notify you if your heart rate goes above a certain rate, for example, 120 BPM, or below a certain rate, for example, 40 BPM after resting for 10 minutes. These rates can be set through the Watch App on the iPhone. The app also keeps track of your heart rate during a workout which you can view in the Workout app, and keeps track of your heart rate while using the Breathe app.

ECG App

The Apple Watch ECG app can help detect atrial fibrillation (AFib, which are irregular heart rhythms, and track this in the health app. Russell gave a demo of how to take an ECG on the Apple Watch. The app warns that the Apple Watch cannot check for signs of a heart attack and suggests that you contact emergency services if you believe you are having a medical emergency.

Activity App

The Activity App on the Apple Watch helps you keep track of Moving, Exercise, and Standing. Each of these categories is referred to as a ring. The Moving ring tracks the number of calories you burn in each day by moving. You can set the number of calories you wish to burn each day, and then track how well you are doing throughout the day. The Exercise Ring is set to 30 minutes of brisk exercise. You can track the number of minutes of exercise you have completed at any point in the day. The Standing Ring keeps track of how many times you’ve stood during that day. By default, it prompts you to stand once each hour of the day.

Workout App

The Workout App on the Apple Watch can be set to the type of activity you plan to do, for example, indoor or outdoor walk or run, indoor or outdoor cycle, hiking, stair stepper, yoga, etc. You can also choose what you wish to track, for instance, distance, duration, heart rate, total calories burned. Russell opened the Workout app to show some of the different setting choices available.

Breathe App

Russell opened the Breathe App on his Apple Watch and showed how you can set the duration of the breathe session, and discussed how you can set the number of times your Apple Watch prompts you to breathe each day through the Watch app on the iPhone. The duration can be set from 1 to 5 minutes. Russell then went through a 1 minute breathe session. When you set the duration and tap on start, VoiceOver prompts you to “Inhale along with the taps you will feel on your wrist and to Exhale between taps”.

Lorne Webber Demos

FitBit

Lorne demonstrated some of the accessible fitness and health tracking features of the Fitbit app, as connected to his Fitbit Charge 2, especially as it compares to those of the Apple Watch.

The Fitbit itself contains little to no accessibility features, especially for totally blind users; excluding a vibration notification when it’s successfully connected to the power and charging, like most phones.

Via the Fitbit app, “silent” vibrating alarms can be set for the Fitbit to alert you with a vibration which won’t stop until you tap the screen or press the side button.

The Fitbit app gives the user access to fitness and health metrics such as Total steps, distance, Flights climbed, total caloric expenditure, current and resting heart rate, daily time spent exercising, and, if you wear it to bed, total time sleeping and a sleep score estimating how restful your sleep was, (i.e., were you technically sleeping but doing lots of tossing and turning in your sleep.

Perhaps the biggest advantage the Fitbit has over the Apple Watch is its Battery life, approx. 5-7 days of 24-hour use, as compared to the 24- 48 hours of most Apple Watches. (with the proviso that the Apple Watch is much more fully featured than the Fitbit; these more powerful features take up much more battery life.

Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of the Fitbit is the need to view all of it’s statistics via the Fitbit app. Without the app on a smartphone or Tablet, the device itself, unlike the Apple Watch, is not accessible. Some users point out that the most basic feature of an Apple Watch on your wrist is that it can tell you the time accessibly, which the Fitbit cannot.

Polar Heart Rate Strap

Lorne also demonstrated his Polar H7 Heart Rate chest strap which can connect to hundreds of iOS and Android apps to keep track of Heart Rate during exercise. The strap must be next to your skin not worn outside clothing. Lorne was using the Runmeter app which is very accessible and offers hundreds of configurable audio announcements, however many other apps offer comparable functionality such as the WalkMeter app.

7-Minute Workout App

Next Lorne demonstrated one of the many guided exercise coaching apps; 7-Minute Workout,

Which has its premise that you can start your fitness journey by just performing a series of 12 body weight exercises in just 7 minutes. The app counts down and notifies you when you need to switch, and what the new exercises are. One Criticism of this app is that if you happen to be unfamiliar with how to perform that exercise, while the app does offer some text based descriptions, the pictures/diagrams built in to the app probably won’t be very helpful for a totally blind user.

Blind Alive Workout Videos with Audio Description

In terms of following along with pictures, diagrams and videos of exercises, Lorne discussed exercise videos, which sighted people will recognize from decades ago. They have been much harder for those with no or very low vision to follow along with, unless they have sighted assistance; now that has changed.

Lorne discussed the amazing resource which is the BlindAlive.com website, which hosts Eyes Free Fitness.

(The following quote is taken directly from the BlindAlive.com home page, donations would be welcome and go to support keeping this resource free).

“You just discovered the home of a complete set of the Eyes-Free Fitness® audio exercise programs. All programs are completely free for your downloading pleasure — no strings attached. These programs allow you to stretch, strengthen, condition, and tone your body, all without the benefit of eyesight. All these programs are thoroughly described with extra supplementary audio and text materials, should they be needed.

Mel Scott, who is blind, brought together a team of fitness instructors, musicians, and audio editors in order to provide a variety of exercise programs for people who need or prefer non-visual cues while exercising.”

Relaxation/Meditation

Lorne also discussed a number of relaxation and meditation resources, such as the Headspace app

which is one of several accessible guided meditation apps where you get the first lesson for free but then must pay to continue to more advanced material.

Headspace, along with many similar options is also available if you have a Google Home or Amazon Echo smart speaker, just by saying Connect to Headspace, or Open Headspace.

Some people prefer to listen to nature sounds or calming music in order to meditate, relax, or unwind from a busy day; your smart speaker can help you with this. just ask it to play types of sounds, such as Ocean sounds, or sleep sounds; sometimes you will have to enable a specific skill such as the Amazon Echo Island Sounds skill, before it will start playing.

If you have a subscription to a streaming music service such as Spotify or Apple Music, you can ask the smart assistant to play “relaxing music, meditative music, yoga music, etc. and it will queue up a corresponding playlist of music to help you relax.

Many of the above Meditation/relaxation resources can also be found for free by searching YouTube for meditation, guided meditation, ASMR, Nature sounds, Meditation music, relaxation music, etc.

Next Meeting (Monday March 9 at 7pm)

Vicky Varga from Edmonton Public Library will provide an update on accessible library services such as CELA and NNELS.
As always, for help with technology bring your devices and/or questions to the meeting.

Additional Resources

Telephone Support

Contact our GTT coordinators, Kim Kilpatrick in the East or Albert Ruel in the West to book one on one telephone support.

Kim: 877-304-0968 Ext. 513

Albert: 877-304-0968 Ext. 550

GTT Blog and Monthly Teleconference

GTT Email Support List

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

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 2 hour meeting consists of a feature technology topic in the first hour and a general tech discussion in the second hour.

[End]

GTT Edmonton Meeting Notes, Independent Living Skills, January 13, 2020

Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting January 13, 2020

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held January13 at 7pm at Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 83 Street in Edmonton.

17 people attended.

Reading Tip: These summary notes apply HTML headings to help navigate the document. With screen readers, you may press the H key to jump forward or Shift H to jump backward from heading to heading. Read the Additional Resources section following the meeting notes to learn about our one on one telephone support, the National monthly teleconference, and the support email list.

January Topic –Independent Living Skills

We had a robust round table open discussion on independent living skills. People talked about their strategies and tech they use to perform everyday tasks. The topic turned out to be one of our more interesting ones. The discussion lasted nearly two hours with lots of enthusiasm and lots of ideas shared about how to do everyday tasks. Many of the tasks relied on common sense approaches as well as using tech. Following is a brief summary of the discussion.

how to get the bus:

Google the destination to be aware of its surroundings.
Use the ETS app or Transit app.
Don’t be shy. Ask someone at the bus stop.
You can use the AIRA app which provides trained sighted agents to help you get to the stop by using the video camera on your phone. It was pointed out that AIRA now provides the first 5 minutes of each sighted assistance session for free.

How to shop:

Many people remember the location in the store of products they use regularly.
Customer service can be a great help.
Seeing AI app can be useful for reading product labels and info.
Place an order online and pickup (Superstore) or get delivery for about $9 (from Save On Foods. Save On has a code that allows you to use 2500 Save On points for free delivery. This code saves you a lot more than using your points for anything else.
Use Be My Eyes app to have a volunteer guide you and describe your item by looking through the video camera of your phone. It was mentioned that, unlike AIRA which uses paid trained agents, Be My Eyes uses volunteers so there may be a wait for a volunteer to engage you.

How to Cook:

Use an Instant Pot. Put everything in it at once. Seasoning is everything! Use less liquid so it is thicker. If you get the Bluetooth InstaPot, then you can control all the settings from an app.
Label stove with dots for “Start”, “Medium”, “High” etc.
Label microwave critical buttons such as #5, Power, Start, and Clear.
Modern induction burners are appealing because they only heat the steel pot, the burner does not get hot.
Use smaller knives so less likely to cut yourself.
When grilling on the BBQ, get a 2-sided spatula with attached tong (you can slide the spatula under the food, and then squeeze the food with the tong, so you can easily flip the food.
Use a boiling water probe to tell the level of hot water in a cup.
To avoid messy bacon frying, cook bacon at 350 degrees in the oven (on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
Add milk to eggs and scramble them in a frying pan. When you press on them and they don’t make a squishy sound, they are done.
When browning meat such as ground beef, it will feel dry to the touch when it is fully browned. More frying is safer than less.
Organize spices in baggies and /or in same size containers using braille labels if you know braille.
Put braille labels on spice containers and refill the same labelled container when it is used up.
Sometimes can tell the difference with texture or smell
Use braille recipe card labels and secure them to tin cans with rubber bands. Put the card aside when you open the can and it becomes your shopping list.

How to do Laundry:

Use the “Seeing AI app to help sort colors of clothes.
Buy clothing in similar colors, so they will match, and can be washed together.
Avoid white clothes, which might absorb other colors.
Use “Color Catchers” or “Dye Magnets” which absorb colors that run from clothes. They are like dryer sheets, but you put them in the washing machine. London Drugs carries them.
Use sock pairing devices (CNIB has them), or buy same color socks, or socks with different textures so you can tell the difference.

Travel:

Hotels have more services and help available.
The Travel Eyes organization pairs sighted and non-sighted individuals to travel together on trips.
Use headphones that do not cover your ears such as the popular bone conducting headphones from Aftershokz.
Use an app for GPS navigation and orientation such as Blind Square or Microsoft Soundscape.
Can do both touring and mountain biking with a tandem bicycle and an experienced captain.
Be aware of what insurance covers.
Wear good boots, jacket, all weather gear, be sure clothing is reflective.

House Cleaning:

Feel with your hands what needs cleaning.
Clean once a week because it probably needs it.
Use an app like AIRA or Be My Eyes to get help to tell you if an area is clean.

General

Smart apps can be used to control lights, thermostats etc.
If you are going into college or university, be sure to clearly identify your needs for accessible course materials (audio, e-text, braille, tactile, tutor) to your contact at the disability student office. These materials and/or services take time and special grant funding needs to be organized so be sure you are leading the process and not the other way around.

Next Meeting (Monday February 10 at 7pm)

Topic is to be announced.
As always, for help with technology bring your devices and/or questions to the meeting.

Additional Resources

Telephone Support

Contact our GTT coordinators, Kim Kilpatrick in the East or Albert Ruel in the West to book one on one telephone support.

Kim: 877-304-0968 Ext. 513

Albert: 877-304-0968 Ext. 550

GTT Blog and Monthly Teleconference

GTT Email Support List

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

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 2 hour meeting consists of a feature technology topic in the first hour and a general tech discussion in the second hour.

[End]

GTT Edmonton Meeting Summary Notes, Canadian Assistive Technologies Exhibit, December 9, 2019

Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Chapter Meeting December 9, 2019

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

27 people attended.

IMPORTANT: Read the Additional Resources section following the meeting notes to learn about our one on one telephone support, the National monthly teleconference, and the support email list.

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

Thank You for Treats

A big thank you to all those members who brought treats to make this a festive meeting to celebrate the Christmas season.

December Topic – Technology Exhibit

We were treated to a technology exhibit from Canadian Assistive Technologies, a company with over 30 years’ experience providing assistive technology to blind and low vision Canadians. Company owner, Steve Barclay, exhibited some of the latest tech available. Following is a list of what Steve showed us with links to the product description and pricing.

Mercury 12 digital magnifier from Trysight based on Microsoft Windows 10 Surface Tablet.
Reveal 16i digital magnifier from Humanware running on an Android tablet.
Eschenbach Visolux Digital XL FHD portable video magnifier with 12 inch touch screen with scrolling capability and desktop stand.

WayAround Audio identification tags.
HIMS Braillesense Polaris 32 cell touch enabled braille display with Perkins style keyboard plus Control, ALT, and 4 Function keys to enable use of Google Android apps.
Hims BrailleSense Polaris Mini noteTaker.
HumanWare BrailleNote Touch Plus NoteTaker based on Android tablet.
HumanWare Brailliant 14 or 32 cell braille display.

Steve also has some good deals at the Canadian Assistive Technologies gently used marketplace which is worth checking out.

For more information on these or any other Canadian Assistive Technologies products, you may contact Steve at:

(844) 795-8324

Or sales@canasstech.com

Steve’s team also produces a weekly assistive technology podcast which is called AT Banter.

Next Meeting (Monday January 13, 2020 at 7pm)

First hour topic is to be announced.

The second hour is for you. For help with technology bring your devices and/or questions.

Additional Resources

Telephone Support

Contact our GTT coordinators, Kim Kilpatrick in the East or Albert Ruel in the West to book one on one telephone support.

Kim: 877-304-0968 Ext. 513

Albert: 877-304-0968 Ext. 550

GTT Blog and Monthly Teleconference

GTT Email Support List

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

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 2 hour meeting consists of a feature technology topic in the first hour and a general tech discussion in the second hour.

[End]

GTT Edmonton Meeting Notes, Stay Safe Online, November 11, 2019

Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting November 11, 2019

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held November11 at 7pm at Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 83 Street in Edmonton.

17 people attended.

Reading Tip: These summary notes apply HTML headings to help navigate the document. With screen readers, you may press the H key to jump forward or Shift H to jump backward from heading to heading. Read the Additional Resources section following the meeting notes to learn about our one on one telephone support, the National monthly teleconference, and the support email list.

2020 Membership Dues

Thank you to those who paid their CCB 2020 membership. We have a total of 32 paid up members for 2020.

November Topic –Stay Safe Online

Lisa Boone from the Athabasca University informed us of many perils we need to be aware of in the online world and she provided recommendations for dealing with those security concerns.

Disclaimer: The opinions and recommendations of Lisa’s are her own and not endorsed by the Canadian Council of the Blind. However, Lisa is an IT professional and her comments and recommendations are worthy of your consideration as you evaluate how to stay safe online. Following is a summary of her presentation.

Internet Browser Address Bar Secure Indications:

For browsers such as Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox – consistent across all of them the address bar says httpsfor secure connection, the https means you are communicating with a legitimate web site and the data you send to that site is encrypted. Don’t communicate with sites that show only http instead of https in their address.

Visually, secure sites also show a padlock icon and screen readers will announce that the site is secure. You may need to press Shift+Tab at the address bar to have your screen reader read the secure designation.

When it comes to online banking there is an EV certificate, a third party that confirms a safe site (I.e., digicertt). In a browser address bar these EV certificates show a banks name (e.g. TD Bank, then the https and the text are green. Red colour means it is not secure. Chrome now does not indicate this way when an EV certificate is confirmed. Other browsers currently show the EV certificate. Safari shows the certificate by using green text in the address bar

Stop using Internet Explorer. Microsoft does not support it if it gets hacked.

Using apps or browsers?

Is it more secure to use the web site or app? (e.g. Amazon, eBay, Kijiji, etc.). Safer to use an app on mobile devices then a browser. On a computer, there is no real best way app or browser.

Apps leak information. App developers never tell us they leak. Info can be username, password, email address. Apps can send packets of data and malicious people grab those packets.

Android is wide open, and you are not sure an app is encrypting your data you may want to look at the Check out the recon site and download the app to see what network traffic is going out without you knowing.

http://Recon.meddle.mobi tracks what kind of traffic is going out from your phone so it blocks info going out from phone (android, iOS, windows).

Also, ask the app vendor if the app data they send out from your phone is being encrypted. Less risk with apple developers then other operating systems.

Passwords:

Do not use birthdates, names, mother’s maiden name or addresses

Try to make a password at minimum 8 characters

Use sentences, phrases, symbols and numbers in place of letters.

Online shopping:

Use a separate credit card with a lower limit or debit visa that is separate from our normal account. That way hackers are not accessing your major credit cards and accounts. Vanilla or prepaid credit cards can be safer because they are not linked to you.

Sign up to Take Advantage of a deal:

Anytime you need to create an account just to get a promotion like Spotify, Recipes, etc. use a junk email you’ve created for just such instances and let it receive all the resulting spam that typically follows. Remember the email and password because you may have to verify it from an authentication email.

Often email providers require 2 factor authentication. This is encouraged so that the person trying to access your email account, needs to also have your phone number or fingerprint.

Email Accounts:

Don’t install Gmail or Outlook on a computer. Use a browser to access emails if accessible. When you open an email that has malware, the browser server gets to deal with it, not your local hard drive. Never open attachments that end in the extension .exe or .bat. Be suspicious of any link that says click here.

Phishing Emails:

Most phishing activity is about banking. They want you to click their website and log in to your account. The result is they now have your username and password.

These are scammers trying to get access. Their fishing emails are usually shocking and look accurate. No government, bank or large corporation is going to ask you for private information or money. Check the email address. Big companies will not use outlook, Gmail or Hotmail. Apple or your IT department.

This is the email version of the fake phone calls from Revenue Canada, Microsoft, the bank.

Contests:

Scammers do this all day every day. Always be aware. One of the first things to ask them is “what is my name?”. There are social media scams such as if you pay $ you will get a gift card from Costco.

In Canada, the only thing required of someone if you win something is to answer a skill testing question.

Your email may be actually sending the email. Never click on a link in an email when they claim you’ve won something. You can phone your bank or CRA to confirm. Don’t respond. Delete it forever.

Fraud Reporting Departments:

Big companies like Amazon often have a fraud reporting department.

Snopes.com does investigation of rumors and hoaxes like costco or walmart card. They will tell you if its true or not

The Anti Fraud Center, RCMP, and Consumer Affairs Canada are all good reliable sources to check for information about fraud and scams. Please report fraud.

Other Safety Tips:

Don’t willingly give codes or personal information. Ensure they confirm your info rather than you divulging it.
Debit machines have red tape on them to show the debit machine has not been tampered with.
Place daily limits and weekly limits on withdrawals of bank accounts.
Use tap as it is safer or Apple Pay on your smart phone with fingerprint confirmation because you are not giving away your pin.
Check your statement often. Call the bank.
Clear out your internet browser cookies or cache. Be advised you will then need to re-enter passwords on web sites.

Privacy Settings:

All computers, smart phones, social media accounts have privacy settings. Turn off location tracking and decide which apps you will allow to use your microphone or web cam. If you have gone away, don’t post your pictures on social media until you get back home.

Spoofing Phone Numbers:

In Canada, spoofing phone numbers is legal and the scammer computer grabs any phone number in Canada which then appears on our call displays even though the scammer is likely calling from abroad. The spoofed number may even be an actual number such as CRA or Microsoft. The government is relying on the phone provider to protect us from spoofing and bogus numbers. Again, be smarter than them and let them tell you about yourself rather than the other way around. Even better, don’t answer the phone at all if you are not expecting the organization to call you. They can leave a message.

Private Browsing:

Chrome has incognito mode (a private browsing mode) presumably to prevent websites that want to know when you visit their site (airlines, google,) but browsers are smart, and you never really hide from those sites. They still track you.

DuckDuckGo.com instead of google search claims to be a private browser that does not store/track search or location info. Set it as your default search engine or use it’s extensions.

Google and Bing try to catch your search data

Ad Blockers:

Ad blockers are good to have. But Youtube is rewriting their core and if you have an ad blocker you won’t be able to use YouTube

Unblock is one ad blocker

Antivirus Software:

In Windows 10, windows defender is sufficient if you are reasonably cautious. The huge downside of Defender is that it is really slow to scan your system. If you turn your system off every night, you are not giving it enough time to do its job. Let Windows 10 go to sleep and log off your computer rather than completely shutting it down. This allows Defender to do its scan. Keep your Windows 10 up to date to ensure you are closing any loopholes that Microsoft has patched.

Legacy Windows7, 8.1,2000

Download windows defender separately. You will also have to download SHA2 algorithm that ensures it is from Microsoft. Those older Windows systems will prompt you to download SHA2 before it will install windows defender.

Upgrade to Windows 10?

Likely older hardware will have trouble running on new operating systems. Take your system to a computer store or Geek Squad

A special tool – Microsoft Safety Scanner is another double check virus scanner that may be up to date if windows defender virus definitions are not up to date yet. It’s an applet, download it, launch it and it automatically installs. It’s only valid for 10 days.

Next Meeting (Monday December 9 at 7pm)

Topic will be our annual presentation and tech demo by Steve Barclay, CEO of Canadian Assistive Technology. Steve has over 30 years’ experience consulting and selling assistive technology across Canada and always has interesting tech to show us. He is also glad to answer questions about your needs. We recommend you come and see what is new and exciting in tech and take advantage of Steve’s vast experience. It’s the Christmas season so if anyone wants to bring any Christmas baking or treats that would help make the evening more festive.

Additional Resources

Telephone Support

Contact our GTT coordinators, Kim Kilpatrick in the East or Albert Ruel in the West to book one on one telephone support.

Kim: 877-304-0968 Ext. 513

Albert: 877-304-0968 Ext. 550

GTT Blog and Monthly Teleconference

GTT Email Support List

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

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 2 hour meeting consists of a feature technology topic in the first hour and a general tech discussion in the second hour.

[End]

GTT Edmonton Summary Notes, General Tech, September 9, 2019

Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting September 9, 2019

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held September9 at 7pm at Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 83 Street in Edmonton.

14 people attended.

Reading Tip: These summary notes apply HTML headings to help navigate the document. With screen readers, you may press the H key to jump forward or Shift H to jump backward from heading to heading. Also, read the last section of this document for information on GTT resources including the National monthly teleconference, support email list, and telephone support.

September Topic –General Tech

2020 Membership Dues

Thank you to those who paid their CCB 2020 membership. 9 members renewed and we had 3 new members. 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.

General Tech Discussion

We had several subgroups discussing general technology issues.

One small group discussed how to upgrade to a new computer including what hardware configuration should be considered and what are the steps to set it up and transfer data from the old computer to the new computer. Often the computer store especially the smaller non chain stores may be willing to do some of the set up for you. This may be worth it even for a small fee. For example, the store could set up your email, set up an Office 365 Home subscription, and even install JAWS or Zoomtext. Also, it was stressed that purchasing an Office 365 subscription instead of purchasing the Office program is the more viable and economical way to use Office today. You should subscribe to Office 365 Home edition not the business edition. An Office 365 subscription does not mean you have to use the cloud. The Office programs (Word, Excel, Outlook, Power Point) can still be installed on your computer and your documents can reside on your computer. With an Office 365 subscription, your Office programs will always be updated automatically with the current versions of those programs.
Another group discussed how to listen to podcasts on an iPhone.
There were others discussing iPhone edit mode which allows you to move and group icons on your home screen.

Another person was curious about how to move from an older DAISY CD player to Victor Reader Stream and convert their CELA service from CD books to Direct to Player books.

Next Meeting (Thursday October 17 at 7pm)

Because the second Monday of October is Thanksgiving , we will meet the second Thursday October 17.

Topic is TBA.
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.

National Teleconference, Email Support List, Telephone Support

GTT sponsors a national GTT monthly teleconference. You may subscribe to the National GTT blog to get email notices of teleconferences and notes from other GTT chapters. Visit:

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

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

Telephone Support: Contact our GTT coordinators, Kim Kilpatrick in the East or Albert Ruel in the West to book one on one telephone support.

Kim: 877-304-0968 Ext. 513

Albert: 877-304-0968 Ext. 550

[End of Document]

GTT Edmonton Summary Notes, May 13, 2019

Summary Notes
GTT Edmonton Meeting May 13, 2019

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held May 13 at 7pm at Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 83 Street in Edmonton.
12 people attended.
Reading Tip: These summary notes apply HTML headings to help navigate the document. With screen readers, you may press the H key to jump forward or Shift H to jump backward from heading to heading.

May Topic – Independent Living Low Tech Aids
Low Tech Aids Demo
Stephannie Leach, Independent Living Skills Specialist at Vision Loss Rehab Alberta (a Division of CNIB), demonstrated some inexpensive low tech aids and free apps that can be used in the home to promote independent living. These devices included:
• Color Reader is a hand-held device that can be placed near an object such as an item of clothing and it will speak its color.
• Level Indicator: Place it on the edge of a cup, pour in liquid and it will beep when the cup is full.
• Talking Kitchen Scale to weigh small items and ingredients.
• Talking Measuring Cup: It announces the amount of liquid you pour into the cup. Buttons to select water, oil, or milk. 1 Liter capacity. Detaches from its base for washing.
• Pen Friend is a talking label device. IT comes with 250 labels that can be attached to items such as clothing, containers, file folders, CDs, whatever you wish. Speak a description of the item to the Pen Friend and the next time you touch the label with the Pen Friend it will speak back what you said. Clothes washing does not damage the label. Pen Friend can also play MP3 files. It also comes with magnets. Place a talking label on a magnet and it can then be reused on items such as canned food.
• Talking Bathroom Scale with a setting for pounds or kilograms.
• Reminder Rosie is a handheld device that you can talk to. You can ask it the time, tell it to remind you about appointments or things to do, all just with your voice and no computer.
• Talking watches and clocks.
• Seeing AI App for iPhone: This is a free app from Microsoft that you can download from the app store. It helps with many tasks including speaking colors, reading out loud short text such as package labels and envelopes, reads package bar codes, reads out loud longer paper documents, identifies Canadian, U.S., UK currency notes, identifies faces, and more.

CNIB STEP Program and Retail Store
The above items can be subsidized through the CNIB STEP program for Alberta CNIB clients. Contact your local Edmonton CNIB office at 780.488.4871 to learn more or visit the office at #600, 11150 Jasper Avenue. CNIB also has a retail store at this address where the above items can be viewed and purchased.

Home Visit by Stephannie Leach
CNIB clients can also come into the Edmonton office to see these devices at the CNIB store or they can call to book an appointment with Stephannie to come to their home to help them with their independent living skills. You may also contact Stephannie by email at Stephannie.Leach@vlrehab.ca

Next Meeting (Monday June 10, 2019 at 7pm)
• Carrie and Lyle will explain the accessibility settings built into Windows 10 that make it easier for low vision users to use Windows 10 computers.
• As always, for help with technology bring your devices and/or questions to the meeting.

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

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

National GTT Email Support List
CCB sponsors a GTT email support list to provide help and support with technology for blind and low vision Canadians. To subscribe to the email list, send an empty email to:
GTTsupport+subscribe@groups.io
[End of Document]

GTT Edmonton Summary Notes, Using Netflix on Your iDevice, April 8, 2019

Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting April 8, 2019

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held April 8 at 7pm at Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 83 Street in Edmonton.

15 people attended.

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

April Topic – USING NETFLIX On YOUR iDevice

Wendy Edey demonstrated how a blind person can use their iPhone to find and play described video movies and other programs on the Netflix service.

Netflix is a streaming service that allows you to watch movies, documentaries and TV shows on- a computer, a tablet or a smart phone.

This presentation focused on using Netflix with iPhone with Voice Over. Accessibility is not perfect, but it is usable.

Netflix Fees

Netflix charges a monthly fee and can be cancelled at any time. You can pay for one, two or four users. Four users costs $16.99 per month.

One user costs $9.99 per month. The cost for two screens is $13.99. If you pay for more than one person, all the users can use Netflix on different devices at the same time. The users do not need to be in the same home. They can even be in different cities. If you know someone who has a spare screen on their account, you can ask them to register for you.

If not, you will need your own account.

The Netflix Ap is free from the Ap Store, but you will need a Netflix account to use it. If you are using one of the screens on somebody else’s account, you will need their email and password to sign in the first time.

App Navigation

From the Home screen you can view all the content by flicking through the items one at a time. For a more efficient journey, set your rotor to Headings and flip through the available headings.

There are four tabs at the bottom of the Home screen: Home, search, Downloads and More. You can view all available titles by flicking through the items one by one on the Home screen, or by setting your rotor to Headings and flicking through the headings that Netflix provides. On the search screen, you can type in the name of a movie or TV show to see if it is available. The Downloads screen shows items you have downloaded for off line use, and the More screen contains options for adjusting your account and profile preferences.

Playing Content

To play an item, tap twice with one finger and flick through the options. You will have the option to play it or add it to My List. If you choose to play it, the playback will begin. If you choose to add it, tap twice on My List. Then you can flick down through the options and choose Download. This will place the item in your iPhone. You will be able to watch it at any time without connecting to the Internet. When you want to remove the item from your iPhone, you can go back to My List and delete it there.

Controlling the Playback

All content will play in Landscape Mode even if you have locked the orientation of your screen. To control the playback, you will want to tip your phone into the landscape position. Tap twice in the middle of the screen to see the control menu when the content is playing. The control menu only stays on the screen for a very short time, so you may have to get it back a few times. On the control menu you will find options to pause, go back or forward by time or percentage, and change audio and subtitle options.

Audio description

Quite a few of the Netflix titles have audio description. You can set up your personal screen to enable audio description whenever it is available without affecting the settings on other screens using the same account. This can be done on your computer. Alternately the people in the Help centre can do it for you. Indeed, the help line people provide very good support. When you set up the ap on your iPhone you can set Audio Description as a default. You can turn it off during the playback for any individual item.

Next Meeting (Monday May 13, 2019 at 7pm)

Stephannie Leach, independent Living Skills coordinator for CNIB, will demonstrate several low tech gadgets and apps that promote independent living.
As always, for help with technology bring your devices and/or questions to the meeting.

Meeting Location and Logistics

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

GTT Edmonton Overview

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

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

National GTT Email Support List

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

https://www.apple.com/ca/accessibility/ipad/vision/

[End of Document]

GTT Edmonton Summary Notes, Students Using iPad in Education, March 11, 2019

Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting March 11, 2019

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held March 11 at 7pm at Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 83 Street in Edmonton.

24 people attended.

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

March Topic – Students Using iPad in Education

Lorne Webber demonstrated using the iPad as a blind person using the built-in VoiceOver screen reader and Brieann Baldock demonstrated using the iPad as a low vision

Student using the built-in Zoom magnification.

A summary of their presentations follows.

VoiceOver Screen reader Basics

By Lorne Webber, lorne.webber@gmail.com

Turning VoiceOver On

If setting up the device for the first time: on the Setup screen, click the home button or side button 3 times.
If device is already set up: Tap Settings, then General, then Accessibility, then VoiceOver, then tap to turn on/off.
or, ask Siri to “Turn VoiceOver On/Off”.

Accessibility Shortcut (triple click shortcut)

To turn VoiceOver on and off easier in the future, Setup Voiceover as your Accessibility Shortcut (triple click home or side button):
Settings, then General, then Accessibility, then Accessibility Shortcut at the very Bottom, Select VoiceOver from your list of choices.

Basic Gestures:

Explore by Touch, vs. item to item

Previous item (going to the left, or up), = one finger swipe from right to left.
Next item (going to the right, or down), = one finger swipe from left to right.
Tap once on an item to hear VoiceOver speak it out loud, double tap on it to activate it.
VoiceOver Help, (Practicing Gestures), four finger double tap, again to stop.
List of gestures from AppleVis: https://bit.ly/2UsGVY9

VoiceOver Rotor

(Navigation commands, and customizing/controlling VoiceOver from anywhere)

Two finger twisting motion, (like twisting a dial or bottle cap) clockwise or counterclockwise.
Actions usually involve swiping up or swiping down with one finger, and perhaps double tapping once the correct item has been reached.

VoiceOver Settings:

Tap Settings, then General, then Accessibility, then VoiceOver,
Here is where you can change VoiceOver settings, Rotor items, Voices, Voice Speed, Braille settings, custom pronunciations, etc.

Miscellaneous

Using VoiceOver with a bluetooth Keyboard

(almost all commands make you hold down Modifier keys, (control + Option)

to start help mode from the keyboard, press Control + Option + K
AppleVis Keyboard guide:
https://www.applevis.com/guides/accessories-bluetooth-ios-ipad-iphone-ipod-touch-voiceover/dont-touch-it-type-it-voiceover

Screen Curtain

: dims screen for privacy and saves battery power.

Triple tap with 3 fingers, same to turn it off

Braille Screen Input (BSI) for typing in braille directly on the screen

Alternative to using the built in keyboard

Have to enable in VoiceOver settings, Rotor settings.

general resources:

An incredible web community for blind or low vision use of iOS devices and MAC computers is Applevis.
Vision Accessibility – iPad – Apple

Perkins School

http://www.perkinselearning.org/technology/curriculum/introduction-ipad-accessibility

iFocus Instructional Videos – Apple Accessibility

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRe7-7jGsk642SHgh-LOtOg

Tips and Tricks on Zoom and Speech on iOS

By Brieann Baldock, a U of A low vision student studying Education

Zoom

How do you access Zoom?

To turn on Zoom on an iPad and iPhone, you want to go to settings>General> Accessibility>Zoom and then turn it on.

Once you are in the zoom setting it explains to you how to activate zoom and work it. There are various settings such as Zoom region, (Full Screen Zoom or Window zoom). The full screen zoom will zoom in the whole screen and you have to drag your three fingers across the screen to navigate.

You can also customize the maximum zoom level up to 15.0x.
You can also customize the zoom filter which will change the color and contrast of the screen for contrast.
The zoom app works in all apps if you need it.
There are also ways to enlarge your font throughout your system where dynamic type is available, if you go to General> Accessibility>Larger Text, you will see a scale where you can adjust your preferred readings size/font.

Tips and Tricks on Speech on iOS

Go into settings> General> Speech> Speech selection on.
To activate speech on a screen swipe down with two fingers from the top of the screen to hear the content of the screen.
You can also change the voices, and speed of the voices

Next Meeting (Monday April 8, 2019 at 7pm)

Wendy Edey will show how a blind person can use their iPhone to find and play described video movies and TV shows on the Netflix
As always, for help with technology bring your devices and/or questions to the meeting.

Meeting Location and Logistics

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

GTT Edmonton Overview

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

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

National GTT Email Support List

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

[End of Document]

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

Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting January 14, 2019

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

28 people attended.

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

January Topics – AIRA and Library Services

AIRA

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

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

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

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

Edmonton Public Library and CELA and NNELS

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

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

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

Meeting Location and Logistics

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

GTT Edmonton Overview

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

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

National GTT Email Support List

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

[End of Document]

GTT Edmonton Summary Notes, Technology Exhibit, December 10, 2018

Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting December 10, 2018

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held December 10, at 7pm at Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 83 Street in Edmonton.

22 people attended.

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

December Topic – Technology Exhibit

Jordi head worn color Video magnifier with adjustable magnification, auto focus, HDMI input.
IrisVision is another head worn video magnifier with industry leading 70-degree field of view and OCR capability to come soon.
DaVinci Pro desktop high definition video magnifier with OCR and text-to-speech.
Acrobat HD Mini Ultra is a desktop video magnifier that is highly portable and computer compatible with up to 65x magnification.
Pebble Mini pocket-size low-cost video magnifier with magnification from 2x to 10x.
Eschenbach Visolux Digital XL FHD is a portable video magnifier with 12 inch touch screen with scrolling capability and desktop stand.
HIMS Braillesense Polaris 32 cell touch enabled braille display with Perkins style keyboard plus Control, ALT, and 4 Function keys to enable use of Google apps. 18-hour battery with wireless charging.
QBraille XL 40 cell braille display with Perkins style keypad as well as QWERTY function keys.
HumanWare Brailliant 32, 40, or 80 cell braille display.

Steve also has some good deals at the Canadian Assistive Technologies gently used marketplace which is worth checking out.

For more information on these or any other Canadian Assistive Technologies products, you may contact Steve at:

(844) 795-8324

Or sales@canasstech.com

Steve’s team also produces a weekly assistive technology podcast which is called AT Banter.

Next Meeting (Monday January 14, 2019 at 7pm)

First hour topic is to be announced.

In the second hour we will do side sessions on the iPhone and Victor Reader Stream

As always, for help with technology bring your devices and/or questions to the meeting.

Meeting Location and Logistics

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

GTT Edmonton Overview

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

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

National GTT Email Support List

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

[End of Document]

GTT Edmonton Summary Notes, VR Stream and General Discussion, November 12, 2018

Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting November 12, 2018

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

20 people attended.

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

November Topics –VR Stream and General Discussion

Victor Reader Stream Online Functions

Gerry provided a demonstration of the Online functions of the Victor Reader Stream including Podcasts, Bookshare, Internet Radio, Wikipedia and Wiktionary References, and CELA Direct to Player.

Summary:

It is not possible to describe these features in length in these notes but here is a brief summary. Refer to the HumanWare resources below for more detailed instructions.

Online Button: You move back and forth between the SD card bookshelves and the online bookshelves by pressing the online button in the centre of the top row just above key #2. You press and hold this online button to turn airplane mode on or off. Airplane mode must be off to enable a wi-fi connection to the Internet which is required to access the online content.
You move between the online bookshelves by pressing key 1 multiple times.
Podcast Bookshelf. When you are on the podcast bookshelf you move back and forth between its books (podcast feeds) by pressing keys 4 and 6. You may add a new podcast feed by pressing the GoTo key multiple times to find the option to add a new feed. You open the list of episodes in a feed by pressing the Confirm key. You then move back and forth between the episodes by pressing keys 4 and 6. Prior to the first episode is the option to get more episodes.
Bookshare Bookshelf: You must contact the CELA Library to request that Bookshare access be added to your account and then add the Bookshare username and password to your Stream using menu key #7. You may search for new Bookshare books and download them. Bookshare books are DAISY text only meaning they are read by the Stream’s built-in speech. You navigate the list of books on this bookshelf with keys 4 and 6 and open any book by pressing the Play or Confirm key.
Internet Radio Bookshelf: You Press keys 4 and 6 to move back and forth between the Radio books (playlists). Press the Go To key multiple times to find the search option where you can type keywords to find new radio stations. Press the Bookmark key to add a radio station from the search results list to your Favorites playlist. Press Play key to play any station.
References bookshelf: You press keys 4 or 6 to move between the 2 books (Wikipedia or Wiktionary) on this bookshelf. In either case you use the GoTo key to search for a word in Wiktionary or an article in Wikipedia. A preview of the word definition or article will be heard. You press the Play key to listen and navigate the full article. You may save the article by pressing key 3.
CELA Direct to Player Bookshelf: You register for CELA service online or through your local library. You must then add the assigned user account number to your Stream using menu key #7. You navigate the books on this bookshelf with keys 4 or 6. You open a book by pressing Play or Confirm key. These are DAISY books, so you navigate them with keys 2 or 8 to select the level of navigation and keys 4 or 6 to move back and forth at the chosen level. You return a book to CELA with key 3 followed by confirm. Unlike Bookshare books, you cannot search for CELA books using the Stream. You must search the CELA library with your computer and when you find your book select its Direct to Player link to cause the book to download to your Stream. You may also ask CELA customer support (1-855-655-2273) to automatically select your books based on your reading interests. You may also ask customer support to subscribe you to magazines which will download to the Stream automatically when issued. There are 150 magazines to choose from.

Resources

The HumanWare training web page for the Victor Reader Stream has information on using the Stream online features including:

Connecting to a wireless network.
Using the multi-tap text entry method to enter text on the keypad.
Adding Bookshare accounts.
Searching for Bookshare books.
Searching for Internet Radio stations.
Playing Internet Radio stations.
Searching for and adding Podcast feeds.
Managing Podcast feeds and playing Podcast episodes.
Also, refer to the built-in User guide which can be accessed any time by pressing and holding key #1. To exit the User Guide press and hold key #1 again. While in the User Guide, you may navigate by chapter and section as it is a DAISY book. You may also search the User Guide. Press the Goto key at the top left until you hear, Search. Then type in your search keywords on the number pad and press the Confirm or Pound key. You will be positioned in the User Guide at the first occurrence of your search text. Press key #6 to find the next occurrence or key 4 to find the previous. Instructions on typing text on the number pad can be found at the same HumanWare training web page.

General Discussion

The second hour comprised a very good general discussion on many

technology topics. Here is a summary:

Screen Reader: JAWS remains as the most prevalent screen reader program but for those transitioning to a screen reader the free NVDA screen reader should be quite adequate especially if the environment is not work or school.
Touch Typing: It is important if you are losing your vision and cannot touch type that you
learn this skill as the screen reader will not type for you.
Braille: There are some who think braille is old fashioned in our modern high tech world, but the reality is that braille is more available than ever through the use of electronic braille keyboards and refreshable displays to access computers and smartphones. Also, braille remains the only way to read and maintain your literacy skills as a blind person.
Android vs. iPhone: The choice of which type of phone to purchase is always a personal choice as both have screen magnification and screen reader accessibility features. Advantages of Android include a wider variety of phone devices that are less expensive than iPhones. Advantages of iPhones are that they are thought to be less problematic with the access features and as there are many more iPhone users than Android, your chances to get iPhone support are better.
Retail Advice re: Smartphones: Generally, sales people in retail stores don’t understand accessibility. For example, if you are blind, they often show you the Siri voice assistant whereas they do not understand that VoiceOver, the built-in screen reader, is the essential tool. Be cautious with advice from retail people. They mean well but are not typically well informed on accessibility.

Next Meeting (Monday December 10 at 7pm)

As usual for our December meeting, we will be joined by Steve Barclay, owner of Canadian Assistive Technology. Steve will demonstrate and talk about blind and low vision assistive technology products that may be purchased from his company. Bring your questions! This is a terrific opportunity to meet Steve and benefit from his many years in the assistive technology business.
As always, for help with technology bring your devices and/or questions to the meeting.

Meeting Location and Logistics

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

GTT Edmonton Overview

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

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

National GTT Email Support List

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

https://www.freedomscientific.com/Services/TrainingAndCertification/FreeWebinars

[End of Document]

GTT Edmonton Summary Notes, BlueSky TV and iPhone Training, October 15, 2018

Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting October 15, 2018

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held October 15 at 7pm at Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 83 Street in Edmonton.

19 people attended.

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

October Topics – Blue Sky TV, JAWS Tutorials and iPhone

Blue Sky TV

Russell provided a recorded 33-minute thorough demo of using all aspects of Shaw Cable’s Blue Sky digital TV service including navigating the talking menus, browsing the talking program guide, using voice commands to find channel or programs, accessing Netflix, Accessing YouTube, and configuring the voice assistant settings.

Activate this Drop Box link to download Russell’s seven zipped recorded MP3 files so you can listen to this excellent presentation on your computer or DAISY player, for example placing the files in the $VROtherBooks folder on the SD card of the Victor Reader Stream.

The Drop Box will open with a window to sign-in or create an account. Just select close and then find the More Options choice which has a direct download link to get the zip file.

JAWS Built-in Training Materials

Russell worked with a member of GTT to show him how to get to the Jaws training materials by going into the Jaws window, going to the help menu, and choosing “Training” from within the help menu. He then demonstrated how to arrow through the list of training materials and press enter on the desired material to get it to download and install. After that he showed how the training material can be either read with Jaws using the usual Jaws reading commands, or listened to by pressing CTRL + P.

Aside from these training materials, Freedom Scientific has also archived many of their past webinars and offer them free of charge from their web site:

You can access these webinars in any of the following three ways:

A link to the recorded archive, including text, audio, and chat history
A link to an audio only file in MP3 format
A link to the text of the lesson in HTML format

iPhone Training

Gerry took a group of members to a separate room for training on basic iPhone navigation gestures using the built-in Voice Over screen reader. The following table lists only 12 gestures that allow you to do almost everything on an iPhone without being able to see the screen.

Use this Gesture	To DO This
Single finger touch	Select the item under your finger. VoiceOver will announce it.
Single finger double tap anywhere on the screen	Activate the selected item
Single finger flick left or right.	Select previous/next item.
Single finger flick up or down	Select previous/next item from a menu of additional choices.
Two finger rotate left or right.	Select previous/next rotor setting.
Two finger double tap	Start and stop the current action such as answering or hanging up a phone call, playing/pausing music, or video, start and stop the timer etc.
Two finger flick up	Read page starting at the top.
Two finger flick down	Start reading at selected item to end of screen.
Three finger flick left	Scroll right one page.
Three finger flick right	Scroll left one page.
Three finger flick down	Scroll up one page.
Three finger flick up	Scroll down one page.

Note that these gestures work only when VoiceOver is turned on. Sighted people who might share your phone use different gestures. The phone will not respond to the gestures sighted people are accustomed to unless you turn off VoiceOver.

The app switcher was also discussed. It lists all the open apps on your phone. You reach the app switcher with a double click of the Home button.
You move between the apps on the list by flicking left or right.
In the app switcher a 3 finger scroll up is a shortcut to close the app. It is a good idea to close apps from the app switcher as this reduces memory usage and improves battery life. Also, if an app is misbehaving it may help to go to the app switcher and close that app then relaunch the app.
Be careful with the 3 finger gesture because if you accidentally double tap with 3 fingers this turns off speech. If your speech goes silent, try double tapping with 3 fingers to turn speech back on.
The gesture help screen is a good place to practice gestures. Each gesture you perform will be announced as well as its purpose. This helps you to confirm that your gestures are interpreted correctly by the phone. To quickly reach the help practice screen, tap twice with 4 fingers. To leave the help practice screen again double tap with 4 fingers.

Next Meeting (Monday November 12 at 7pm)

We will focus on the AIRA live-agent system for providing visual assistance to blind and visually impaired people.
As always, for help with technology bring your devices and/or questions to the meeting.

Meeting Location and Logistics

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

GTT Edmonton Overview

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

To subscribe, use the form at the bottom of that web page to enter your email.

National GTT Email Support List

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

https://www.applevis.com/podcast/episodes/quick-tip-setting-your-iphone-use-apple-pay

[End of Document]

GTT Edmonton Summary Notes, Apple Pay and JAWS Built-in Training, September 10, 2018

Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting September 10, 2018

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held September 10 at 7pm at Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 83 Street in Edmonton.

22 people attended.

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

September Topics –Apple Pay and JAWS Built-in Training

Apple Pay on the iPhone

Lorne demonstrated using Apple Pay on his iPhone 8 to pay for items. He had access to a Square wireless card reader for small businesses to accept Apple Pay transactions, which he used to demonstrate purchasing an item using Apple Pay, the same way one would in a store.

Apple Pay is a quick, secure and accessible method for making purchases that allow a blind or partially sighted iPhone user to avoid the need to figure out the various layouts of debit/credit pin pads in stores. It works with iPhones going back as far as the iPhone 6, with an Apple Watch, or newer Macs that have the Touch ID fingerprint reader.

Most stores may not know if they support paying for things using Apple Pay, so instead ask if they accept tap cards; if the accept paying with tap, it will accept Apple Pay.

Advantages of using Apple Pay verses tap is that it’s more secure, you know for sure which card you’re using, and there will be a record of each transaction, so you can go back and confirm that you were correctly charged.

If you’ve set up Apple Pay on your phone, and you hold your phone up very close to the pin pad at a store after the cashier is waiting for you to proceed, the Apple Pay screen will pop up automatically on your iPhone. It will not proceed however, until you type in your pass code or touch your home button with your fingerprint registered with Touch ID. If it does not pop up for any reason, you can bring it up anytime from your lock screen by double tapping the home button and hold after the second tap.

Links for More Information

A demonstration of setting up Apple Pay from AppleVis, it’s a few years old but most things are similar still:

Settings you can change for accessing Apple Pay right from the lock screen: http://www.idownloadblog.com/2015/10/02/how-to-wallet-apple-pay-lock-screen/
Apple’s official guide for using Apple Pay:
https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201239
All major Canadian banks support Apple Pay. here is the complete list of 28 Canadian banks in Canada that support Apple Pay: (second heading is Canada): https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT204916
For those concerned about what Data, including credit card numbers that Apple is storing, the following was taken directly from Apple Pay security and privacy overview – Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT203027

“Apple doesn’t store or have access to the original credit, debit, or prepaid card numbers that you use with Apple Pay. And when you use Apple Pay with credit, debit, or prepaid cards, Apple doesn’t retain any transaction information that can be traced back to you. Your transactions stay between you, the merchant, and your bank or card issuer. When you add a credit, debit, prepaid, or transit card (where available) to Apple Pay, information that you enter on your device is encrypted and sent to Apple servers. If you use the camera to enter the card information, the information is never saved on your device or photo library. Apple decrypts the data, determines your card’s payment network, and re-encrypts the data with a key that only your payment network (or any providers authorized by your card issuer for provisioning and token services) can unlock.”

JAWS Built-in Training Materials

Anthony asked a great question about how to access the built-in training materials that come with JAWS. Many JAWS users forget these DAISY formatted materials are available right on their computer through the FS Reader DAISY book reader that is installed with JAWS. There are two ways to access the FS Reader app either: from your desktop or through the JAWS help menu.

Access JAWS Training from the Desktop

Hold down Windows key and press M to reach your desktop.
Press key F repeatedly until the icon for the FS Reader app is announced. Then press Enter and the FS Reader app will open.
You may hear, FS Reader untitled, meaning there is no current book open to read. Press Alt+F to open the File menu.
Press down arrow to read the items in the File menu. The first one is Open which allows you to open and read any DAISY book on your computer regardless of whether it was created by Freedom Scientific. Press down arrow again and you will find the item to open the JAWS Training table of contents. Press Enter to activate this item.
You can now arrow up and down the training books in the table of contents. Simply press Enter to read the topics you want. If the selected topic is not installed FS Reader will automatically download it from Freedom Scientific so be sure your computer is connected to the Internet.
To get help using the FS Reader itself, simply press F1.

Access JAWS Training from the JAWS Help Menu

If you prefer, the training materials may also be accessed through the JAWS menu as follows:

Press JAWS key + J to open the JAWS menu.
Arrow down to the Help menu and press right arrow to open its submenu.
Arrow down to Training and press Enter.
FS Reader will open with the JAWS training table of contents already loaded.
You can now arrow up and down the training books in the table of contents. Simply press Enter to read the topics you want. If the selected topic is not installed FS Reader will automatically download it from Freedom Scientific so be sure your computer is connected to the Internet.
To get help using the FS Reader itself, simply press F1.

Next Meeting (Monday October 15 at 7pm)

The second Monday of October is Thanksgiving, so we will have our next meeting on the third Monday October 15.
As always, for help with technology bring your devices and/or questions to the meeting.

Meeting Location and Logistics

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

GTT Edmonton Overview

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

http://www.GTTProgram.blog/

To subscribe, use the form at the bottom of that web page to enter your email.

National GTT Email Support List

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

[End of Document]

GTT Edmonton Summary Notes, Taking Pics with iPhone, June 11, 2018

Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting June 11, 2018

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held June 11at 7pm at Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 83 Street in Edmonton.

14 people attended.

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

June Topics –Taking Pictures/Videos with iPhone

iPhone Pictures and Videos

Huseyn, a Grade 4 student, provided the members with an overview of how he uses his iPhone 6 to take pictures and videos. Some of the suggestions that Huseyn provided regarding the use of his iPhone camera are as follows:

Use the Camera app to take both pictures and videos. All controls in the camera app are fully accessible.
Use the Camera Mode button to choose between taking a photo or video.
Use the Camera Chooser to select either the front or back facing camera.
Activate the Take Picture button or Record Video button depending on whether you select photo or video mode.
There is a button to stop the video recording or you may double tap with two fingers.
Take a still photo and text the image to a friend for interpretation.
Use the video to record a presentation or even a conversation – as then you can re-listen to it at a later date or show it to friends to “prove your point”.
Take a selfie.
The slow-mo feature of the camera is fun to use.

Some of the general commands that Huseyn demonstrated are as follows:

Touch or slide your finger around the home screen and VoiceOver tells you the names of every app.
Touch a button or icon to hear its label. The last label you hear can then be activated by double tapping with one finger.
Instead of sliding your finger around the screen you may also Flick left and right with one finger to move back and forth between elements.
Huseyn noted that the WhatsApp was a good app to download for messaging and free phone calls. Huseyn uses it to communicate with his Grandfather.

New at CELA – Magazine Subscriptions

Gerry noted CELA Library now offers the ability to subscribe to any of their 150 magazines. You need to call customer service (1-855-655-2273) to set up your subscriptions. Once you are subscribed, the corresponding magazine will be automatically added to your Direct to Player bookshelf when each issue is available.

iPhone Gestures

Gerry took a small group to demo and discuss basic iPhone gestures.

Gerry reviewed basic gestures as previously summarized in the February 2018 meeting notes.
Gerry also covered the 3 finger gestures. Swipe up or down with 3 fingers to scroll up or down through a long web page or document. Swipe left or right with 3 fingers to scroll the screen left or right such as moving between the various pages of the home screen.
The app switcher was also discussed. It lists all the open apps on your phone. You reach the app switcher with a double click of the Home button.
In the app switcher a 3 finger scroll up is a shortcut to close the app. It is a good idea to close apps from the app switcher as this reduces memory usage and improves battery life. Also, if an app is misbehaving it may help to go to the app switcher and close that app then relaunch the app.
Be careful with the 3 finger gesture because if you accidentally double tap with 3 fingers this turns off speech. If your speech goes silent try double tapping with 3 fingers to turn speech back on.
The gesture help screen is a good place to practice gestures. Each gesture you perform will be announced as well as its purpose. This helps you to confirm that your gestures are interpreted correctly by the phone. To quickly reach the help practice screen, tap twice with 4 fingers. To leave the help practice screen again double tap with 4 fingers.

Next Meeting (Monday September 10 at 7pm)

We will break for the summer and meet again the second Monday of September. Have a great summer!
As always, for help with technology bring your devices and/or questions to the meeting.

Meeting Location and Logistics

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

GTT Edmonton Overview

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

To subscribe, use the form at the bottom of that web page to enter your email.

National GTT Email Support List

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

[End of Document]

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

Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting May 14, 2018

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

17 people attended.

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

May Topics –MAC vs. Windows Computers and iPhone

MAC vs. Windows PC Discussion

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

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

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

Microsoft Office works well on a MAC, too.

BrailleNote Touch works with both PC and MAC.

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

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

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

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

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

Russell’s MAC Experience

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

Laptop versus Desktop

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Laptops are more expensive to repair.

How much will you be moving around?

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

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

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

iPhone Gestures

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

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

Next Meeting (Monday June 11 at 7pm)

Huseyn has offered to demonstrate how a blind person can use the iPhone to take pictures and record videos.
As always, for help with technology bring your devices and/or questions to the meeting.

Meeting Location and Logistics

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

GTT Edmonton Overview

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

To subscribe, use the form at the bottom of that web page to enter your email.

National GTT Email Support List

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

[End of Document]

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

Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting April 9, 2018

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held April 9 at 7pm at Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 83 Street in Edmonton.

28 people attended.

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

April Topics –Google Home and General Tech Discussion

Google Home

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

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

Bonjour

Ok Google, when is the next Raptors game?

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

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

You have 14 minutes and 35 seconds remaining

Ok Google, play my Friday Starts Now playlist

Ok, playing your Spotify playlist called Friday Starts Now

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

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

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

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

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

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

General Tech Discussion – Finding iPhone Apps

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

Next Meeting (Monday May 14 at 7pm)

No demonstration topic has been suggested yet.
As always, for help with technology bring your devices and/or questions to the meeting.

Meeting Location and Logistics

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

GTT Edmonton Overview

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

To subscribe, use the form at the bottom of that web page to enter your email.

National GTT Email Support List

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