Tech-Ease/ Get Together with Technology
Regina Drop-In Meeting
Summary Notes
February 29, 2020
Sponsored by Vision Impaired Resource Network (VIRN),
Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB)
And the
Regina Public Library
Assistive Technology Peer Support by and for people who are blind/low vision
Attendance: Barry, Jerome, Wes, Donna, Sarenia, Blaine D, Michelle, Amber, Patti-Lynn (RPL), Doug (via phone), Camille
Regrets: Linda, Blaine R, Anna, Jessica
Facebook Groups:
- Explained Facebook in general
- Types of status updated, checking in, etc.
- Explained privacy settings generally
- Explained pages vs. Groups
- explained different types of groups
- Explained public groups and private groups
- Advantages of FB Groups
- Nice way to make friends you’ll never meet
- Nice to have like minded friends
HOW TO JOIN FB GROUPS INSTRUCTIONS (THANKS TO MICHELLE)
Joining FB group:
Find a Facebook group. Interest you. Type into in the search box.
The page will show up and if you keep swiping to the right or scroll down. There will be a “joined group” button where you can press after that is pressed the Box will turn to ” cancel join request”
some groups will automatically pop up two or three questions pertaining to the group that they want you to answer before your request is accepted.
Also, on that page you can look at how many posts in a day are put up on that page or how many people are in that page or how many of your friends or in the group. who the moderators or group administrators are.
Facebook should notify you when your request to join has been accepted by the group moderator.
If you want to leave the group at any time go to the group page the top right-hand corner has will be visual three dots beside the ” search” option. Is a “member tools button”
You will be presented with options like following options “share. ”
“Following.” “Notifications.” “Favourites. ”
“Add to home screen.” and “report” just keep swiping to the right until you hear.
” leave group button.” You will be asked if you are sure you want to leave group.
When you are approved to a group The General etiquette is to write a short post introducing yourself and the reason why you wanted to join the group in the first place…
Once you have joined the group. If you click on the title of the group name you will be presented with the group rules that are always good to read.
This will present you with additional information like how long the group has been running. how many members in the group how active the group is how many posts per day.
You can also see options like the group history and whether the group is private, secret, or public.
A public group means everybody can see posts in that group whether you’re a member of the group or not.
Private means people can find the group but only members in the group can see individuals’ posts.
Secret groups are groups that only members know about the group or know how to find it. Basically, with this group you have to be added by somebody already in the secret group in order to know about it.
Every time privacy settings are changed in a group generally group members will be given a notification sound in your regular Facebook notifications.
Members also have the opportunity to add their friends to groups. some groups have the ability for members to approve other members some it’s the moderators only that do the approving.
Typically, one of the rules is asking your friends before adding them to groups but interest you to make sure they are interested as well…
That’s just common sense but I thought I’d write it anyways.
Here’s how to find all the groups that you’re involved in…
Across the top of Facebook, you have “news feed”
“memories” “dating” “notifications” and then the far right-hand side of the screen there is “menu” option.
When you click on that you will have the first option is to view your personal profile. Then if you keep swiping to the right or scroll down you will have options
“Groups”
” memories”
“friends”
“Marketplace” “videos on events”
“Events”
“saved ”
“Nearby friends” “dating”
” gaming”
If you click on group you have an option for your groups.
If you are a moderator for any of the groups. They will show up first.
Under group you manage. Then under that will be “other groups.” and then the rest of your groups will show up in a list form.
you can also change these click on “the sort your other groups” button right next to other group button. on the right-hand side to show in alphabetical order. For most recent that you’ve posted to.
Etc. if that makes finding a specific group easier.
Moderators also along with you have the ability to shut commenting off on a post if the comments get to negative.
You click on your individual post and you have an option for turn commenting off.
If you would like to edit your post go to the right-hand side of your original post.
The right hand of your post is
” post menu”.
There you can see options like “copy link “ or “edit post”
If you edit the post more than once you can see the edit history which is a recent update with Facebook.
This is also where you can turn commenting off.
there are many different groups depending on your interest there are lots of groups for visually impaired or disability in general. especially support groups. There are even groups like instant pot users or gardening. Funko Pop figurine groups. Etc.
Aira Updates:
- Aira equipment includes glasses (2nd generation), tether, controller (which is an Android phone w/ nothing else on it but Aira), or you can use your phone, and you can use a Bluetooth headphones
- You can buddy full plans with Aira and now there’s is a 5 minute free call you can use unlimited
- Plans: 30 min for $30 USD, 120 minutes for $99 USD, 300 minutes for $299 USD, they got rid of unlimited plan (it was downgraded to 700 minutes plan but only people grandfathered into it retina it)
- You can fluctuate between the other plans as needs dictate, you can switch in the middle of the month and pay more or less if you go up or down in plans for remainder of the month
- There are a lot of incentives to the plans – if you are looking for a job they will help you with job related job search tasks for 30 minutes for free added to account
- If you are a JAWS user and a license holder of it and you call in they will help you with (or team viewer) they don’t charge for this help
- They will help with quick books if it’s not reading well as well
- The 5 minutes plan, someone can give someone else a referral code, which is 7 days unlimited access to play with it, the person referring gets 30 free minutes plus bonus minutes if the person buys a plan (referrer gets equal to what referee gets for free)
- The Aira controller which is the android phone, there is a voice assistant named Chloe, she can help call an agent, check battery, she can check minutes available, etc.
- Glasses have a connection port on them, in the middle of the glasses on the front is the camera, the camera has a 120 degree or so camera, they have frameless glasses as well if you wear glasses regularly
- The glasses/controller are an add on for people with more than 30 minutes plans ($600 one time for the glasses/controller or $25 a month)
- There are no controls on the glasses, only on the phone
- Cord is a female to female cable connection
- Glasses can see 5 feet more to each side than with phone camera, also can see further into the distance as it has a good quality camera
- We did a demo with an agent, he said help with cooking directions, checking mail, described renaissance fair for someone, describe Super Bowl to someone, lots of different things, can call an Uber for you as well
- Not allowed to help with anything involving nudity
- Not allowed to comment on specific safety, can give visual info like when walking light is on, but it is up to someone to choose to cross the street
AIRA UPDATE (THANKS TO BLAINE & MICHELLE)
Aira discontinuing Horizon glasses and phone end of March 2020..
” Dear Horizon User,
The current Horizon Android smartphone no longer accommodates regular Horizon application updates. The current Horizon Android smartphone no longer accommodates regular Horizon application updates so that means our Aira tech team does not have much control to improve the experience. The model of smartphone that supports the Horizon system has been discontinued by Samsung so we must move on and find a new option.
As smartphones, like the latest iPhone, have transitioned away from physical buttons, finding a device to support a one-button access interface is a significant challenge. So what does that mean? It means that Aira’s smart glasses hardware solution is not meeting the Aira standard today and furthermore the Explorer experience with Horizon will continue to decline. Simply put, we need to find a new solution that better meets the demands of our Explorer community. With that, and after considerable analysis, I have decided that beginning on April 1, Aira will no longer support calls made from Horizon smart glasses. This change will allow our technical team to refocus on improving the core service. Below is a FAQ section if you want to learn more.
So the next question is naturally: If Horizon doesn’t meet the Aira standard, what will? We are aligning our hardware strategy with the mainstream devices that you all already use such as an iPhone, Android Smartphone and some new and emerging platforms. We would appreciate your help by sharing your thoughts on new devices and platforms, products and technologies that we should consider integrating into the Aira Explorer experience. Send them to support@aira.io and Customer Care will gather a list of potential smart glasses or other devices to utilize in our future.
Aira was founded on the idea of both creating and leveraging leading technology to bring you the Explorer a modern, useful and one-of-a-kind experience. Our passion for creating the leading experience has never been stronger.
Thank you for your continued support of Aira. Aira agents look forward to connecting with you soon.
We wouldn’t be here without you,
Troy
CEO of Aira”
Be My Eyes:
- Specialized partners – Companies that can answer questions through the Be My Eyes app specific to their products:
- Google, Microsoft, ClearBlue, Herbal Essence, P&G, Pantene, National Federation of the Blind, as well as some banks, but as none are Canadian I am not listing them
Next Meeting:
March 28 @ 2 pm
Topics: Windows 10 – the good, the bad and the ugly
ZOOM MEETING INSTRUCTIONS TO JOIN MARCH MEETING IN LIGHT OF COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS:
Tech-Ease Drop In/GTT is a go! We are temporarily changing the format, to accommodate social distancing and civic service closures. Below is the information regarding tech-ease for this month, so you can join us from home!
Q: What if I don’t have zoom on my cell phone or computer?
A: Just follow the dial in information provided below.
Q: What if I have zoom on my computer?
A: select the link for the meeting posted below, and it will take you to the meeting.
Q: are there a list of shortcuts for zoom on the computer?
A: yes, these instructions will be sent in a following email with subject line of: “Zoom Computer shortcuts”
Q: What is one touch dialing:
A: this allows you to select the phone number and is supposed to automatically dial you into the call on your IOS device to the conference line without the need to enter ID numbers. I am unsure how this works otherwise.
Time: Mar 28, 2020 02:00 PM Saskatchewan
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 204 975 9341
One tap mobile
Please select one of the following Canadian phone numbers for one tap mobile access
+17789072071,,2049759341#
+14388097799,,2049759341#
Dial by your location
Please select one of the Canadian phone numbers below. Please note, Saskatchewan does not have their designated line. 1(587) is an alberta phone number if you choose to join through these numbers.
+1 778 907 2071 Canada
+1 438 809 7799 Canada
+1 587 328 1099 Canada
+1 647 374 4685 Canada
+1 647 558 0588 Canada
Meeting ID: 204 975 9341
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/acqVIt5V1L
BASIC ZOOM MEETING SHORTCUTS:
Some shortcuts that would be helpful for the Zoom Tech Meetings if you are joining the meeting with your computer and using a keyboard.
Alt+V: Start/Stop Video
Alt+A: Mute/unmute audio
Alt+Y: Raise/lower hand
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+H: Show/Hide floating meeting controls
MORE IN DEPTH ZOOM MEETING INFO CAN BE FOUND AT LINK AT END:
Meet Me Accessibly is a three-hour audiobook, written and narrated by Jonathan Mosen. It takes you from the basics of attending your first Zoom meeting, all the way to content sharing of your video and audio from a computer or iDevice.
Just some of the things Jonathan shows you in Meet Me Accessibly include:
Attending your first Zoom meeting
Working with and configuring the Windows client
Working with and configuring the iOS client
Creating compelling and effective online meetings of up to 100 participants for discussions or webinars
Using Zoom to have a sighted person take control of your computer, even a Mac user can control a Windows PC and vice versa
Running visually attractive presentations using PowerPoint, or by sharing the output of any application on your computer
Using the high-quality, low-latency audio capabilities of Zoom for one-on-one conversations
Holding global Internet and telephone conferences
Taking advantage of the exceptional audio for use in a podcast, including creating separate audio files for every participant for use in a multitrack editor such as Amadeus Pro or Reaper
Recording meetings and podcast interviews on your iPhone, thanks to the Zoom cloud recording capability
Recording top-quality tech demonstrations thanks to the easy-to-use ability for Zoom to capture your computer’s sound
Sharing the screen and audio from apps on your iDevice
Enabling stereo audio
Turning off Zoom’s audio processing for pure, top-quality sound
Scheduling meetings
Holding instant meetings
Using your personal meeting ID
As you can see, there’s so much that Zoom can do, you’ll wonder how you lived without it.
In Meet Me Accessibly, Jonathan uses JAWS for Windows, the world’s most used screen reader when working with Windows. When discussing Zoom’s mobile offerings, he uses an iPhone running VoiceOver, the screen reader built into all iOS products. But the user interface of Zoom adheres closely to accessibility standards, so even if you use a different platform or screen reader, you should still be able to glean much from the demonstrations and descriptions.
Download Meet Me Accessibly free
To help any blind person who may need to telecommute during the COVID-19 outbreak, we have made Meet Me Accessibly free to download. You may distribute it for download anywhere, as long as the files are not modified in any way.
When you download, you get a zip file with the book divided into 19 MP3 files to make it easy to get to the sections you want. An included M3U playlist allows you to easily play the book from beginning to end. We’ve taken care to number the files sequentially, so the book imports beautifully into Voice Dream Reader on an iDevice.
Download Meet Me Accessibly free.
Connect with Tech-Ease Regina:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GTTTechEaseRegina/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/techeasesk
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