Call for Reading System Accessibility Testing ModeratorsQualified, enthusiastic testers are needed to make sure all reading systems used for presentation of digital publishing of books, journals, magazines, coursework, and all other types of digital publications are fully accessible to persons with disabilities.

Visit: http://www.epubtest.org to review the work being done by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), the Book Industry Study Group (BISG), and the DAISY Consortium. The column titled “accessibility” is the focus of this call for moderators.

A moderator will be identified for each reading system on a specific platform (OS) and that moderator will help other volunteer evaluators to test and report findings using the Assistive Technology (AT) at their disposal.

Individuals should be independent, have accessibility experience including familiarity and knowledge of assistive technology and should understand the Daisy Reading System standards http://www.daisy.org/accessibility-screening-methodology-guidelines-and-checklist.html This will be a demanding volunteer job that requires doing 1-2 tests first and then supervising the completion of several tests per week. Initial responsibilities include recruiting evaluators, coordinating credentials and evaluating the evaluators, monitoring progress and being willing to verify results.

Example: Reading system HappyReader (fictional name) running on Windows 7 will have a moderator that manages volunteers to test Happy reader with the wide range of AT used on Windows 7. The screen reader JFW using TTS as output would be one evaluation performed; another volunteer evaluator would test HappyReader with NVDA using braille output; another tester would use screen magnification ZoomText and report the results, etc. Because of the wide range of AT used by persons with disabilities, a crowd source approach is going to be used. We encourage organizations to sponsor the testing by having people assigned to specific reading systems and technology, e.g. a university using specific AT and specific reading systems should assign people to work on the testing and share their findings with the world.

Qualifications of moderators:

Independent, self-motivated person

Experience with testing of the accessibility of software, websites, or reading systems.

Good knowledge of assistive technology

Duties of Moderators

Identify documentation for Reading Systems, e.g. user manual, getting started, use with Assistive Technology (AT)

Verify the qualification of evaluators

Approve or assign the reading system configuration to the evaluators.

Get the test forms completed by evaluators

Facilitate the crowd sourcing for recruiting evaluators

Coordinate with Reading system developer

Review and approve the test results submitted by the evaluator

Resolve the conflicts if the same reading system configuration yield different results when tested by different evaluators.

Teresa Johnson

Moderator, Accessible Collections and Services Network

accessible@cla.ca

GTT Victoria Meeting, January 6, 2016

Summary Notes

The January meeting took place at the Central Library, 735 Broughton Street from 1-3:30 PM. There were 11 people in attendance.

This month’s meeting featured a presentation by Mike Gower from IBM Canada, regarding accessibility of the ribbons that replaced the traditional menus as of Microsoft Office 2007. He explained that Freedom Scientific added a new feature to the JAWS screen reader, enabling users to virtualize the ribbons. Thanks also to Linda Bartram, who experimented with virtualized ribbons after the meeting and producing the notes attached at the end of this report. Thanks also to Mike for offering to do occasional presentations on other topics that may be of interest to the group.

Tom then gave a brief presentation about Q-Seek, another convenient tool from Accessible Apps for Windows PC users. This is the same company that produces Q-cast for podcast management as well as the Chicken Nugget Twitter client, demonstrated at previous meetings.

Q-Seek provides the capability for a very flexible pop-up reference and search facility anywhere in Windows. Simply select text, then Alt-Control-Q to open the Q-seek window with the selected text automatically copied into the search field. Then tab to a list of the search types and use the arrow keys to select from ten choices. These include: word definitions; synonyms; antonyms; calculation; spell check; translate (into English); Wikipedia search; manage lookup (for programmers); stock quotes; and, urban dictionary. Press enter and the search result appears in a text box. Paste the result anywhere by pressing Alt-F4 to close Q-seek, place the cursor in a document and do the usual Control-V to paste.

Note that Accessible apps software is developed by blind programmers, so all of their apps are extremely screen-reader-friendly. All apps are available as free demos for a limited time, so you can try before you buy.

Tom also gave a very brief tour of what it is like to navigate around the screens of a Windows phone, as he has had the chance to use a Nokia Windows phone, running a beta of WindowsPhone 10. It looks like it has the potential to be quite accessible. The worst problem so far is that the on-screen keyboard is extremely sensitive and currently difficult to use, even for someone who has a lot of experience with the iPhone on-screen keyboard. We will provide feedback to Microsoft in this regard and will be watching for improved accessibility in the first public release of WindowsPhone 10.

Linda announced that there will be an open house at Pacific Training Centre for the Blind on Thursday January 21 from 4 PM to 7 PM.

The next VocalEyes described event at the Belfry Theater is “The Valley”, and takes place on Sunday, February 21 at 2 pm. The Belfry Theatre is located at 1291 Gladstone Avenue in Victoria (250-385-6815). Described by Rick Waines and followed by a Touch Tour. Ticket prices vary.

Suggested topics for our next meeting include, a discussion of accessible games and game apps, and music apps. Tom can share his experience with Apple Music. We also hope that members will do some exploring, or share their experience regarding other music apps and accessible games.

We will send out a notice a week or so before the next meeting, which will take place at the Central Library at 1 PM on Wednesday, February 3.

Information on Virtual Ribbons
from Linda Bartram

To turn on virtual ribbons:
1. Go to the Jaws screen
2. Press alt to open the menu bar
3. Right arrow to help
4. Down arrow to Start Up Wizard and press enter
5. Tab to next and press enter.
6. Tab to next again and press enter.
7. Jaws will say “use virtual ribbons” check box unchecked.
8. Press the space bar to check.
9. then tab to next and press enter three more times until you come to the finish button
10. Press the enter key. You will be back on the Jaws screen and the startup wizard will close. Virtual ribbons is now your default.

GTT Nanaimo Summary Notes

December 3, 2015

Attendance: Jean, Donna C, Aedan, Jeff, Art. Regrets were received from Hugh, Shauna and Donna H

Donna C is a new attendee to the Nanaimo group and was there to investigate the potential for using an iPhone as her main means of voice communications with family, reading and writing emails and using the internet. All who attended talked at length about the various ways the iPhone can be used for GPS navigation, reading books, searching the internet, storing contact info for use with the email and telephone apps and for storing appointments. The group spent time showing Donna the many apps and strategies they employ in their daily lives, and she was provided a device to test out some of the gestures required to operate iDevices. A Bluetooth foldable keyboard was also shown as another means of inputting information into iDevices.

Many comparisons were made between the iPad, iPod and iPhone for doing many of the above tasks. Because Donna also wants to be able to make and receive phone calls she decided that the iPhone will be her best choice.

The OrCam was demonstrated as a potential means of reading text, and pocket sized DAISY readers like the VR Stream and Plextalk Linio Pocket were also demonstrated. Computer apps for magnification, screen reading and OCR were discussed as other alternatives should she wish to continue using that device as vision deteriorates.

The group referred her to the Nanaimo and District DRC for lessons on how to gain maximum use of such a device should she opt to make that purchase.

At the meeting’s end it was decided to not hold a meeting in early January, so the next meeting of the GTT Nanaimo group will be on Thursday, February 4, 2016. No topic has yet been selected so email Albert with your suggestions.

GTT Victoria Summary Notes

December 2, 2015

Attendance: David Shrive, Robin Love, Saanich Volunteer Services Society, Tom Dekker, Albert Ruel, Bruce Turner, Lorna Pophum, Skye Mundell, Linda Bartram, Susan Gallagher, Corry Stuive, Annalese Ryan, Susan Stepen, Erin Lacharity, Heidi Propp, Sabine Laubental, Greg Koyl, Trevor Jones and Josie Horsman.

Tom welcomed everyone to the meeting saying that this is GTT Victoria’s first meeting of its second year in existence.

1. Barrier Free BC/ British Columbians with Disabilities Act:
Albert gave a brief presentation on the progress of the Barrier Free BC initiative and how it relates to the AODA in Ontario, the Manitobans with Disabilities Act and the initiative launched for a Canadians with Disabilities Act. The BC Government through its White Paper indicated a willingness to look at such an Act for BC, so the Barrier Free BC group will be using the next 18 months to secure commitments from the Political Parties and MLA candidates toward a BCDA. Organizations and individuals are encouraged to provide Barrier Free BC with letters of support as it moves this initiative forward.

On the website Barrier Freen BC offers a “Just Say Yes” Tool Kit that gives interested parties many suggestions on how to become involved, including a sample resolution that may be passed by any organization board which will provide Barrier Free BC the needed support.

Albert Moved and Tom seconded that GTT Victoria support Barrier Free BC. Passed unanimously.

To contact this organization you can email BarrierFreeBC@Gmail.com, or visit the website at http://www.Barrier FreeBC.org. On Twitter they can be followed @BarrierFreeBC and on Facebook at Barrier Free BC.

Barrier Free Canada is also active and can be contacted through donna@barrierfreecanada.org), and found on the web at, http://barrierfreecanada.org/home/.

Many in attendance offered to contact organizations like IDHH, Victoria DRC and MS Society to encourage their participation in these two initiatives. All are welcomed.

2. Advocacy and the GTT Group:
Tom read a document outlining some of the advocacy initiatives being undertaken by some GTT Victoria members, like BC Transit talking GPS system, Barrier Free BC indoor navigation systems and other access needs of the blind and low vision population. This group is meeting with City Councilors, MLAs and MPs with a view to moving the advocacy agenda forward. For more info please contact Tom Dekker.

This group is attempting to retain the GTT program as a peer mentoring gathering and will report back on progress made on the advocacy front. Please share your ideas for this group and when group participation is required all will be asked to pitch in. For now the size of the group is manageable.

Linda B asked about how this group will fit into the City of Victoria’s Accessibility Committee. Tom D and Greg K will attend their upcoming meeting to see how we can consolidate all efforts toward a more accessible community.

3. Podcasts and the VR Stream DAISY Player:
Tom talked about the last meeting’s podcast app demo he provided and how important he finds them to be as a self-teaching tool. So many podcasts are freely available online for all things technological, so all are urged to learn how to use their specific devices to access podcasts. Albert demonstrated the New Generation VR Stream as another means of getting to all this free learning.

Albert walked through the process of connecting the Stream to his iPhone in order to access the internet for downloading. WIFI connections are the usual way to do this, however for demonstration purposes an iPhone was used today.

The Podcast app was accessed and a search was created to find CBC podcasts. One hundred and twenty were found, so the Stream was navigated through a few of them to show how they are listed and labelled. Some were subscribed to by pressing the Confirm Key, then played by pressing the Play/Pause Key. Once a podcast is subscribed to the 3 newest episodes will automatically download each time your player connects to the WIFI in the same way that it downloads audio books from your CNIB Library subscription.

Tom mentioned how much easier it is to listen to a podcast about the iPhone while listening to it on a separate device like the Stream. It’s too difficult to listen to a tutorial podcast on the same device that you are trying to learn. This goes for any computer related tutorials you might wish to use as well.

Albert also demonstrated how to access the Internet Radio available on the VR Stream. Although there are many stations already pre-programmed in the device, many more can be searched from all around the world. Searches can be done by genre or title.

The other player on the market that costs the same as the VR Stream is the Plextalk Linio Pocket. It boasts the same range of features as the Stream, and one more. Plextalk has a calendar for appointments.

Someone indicated that monthly payments can be arranged through PayPal for the purchase of items like the Stream. Check this out at:
https://www.billmelater.com/cm/paypal/landers/ppbmlsmcore.html

Someone asked if MS Word files can be saved to the Stream. The answer is yes for both the VR Stream and the Plextalk Pocket. In fact, the related desktop units produced by the same manufacturers as the above devices can also use MS Word files. Support in learning how to do this is available through Albert at 1-877-304-0968, Ext. 550.

Some people have been successful in having devices like the Stream funded through Technology@Work as something that supports their paid or volunteer work. Contact Albert Ruel or Tom Dekker if you have questions about how to access Tech@Work and how assistive devices will be evaluated for eligibility.

A tutorial on how to search for and download CNIB books onto the Stream has been produced by Gerry Chevalier, GTT Edmonton, called “CNIB digital library audio tutorial”, and is available as a DAISY download, a DAISY CD, Direct to Player and online streaming from the CELA and CNIB Libraries.
http://www.cniblibrary.ca/iguana/www.main.cls?p=&v=*

Also, Mystic Access has produced a professional tutorial that covers all aspects of the New Gen VR Stream which can be purchased through Humanware/Aroga for approximately $100. Contact Steve@Aroga.com, 1-800-561-6222:
http://www.aroga.com/

If anyone wants one on one instruction on how to access podcasts or internet radio stations on the VR Stream, or with their specific devices please contact Tom or Albert and they’ll attempt to connect you with a peer who can help, or they’ll help you directly.

Someone asked what podcast stands for and while Albert and Tom struggled to sort out what it might be, Corry S was researching it on his iDevice. POD stands for Playable On Demand.

4. Additional Accessible Apps for the Computer:
Other accessible aps for the computer were discussed, like QCast for podcasts, QRead for accessing all manner of audio files and converting them to formats that are compatible with your specific devices, and Chicken Nugget which makes Twitter far more accessible and usable. These are all produced by blind programmers for blind computer users.

Someone asked if texting can be done from the computer, and Lorna P indicated that she does this with her grandchildren. Her husband set up a contact in the email program that allows her to send and receive text messages with specific people.

5. ZoomText Fusion:
ZoomText Fusion was asked about, which is the latest offering from AI-Squared where they have married the ZoomText magnifier with Window Eyes. This now means that a full functioning screen reader is available for ZT users as they transition from using magnification to speech for accessing information on the computer screen. For more info contact Richard or Wanda at AbleTech, Info@AbleTech.ca. For more info on the ZT Fusion app:

Fusion

Sky Mundell is working with it and will be available to teach people who need this tool. A special price exists for ZT users to upgrade for the time being, so if you’re interested contact your local vender like AbleTech.

6. Technology@Work:
Bruce asked if an iPhone can convert text to speech and speech to text? Tom indicated that further conversation can happen around this, and that he might access Technology@Work to request such a range of devices as an iPhone and compatible hearing aids to support his volunteer work with IDHH. It was recommended that he contact Wendy C at the Victoria DRC.

7. Additional Apps and Devices:
Brief discussions on the Fitbit, OrCam and BuzzClip took place. These items have either been demonstrated recently, or will be available in the spring for further trialing.

Tom mentioned a pair of shoes from India that will use Wayfinding technology to deliver information to the wearer through vibration to indicate whether the destination is on the left or right, or if obstacles are standing in the way.

8. Book Clubs:
On the third Thursday of each month the GVPL hosts an Audio Book Club, and the CCB hosts a teleconference Book Club on the forth Saturday of each month. For additional information call Karen at the Greater Victoria Public Library, or Albert for the CCB book club.

9. GTT/CCB Dues Are Due:
Someone offered up some Christmas cake, and Albert indicated that 2016 GTT/CCB membership dues are due. Please contact Albert or Tom if you haven’t yet paid your dues.

The next meeting of the GTT Victoria group will be on January 6, 2016 at the GVPL Community Room from 1:00 until 3:30 PM. The topic will be the Microsoft Ribbons and how to use them, and for the second hours bring your devices and questions for the group to assist with.

Respectfully submitted,

Albert Ruel, GTT West Coordinator

GTT Vancouver Summary Notes

November 18, 2015

Present: Shawn, Rosamunde, Carol, Fay, Louise, Pat, Albert, John, Peg, Mary, Clement, Matthew, Lilo

Clement and Matthew presented a variety of ways that Podcasts and both eBooks and Audiobooks can be accessed with iDevices:

iBooks App:
• iBooks can play both eText and audiobooks
• Some of the more popular places to get audiobooks are; iTunes, Audible.com, Publishing companies and directly through iBooks
• iBooks that you get from I-tunes might be from Amazon or many other places. eBooks will be read by Voice Over whereas audio books are read by a live narrator
• When you open iBooks you get 5 tabs along the bottom; My books, featured books, top charts, search, and purchased
• Once you purchase an audiobook it will show up in my library
• When you click on the title it will start reading the book where you stopped reading last time
• You can skip back 15 seconds by doing a one-finger double tap on the Back Button, or double tap and hold it and it will keep skipping back in 15 second segments providing beeps at each 15 second interval.
• The purchase tab is just for E-books, not for audiobooks
• eBooks are electronic files which are read by your screen reader or Voice Over. Audiobooks are a recording of somebody reading the book.
• In an iBook there will be a table of contents tab

The Sleep timer:
• Once you have selected the number of minutes in sleep timer the user must click the Done Button
The sleep timer can be engaged after a number of minutes or at the end of the current track/chapter

Gestures that work in iBooks:
A Two-finger double tap will pause and resume playing the audio book you’re listening to.
A two-finger single tap will pause and play an eBook you’re listening to

A two-finger swipe down will start reading from where you are in an eBook
If your phone rings while you are listening to music or any type of book a two finger double tap will answer the call, and the same gesture will hang it up again. When your phone starts to ring it will pause your book or music immediately, and it will resume playing as soon as the call is terminated.

The Audible App and Audible.com:
• You must purchase audio books over the internet on a computer or your iDevice
• Once your books are purchased you can open the audible app on your iDevice or the Audible app on a computer to access them
• Tapping the Refresh Button will update all your purchased books on your phone for you to download
• Rate and review – they will recommend other books that are similar to the ones you rate high
• Good Reads is an app that will recommend books
• Mark as finished allows you to search by unfinished books which will make your list shorter
• Once you start downloading a book you can start reading almost immediately
• You can set the sleep timer to turn your book off in a desired number of minutes
• You can change the number of seconds to skip back if you do fall asleep or lose your place in the book for some reason
• The Sleep timer can be found under the more Button
• Make sure you have selected device instead of cloud to ensure you are not using data to listen to your downloaded books.

Audio and Video Podcasts:
• A podcast is a radio show that you can listen to on demand
• Topics range from sports, assistive technology, life skills, religious info, schools, etc.
• You subscribe to a podcast to transfer files to your device – either audio or video
• Once subscribed to a podcast you will automatically receive the latest ones when you connect to WIFI
• Podcasts are free
• You can listen to your favourite internet radio program

Downcast is a good app for listening to podcasts and costs $3.49 on the App Store:
• Once you are in the downcast app you can search through the podcasts you have
• To add a podcast you select Add at the bottom of your screen
• To add a podcast manually you can enter the web address with the internet feed
• Top podcasts are the popular podcasts
• You can go to Search and type something like CBC; You’ll get a list of about 120 CBC podcasts
• Once you select a podcast it will give you options to add the podcast or subscribe
• You can adjust your settings to only download when you are on WIFI
• Look for other adjustable settings within the app
• You can set it only to download the last 5 or 10
• In downcast settings you can set it to only keep the last 5 podcasts you have listened to and it will automatically delete the rest.

Clement and Matthew recommended podcasts:
• AppleVis
• CoolBlindTech
• iFocus – Hadley School for the Blind
• Americas Test Kitchen
• Joe Rogan is a good comedy podcast

Next Meeting will be December 16 and we will not have a set topic planned. Plan to come and bring your technology questions and get some help and answers.

GTT Vancouver Summary Notes

October 21, 2015

Attendees: Clement, Matthew, Shaw, Lilo, Carol, Fay, Louise, Pat, John, Mary, Albert and Bruce.

iTunes on the PC for downloading music:
Matt started the presentation by outlining what iTunes is and what it can do.

• It is an audio and video player
• A means of downloading music, audio books and movies from the iTunes Store
• A means of organizing music into Playlists
• A means of uploading music and Playlists to iDevices
• Select the Radio Button you wish to work with using your Space Bar, IE, Music, Movies, TV Shows, Audio Books, iPhone Etc. and the screen will refresh to provide controls for those actions.
• Once the list of Music is found you can use your Arrow Buttons to locate the one you want and press the Enter Key to play it
• When playing music the Space Bar pauses and resumes playing
• Shift Tab to the Songs Button then pressing the Space Bar will allow the user to show lists of Songs, Albums, Artists Etc. Press the Enter Key then Tab back to the corresponding list
• For JAWS users the add-on program called Leasey helps make iTunes a far easier app to use
• The above assumes that your playable content is already saved on the computer’s hard drive
• When saving music to the iTunes Library it will attempt to organize it for you, and those preferences can be changed if you prefer something else
• To Search for songs, Tab to the Search Edit field then to Search Options and select whether to search for songs, albums or artists

Playlists:
• From all the music saved on the computer’s hard drive the user can select a shorter list of them into a Playlist for uploading to an iDevice
• Tab through the iTunes window to find the Playlist Radio Button and press the Space Bar
• Tab to New Playlist and press the Space Bar
• The user will be asked to name it
• Using the Edit Playlist to Add Songs isn’t a screen reader friendly way to add songs
• Tab to My Music Radio Button and press the Space Bar then Tab to find the list of songs
• Arrow to the song you wish to add then press the Applications Menu Key to find the Add to Playlist Submenu
• Right Arrow into the Submenu then Down Arrow to find the Playlist you wish to insert the song into
• The user can select several songs at once then follow the above steps to add them all at once to a Playlist
Note: It is recommended that you spend time playing with iTunes in order to familiarize yourself. It might be like visiting your friend’s house for the first time where you can’t know where everything is. Each time you visit you’ll become more and more familiar. Also, if you organize the music in folders you create it will become easier to use because the organization of it was of your doing.

Clement presented how to organize and synchronize music to the iPhone:
• Start by organizing the music on the computer into lists and folders you can easily work with
• Once songs are synced to your iDevice you can organize them in ways that work best for your usage, like albums, songs or artists
• In preferences on your iDevice you can choose to unsync songs which will only remove them from the iDevice and not the computer
• When you remove a song from iTunes it will ask if you wish to delete it, which if chosen will then remove it from the iDevice the next time it’s connected to the computer and synchronized
• Synchronizing means that if a song is purchased on the iDevice it will sync to the computer, and if purchased on the computer it will sync to the iDevice when connected. The same goes for the deletion of songs
• The iTunes account will be your central synchronizing point from which all iDevices signed into that account will exchange music, so that Playlists created in iTunes will upload to your iPad, iPod and iPhone when connected
• iCloud is another way to synchronize all iDevices, however it is independent of iTunes. A separate session could be done just on iCloud
• The iTunes interface can be decluttered by turning off things not being used like, Podcasts, Audio Books Etc.
• To download music from iTunes in the computer you will Tab to the iTunes Store and press the Space Bar
• Shift Tab to the Search Edit Field and search for a song, album or artist
• Once a search is done the listing will look like a web page, so Quick Navigation Keys like H for Headings can be used to explore the results
• To explore an album press the Enter Key on the album name link and the songs will be displayed in another web page
• Songs can be previewed, purchased individually or the entire album
• When searching for songs, the album information is also made available in the Search Results Table for previewing
• Once purchased all will be listed in the iTunes Library alphabetically by album, song or artist depending on how you have asked the computer to list them
• To synchronize the music to your iDevice you connect the device to the computer using a USB cable, then select the iDevice in the list of Radio Buttons in iTunes
• Once the iDevice is checked by using the Space Bar you can Tab through the list of controls to an icon labelled Sync and use the Space Bar to activate it
• The user can select to have all music synchronized, or only the items specifically chosen
• There are many controls in iTunes to be explored, so play with it to determine how you wish iTunes to synchronize with your iDevices

Other music playing apps for the computer are, Winamp, Foobar, Windows Media Player and Spotify.

Summary Notes
GTT Edmonton Meeting December 14,, 2015

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

December Feature Topic – Aroga Technologies Exhibit
We thank Aroga, Canada’s premiere retailer of assistive technology, for a very extensive exhibit the likes of which we have not seen in Edmonton for many years. Thanks also to Aroga who treated us all with pizza. Participants met the local Edmonton rep from Aroga, Lisa Boone as well as Aroga’s Chief Operations Officer, Steve Barclay, who joined us from Vancouver. See the Resources section below for their contact details. Steve gave an overview of all the equipment and then participants browsed the technology to ask questions.

Exhibit Included in Part:
• Electronic magnification and OCR scanning systems: Davinci Pro, Prodigi Duo, Prodigi Connect, Pebble Mini, Pebble HD, Amigo HD, Acrobat 27”, Magnilink Student HD, and several hand-held electronic magnifiers.
• Electronic Braille: Braille Edge, Braille Sense, U2, U2 QWERTY, Braillenote Apex, Apex QWERTY, Brailliant, Braille Pen 12T, 6-Dot Brailler, Cyclone Embosser, Trident Embosser, and Phoenix Embosser.
• Digital Book Players: Victor Reader Stream, Victor Reader Stratus, HIMS Blaze EZ, Plextalk Pocket, Plextalk PTX1.
• Other: iGlass, Franklin Anybook.

Resources
• For more information about Aroga technology visit:
http://www.aroga.com/
General Enquiries: sales@aroga.com
Or Toll Free 1-800-561-6222

• Steve Barclay, Chief Operations Officer:
Toll Free 1-800-561-6222 ext. 1102
Email: Steve@aroga.com
• Lisa Boone, Edmonton based Assistive Technology Specialist:
Toll Free 1-800-561-6222
Email: lboone@aroga.com

• CNIB STEP Program
CNIB offers the Specialized Technical Equipment Program (STEP) which provides funding for CNIB clients to purchase assistive technology for home use. To learn more about the STEP program visit:
CNIB Alberta STEP Program
Or call CNIB in Edmonton at 780-488-4871 and ask to speak to someone about the STEP program.

Next Meeting (Monday January 11 at 7pm)
• We are hoping to have a representative from Edmonton Public Library join us to discuss the CELA library service available to print-disabled people including DAISY CD, DAISY download, and DAISY Direct to Player audio books as well as other library services. We will confirm this on the meeting agenda early in 2016.
• In breakout groups we can discuss any other topic you wish. Please bring your technology, your questions and answers.

Meeting Location and Logistics
• Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 – 83 Street NW, Edmonton.
• We meet in the basement hall.
• Enter the church from the back door. There is parking at the back and drop off space for taxis, DATS.
• Meetings are typically every second Monday of the month at 7pm.
Try to arrive between 6:45pm and 7:15pm after which the door will be locked. If you arrive late there is a door bell to the right of the outside door.
• If you have someone helping you your assistant is welcome to remain for the meeting.

GTT Edmonton Team
• Carrie Anton is visually impaired and is the accessibility specialist for Athabasca University.
• Gerry Chevalier is blind. He is retired from HumanWare where he worked as the Product Manager for the Victor Reader line of talking book players.
• Heather MacDonald is the specialist for CNIB career and employment services. She has a wealth of experience helping blind and visually impaired people with the challenges of finding employment.
• Russell Solowoniuk is blind and works with alternative formats and assistive technology at Grant MacEwan University.
• Lorne Webber is blind and is the accessibility specialist for Norquest College.

GTT Edmonton Overview
• GTT Edmonton is a chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB).
• There are GTT groups in Ottawa, Toronto, Kingston, Northern Ontario, Sydney, Edmonton, Victoria, Nanaimo, Vancouver, and more to come.
• There is also a national GTT monthly toll free teleconference.
• GTT Edmonton promotes a self-help learning experience by holding monthly meetings to assist participants with assistive technology.
• Each meeting will present a feature technology topic and general question and answer about any other technology.
• Small groups or one on one assistance is possible at the meetings.
• Participants are encouraged to come to each meeting even if they are not interested in the feature topic because questions on any technology are welcome. The more participants the better able we will be equipped with the talent and experience to help each other.
[End of Document]

Lorne Webber (one of the leaders in the Edmonton GTT) has sent us these very useful resources.

Thank you Lorne.

If you are unable to access the files, send an e-mail to 

gttprogram@gmail.com

and I will send you the direct e-mail.

Thank you Lorne.

The main reason GTT works so beautifully is that we all share and help each other with resources, links, tips and tricks, and more.

First is a contact card that can be downloaded or emailed to someone’s
iPhone which will allow someone to go straight into the conference
room, without entering the passcode, which can be frustrating for some
iPhone users.

Second is a calendar file which will put an entry on the correct day
each month as to when the teleconference is happening.
I’ve included instructions below for how to enter these into someone’s
iPhone. Feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.



Adding GTT contact to your phone’s list of contacts

•Open your email on your iPhone.
•Down near the bottom, you’ll find GTT National Teleconference line
vcf, double tap on that.
•Then it will show the contact details, the name GTT National
Teleconference line, it’ll tell you it’s missing a photo, and the
phone number. if you keep swiping you’ll find 2 buttons, create new
contact or add to existing contact, choose the first one, create new
contact.
•Then it will open up a new contact form just like when you go to
create one for yourself, but with the name and phone number already
filled out, just tap the done button near the top right corner.
•That’s it, you’ll now have a new contact in your contacts called GTT
National Teleconference Line that will take you right into the GTT
teleconference meeting.
•Final tip, Tell Siri to call GTT and it will now put you through
without ever having to use the iPhone’s keypad.

Adding reminder to Calendar
•Open your Email on your iPhone.
•Down near the bottom, you’ll find GTT National Teleconference call
reminder ics, double tap on that.
•Then it will show the event details. Do not tap on the done button
at the top right corner on this screen, rather you have to go down to
the very bottom, it will say add to calendar, double tap on that.
•It will then ask you to choose a calendar, you can just tap the done
button in the top right corner at this point if you’re ok with the
default calendar being used, probably your iCloud calendar.
•That’s it, you’re finished.

My great thanks to Lorne Webber from Edmonton GTT for these wonderful resources and instructions.

This is why GTT is so amazing.  We all work together to assist each other.

If any of you need me to e-mail you the specific files, send an e-mail to 

gttprogram@gmail.com

And I will send them along.

First is a contact card that can be downloaded or emailed to someone’s
iPhone which will allow someone to go straight into the conference
room, without entering the passcode, which can be frustrating for some
iPhone users.

Second is a calendar file which will put an entry on the correct day
each month as to when the teleconference is happening.
I’ve included instructions below for how to enter these into someone’s
iPhone. Feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.



Adding GTT contact to your phone’s list of contacts

•Open your email on your iPhone.
•Down near the bottom, you’ll find GTT National Teleconference line
vcf, double tap on that.
•Then it will show the contact details, the name GTT National
Teleconference line, it’ll tell you it’s missing a photo, and the
phone number. if you keep swiping you’ll find 2 buttons, create new
contact or add to existing contact, choose the first one, create new
contact.
•Then it will open up a new contact form just like when you go to
create one for yourself, but with the name and phone number already
filled out, just tap the done button near the top right corner.
•That’s it, you’ll now have a new contact in your contacts called GTT
National Teleconference Line that will take you right into the GTT
teleconference meeting.
•Final tip, Tell Siri to call GTT and it will now put you through
without ever having to use the iPhone’s keypad.

Adding reminder to Calendar
•Open your Email on your iPhone.
•Down near the bottom, you’ll find GTT National Teleconference call
reminder ics, double tap on that.
•Then it will show the event details. Do not tap on the done button
at the top right corner on this screen, rather you have to go down to
the very bottom, it will say add to calendar, double tap on that.
•It will then ask you to choose a calendar, you can just tap the done
button in the top right corner at this point if you’re ok with the
default calendar being used, probably your iCloud calendar.
•That’s it, you’re finished.

Roll Call: Tom, Albert, Bruce, Douglas, Kristine, Peter, Greg, Alan Perry, Cory, Colin, Lorna, Josette, Linda, Trevor, Jackeline, Oscar, Andrea, Darcy, Wendy Cox (Neil Squire Society), Barbara, Judy, Mike, Tom, Allen, Hanna.

1. Tom Dekker welcomed everyone to the first-anniversary meeting of the GTT Victoria Chapter. Some 31 people were in attendance at the first meeting in 2014, and Tom was pleased to announce we had a full house for today’s meeting as well.

2. Tom shared that Prime Minister Trudeau had announced his new cabinet and that we now have a minister responsible for disabled people in Canada. Her name is Carla Qualtrough, a lawyer who is vision impaired.

3. There was a general discussion as to whether members felt the need for a Victoria chapter of the AEBC or whether GTT could serve the same function. Tom explained that CCB President, Jim Prouse, has given us the go-ahead to take on any issues that may be important to Victorians i.e., lobby for a fully inclusive announcement and information system on our public transit.

4. Further to the latter issue, Tom reported that real headway is being made with BC Transit regarding improvements to services for people with disabilities. The Mayor of Victoria has struck a working group to address these and other concerns and since she also sits on the BC Transit Board, she is in a great position to convey our concerns directly to the Board.

5. Tom introduced Albert Ruel who presented on the OrCam, an Israeli piece of technology designed for persons with vision disabilities.

Albert explained that the OrCam device Is an intuitive portable device which harnesses the power of Artificial Vision to assist people who are visually disabled. The unit consists of a smart camera which is mounted to the frame of a pair of glasses, a mini earpiece and a hand-held trigger unit for the camera. Albert demonstrated the use of the unit. The camera must be facing the object you want interpreted. Push the button on the trigger unit and the camera takes a picture. Within seconds, it provides feedback.

Albert demonstrated that with the OrCam, he is able to read printed text, identify people’s faces, shop and recognize products. He can also read newspapers, signs, receipts and text on a computer or smartphone screen. The user can also point to an area on the printed page, activate the camera and it will read the document from the indicated area onwards. Printed material must be right-side up in order for the OrCam to read it. If it isn’t, the unit will tell the user it is upside down. The company is planning to add colour recognition capability as well.

Members asked how the OrCam compared with the KNFB Reader. Tom reported that it is quicker than the KNFB Reader but has far fewer features.

The unit is just now being marketed in Canada at a cost of between $3,500 and $4,000.00. Barry Underwood is the West Coast representative for OrCam.

For more information about the OrCam: http://www.orcam.com/

1-800-713-3741

6. Tom announced a new iPhone app called NavCog, a combination navigation and environmental info program, not unlike the OrCam in what it can do but it runs on the iPhone. He said this technology is exploding so don’t rush out to buy the OrCam just yet.

Check out the video for the NavCog unit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w17iS0AJHjU

7. Tom introduced Alan Perry from CFAX Radio and Greg Koyl who uses a new program called Talk and Send.

Greg shared that he has lost 95% of his vision in the last year due to aggressive glaucoma. He felt very isolated and depressed during this adjustment period. He mostly missed being able to electronically communicate with family, friends and former colleagues. Alan Perry and Peter Young, of Priority 1 Computers, approached Greg to beta-test some new communications software. It is called Talk and Send and is a modified for the blind version of a program called Voice on the Go. Greg agreed to try it out and within minutes, he was able to send text messages and emails. It also can access Twitter, Facebook and Calendars.

The service functions through the user’s home-phone system. It is set up using a computer but once it’s set up, a computer is no longer necessary. The user phones a central number, enters the PIN code and is in the system. Talk and Send uses an easy-to-follow voice-menu system and the user simply responds by choosing an option. The software leads you through the process, one option at a time until the action is complete. Emails and texts are easily sent and retrieved using the system.

Alan and Greg demonstrated how the system works and with its voice-prompts and it was easy for those present to follow along. Text and email can be listened to with synthetic or human voice.

Alan graciously offered to set it up for free for anyone who is interested in trying it. It costs $9 per month, with no contract. All you need is a telephone. You can call in from anywhere in the world. It does German, English, Italian and French.

Members were informed that neither Greg, Alan nor Peter from Priority 1 are making any money from this product or service. If you have any questions, Greg is happy to speak with you about it.

Greg Koyl, GKOYL@islandnet.com, Phone: 778-265-8828.

8. Albert reminded members that their annual membership fee of $10 is due by year-end.

9. Tom also let everyone know about the inaugural meeting of the new Barrier-Free BC organization founded to promote the implementation of a British Columbians with Disabilities Act. The meeting took place on October 28 at CNIB in Vancouver. The next meeting is November 25^th from 1 to 4 pm. Those who cannot attend in person may participate by teleconference as follows: dial 1-866-783-7393. After the tone, enter security code 13634920. For more information and to receive ongoing updates, contact: barrierfreebc@gmail.com. You can also follow on Twitter @barrierfreebc

10. Skye Mundell has been contracted by the Neil Squire Society to provide tutoring for screenreader users looking to improve their skills. There is no fee for the service. Contact Skye at: 250-812-4307 or email at: skyt@shaw.ca.

11. Albert announced a described-theatre event at the Belfry on Sunday, November 8 from 2 pm to 4 pm. VocalEye will be providing descriptive-audio services. Please register beforehand to ensure availability of headsets.

12. Tom announced that he will be on the TechTalk program on CFAX 1070 radio the last Saturday of every month to promote and talk about the GTT Program and to inform listeners about helpful technological innovations.

13. Tom thanked everyone for coming and invited them to check out the OrCam and connect with other guests, and the presentation segment of the meeting was adjourned.

The December meeting will take place on Wednesday, December 2, in the same location. Stay tuned for the agenda, and we hope to see everyone there.