Tag: Accessible Entertainment

GTT Northern Ontario Summary Notes, Amazon Speakers,, February 20, 2020 with Link to CCB Podcast Episode

Get Together with Technology (GTT)

Sponsored by the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB)

Summary Notes:

February 20, 2020

Theme: GTT Northern Ontario, Amazon Speakers, use this link to listen to the CCB Podcast Episode.

Presenter: Albert Ruel

AlbertRuel@Gmail.com

Here’s an older recording just found for your enjoyment.

List of Amazon Echo speakers:

  • Amazon Echo Speaker
  • Echo Studio, with high-fidelity
  • Echo Dot
  • Amazon Tap, with battery
  • Echo Look, with screen and camera
  • Echo Show
  • Echo Spot
  • Echo Plus, a hub for setting up compatible devices

The features of the device include: voice interaction, music playback, making to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, and playing audiobooks, in addition to providing weather, traffic and other real-time information. It can also control several smart devices, acting as a home automation  hub.

Setting up Alexa, use the Amazon Alexa App.

Alexa apps to download, Amazon Alexa App and Alexa Skills.

Here’s how to set up your brand-new Amazon Echo.

  1. Step 1: Download the Alexa App.
  2. Step 2: Plug in the Echo.
  3. Step 3: Connect the Echo to Wi-Fi via the app.
  4. Step 4: Start talking to Alexa.
  5. Step 5: Start using your Echo.
  6. Optional Step 6: Connect smart home devices or an external speaker.

Setting up Alexa Skills:

To enable Alexa skills in the Alexa app:

  1. From the menu, select Skills & Games.
  2. Find a skill you want to use, and then select it to open the skill detail page.
  3. Select Enable Skill, or ask Alexa to open the skill. Tip: Refer to the skill’s detail page for examples of things to say and to learn more.

Establishing Alexa Routines:

How to set up Routines in the Alexa app

  1. Launch the Alexa app on your phone or tablet.
  2. Tap the menu icon in the top left corner of the screen.
  3. Tap Routines.
  4. Tap the + icon in the top right corner of the screen. …
  5. Select When this happens.
  6. Choose Voice.
  7. Type in your desired trigger phrase.
  8. Hit Save.

Attaching email accounts for calendar, contacts and email messages:

Setting up your email account in the Alexa app.

  1. Open the Alexa app.
  2. Tap the Menu in the top left corner and select Settings.
  3. Select Email and Calendar.
  4. Tap the + button. Select your email provider. …
  5. Log in to your email account.

To Learn more about Alexa:

Listen to the Dot to Dot podcast, a series of 5 minute podcasts showing you how to access various skills, features and activities with your Echo Speaker.  The latest one was posted on February 10 and is numbered 1107.  Robin can be reached at thedottodotpodcast@gmail.com.  Here are a few I thought might be of interest.

Help me get started with Skills:

Built-in Kindle Book Reading Feature:

Reading Kindle Books Revisited:

An article that could help you get more out of your Echo Speaker:

6 essential Amazon Echo tips you’ll use daily

  1. Connect your Echo to your smart home devices
  2. Set an alarm from home or while on the go
  3. Listen to music, audiobooks and podcasts
  4. Play games with your friends or kids
  5. Ask for measurement conversions
  6. Find movies playing in theaters near you

For more information please contact your GTT Coordinators/Trainers:

Kim Kilpatrick 1-877-304-0968 Ext. 513

GTTProgram@Gmail.com

Albert Ruel 1-877-304-0968 Ext. 550

albert.GTT@CCBNational.net

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

AccessibilityTraining7@Gmail.com

CCB-GTT Backgrounder:

The CCB was founded in 1944 by a coalition of blind war veterans, schools of the blind and local chapters to create a national self-governing organization. The CCB was incorporated by Letters Patent on May 10, 1950 and is a registered charity under the provisions of the Income Tax Act (Canada).

The purpose of the CCB is to give people with vision loss a distinctive and unique perspective before governments.  CCB deals with the ongoing effects of vision loss by encouraging active living and rehabilitation through peer support and social and recreational activities.

CCB promotes measures to conserve sight, create a close relationship with the sighted community and provide employment opportunities.

The CCB recognizes that vision loss has no boundaries with respect to gender, income, ethnicity, culture, other disabilities or age.

The CCB understands in many instances vision loss is preventable and sometimes is symptomatic of other health issues.  For the 21st century, the CCB is committed to an integrated proactive health approach for early detection to improve the quality of life for all Canadians.

As the largest membership organization of the blind and partially sighted in Canada the CCB is the “Voice of the Blind™”.

GTT is an exciting initiative of the Canadian Council of the Blind, founded in Ottawa in 2011 by Kim Kilpatrick and Ellen Goodman.  GTT aims to help people who are blind or have low vision in their exploration of low vision and blindness related access technology.  Through involvement with GTT participants can learn from and discuss assistive technology with others walking the same path of discovery.

GTT is made up of blindness related assistive technology users, and those who have an interest in using assistive technology designed to help blind and vision impaired people level the playing field.  GTT groups interact through social media, and periodically meet in-person or by teleconference to share their passions for assistive technology and to learn what others can offer from their individual perspectives.

CCB National Office

100-20 James Street Ottawa ON  K2P 0T6

Toll Free: 1-877-304-0968 Email: info@ccbnational.net URL: www.ccbnational.net

 

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:

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

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