Tag: Beeping Luggage Tags

GTT-TechEase Regina Summary Notes, Uber, Transit Stop Announcements, Food Delivery, May 25, 2019

Tech-Ease/ Get Together with Technology

Regina Drop-In Meeting

Summary Notes

May 25, 2019

 

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

 

Uber:

  • Uber and guide dog users – It is in the bylaws for city of Regina and City of Saskatoon that the Uber/cab company can be charged under bylaws and either the driver or the company can be charged if a handler is denied access due to their guide dog. The Bylaws are to protect guide dog users.
  • If the driver says they have allergies they have to have a letter on file with dispatch and they have to wait with you until new cab comes to complete your trip
  • Most handlers find it is easier to declare your guide dog ahead of time to avoid denied trips or delays while another cab/Uber is summoned
  • Many blind and partially sighted people choose to tell the cab company or Uber driver about their needs ahead of time so they get the best service. i.e. “I am legally blind so the cab driver will have to come inside to get me or lead me to my door when he takes me home”.
  • Capital Cabs has proven to be the best in Regina for helping people with all disabilities

Steps to access an Uber or Lyft

  • Download the app and put in your personal info including credit card info
  • Lyft takes $1 from credit card when it is first added to verify the card, it is not refunded
  • Once you have the app you type in where you want to go and the app gives you an estimate of both the amount you will pay and the time it will take to get the driver to you
  • There are different levels of Uber, one for individuals, one for groups (XL), one for special needs (Assist) and one for elite (Black) we do not have black or the one for special needs in Regina yet
  • We discussed safety features like you and/or the driver changing screen colour on their mobile and holding it up so you know you are going to the right car, adding notes to the driver notifying them of your needs, the app showing drivers face and make/model of car so you know you are choosing the right car
  • There is a “follow me” option in the Uber app that you can send to a friend so they can track your progress and know you got home safely
  • The apps take both PayPal & credit card
  • Driver use their own vehicles, they are not company cars
  • There is no conflict of interest policies so drivers can drive for many companies (Lyft in day, Uber at night) discussed this as possibly a safety hazard as drivers could become fatigued
  • You can rate the experience and the driver upon the completion of your trip, so you can also only choose to accept rides from 5 star drivers
  • Most handlers choose not to allow their guide dogs on the seats of any transportation (except their own) out of respect for the owner/company who may have to clean the vehicle after

 

Audibles on transit:

  • We encourage people to report transit issues, because if people aren’t reporting the city isn’t made aware and change/repairs won’t happen
  • If you have enough sight to tell on the buses the GPS panel is black if its not working and lit up if it is
  • Ask the driver to turn the audible on when your get on, If it isn’t working the bus is supposed to be put out of service so you can say you will call to have that done if its off, oftentimes if a driver is choosing to keep it off they will turn it on when you mention this

 

Skip the Dishes/UberEats

  • Discussed the process for ordering, choose a restaurant, choose your food, add them to your order, confirm your order, click checkout and wait for driver to arrive, app shows driver’s progress
  • You can pay with credit card or cash if it’s under $50 but the driver will not have change so you have to exact amount
  • When calculating at checkout the tip is included for in the price, the amount you add on is a tip for the driver not the restaurant

 

Parcel Pal/Postmates:

  • A service like Skip the Dishes or UberEats but they bring you things from stores or take things to places for you (mail to the post office, drycleaning to cleaners, etc.)
  • We have Parcel Pal in some parts Canada
  • They have Postmates in the USA but it is coming to Canada eventually

 

Luggage Dongle:

  • Tile is the brand
  • You can send a tone to it from your smartphone you can add it to anything you want, keys, luggage, etc. You turn off the noise from the phone once you have located the item you have attached the Tile to
  • You can tap on the tile and it can send a signal to your phone from it so you can find your phone with it as well
  • $44 each with taxes etc. at London Drugs
  • Radius is listed at 300 feet
  • You can have multiple Tiles hooked up to one app
  • They come in 2 levels, the other one is cheaper than $44 but the cheaper one is not that loud and the area is not as big
  • They only come in black
  • There is a premium app feature that notifies you when you get too far from your phone

 

VIRN and the future of GTT/Tech Ease:

  • Discussed option to hold digital meetings through zoom, they are already doing in Manitoba
  • Also discussed idea of doing YouTube during or after Tech Ease meetings

 

Topics for next time:

Recap of the year

 

Connect with us:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GTTTechEaseRegina/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/techeasesk

Tech-Ease YQR YXE (@techeasesk) | Twitter

twitter.com

The latest Tweets from Tech-Ease YQR YXE (@techeasesk). Are you Visually impaired, Related to someone visually impaired, or an educator of someone visually impaired …

 

 

CCB Tech Articles, Donna’s Low Tech Tips, Beeping Luggage Tags, January 28, 2019

January 28 2019

Meet the luggage tags that beep

 

Happy New Year everyone!

Hi there!  It’s Donna and thank you for allowing me to come into your inbox.

Today, I’d like to talk about luggage tags that beep.

Meet the luggage tags that beep

 

Yes, these tags sure work and they are quite handy for anyone; especially so for a blind person.

 

When you are in a busy airport, or at a conference, and you need to depend on someone sighted to help you identify your luggage, then the beeping luggage tags come in very handy.  How do they work?

 

You attach the tags to your luggage and then you have a remote that you can press that will pick up the encoded tags on your luggage.  It beeps to within 50 feet of where you are.

 

You can also use this little gadget or device for other purposes.  Just use your imagination and see what you can come up with.  All I know is that I can use it when I travel and am in airports or train stations or even at hotels.

 

I am happy to endorse this nifty little gadget as I constantly use it when I travel to navigate to my hotel room.

 

I hang the tag on the door of my hotel room and then I use the transponder to locate the tag on the door.  There is a beeping sound that is emitted when the transponder is pressed.  You can hear the beep as you get closer.

 

So go out there and make friends with the luggage tags that beep.

 

That’s it from me for this week.

If you would like to become a member of  my CCB Mysteries chapter you can do so for the price of $10 annually and in return you will receive unlimited access to either of the following libraries.

Recipes –

http://www.donnajodhan.com/library-recipes.html

Audio mysteries for all ages –

http://www.donnajodhan.com/library-audio-mysteries.html

Or you can subscribe to both for the price of $20 annually.

Now you  can subscribe to “‘Let’s Talk Tips”‘ which is my monthly resource for the most current and reliable informational tips available in the areas of Technology, Nutrition, Media, Business, and Advocacy.

http://bit.ly/ADJSubscribe

 

To contact me, send me an email at info@sterlingcreations.ca and I’d be happy to respond.

Have yourselves a great day and see you next week.

Donna