OE Patients

Tag: inclusion

  • Raising Accessibility Awareness 2021

    Raising Accessibility Awareness 2021

    Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), started in 2012 and is celebrated on the third Thursday of May. It’s great to have a big celebration once a year, but even better to elevate awareness every day.

    Accessibility is defined in its purest simplicity, as easy to deal with or get to. It is the state of things we all wish for. It is good for everyone. Although the word carries broad implications, today it largely pertains to technology, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is pushing it to new heights. If you live with vision loss, hearing loss, learning or mobility issues, accessibility can literally be the difference between yes and no.

    The purpose of GAAD is to get people talking, thinking and learning about digital access and inclusion for all needs. Accessibility is advancing by leaps and bounds, however, awareness of it has not completely followed suit. So, go ahead, start talking it up. Learn something new about your mobile device, computer or smart tech and pass it along. Talk about it in general or in specific terms. Tell a friend, a co-worker or a neighbor and ask them to tell another.

    Feel free to get your awareness-raising started right here on OE Patients, where we love to talk about this topic.  Take a stroll through the Accessibility & Technology section or go directly to some of our favorite posts, on the topic, linked below.

    Your Smartphone is a Comprehensive Low Vision Device

    Accessibility Support Phone Lines

    Smart Speakers You Ask They Answer

    Elevating Accessibility Awareness Everyday

    Accessibility Bridges the Visual Divide

    Seeing AI is a Gift from Microsoft

    How Ai Compensates Vision Loss

    Are You A Dictator?

    The Freedom of Speech

    10 Things Siri Will Do if You Ask

    10 Things to Know About iPhone Accessibility

    5 Ways to Make Your Computer At Work Easier To Use

    In a short film celebrating GAAD, Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Microsoft’s Chief Accessibility Officer restates their commitment to creating a more inclusive world. She says, “Accessibility can be effortless, ubiquitous and empowering to everyone.”

    We agree. Watch the video here.

    This article was first published May 24, 2018 and update May 20, 2021.

  • Google’s Lookout 2.0

    Google’s Lookout 2.0

    Not very long ago, news about developing technologies for people visually impaired or blind was not widely reported, if reported at all.  It was also unusual for this kind of news to be attached to the biggest technology companies on the planet. All that has definitely changed! In 2018, Google announced an Android app in development called ‘Lookout,’ its purpose to help people with vision loss, identify objects around them and read text. The news was quickly shared by many news outlets, noteworthy because while Google has been involved in the creation of accessible Android applications for quite some time, they had not previously made big pronouncements about it.

    The accessibility app was first launched in 2019 and has recently been updated. Lookout is designed to deliver spoken notifications with minimal interaction.  So it does not create a juggling act for the user, it is recommended that the smartphone be carried in a shirt pocket or on a lanyard, camera facing out.

    Powered by artificial intelligence (AI), it utilizes camera vision to help people, who are visually impaired, get the information they need without having to ask others for help.  The enhanced access is delivered now in these 5 modes:

    • Explore – identifies objects in your environment
    • Shopping – reads barcodes and currency
    • Quick Read – for signs, labels and mail

    The newest features in 2.0 are:

    • Food labels – identification of packaged foods
    • Document scan – captures and reads full detail

    Lookout 2.0 is now available on Google Play for devices running Android 6.0 Marshmallow or later with 2GB of RAM available.  This is a free app, it does not require an internet connection and uses machine learning to identify items of importance and keep delivering the information people are interested in. In addition to English, the app is now localized for French, German and Italian.

    Get more information about using Lookout and share your feedback by contacting the Google Disability Support Team online or on the BeMYEyes app.

    Lookout is not currently available for Apple iOS devices, but a similar app called Seeing AI is.

    This article was previously published Jul 26, 2019 and updated Mar 26, 2021.

  • iCanConnect Promotes Equal Access

    iCanConnect Promotes Equal Access

    For people, like me, who are living with both significant vision and hearing loss, the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program, known as iCanConnect, was established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and signed into law in 2010 by President Barack Obama.  The program provides accessible technology and training at no cost to recipients qualified under federal disability and income guidelines.  An individual assessment determines the equipment that is granted, which includes smartphones, tablets, computers, screen readers, and braille displays.

    iCanConnect is administered by different organizations across the United States.  Helen Keller International (HKI) is one of the administrators, with offices throughout the country.  In Florida, the Florida Outreach Center for the Blind issues applications and referrals to HKI.  That’s where I first heard about this wonderful program.

    Through the program, I received a computer with all necessary software, including ZoomText, a laser printer, and an iPhone 7 Plus.  Next came the trainer, who installed everything and taught me how to handle all this great new stuff.

    The iCanConnect technology specialist arrived at my front door with a guide dog, a sign language interpreter and a driver.  It was amazing to be taught by this skilled trainer, who travels throughout the country, helping others learn, through his experience and by his powerful example.

    I can’t expound enough about the ways I have benefitted from this excellent program.  It allows me to function as a writer and lecturer.  The technology enables me to stay up to date on the latest information and resources that help people living with  macular diseases, and to communicate to my readers and listeners.  This article is one of those very efforts, intended to inform many more people about the inclusion and equal access afforded by digital technologies.

    A heartfelt thank you to President Obama and the FCC, from Jerry Rosenberg.

     

    For more information go to: iCanConnect.org

    Or Call: 800-825-4595

     

  • Letter from the Editor

    Letter from the Editor

    Dorrie Rush

    Dorrie Rush, Chief Content Editor of OEPatients.org

    Dorrie Rush, Chief Content Editor of OEPatients.org

    2019 Is A Year of Possibilities for People with Vision Loss

    It is true, I do love a fresh new year brimming with promise. My optimistic outlook continues to center on the factor most impacting life with vision loss today, and that is accessible and inclusive technology.  In terms of progress, last year was no slouch either, and it set the pace for more good things to come!

    The momentum in everyday accessible technology has been building for more than a decade now. It started with Apple’s delivery of the iPhone in 2009, accessible out-of-the-box for people with low or no vision.  All products that followed from Apple included accessibility by design. The paradigm was shifting. These developments significantly changed the direction of my life, I no longer felt technology was leaving me behind.

    Last year we were the beneficiaries of a few big surprises coming from somewhat unexpected places.

    Microsoft created two new important accessibility apps. Seeing AI is a smart camera with 9 apps in 1, and Soundscape is a “3D map with sound.” This delightful surprise extends even further, both apps are free and they were built exclusively for Apple’s iPhone.  A magnanimous gesture by Microsoft, perhaps more will be revealed about this in the coming year. 

    I enjoyed every one of our accessibility events last year and delighted in the lively, sophisticated and always curious audiences.  I’d have to say the most fun was our session on smart speakers. They are entertaining and incredibly useful in daily life. Smart speakers are being adopted at a faster rate than smartphones were, and they are especially popular with people visually impaired or blind.  This is a category we will continue to pay close attention to. 

    At another event we applauded the proliferation of audio description, now available on demand for Broadway shows and at the movies. I love the voice that speaks quietly in my ear and fills in the details, I might have otherwise missed. 

    So, it’s pretty obvious why we should be enthusiastic about the coming year for inclusivity. Apple doesn’t like to say much about their developing technology, but there are reports and rumors that lead us to believe we may be seeing some smart glasses and even clothing designed for accessibility. Actually, I would not be surprised to find many variations of smart glasses showing up, and would expect they’ll begin shrinking to a more normal, wearable size, from the rather heavy visor like devices we saw last year.

    We can look forward to new developments in navigating airports and shopping centers.

    There is Aira to watch, a service that teams technology with the eyes of a live agent for reading, identification, travel, etc. IBM says it is close to making the NavCog, indoor voice activated navigation app, available to the public. Toyota has been working on Project BLAID, an indoor navigation device, for some time, maybe this is the year we’ll try it. Google’s app “Lookout” for object recognition, is anticipated any day now.

    AI (Artificial Intelligence) is powering much of the progress. Our digital assistants and smart speakers will mature and become more intuitive and dependable. 

    As I write this letter, Google, Alexa, and Siri are all sitting on my desk, ready to assist whenever I ask. They’re excellent researchers, spellers, fact checkers, appointment schedulers, alarm setters, time tellers, and they have instant access to massive amounts of music.  Like all assistants, these 3 were not created equal, they all possess their own individual strengths and weaknesses. We’ll definitely talk more about that as the year moves forward. 

    One thing is for sure, we have only just begun to tap the potential of what technology can do to empower people living and working with vision loss. Stay with us, as we report on an exciting year, packed with possibility!