Dear AccessWorld Editor,
Thank you for profiling Dr. Josh Miele and his work in Deborah Kendrick's article, Part I: A Profile of Principal Investigator Joshua A. Miele, in the May 2013 issue of AccessWorld. I had the pleasure of working with Dr. Miele at Berkeley Systems and learned a tremendous amount from him during the five years we were there together. Many of the insights I gained from Dr. Miele during that time related to things such as how to develop efficient and productive interfaces for people who are blind, the importance of exposing the underlying concepts of the (graphical) interface to users who cannot see it, and the importance of non-speech audio and the use of distinctly different voices to enhance a spoken user interface.
I continue to follow Dr. Miele's research with great interest. I am certain that some of his new insights will significantly propel the accessibility field forward.
Regards,
Peter Korn
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
My letter is in response to the May 2013 article, Earl: An Evaluation of the Newspaper-Reading App from Angle LLC, by Jacob Roberts.
Unfortunately, my experience has not been as positive as the author's. I find that you have to have a good WiFi connection to use Earl at all, and as one might expect, it does not work well where there is a lot of background noise. You really need to be in a room on your own whilst reading as anyone sitting near soon gets fed up [with] you repeating the same commands, particularly if Earl has difficulty in understanding what command you are saying.
I would much prefer more flexibility to use the gesture commands so that you can use it in situations where other people are present, but unfortunately, I found the gestures to be not very responsive moving forward or back using the three-finger gesture. Often, Earl would come back and inform me that there were no more articles when I had only just started reading an article list.
I do like the way that [I] can quickly get to the information that I am wanting to read without the clutter that you get from reading normal webpages, and this, to me, is a definite positive and one which many other people who are blind or partially sighted would like.
If there were more gestures you could use without having to speak all the time and if these were more accurate and responsive, then I would use it on a daily basis. However, I think I will only continue to subscribe in order to demonstrate the app to other people who visit our drop-in center and use it personally for reading news on an occasional basis.
I am currently using an iPhone 4S, and one may find that the functionality may be better with the iPhone 5.
Regards,
David Quarmby
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
The icanconnect.org program/FCC National Deaf-Blind Communication Act will open a new window to so many through the use of much needed technology for years to come. Having worked at Perkins for five years, I witnessed firsthand the incredible work the deaf-blind program provides and how technology levels the playing field.
"Deaf-blind" does not reflect how many folks could truly be eligible for services and equipment. I explain to folks that you do not need to be totally deaf and totally blind to qualify. If you have mild vision loss and profound hearing loss, you may qualify. The flip side is that you may have a good deal of vision loss but mild hearing loss, and again, you may qualify. Sometime the terms "deaf" and "blind" can be scary, but remember, these are only general terms for vision and hearing impairments.
Many folks living with low vision may qualify for the latest in video magnification technology, such as the DaVinci and Merlin Elite from Enhanced Vision, Inc. These two approved products not only provide HD magnification but also incorporate OCR scanning [and] reading in multiple languages as well connectivity with iOS devices, such as and iPad or iPhone, enhancing distance communication tools such as Skype, texting, the Internet, and other mainstream apps used for everyday communication.
To learn more, visit the icanconnect site or call 800-825-4595.
Adam S.
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
I just wanted to point out that the journalist of the article "A First Look at the Accessibility of the Google Chrome Operating System" neglected to mention what sort of security features this new computer happens to use.
Something like cloud-based computing is all the rage, but something that is all the rage is bound to create a buzz in hacker fields if only to access protected information and the like in order to steal identities, pilfer credit card accounts, and virus creation.
Is this something this new computer addresses, and if so, how?
Just thought I would point this out as I'm sure many others are wondering the same thing.
Thanks,
Victor Gouveia
Response from AccessWorld author J.J. Meddaugh
Hello Victor,
That's a great question and also a very important one as security should not be taken lightly, especially when it pertains to sensitive information. As you pointed out, Google Chrome stores much of its information in what's known as the cloud, a fancy way of saying your data is being stored online somewhere. While it's important to take precautions with your data, these are the same precautions that one would take with any computer that connects to the Internet.
Whether you use a web-based mail solution like Gmail or Yahoo! Mail, store files online using a sharing service such as Dropbox, or contact someone using a website form, it's important to do your best to guard your personal information and only share it with those you trust. Ideally, you would not want to store passwords, credit card numbers, or banking information on the cloud, whether this is Google Drive, Dropbox, or another service. One could also use password protection and file encryption to weed out potential intruders. Remember, though, that most of these methods are merely deterrents, and a determined thief will do whatever it takes to steal your data. The idea is to make your data more difficult to steal, so they'll move on to another target.
As for Chrome specifically, you are prompted for your e-mail address and password whenever you turn on your machine or wake it from sleep mode. You can also save files locally on your machine instead of on Google Drive, a good plan for sensitive data.
Thanks for your question and for reading AccessWorld.
J.J. Meddaugh
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
Over the past 11 years, I've held a wonderful job as a Windows tech at a large community college. Though I was hired for my knowledge of blindness technology, I've had the privilege of serving a variety of students with learning differences, brain injuries, and physical limitations. Due to budget cuts, my position has been eliminated at the end of June.
Thanks to much downsizing in the past, I've developed a great resume. I've trained court reporters, supported both mainstream and blindness products, and also supervised call center personnel and written product manuals. Despite the economic downturn, I'm finding that I'm getting interviews, and, if were I sighted, I'd probably already have a new job lined up.
My problem is that, today, less seems to be known about the accessibility of software I'll need to use in any potential job. I can surf around for partial answers but find no expert anywhere who can answer questions about particular packages. For example, in yesterday's interview, I was asked if I could access a customer relationship manager called RightNow, a bug tracking database called Jira, the SugarSync cloud-based synchronization manager, and the Windows application package which controls the Shortell VOIP phone system. I was also told that 45 percent of the job involved using a service called LogMeIn to remotely troubleshoot and repair customers' systems. I suspect (but do not know for sure) that LogMeIn is inaccessible.
When I contact agencies about this problem, I'm sent to other agencies, but there is no comprehensive clearing-house with answers. Instead, I'm told I need to re-apply for rehab, and once I'm a DOR client and after I get a job offer, they can hire a contractor to perform a technology evaluation and possibly write some scripts to make my work applications accessible.
This is a terrible model in today's fast-paced high-tech environment. Employers are looking for a self-starter who is nimble and flexible. Dragging a rehab counselor to every job, even figuratively, sends the wrong impression. This old model worked for lifelong employment, and it works for job developers, access technology providers, and the agencies whose job is to help you craft a winning resume and hone your presentation skills. However, I don't want employers to start seeing me as part of a "special" class who needs the protection of extra laws and an army of consultants. With the next economic downturn, I'll need to be ready to look for work yet again, and I wish we had a newer model for this modern world.
Deborah Armstrong
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
I am really enjoying this month's issue of AccessWorld. I wish to comment on the social networking series by Larry Lewis. I have been using mostly Twitter for a few years now, but I've started using Facebook a bit more since they recently hired a team focusing on accessibility. I have personal accounts on both of them, and I help run the Twitter and Facebook accounts for my volunteer job.
Mr. Lewis is doing an excellent job explaining everything involved with using social networks. For Twitter, I find The Qube and Easy Chirp the best, but I haven't used The Qube lately because it is installed on my laptop, which is currently on the fritz. Admittedly, I could install The Qube on my desktop PC, too, but that is also having some issues. Anyway, I recently discovered Twishort and I'm finding it to work very well too. I still use m.facebook.com a lot, but I've started using the main Facebook site more. There is also a service called The Friend Mail for using Facebook, which I've tried and found to be very accessible. It is still in beta testing. I'm excited to read the third and final installment in this series.
Best regards,
Jake Joehl
