Editor's Page
Product Reviews and Guides
Speak Easy Media System by New Designs Unlimited: A Product Evaluation
by Jamie Pauls
This suite of products is definitely worth considering for someone who is absolutely new to computers. The fact that the product interfaces easily with the free NVDA screen reader allows the user to grow into more advanced computing tasks. For a one-man company, New Designs Unlimited has packed a lot into the Speak Easy Media System.
Learning to Use VoiceOver on the Mac and iOS with Audio Tutorials from Mac for the Blind
by Jamie Pauls
The Mac for the Blind tutorials may not be the least expensive offerings on the market, but John Panarese is an Apple-certified trainer who brings his many years of practical experience to his tutorials. The professional audio editing done by P&D Audio is the icing on the cake.
An Overview of OS X 10.11 El Capitan
by Janet Ingber
On September 30, 2015, Apple released OS X 10.11 El Capitan, a new operating system for Mac computers. This operating system has some excellent new VoiceOver options as well as a few changes to other applications.
Training with IBM and Freedom Scientific: Teaming Up for Increased Accessibility
by Bill Holton
The IBM/Freedom Scientific solutions bring accessibility knowledge and responsibility back to the enterprise. From help desk technicians to chief developers, accessibility is placed on to-do lists, and results are monitored and tracked. Granted, problems may still get mired in red tape and bureaucracy, but overall learning will have a broader base, and, hopefully, will be ongoing.
2015 Holiday Shopping Guides
More Holiday Gift Ideas for People with Visual Impairments
by Janet Ingber
Even if you need a last-minute gift, there are still many options for a person who is blind or visually impaired. When giving a gift, be sure to give the recipient information on how to use it. For example, if you're giving someone a Giraffe Reader, offer to help them put it together the first time. Remember to get your gifts as early as possible. Happy Shopping and Happy Holidays.
Access to Gaming
Racing Toward Success: The Story of Blindfold Games
by Jamie Pauls
Anyone with an iPhone who enjoys gaming should definitely consider playing any and all titles from the Blindfold Games series. Be sure to check the app store often, as there are many more games yet to come!
Book Reviews
Book Review: Making Windows 10 Easy to See, by Quentin Christensen
by Bill Holton
Doubtless there are those who will find Microsoft's built-in accessibility solutions sufficient for the tasks they need to accomplish. However this is a small subset of the potential audience of new and existing screen access users, and I feel the author would be well advised to expand the scope of this book.
AccessWorld News
Letters to the Editor
