Editor's Page
Technology Conference Coverage
Choice Finds from the ATIA 2016 Conference Exhibit Hall
by Jamie Pauls and Shelly Brisbin
In this article, we'll share our picks for the 10 most interesting technology products we saw: five blindness-related offerings and five that will interest people with low vision.
AFB Leadership Conference 2016 Highlights
by Janet Ingber
The 2016 AFB Leadership Conference was held March 3–5 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia. The conference included the AccessWorld Technology Summit, sessions for professionals in the blindness and low vision fields, plus an exhibit area. There was a broad selection of concurrent sessions, so it was easy to focus on one's area of interest.
Product Evaluations and Guides
by Bill Holton
The Orion TI-30XS is aimed at upper elementary and middle school students. Likely as not, these students have not yet decided if they might wish to pursue a STEM career. However, having access to the same handheld calculators as their classmates can only help to broaden a sight-impaired student's horizons, options, and opportunities.
An Introduction to the Apple Watch
by Janet Ingber
Apple began selling the long-awaited Apple Watch in May 2015. As with other Apple products, the watch is very accessible for VoiceOver users and has some good options for users with low vision.
An Overview of NVDA Remote Access, a Free Add-on for the Non Visual Desktop Access
by Aaron Preece
The NVDA Remote Access add-on was very simple to set up and use and the experience of controlling another computer was smooth. There are many possible uses for this add-on and its inclusion in the pool of available NVDA add-ons could significantly increase the usefulness of NVDA.
Vision Research
Repairing or Replacing the Optic Nerve: New Frontiers in Vision Technology Research
by Bill Holton
In this article we will describe two recent research breakthroughs?one that shows the potential to help regenerate damaged optic nerves, and the second, a system called Gennaris, that may produce vision without the optic nerve, or even the eye itself.
Access to Gaming
Audio Game Review: A Blind Legend from DOWiNO and France Culture
by Jamie Pauls
A Blind Legend is an audio game for iOS and Android platforms that features an interesting plot, high-quality audio and voice acting, and a well-designed user interface. There are some areas of the game that need work, most notably the awkward translations from French to English. Also, I experienced a few times when I wasn't able to select menu items properly in the game, and was forced to restart before I could continue on.