Dear AccessWorld Editor,
This message is in response to Bill Holton's article, Repairing or Replacing the Optic Nerve: New Frontiers in Vision Technology Research.
As a grandfather of a 2-year-old born without eyes or optic nerves, this article filled me with hope for my grandson's future. Thank you for the work you do.
Sincerely,
Rick Olsen
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
This letter is in response to Janet Ingber's August article, Obtaining Accessible Cable Television: A Frustrating Experience.
I am also a Spectrum subscriber. I have had almost the same experiences as you have. The only difference is they do not have a Roku box in Kansas City. I am communicating with Joey Haas at Charter. When I turned on audio description it was totally unacceptable. If the program did not have it available there is just dead air sent. This did not work out very well when a friend and I wanted to watch the Kansas City Chief's game. Joey has turned this over to the programmers. It didn't bother me when a commercial did not play, but at first I thought my television was broken.
Best,
Susie Stanzel
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
Microsoft did an update to Windows 10 that took away display settings that those of us with vision problems use to set the display settings to the size and boldness that we nee. You used to be able to set the title bar, menus, palette files, icons, and tool tips to the size?and boldness that you needed. We need that back. I did call the Microsoft Disability Department?and they did roll back?the?update so I could get them back but at the same time I got back all the glitches it fixed.
Response from The Microsoft Accessibility Team:
The "Change only the text size" option was turned off in the Windows 10 Creators Update. Unfortunately, the setting was not supported throughout the entire system. For example, it didn't work with the Start menu, Cortana, Edge, and some applications.
For an alternative method of changing your text size, you can use the Scale and Layout options within Settings > System > Display. Use the dropdown under "Change the size of text, apps, and other items" to make things bigger or smaller.
If you'd prefer your text, apps, and other items to be even bigger or smaller, click the Custom scaling feature to go outside the ranges that Windows recommends for your hardware's screen size and resolution.
If the text looks fuzzy or blurry when you use custom scaling, this might happen if the custom size is not set to a 25-percent increment. For example, if your custom scaling is set to 157 percent, try changing it to 150 percent or 175 percent.
Note: Microsoft recommends keeping your display resolution set to the "recommended" value. If you use custom scaling to go outside the range that Windows recommends, some text, apps, and other items may become unreadable. If you're not able to read the screen well enough to restore your display settings, try starting Narrator by pressing the Windows logo key + Enter. Then press Tab to navigate through the interface until you find the right option for restoring your display settings.
You can find more information at Making Windows easier to see.
Dear AccessWorld Editor
This message is in response to Deborah Kendrick's September 2017 article, SEE3D: Teenagers Expand the Visual World for People Who Are Blind.
Thank you for posting such an interesting and inspiring article. I find myself almost in awe of such people, driven by forces of good—especially those of the younger generation who simply go beyond the extra mile just to make a difference. They seemingly wake up one day to become motivated to research and pursue a project, such as this one, and see it through.? The implications are quite profound. Who knows what this young person's drive and interest could hold for our lives in the upcoming future.
Thanks for the chance to stumble upon this.
Cheers,
Haroon Probst.
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
This message is in response to Janet Ingber's September 2017 article, Instant Access to Information with Aira: An Introduction (Part 1 of 2).
I've been using Aira since July and absolutely love it!? Have been going on greenways, trails, stores, restaurants. Agents helped me set my water softener timer, showed me how to set up my new atomic clock, etc. It's a new freedom and a new chapter in my life.
Barbara
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
This message regards the September 2017 issue of AccessWorld. This issue of AccessWorld is incredible.? I'm quite interested in getting my insurance to pay for Aira, as I am in a power chair in addition to being totally blind.? The SEE3D sounds really fun.? I am interested in aquaponics for personal food production, and maybe as a career, but there are no models to look at.
Thanks for the encouraging information.
Regards,
Donna Bell
