Dear AccessWorld Editor,
This message is in response to the February 2018 article, Keeping It Portable: Comparing Braille Displays on iOS Devices, Part IV, by Scott Davert.
This has been a great series of articles. I appreciate your support for braille. It would be great to see more articles about braille access to Android and ChromVox.
Dan
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
This message is in reference to Jamie Pauls' February 2018 article, Amazon Echo: Toy or Tool?
Great article on the Echo…
My husband who is legally blind and has some health issues and I received an Echo for Christmas. We use it all the time as a tool, for managing medication times [for example], and as entertainment — a toy! The options we use the most are:
- Management of medications
- Alarms — morning plus back-up in case he falls asleep
- Timers — great for time under an ice pack, cooking timer, appointments, etc. You can set multiple timers: timer 1 for oven, timer 2 for ice pack, timer 3 for waking up in 20 minutes, etc.
- Daily Bible devotional, reading a particular Bible verse
- When does the Olympics ice skating start on TV? What channel is the super bowl on?
- Weather checks in multiple cities
- Tell me a joke
- Read a book from Audible
- Seasonal things like "Alexa, Tell me a 'Roses are red' poem…" [for Valentine's day}
It is very quick and easy for most things. The challenge is saying things [so the device understands]. Looking up Bible verses sometimes takes us to an Audible Bible, but we prefer her voice reading them.
Overall, we love it!
BJ
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
This message is in reference to Jamie Pauls' February 2018 article, Amazon Echo: Toy or Tool?
I have the Amazon Echo and absolutely love it. I find it amazing how quickly it can pull up information. I love trivia and Alexa has so much to choose from.
Jerry Purcell
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
I have a question regarding Jamie Pauls' February 2018 article, Amazon Echo: Toy or Tool?
We have an Echo Dot that the whole family uses in the kitchen/den. My son, who is blind, loves it. I put the Echo app on my iPhone and on his. However, he uses VoiceOver. Alexa hooks up to his phone when he is in the room and we can hear everything that is on his phone as he scrolls thru the screen. So we took the app off his phone. Is that the only way to keep this from happening?
If I got him a different Echo for his room, would the two be separate? Or would we still hear VoiceOver in the kitchen, even though he is in his room?
I have never seen this discussed anywhere so I don't know the answer. Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks
Deborah Gessler
Response from AccessWorld Associate, Aaron Preece:
It sounds like his phone is connected through Bluetooth to the Echo; that's the only way I could imagine this would happen unless there has been a recent update I am not aware of.
You should be able to tell Alexa to "disconnect" to fix the issue. Normally you would have to ask the Echo to connect to a Bluetooth device you've connected before, but I have encountered this issue in the past where it connects without asking. He could also delete the Bluetooth profile for the Echo on his phone as well. If he set the Echo up from his phone he could also be sure to forget the Echo's wireless network. I can't imagine that would be causing the issue, and from what I can determine, the Echo only broadcasts its own Wi-Fi during setup, but. it may be worth trying.
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
This message is in reference to Bill Holton's February 2018 article, Smartphone Apps for People New to Vision Loss.
I am not new to vision loss, but I found some useful information here. For instance, I really appreciate having a phone number for help from Amazon, and I did not know about the Newsline app. I've been using my phone, but I'm going to give the app a try to see if it's better. I have an Echo Dot, and I've just purchased a Bluetooth speaker, and once I figure out how to get it connected, I might subscribe to Audible, because then I could carry around the speaker in my house. You also reminded me of some apps that I have forgotten to use, such as Be My Eyes. Thanks.
Dear AccessWorld Editor
This message is in reference to Bill Holton's February 2018 article, Smartphone Apps for People New to Vision Loss.
I loved your article about smartphone apps for people with vision loss. I am looking forward to acquiring some I don't have.
However, please do not encourage Uber riders with guide dogs to have the dog in their photo. This will result in drivers opting not to pick you up, even if they are nearby. I have firsthand experience with this. Even though the ADA and Uber require their drivers to pick up service dogs, many will not because of religious reasons, allergies, or concern about their leather seats. I have filed many complaints with Uber over the last two years and things are getting better. But this issue needs to be confronted head-on. [Let's not] give the drivers an excuse to break the law and their contract.
Debbie Wygal and her Guide Jaya
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
Will you please consider doing a review of Humanware's Matt Connect, available from APH. My district has purchased several of these expensive devices and they have several pros and cons. One of the pros is that the user has the option to access other Android apps. My biggest problem has been that when using TalkBack, the Prodigy software does not work correctly and I cannot find an easy way to turn TalkBack on/off.
Susie Adams
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
This message is in reference to Bill Holton's February 2018 article, Smartphone Apps for People New to Vision Loss.
Thank you for this article. Compendia articles definitely have their place. An article such as this one brings my frustration right to center stage, however. Yes, the various apps can do great things. But here's something to think about. AccessWorld is not in the business of selling these things, so you are not obligated to keep the whole story to yourselves. You might mention that many apps don't actually work all that well. The concept is great for many of them—Seeing AI, for example. Who would have thought? If we sat around dreaming of great things to help us, we couldn't have done better. Now open the thing and use it…don't throw your phone, calm down, it will surely improve. Thing is, Nearby Explorer? It works, but I think we all could use some mentoring on what to shut the heck off and what to keep on. See level? That's probably not essential, but many of the things you can turn off should be turned off, because they cause lots of chatter you don't need. Turn off VoiceOver or leave it on? Will someone tell me please? Uber and Lyft? They work, sure they do, but have you ever had trouble getting off that first screen? Have you ever had to call Go Go because, hey I have a plane to catch?
I don't want to sound like a sad sack here, but remember to mention that all these wondrous things take study, experience, practice, and tremendous patience to learn to use them effectively. Remind us that how we used our computers changes when we use a smart phone as a mobile computer. It's different and can be hard. A bunch of us who are of an age take classes so as to perform basic and sophisticated functions. Many of us who could actually enjoy using smart phones never will, because the chore of becoming good at it lacks support and opportunity.
The accessibility is definitely designed in, which is great, but best to mention that your intuitive powers as a user will be challenged. This is a touch screen world made for sighted people. Our access, as usual, is a massive work-around, and as such, it takes a real effort. Not to be discouraging, just to tell the story, and I know you know. Don't ever curb your enthusiasm […] but maybe suggest a few things, single sentences that can help people get the full picture. Say, you will find lots of help by talking with blind friends; if you are having a hard time getting in to your phone, inquire of the blindness agency in your area whether there are any classes you might take; say: programs can be fully formed or they can be developing; and you don't have to say this, but it's true nonetheless: I call Be My Eyes sometimes, and they can't help. I tried to figure out the instructions on a prepared food. I went to Open Book, that didn't work; I did KNFB reader: no. Well, how about Seeing AI? It said "no text." Okay, this my expensive bar code reader will get it: "bar code not recognized." Wow. This is not unusual; I know how to use these apps.
I've gone on too long. Just don't forget that some of us have to really work to make use of apps and great new designs. Just because one can do something, doesn't necessarily mean we will. That's actually an elephant in the room, because compared with the struggles sighted people go through to utilize these things, well, there's hardly a comparison.
Mike from Berkeley
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
This message is in reference to Janet Ingber's February 2018 article, The iPhone X for People with Visual Impairments: Face ID, New Gestures, and Useful Commands.
Very interesting. I am wondering, what about the X made it worth the upgrade? I get it that we can learn it's new ways of working, but I'm not sure [the article covered] what makes it a good deal.
Mike
