Dear AccessWorld Editor,
This message is in reference to Deborah Kendrick's May 2018 article, Victor Reader Trek: Another Cool Gadget for Your Bag or Pocket.
This is an excellent and very informative article. I always appreciate Deborah's product reviews.
Thank you,
Jeffrey Senge
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
This message is in reference to Deborah Kendrick's May 2018 article, Victor Reader Trek: Another Cool Gadget for Your Bag or Pocket.
Debra, I typically love your articles. But in this article, many more words were spent on the player functionality than the GPS functionality in this unit. The player capabilities are pretty much the same as what is in the second-generation Stream that we have had since 2011. For many of us, the extra cost of this unit is not worth it. Particularly since you can't dictate addresses, and there's no voice recognition. I would've appreciated information on the volume of the speaker in GPS mode, and how it works with Bluetooth headphones. Also if it works any better than the old trekker breeze at recording a route across an unfamiliar space that has not been mapped, like between?buildings on a?college campus, and whether the route can be played back and duplicated fairly accurately. The stream has been extensively covered?in many other articles over the years. Is there a look around mode for exploring the city before you arrive? How do you save your favorite destinations? How much control do you have over announcements of points of interest??How well are intersections describe compared to apps like Nearby Explorer or Sendero??This article left me with more questions than answers.
The GPS functionality of this device needs much more exploration to be put in the proper context with competing products.
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
Thanks so very much for continuing to publish, and with the aid of your wonderful staff, the AFB monthly magazine, AccessWorld. I have been enjoying your awesome publication about accessibility for the blind since about a year ago, when I was introduced to it by an online forum. I believe your articles are very informative, entertaining, and, most importantly, useful to me as I start embarking on my journey to become a teacher of the visually impaired (TVI.)
As a loyal reader of your magazine, I would like to offer some suggestions for development and overall progress. Through your Editor's Page in the May issue, I am now aware of the changes that you are embarking on as you partner with the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) to transition many of AFB's online programs and resources. I am also aware that APH has been a fine and awesome organization, expanding and promoting goods and services for our blind youth and children in America as well as their TVIs.
I would like to see articles in the magazine concerning accessibility and usability of products from different perspectives. For example, I [would like to see more] articles regarding accessible or mainstream products enriching the lives of people who are not only blind, but also deaf-blind, or blind with other disabilities. As you may know, accessibility has a lot of aspects, such as those promoted by products or services that are made with Universal Design (UD) in mind, as well as those that are made accessible exclusively for individuals with exceptionalities.
In addition, I would like to see better outreach for AccessWorld. For instance, I think the magazine can be translated into other languages, or offer content in different languages, such as Spanish. Accessibility is all about reaching people…so I [would like to see] AccessWorld … promoted in different ways and languages to reach people who have never been reached before.
Thank you so very much, Mr. Editor of AccessWorld, for reading these comments and making your magazine the very best and brightest it could possibly be. Please keep up the awesome, marvelous work you are doing with this publication. I look forward to reading the June issue. May I wish you the best luck for you and this magazine and hope you continue enriching lives and promoting advocacy.
Sincerely yours,
Humberto Avila
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
I'm wondering if you would look into a comprehensive article/review on suitable/accessible flatbed scanners, along with OCR solutions like ABBYY FineReader. I use NVDA as my screen reader, and I'm aware your publication has in the past published articles about blindness-specific OCR solutions like OpenBook and Kurzweil, and [has compared] ABBYY FineReader and OmniPage, but I'd like to see a current/up-to-date review—especially concerning scanners, as well as off-the-shelf products like ABBYY FineReader. I have never had success trying to use phone-based OCR tools without sighted assistance, and I have heard, for instance, that FineReader can handle several foreign languages, and even auto detect and switch to the correct language when a document contains more than one, but I don't even own a scanner myself and haven't been able to find current reviews from a blindness perspective.
Regards,
Vivien
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
I enjoyed May's issue of AccessWorld. I am so excited about AFB's new partnership with the American Printing House for the Blind. I cannot wait to see how this transition will impact your current programs. In the coming months, I would like to see more articles about braille production and braille transcription. Have any of your writers ever taken a tour of the National Braille Press in Boston?
Thank you,
Roanna Bacchus
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
This letter is in response to Aaron Preece's May article, ClickList by Kroger Expands Access to Online Grocery Shopping.
Thank you for writing this very helpful article. It will be of help to me whenever I attempt to use the ClickList option.
My local area has a store called King Soopers, which is part of the Kroger family. Recently, it closed down its home-delivery program [where] you could either phone in your order or process it online; as a replacement for this option, they connected me with www.instacart.com, which other stores also use. I was wondering if you have ever used this option and can offer any thoughts on its accessibility.
Best,
Agnes Ferris
Response from AccessWorld Author, Aaron Preece:
Hello Agnes,
Instacart is not yet available in my area, so I have not had the opportunity to test it for screen reader accessibility. The developers of Instacart have been reaching out recently to the visual impairment community regarding accessibility of its app and website; here you can find a Reddit thread describing current issues some users have been having.
I hope this is helpful.
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
First, I realize it's not mobile technology, but an article/review about the Talking VIP3000 thermostat would be good, and I'm willing to write it.
I just purchased one and love it.
Second, I'd like even more updates on accessible appliances. My wife and I are going to need to purchase a washer and possibly a dryer this year, and we still don't feel like we know what is accessible or what we can make accessible using a special box (GE washers and dryers) or Alexa, and what models are still push-button.
Thanks,
Paul Ferrara
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
This letter is in response to Aaron Preece's May article, ClickList by Kroger Expands Access to Online Grocery Shopping.
I agree with the author that ClickList is an invaluable service.
One additional benefit I experienced is the opportunity to explore product offerings.
How many flavors of ice cream can I find? How many k-cup varieties are out there that Keurig's website doesn't include? What organic products can I find?
Using ClickList and being able to browse available products allows me to find out much more about product availability than I would likely find out by shopping with a store employee; after all, how can you try something new and different if you don't know that it exists?
The service isn't perfect; I've had a few errors in a few orders, but its value far outweighs its hiccups.
Sincerely,
Paul Ferrara
Dear AccessWorld Editor,
This message is in reference to Deborah Kendrick's May 2018 article, Victor Reader Trek: Another Cool Gadget for Your Bag or Pocket.
Amazon has this device for $649.99 and Accessible Electronics has it for $579.? I have had mine for a couple of months now; I'm still learning how to use it. I like navigating with the Trek more than using Blind Square on my iPhone.?They are supposed to be coming out with a GPS update next year that will improve the accuracy from 30 feet down to 1 or 2 feet.?That should allow me to move around my 30 acres with much more confidence.?I have only used the navigation features so far but I like the Trek more each time I use it.? I would recommend it to anyone wanting more independence.
Chris Hoffman
