Editor's Page

AI Matters

Enhancing digital Accessibility through AI

Aaron Preece

Services such as Be My AI have made it crystal clear what a game changer AI powered image descriptions are in the real world. In this piece, we'll take a look at how similarly powerful AI significantly enhances the accessibility of digital data.

Accessibility Tips and Tricks

Create Accessible Mobile Apps With React Native: Specific Techniques and Code Examples

James Brooks

React Native is a widely used framework for creating cross-platform mobile apps for iOS and android. Fortunately, React Native includes a robust set of options for including accessibility in your projects. In this piece we take a look at several accessibility options, provide code examples, and explain their use.

Employment Journeys

Employment Matters: Ramon Fontanez, Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant

Deborah Kendrick

Discovering the diverse careers of blind and low-vision individuals has always been inspiring. Meeting Ramon Fontanez, a skilled occupational therapy assistant, was a reminder of the vital role these professionals play in helping patients regain independence. In this article, we learn about Ramon's career as well as how he successfully accomplishes his work with low vision.

Book Review: Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice, by Judge David Tatel

Steven Kelley

In his memoir, Judge David Tatel reflects on his career in civil rights, his journey with vision loss, and the role of the judiciary in democracy. He shares candid insights into his late acceptance of blindness and how technology and a guide dog enhanced his independence. The book offers a broader perspective on optimism, justice, and adapting to change.

Inclusive Technology Research

Remote Sighted Assistance App Use and Thoughts About “Sighted” Assistance from Artificial Intelligence

Michele McDonnall

The National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision conducted the
latest survey of our Access Technology in the Workplace Study in 2023. One of the
topics covered in the survey was use of remote sighted assistance apps (such as Aira
and Be My Eyes). We included questions about using artificial intelligence for remote
“sighted” assistance. This article shares some of the main findings from these survey
questions.

Product Reviews

A review of EL VMA, an AI Powered Makeup Checker app from Estée Lauder

Janet Ingber

With the power of modern AI, companies have begun to target specific use cases for the technology. In this article, we take a look at one of those use cases-putting on makeup. Here, we review the EL VMA app from Estée Lauder.

A Review of Reading Mode, Enhancing Reading for Low Vision Users on Android

Steven Kelley

Reading Mode is a new accessibility feature from Google that enhances the reading experience onAndroid for low vision users. The feature allows a user to read content in a more streamlined, high-contrast mode as well as allowing the use of text-to-speech. We explore the feature in this piece.