Welcome to the fall edition of AccessWorld! In this edition, many of our articles focus on generative and image recognition AI and how they can aid people who are blind or have low vision. In addition to the content of this issue, if you're interested in more AI-related topics, be sure to check out our blog, where we've published articles on using recognition AI in the real world. We've also published a piece on AI in the previous issue detailing how AI can enhance screen readers' accessibility features using Apple's Screen Recognition. For even more AI content, along with other great topics, be sure to attend our in-person AFB Leadership Conference! This year's conference will be held in Minneapolis from September 23rd through the 25th. For more information about the conference and how to register, see this page.
We start this issue with an article detailing how generative AI can enhance the accessibility of otherwise inaccessible data. Specifically, we look at how PDF documents can be made more accessible through generative AI like GPT-4/4o, and how a combination of generative AI and assistive AI can be used to explore otherwise inaccessible data and synthesize that data for better understanding.
Next, new author James Brooks explores accessibility features in the React Native app development framework. If you're a developer working with React Native or considering using this framework to develop mobile apps for iOS or Android, this article will be invaluable for you. James goes through specific accessibility implementations and provides direct examples and explanations.
Next, Deborah Kendrick brings us one of her Employment Matters articles, this time focusing on Ramon Fontanez, who has pursued a career in occupational therapy. In the article, Deborah details what his career entails and how he accomplishes work tasks with low vision.
Next, Steve Kelley brings us a review of Judge David Tatel's book, Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice. Judge Tatel details his career in the justice system, his vision loss journey, and how he has adapted to it over the years. The book is an excellent look into the experience of someone who lost their vision later in life and has overcome and thrived despite this challenge.
Michele McDonnall, from the National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision, details findings from recent research on the usage of remote assistance apps such as Be My Eyes and Aira. The research also explored attitudes towards and usage of AI-based visual assistance applications, particularly Be My Eyes, the tool available during the research period.
With the proliferation of image description AI, the technology is being shaped to focus on specific tasks. One such application is by Estée Lauder, a cosmetics company that has created the app EL Space VMA, which uses the power of AI to assist users with applying their makeup and correcting any mistakes. In this article, Janet Ingber details the app's functionality and provides a review of its effectiveness.
To close out this issue, Steve Kelley brings us an update on a new feature for the Google Android operating system. Reading Mode, which can be downloaded from the Play Store, provides a more robust document reading interface, especially for those with low vision who don't necessarily need to use a screen reader all the time but find it helpful to have access to text-to-speech and page-reading options.
We hope you enjoy this issue of AccessWorld! As always, feel free to reach out with any questions or comments. You can email me directly at apreece@afb.org or connect with us on social networking platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Sincerely,
Aaron Preece
Editor-in-Chief, AccessWorld
