Despite what mathematicians say, there are times when one plus one equals more than two. Said another way, sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Recently, the vision-impaired community witnessed an excellent example of this phenomenon when the folks at Be My Eyes and Microsoft teamed up to create an ever more powerful support option.

If you have never tried the free Be My Eyes app, stop reading this article and download the app immediately. It's available for both iOS and Android, and if you don't have a mobile device, the Be My Eyes service may just be reason enough to get one.

AccessWorld readers were first introduced to Be My Eyes in the February 2015 issue.

Initially, this groundbreaking remote video assistance service was only available for iOS, but last November we alerted readers that the app was also now available for Android.

Traditionally, Be My Eyes has relied on a worldwide network of over 850,000 volunteers to offer remote video assistance to help people with visual impairments with everything from locating which door says Enter to setting the double rinse cycle on an inaccessible washing machine. In the latest release of the Be My Eyes app, however, users will not only find the usual "Call first available volunteer" control, but a new "Specialized help" option designed to connect you with businesses and organizations when you need assistance with their products or services.

According to Hans Jørgen Wiberg, creator of Be My Eyes, "Contacting customer support through email or by phone isn't always ideal. Direct communication with a business's customer support agent could be a more vision-friendly alternative and less time consuming for you. If someone from the company could see the issue in real time, issues with their products or services could be resolved more efficiently."

This new service is being introduced with two offerings: Be My Eyes technical support to help with app issues, and the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk.

We introduced you to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk way back in the December, 2013 issue. As we described then, users of accessibility products such as screen readers and braille displays can contact the Disability Answer Desk via email, chat, or phone to receive personalized help solving issues with their access-enabled Windows PC. Answer Desk members often offer to remote-connect directly to your computer to help solve the problem. But what if the problem is that you can't get the computer to talk, or even to start up so you can accept a remote connection?

"Be My Eyes provides a new and innovative way for Microsoft to offer our customers technical support," says Neil Barnett, Director of the Disability Answer Desk at Microsoft. "Users who access the 'Specialized help' option will be connected through video the same way they are today, but instead of reaching out to volunteers, they will work directly with a member of the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk to resolve a 'silent screen' or another Windows PC or Microsoft product or service."

At the time of this writing, the Be My Eyes Microsoft option was available to customers in the United States and 11 other countries. Check the Answer Desk website for phone, email, and chat contact information. Or even better, simply launch Be My Eyes.

According to Community Director Alexander Hauerslev Jensen, Be My Eyes is already in dialog with a number of banks, cable and telecommunications companies, blindness organizations and access technology suppliers whose customers/users could benefit from the service. Imagine, being able to call your broadband provider and not have to explain blindness the third time the tech asks you "What colors are the lights on the modem?"

The "Specialized help" option includes a button to email your own suggestions as to which companies you would like to see included. "We received over 300 requests the first day alone," says Hauerslev Jensen, who encourages users to add their feedback. "The more users who are asking for a company to offer the service, the easier It will be to convince them of the benefits."

Hauerslev Jensen says users should expect more companies to appear on the "Expert help" menu within the next month or so, including several household names. Needless to say, here at AccessWorld it's our hope that Apple and Google will be among the first additions.

And speaking of Google…

Google Help Desk

Until recently, Chromebook and Accessible Android users had to subscribe to the Eyes-Free Google group in order to receive any sort of technical support. "The Google Accessibility team reads every one of the emails, and responds directly to users when appropriate," states Kyndra LoCoco, who joined Google two years ago as their Program Community Manager. The Eyes-Free list is extremely high-volume, however, with up to several hundred posts per day. Consequently, any help a novice Talkback, BrailleBack, or ChromeVox user may receive can easily be lost in the deluge.

New users will definitely want to check out their company's TalkBack and BrailleBack Help Pages. The Google Accessibility team has also created a Chrome YouTube series, which goes into great detail about how to use the Chrome browser on Windows, Mac, and Chromebooks using keyboard commands. But again, until now, at least, individual help could be difficult to obtain, both for end users and teachers, who lack necessary training to help their visually impaired students use the Chromebooks that are increasingly popular with school districts.

"Here at Google we've been working for a while to gather the resources to offer help on a more individual basis," says LoCoco, and toward that end, the Google Accessibility Team has now taken a first tentative step toward providing the same level of accessibility assistance already offered by Apple, Microsoft, and most recently, Amazon. Users both novice and experienced can now email support English-language questions about Android and Chrome accessibility and receive a personalized reply. Currently, the auto-reply "request received" message states that responses can take up to 72 hours, but several sample support questions sent during standard work hours of 9-5 PT generated high-quality replies in 30 minutes to 3 hours. Requests sent late Friday afternoons may actually take the full 72 hours. Response times may lag as more users discover and begin using this new support option, but according to LoCoco, "We're just gearing up. We are still in the process of hiring and training access support technicians, and our goal is to add chat and telephone support options as soon as possible."

I did send several email questions to the new support address, and here is a response I received when I asked about re-adding previously purchased voices to a new Android device:

Thank you for contacting the Google disability support team!

I understand that you are looking for your purchased voices on your Text to speech engine. Since you purchased or downloaded the voices from the Play Store, try going back to the list of apps purchased or downloaded and re-download those voices again.

Also, I would suggest try looking for the voices you purchased in your preferred text-to speech engine. Follow these steps below:

Open your device's Settings app. Open Accessibility, and then TalkBack. Open Settings. Then under the speech, select the Text to speech settings. Find your Text to speech engine. (by default Google Text- to-speech engine). Tap on settings button right to your TTS engine. Tap on install voice data. You should be able to it find there. If you face difficulty in any of the above mentioned steps and/or if these steps don't work for you, do let us know, so that we can assist you.

As for a Be My Eyes Expert listing? "We've been exploring multiple additional support options, including Be My Eyes, and this is an avenue we are seriously considering," says LoCoco.

Comment on this article.

Related articles:

• Be My Eyes Now Available for Android by Bill Holton
• Instant Access to Information with Aira: An Introduction (Part 1 of 2) by Janet Ingber

More by this author:

• Vision Tech: Earlier Diagnosis and Intervention Can Help Stanch Increasing Rates of Blindness
• Microsoft Seeing AI: A Quick First Look at this Groundbreaking iOS App

Dear AccessWorld readers,

It has been one busy, action-packed time at AccessWorld and all AFB! It seems we just wrapped up with the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the Assistive Technology Industry Association Conference (ATIA,) and we are now turning full-force into the California State University at Northridge Conference (CSUN) and the AFB Leadership Conference (AFBLC). Speaking of conferences, AccessWorld will have conference wrap-up articles for CSUN and AFBLC in our April issue.

CSUN will be held in San Diego, California, March 21 through March 23, and AFBLC will be held in Oakland, CA April 5 through April 7 at the Oakland Marriott City Center.

This year, AFBLC is being cohosted by San Francisco's Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Northern California Chapter of the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER).

Held annually, AFBLC attracts established and emerging leaders in the blindness field. Conference attendees include technology experts, corporate representatives, university professors, teachers of students with visual impairments, orientation and mobility instructors, vision rehabilitation therapists and counselors, and parents. They come from diverse organizations and institutions spanning the public and private sectors, including school districts, specialized schools for the blind, the Veterans Administration, private agencies, and universities.

I want to take this opportunity to cordially invite all our AccessWorld readers in the San Francisco Bay area to attend our conference. Please visit our conference page for agenda and full details.

Sincerely,
Lee Huffman
AccessWorld Editor-in-Chief
American Foundation for the Blind

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

Congrats to This Year's AFB Kirchner Research Award Recipient

Envision Research Institute (ERI) will receive the esteemed 2018 Corinne Kirchner Research Award, which honors individuals or organizations whose leadership and dedication illuminate the most pressing needs of people with vision loss through timely, innovative, and authoritative research. The award will be presented during Saturday's Migel Medal Luncheon at the 2018 AFB Leadership Conference. For more information, read the press release.

New Cortical Visual Impairment, Second Edition, now available From AFB Press

AFB Press is excited to announce a brand-new edition of our best-selling text, Cortical Visual Impairment: An Approach to Assessment and Intervention, by Christine Roman-Lantzyl.

This new and revised content brings the book up-to-date with new research and insights into CVI, its development and progression, and the best approaches to assessment and intervention with children affected by this condition. It also provides the viewpoints of parents and service providers, all of whom use the CVI Range from the perspective of their own situation or specialty.

As in the previous edition, assessment forms, including the CVI Range and CVI Progress Chart, provide a comprehensive method for evaluating the functional vision status of, and program planning for, children with CVI.

Whether you are a student, educator, therapist, physician, or parent of a child with CVI, this revised edition is a must-own for your professional collection.

Cortical Visual Impairment: An Approach to Assessment and Intervention is available in the AFB Store in print, e-book, and online subscription. Order now at the AFB Press bookstore or by calling 1-800-232-3044.

You're Invited: Join a National Conversation on Advocacy for Children with CVI

CVI = Consensus, Vision, and Initiative: Mobilizing Advocacy to Improve Special Education for Children with CVI

A National Teleseminar Presented by: The American Foundation for the Blind
Wednesday Evening, March 14, 2018
8:30pm Eastern, 5:30pm Pacific
To join the call:
Dial: 1-866-939-3921
Code: 46438061

For further information, contact:

Mark Richert, Esq.
Director, Public Policy, AFB
(202) 469-6833
mrichert@afb.net

Any successful advocacy effort requires at least three key elements: consensus both about the real problems to be addressed and the strategies best suited to solve them, a shared vision among stakeholders for what the overall desired outcome should ideally be, and demonstrable initiative on the part of committed change agents who are willing to play a long game while achieving milestones along the way toward the envisioned goal.

Any organized effort to advocate for improved special education services to children living with cortical visual impairment - what others refer to as cerebral visual impairment, and still others describe as neurological visual impairment - will require consensus about the problems and the solutions, a vision for the overall outcomes to be achieved, and initiative on the part of committed advocates. Can there be shared consensus, vision and initiative among parents, educators, and other advocates concerned about the education of students with CVI when many of these stakeholders cannot even agree on what CVI means? How can our field embrace the diversity of perspectives but yet come together to collaborate on national, state, and/or local strategies to transform the quantity and quality of special education services for children with CVI? If we can indeed achieve robust consensus, a shared vision for outcomes, and sustained initiative to get the job done, what are our first steps together to reach key milestones?

On Wednesday evening, March 14, 2018, beginning at 8:30pm Eastern, 5:30pm Pacific, you are invited to join in a spirited and substantive conversation with parents of children with CVI, groundbreaking thinkers in the field, front line educators, administrators of teacher training and other national programs, and prominent advocates who will come together to explore whether and how our field can achieve the consensus, vision and initiative necessary to affect much-needed changes in the extent and quality of special education services available today to students with CVI.

Please save the date for this first-of-its-kind national conversation. There is no charge to attend this AFB-sponsored national teleseminar, and there is no need to RSVP.

Stay tuned for future announcements which will feature the names of the panelists who will participate in a moderated discussion about the critical issues affecting the education of children with CVI. During the second half of this 90-minute conversation, we will be accepting your comments and questions. You will have a chance to voice your own perspectives, offer your own recommendations for change, and interact with the panelists. Please share this announcement far and wide via your own networks. Again, all are welcome, and we look forward to engaging in a lively conversation to hear different points of view but ultimately to consider how our field might build consensus, envision progress, and mobilize initiative to ensure that children with CVI, just like all children with vision loss and other disabilities, can finally receive an education that is truly worthy of their tremendous potential.

Seeing Beyond the Horizon Conference Announcement

Please join us in sunny springtime Nisku, Alberta, Canada, May 3-5, 2018, for our upcoming Canadian Vision Teachers' Conference. Come network, learn together and celebrate the privilege of working with students with a visual impairment and their families!

Get more information at the 2018 Canadian Vision Teachers' Conference website

• Find conference rates at the Conference Registration page
• Hotel reservation — Special $99 Room Rate! (see Venue section of the website)
• Program Schedule is up! An array of concurrent presentations from fellow professionals in the field.

Pre-conference Sessions on May 2^nd:

• Matt Tietjen, MEd — What's the Complexity Framework? (working with students with CVI)
• Peter Tucic and Michel Pepin (Humanware) — BrailleNote Touch: the hands-on experience
• David Wilkinson (HIMS) — Up Close and Personal with BrailleSense Polaris

Keynote Speakers:

• Dr. Kevin Stewart of York Region District School Board in Ontario
• Diane Brauner, creator of Paths to Literacy
• Molly Burke Motivational Speaker, YouTuber and Spokesperson … who happens to be blind
• Banquet Speaker : Lowell & Julie Taylor, formerly from The Amazing Race Canada

Leader Dog's Now Accepting Applications for the Leader Dog's Summer Experience Camp

Leader Dog's Summer Experience Camp

Application Deadline March 31

Summer Experience Camp is a week of outdoor fun, friendship and skill building. The program combines activities like rock wall climbing and tandem biking with leadership building exercises and things exclusively Leader Dog—GPS training and spending time with Leader Dogs in training. The combination helps increase independent travel skills, interpersonal skills and leadership skills.

The free program is for boys and girls ages 16 and 17 who are legally blind. Leader Dog covers all costs including airfare to Michigan—and everyone receives a free HumanWare Trekker Breeze+ GPS device. The 2018 camp dates are June 23–June 30. Applications are due by March 31, 2018.

For more information and to download an application, visit the Summer Experience Camp website or call the Leader Dogs for the Blind client services department at 888-777-5332.

10th Annual ReelAbilities Film Festival: New York Announces Official 2018 Lineup

Tickets On Sale beginning Monday February 12^th, for Festival Presenting More Than 100 Film Screenings and Events at Dozens of Venues Throughout Greater NYC to Celebrate the Lives, Stories, and Artistic Expressions of People with Different Abilities

The Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan announced its official lineup of feature films for the 10th Annual ReelAbilities Film Festival: New York. The 2018 festival will take place March 8–14 at the JCC and more than 30 other venues across all five boroughs of New York City, as well as on Long Island and in Westchester and Rockland counties, making it the most geographically accessible festival in the country. Utilizing various technologies, the festival strives to offer the most accessible programs for those with special needs of all kinds. For the first time, the festival will offer Audio Description for all its feature films.

ReelAbilities Film Festival seeks to promote awareness of the stories and artistic expressions of people with different abilities by celebrating the diversity of the shared human experience through engaging films and events. The festival also encourages inclusion and authentic portrayals in cinema of people with disabilities, the most underrepresented minority in American media. Following the flagship New York festival, selections from this year's program travel to ReelAbilities' growing network of festivals around North America that take place throughout the year.

The festival will open on March 8 at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Avenue at 76th Street, with the previously announced 2017 Tribeca Film Festival-winner Keep the Change and will close with the New York Premiere of Matan Yair's Scaffolding, which took the Best Israeli Feature and Best Actor awards at the 2017 Jerusalem Film Festival. Other film highlights include Mad to Be Normal starring Elisabeth Moss, David Tennant, Gabriel Byrne, and Michael Gambon; Mind Over Matter, a documentary featuring a fan with Cerebral Palsy who—inspired by the music of Korn and against all odds—strives to make it as a rock and roll guitarist; Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw, which tells the story of basketball phenom Holdsclaw from her WNBA stardom to her struggle with mental illness; and the 2018 Oscar nominated short documentary film Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405.

During the opening night ceremony, the NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment will present a Spotlight Award to actress and activist Marlee Matlin for her significant contributions to NYC's creative community, and for serving as an inspiration and a role model to artists with different abilities. The Spotlight Award illuminates excellence in the film, television, music, publishing, digital content, and advertising sectors. Previous honorees include hip-hop artist Nasir "Nas" Jones and "Late Night" host Seth Meyers.

"Marlee Matlin is not only a decorated television, Broadway and film actress — she's a fierce advocate for artists," said Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment Commissioner Julie Menin. "Marlee has used her celebrity to advocate for others in her community and continues to give back, paving the way for differently-abled actors and actresses of the next generation. She is an example of how diversity can truly make us stronger, and I can think of no better place to present her with this award than the landmark 10th annual ReelAbilities festival, a vital venue to experience films by and about people with all kinds of abilities."

ReelAbilities is the largest festival in the country dedicated to presenting films made by and about people with different disabilities whether physical, developmental, or psychological. Through film and special events, ReelAbilities seeks to unite the community in sharing and exploring stories of people living and thriving with disabilities.

This year's lineup of special events will include Advocacy in Action Shabbat Dinner & a Movie featuring Defiant Lives, followed by a discussion and panel of disability rights advocates; a performance from Off-Broadway's Addy & Uno, a new musical puppet show for all ages about disability, friendship and kindness; Heidi Latsky Dance—On Display, an exhibit where people engage with living "sculptures" that embody inclusion through dance; and Lights! Camera! Access! 2.0, a workshop designed for aspiring filmmakers and media professionals with disabilities; and many more. For a full line up of special events please visit http://www.reelabilities.org/newyork/events.

"ReelAbilities is New York's largest celebration of the disability community," adds Isaac Zablocki, director and cofounder of the festival. "Making this our most inclusive event to date allows the entire community to celebrate the 10th anniversary of this impactful festival together. We present great films that absolutely anyone can enjoy and be further impacted by the conversations."

ReelAbilities Film Festival also promotes awareness and fosters dialogue on the topic of disability through first-class international film selections, panel discussions, special performances, exhibitions and celebrity guest appearances. As the most inclusive festival in the country, ReelAbilities provides accessibility aids such as captions, ASL interpretation, audio description, and CART (live captioning). This ambitious undertaking is supported by members of the community, non-profit and government grants, and multiple sponsorships.

Tickets for Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan's 10th Annual ReelAbilities Film Festival: New Yorkbecame available on February 12th. Please visit the Real Abilities New York webpage to purchase or for more information on venues and screening times.

RAZ Mobility Accessible Installer app released for Google's Android Platform

RAZ Mobility, a company that specializes in mobile assistive technology, released a new application in the Google Play Store called the RAZ Mobility Accessible Installer. The Installer app provides a selection of recommended android applications for individuals with disabilities and a simple way to download those applications onto a mobile device. Every app listed includes a description of its purpose, the Google Play rating and the cost. Basically, it is a master application that lists and describes other great applications.

The apps are divided into the following categories: General, Hearing, Vision, Speech, Mobility, Cognition, Health and Learning. So, if you are blind, you would select the Vision category, it you are deaf, the hearing category, etc. The Health and Learning categories could be of interest to anyone. When you see an application that you wish to install, simply tap on the image that reads Google Play and you will be navigated to the page on the Google Play Store where the app can be installed.

This is a very convenient way to learn about some of the best Android applications available to individuals who are blind. RAZ Mobility will be updating the Installer app regularly so that it includes the latest and best applications.

Join us at the 2018 M-Enabling Summit June 11-13, 2018

Please join us at the M-Enabling Summit, the leading conference and showcase promoting accessible technology and environments for seniors and users of all abilities, which will be held on June 11-13, 2018 at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel, in Washington, D.C. It is the annual meeting place for all who create and contribute to accessible ICT products, services and consumer technologies.

With its 2018 theme of "Accessible and Assistive Technologies Innovations: New Frontiers for Independent Living," the M-Enabling Summit sets the stage for focusing on next-generation innovation and breakthrough solutions for all in the accessibility field. It also offers a platform to network with accessibility professionals, organizations, and decision makers seeking to address compliance challenges and market development opportunities.

The Summit's program will focus on accessibility innovations, with over 120 speakers, private sector leaders, developers, policy makers, mobile accessibility experts and disability advocates sharing their knowledge and experience. Confirmed presenters include representatives of leading organizations facilitating the accessible technology market. Dr.

Jeff Jaffe, CEO of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), will be delivering the opening morning keynote on June 12, 2018. The M-Enabling Summit will also host the FCC Chairman's Awards for Advancement in Accessibility (Chairman's AAA) on June 12th. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai will address Summit participants in his evening keynote.

Highlighted Sessions and Topics: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics, Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR), Aging in Place: Connected Health and Big Data for Activity Monitoring, Accessible Security, Identification and Privacy Protection, Digital Assistants, Autonomous Mobility, Consumer Technology Products and IoT for Independent Living, and Accessible Smart Cities, Higher Education & Workplaces

Due to the successful addition of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) Pre Conference Session at last year's M-Enabling Summit; the IAAP Annual Conference has been integrated into the 2018 Summit, where they will be hosting technical and organizational training tracks throughout the 3-day event.

View the complete agenda at this link.

The M-Enabling Summit offers a discounted early bird registration rate through April 27. You can register at this link.

There are numerous games, in many different genres, available to people with visual impairments. At last count, there are over 600 listed in the AudioGames database. Even so, there are many mainstream games that are difficult-to-impossible to play without vision. Two of the members of the Out of Sight Games team grew up playing mainstream video games before losing their sight. Their desire to provide a gaming experience similar to what they had found in mainstream role playing games (RPGs) lead both to the creation of Out of Sight Games and their flagship title, A Hero's Call.

Out of Sight Games held a Kickstarter campaign for A Hero's Call to provide full voice acting for the characters in the game. The goal of the campaign was met almost immediately and the campaign went on to raise over three times the original funding goal. The extra funding was used to expand the voice acting and provide graphics so that visually impaired and sighted players can enjoy the game equally.

The game was eagerly anticipated and well received among the visually impaired gaming community and has inspired a good deal of generosity, as many have chosen to purchase copies of the game for others. In this article, I will explore the various aspects of the game and determine how it compares to the hype surrounding its release.

Game Overview

A Hero's Call is an audio game, which means that all game information is communicated to the player through sounds as well as a combination of synthesized and human speech. The game is considered a fantasy-themed RPG. You take the role of a traveler who arrives at the city of Farhaven to find it heavily beset from all sides. The city guards are stretched thin defending the city, so you volunteer to leave the city and attempt to find the sources of the attacks.

A Hero's Call is reminiscent of both table-top role playing games, such as Dungeons and Dragons, as well as role-playing console video games, such as the Elder Scrolls or Dragon Age series. As you travel, you will gather a group of allies who will assist you in your adventures. The game includes various character classes with your allies fitting into some of these classes. Classes fall into general fantasy RPG archetypes such as warrior, mage, thief, and ranger.

The game runs on Windows 7, 8, and 10; for this review I played the game on two different Windows 10 machines.

Navigation

The world of Farhaven is navigated from a first-person perspective. Some players find it difficult to master the audio navigation. As you move through the world, you will hear certain elements, such as speech or characters making sounds. You can turn smoothly with the mouse but can also snap to objects with which you can interact and to the cardinal directions. It is also possible to sidestep left or right or walk backward. As you move, four sounds will play. These include two sounds to indicate the proximity of walls or open space, the appearance of interactive people or objects in your character's view, and doors. These sounds only play when a door or item is in view or if the amount of distance between your character and either a wall or open space changes. As you begin approaching a wall or other obstacle, three tones will begin to play as you approach. The sounds rise in pitch the closer you get; if you keep walking you will bump into the wall or obstacle. Oddly, items such as doors and gates have these rising proximity tones as well, though you will pass through these instead of bumping into them (unless they are locked). Sounds can play from either the left, right, or in front of you. If you are moving forward, most sounds will sound from the left or right. The sounds will play in front of your character if you are sidestepping, which is useful for pinpointing small passages.

As an example, if I am walking down a road with buildings on either side, as I pass the doors of a building I will hear the door indication sound which alerts me that I can turn and enter the building. Once I move past the buildings and there is open space, I will hear the sound to indicate that space has increased to my sides. If I continue and pass between buildings again, the sound to indicate that space has decreased to my left and right will play. Out of Sight Games has produced a video demonstrating the radar features of the game here. Note that the video was produced earlier in development so some sounds are different, though the radars do sound the same as those in the finished game.

In addition to the radar, there are other features that assist in navigation. Almost all non-player characters (NPCs) will either be speaking at regular intervals or walking about. When you approach a character they will greet you to indicate that you can talk to them. For containers such as shelves, desks, and open graves, you will hear a sound to indicate that you are close enough to open the container. Some containers may be locked. If the container is a display case or similar (but not a desk or crate), you may be able to see the contents.

In addition to environmental and radar cues, the navigation system also provides spoken information for location as well as what your character can see. For example, as you move about, any changes in what your character sees will be spoken. For example, if I am walking down a road and hear that an opening has appeared to my left I can turn to face it. When I do so I might hear something like "End of North South Road 1, Trail 3 10, Meadow 11 20, Crate 21." This tells me that the end of the road is one tile away, a trail starts 3 tiles away and ends 10 tiles away, a meadow starts after the trail and extends a certain distance and that a crate is at the end of the meadow. This sort of information is only spoken when what your character sees changes. In the example above I would be told when leaving the road and entering the trail and when leaving the trail for the meadow, but I would not be read all of the information again unless something in the view changed.

The maps in A Hero's Call are quite complex, so a beacon system has been included to make navigation to key locations easier. You can select from a list of locations and will be guided to the location. The beacon system works by repeating directions at a steady interval. For example, as you navigate from the southern gate of the city to the General Store, which is located along the first east-west street, you hear the word "north" spoken continuously. This continues until you reach the intersection. At the intersection, you hear the word "west" repeated so that you know to turn to the west and begin walking. The first time the new direction is spoken, you'll hear it out of the left speaker, since you were facing north when you arrived at the intersection. Once you turn to the west, the direction announcement will play in front of you.

The navigation system can take some time to master, but once you become comfortable with it it's possible to navigate through the game's complex environments quite fluidly. Some barriers such as hedges and fences do not block your character's view, so you will encounter situations where you will hear a door or object that is in view but when you turn to it, you'll find that you will have to find a way around an obstacle to actually reach it. This is a bit frustrating at first but is essentially presenting a visually impaired player the same information that would be presented visually to a sighted player. It is also possible to launch a map of your current location and explore it to quickly discover paths to locations. On the map, you can only move as your character would. This means that you can't pass over walls or other obstacles unless they can be passed by your character. Similar tones to those used to indicate larger or smaller spaces are used to indicate openings as you navigate the map. If you are lost or need to return to town, you can use a feature called Fast Travel, which will allow you to instantly jump to a certain location from almost anywhere in the game world (I've found one area where this is not allowed). Coupled with the beacon system, this means you can make progress in the game while still getting comfortable with the navigation system.

Combat and Character Development

As you explore the world of Farhaven you will randomly encounter enemies that you must defeat. Combat is turned-based: you select your character's action from a menu and once the action has been attempted you can choose another. Your character gains experience points by defeating enemies. After you have gained enough experience, your character will gain a level, which will allow you to improve your character's skills and statistics. Character classes include the traditional options such as warrior, thief, and ranger. You can select your character's class; your companions have predefined classes. It is possible to customize companions through your choices in the story and the skills you select as some skills open the path to others.

One of the most novel aspects of combat in A Hero's Call is how it's presented through sound. When you enter combat, your view is placed almost behind and slightly above your character and their allies with your enemies spread out across the battlefield in front of your party. When your character performs an action, you will hear it move through the soundscape. For example, if a character strikes an enemy you will hear them sprint towards the enemy before striking them. Projectiles such as arrows and spells follow the same principle: you will hear the character launch the projectile and then hear it travel through the soundscape and strike the target. Due to the implementation of 3D audio, you can hear the forward progress of characters and projectiles. The ability to distinguish forward movement may also depend on the quality of the headphones that you are using. The terrain in which you encounter the enemies is also taken into account. For example, if you were on the edge of a road for an encounter, you might hear your character running from stone to grass as they move to strike an opponent. The type of weapon and type of armor characters wear also has an effect on combat sounds. For example, if you are wearing chain or ring armor you will hear it jingle when struck. In addition, all weapon types have their own draw, swing/fire, and impact sounds.

Once combat is over, you have the option to "replay cinematic" which replays the combat without the interruptions from the battle log or character action menus. This almost makes the battle sound as if it were occurring in real time. In many RPGs, difficulty is determined by location. Since in A Hero's Call you can explore areas in any order that you want, enemies will scale as you gain levels. For example, you might find rats and ravens while exploring the forest at level 1, but giant spiders and bears at higher levels. You will also often find various containers containing items both in town and outside of the city. Containers can range from shelves and desks to skeletons and open graves. As your character gains levels, the items you find and can purchase from shops will also increase in value. You might find old and rusting weapons at low levels but legendary or enchanted gear at high levels.

Equipment, Quests, and Character Interaction

During your travels, you will find equipment that your characters can use. Better equipment provides better protection for your characters or, does more damage in the case of weapons. Equipment can have a variety of other effects. For example, a fire ring may allow you to add extra damage from fire to your attacks while also protecting you from fire-based attacks to some degree. In addition, all equipment has a certain weight. Heavier equipment usually is better at protecting your character in the case of armor, or doing more damage in the case of weapons, but might slow you down or make it more difficult to block attacks. In many RPGs, magic users can't wear heavy or metal armor. In A Hero's Call, you can give a character whatever sort of armor you want, but loading your mage down with a full suit of plate armor will probably cause the cost of their spells to skyrocket. Often, armor meant for characters who are physical attackers will restrict your magic, causing your spells to require a greater number of magic points (called mana). Items are plentiful both in and outside of the city and collecting them is a useful way of gathering gold to spend at the various shops in the city. Even though gear will scale along with your level, I found that the most powerful items were first found in shops before I could find them lying about. Most general equipment is random, though there are various unique pieces of equipment—usually the most powerful or useful for the level at which you find it—that can be found in specific locations.

In addition to the main storyline, there are many other quests available in A Hero's Call. Quests can be anything from gathering supplies to putting a restless spirit to rest. In order to begin some quests you will have had to have completed earlier ones; others can be completed in any order you choose. Completing the main story quests does not cause the game to end so you can continue to complete quests even after officially finishing the game's main story. Quests generally award experience points and gold. Some quests will also award an item or one of your characters a new skill. There are over 30 quests available to complete.

When you interact with your allies or other characters, you are generally given several different ways to respond in a conversation. In most cases, you will have a variety of responses that range from the overly positive to the sarcastic or cruel. When speaking to an NPC you will also often be given a series of questions that you can ask them. The resulting conversation often provides useful information about Farhaven and game mechanics or could lead to a quest. You will also find that your allies will have reactions to specific situations or know other NPCs. You can also talk to your allies to learn more about their history; this can lead to more tangible benefits or quests in some cases.

Final Thoughts

As both a fan of the fantasy genre and RPGs, I have been quite eager for the release of A Hero's Call. Every aspect of the final release of the game met or exceeded my expectations. When I first started playing the game, I found that it was the attention to detail that was a constant pleasant surprise. For example, if you enter combat near a friendly NPC, often they will join you in the fight. The game offered much more background information than I expected. Your character will often find books that describe events in the past or detail aspects of the world. Books can also give you knowledge for quests, provide information about in-game character classes, and allow you to add beacons to your map. Background information about the world of Farhaven is also provided by some of the equipment you find. For instance, the descriptions of the elven items that you can find later in the game give glimpses into elven society and organization, even though in the game's story line the elves were exterminated centuries ago.

Considering the significant amount of anticipation for A Hero's Call, I was happy to find that it lived up to the hype. The sound design is top-notch and even though there are relatively few tracks, the music design is solid as well. The RPG elements, such as character development and combat, are fairly standard for this genre but the audio presentation of combat adds extra depth. I found that I enjoyed combat quite a bit, so ended up raising my character to much higher levels than was required to complete the game, as I rarely retreated from encounters. There is a delicate balancing act required for enemy encounters in this type of RPG; you don't want too few encounters in case a player needs to find enemies to raise their levels, but you also do not want encounters to occur so frequently that it makes it difficult to explore. I felt that A Hero's Call did well at keeping encounters to a happy medium in this regard.

Story and voice acting were well done as well. I found that all the characters had their own unique voices and I didn't cringe at any of the dialog or acting. There were several occasions in which I felt that lines were delivered particularly well. Overall, the story was pretty standard for a fantasy setting, though I found the main antagonist's motivations somewhat weak. Without spoiling the ending, I'll say that more development of the antagonist could have improved this aspect of the story. I initially felt that there were some loose ends left after completing the main story, but as I have continued to play I've discovered additional subtle changes to the game environment and character reactions that address this somewhat. Being a fan of this genre I highly enjoyed A Hero's Call and would recommend it for fans of complex, story driven games, adventure games, or RPGs.

Product Information

A Hero's Call can be purchased from the Out of Sight Games website for $19.99. A demo is not available, but if you would like to get a better understanding of the game before purchase, Liam Erven streamed the entire game over release weekend with the first archive here, which may be useful if you would like to hear game play firsthand.

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It was back in 2014 when I offered up my first review of Shelly Brisbin's eBook, iOS Access for All: Your Comprehensive Guide to Accessibility for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. As I noted then, "The first thing you will notice when perusing the book's table of contents is that Brisbin was serious when she concluded her book title with the words ?For All.'" Along with chapters covering VoiceOver (the iOS built-in screen reader) and low vision accessibility, this comprehensive guide also covers iOS accessibility tools for the hearing impaired, and the physical and learning disabled. Additionally, the book is all-inclusive in that it can be read and enjoyed by accessibility users of all levels, from the absolute novice to access tech instructors who want to learn a new accessibility trick or two.

With the release of iOS 11, we have also been served up with the latest, and dare I say greatest, fifth edition of Brisbin's authoritative iOS accessibility guide, now expanded to 700 pages and nearly 160,000 words. Happily for the reader, this new content is not simply tacked on to her pre-existing material. A great deal of reorganizing and re-prioritizing has gone into this new edition. For example, less emphasis has been placed on using iTunes to pair the iPhone with a computer, and much of the initial setup material has been moved to an appendix. As before, Brisbin's book covers a wide range of disabilities, but for our purposes we will focus here on accessibility for the blind, low vision and deafblind iOS user.

It can be a daunting task to learn how to operate a brand new device's various accessibility features. You might find an instruction that tells you to "slide three fingers down from the top to summon your notifications" before you know what notifications even are.

Brisbin continues to shine in interweaving these two instructional elements. Most of this dual-track learning occurs in the "Tools for Blind Users" section, though some essential material is scattered about, so non-VoiceOver users may wish to review this section anyway, and users who use VoiceOver exclusively will want to read ahead through the low-vision and hearing sections. Everyone will wish to review the chapter devoted to using Siri, and everyone can, since this chapter is available as a free sample at iOS AccessBook.com.

Where necessary, Brisbin demonstrates the differences between the display layout on an iPhone and iPad, and includes the slightly different gesture commands now found on the iPhone X. She devotes an entire section each to most of the built-in apps, such as Mail, Calendar, FaceTime, and Safari. She then offers a list of several dozen third-party apps of potential interest to users of accessibility features. Even longtime iOS users may find an undiscovered gem in this list. I, for one, plan to give the Social Speaker Twitter app a whirl. The apps are categorized: Writing and Notetaking, Utilities, Reading, News and Information, and so on. I do wish Brisbin had also subheaded this chapter by individual apps, to make it easier to navigate back to a listing of interest. And of course I believe not including the AccessWorld iOS app, where you can read, search, and share articles from this fine publication, was a major oversight (OK, end of shameless self-promotion).

Author Q and A

I sat down with Shelly Brisbin to ask a few questions:

Bill Holton: Accessible smartphones have been with us for nearly a decade now. As the writer of an accessibility guide with several editions, are you finding that more of your books are being sold to previous readers who have upgraded or first time / agency purchases, indicating there is still growth in the market?

SB: It's a good mix, actually. I have customers who buy each edition the day I release it, and often write to ask when a new one will be available. Some folks will skip a version and return, which is also a reasonable thing to do. New folks do find the book: the iOS 10 edition got a lot of love from teachers, trainers, and agencies that offer services to those with blindness and visual impairments.

BH: You have certainly been following the development of iOS for quite some time. Do you think iOS 11 represents a major upgrade to accessibility or do you view it as more an incremental evolution?

SB: I think it is an incremental upgrade. Apple added a few new features to most accessibility tools, and supported access features in the many new apps and tools it added to iOS generally. And one thing that mars the upgrade a bit are the problems with braille. Many braille display users experience a lot of bugs in the early releases of iOS 11. Some have been squashed, some not.

BH: What do you think are the most significant hardware and software changes between iOS 10 and 11?

SB: The iPhone X is the biggest hardware change, obviously. It's a phone that requires new gestures to operate, since there is no Home button. And its OLED screen is different, and perhaps more useful to some people with low vision. In software, the iPad multitasking changes are significant, because they make it easier and quicker to use multiple apps at once. Exposing some of the file system with APFS will mean a lot to some people, as it does to me, because, like the iPad multitasking options, access to the file system means greater productivity and flexibility in the way you can work in a mobile environment.

BH: What is your personal favorite new feature or improvement, either mainstream or accessibility?

SB: I dig Smart Invert Colors, the color mode that adds proper image display to the existing reverse video feature in iOS. I have low vision, and am a constant Invert Colors user. Until iOS 11, I had to triple-click in and out of Invert Colors every time I wanted to see a photo on Facebook or Twitter. With Smart Invert, there's a lot less of that. Sadly, that feature requires the developer to support it, which many do not yet do. And Web browsing in Safari still doesn't display images correctly with Smart Invert.

BH: You dedicate a complete chapter of iOS Access for All describing apps that enhance accessibility or that work well with it. What would you recommend as the first three or four app downloads for the new blind or low vision iOS user?

SB: Microsoft's amazing Seeing AI, Voice Dream Reader, Twitterific, and Transit. Seeing AI and Transit are free, the other two are not.

BH: What do you think of the current state of Android accessibility? Is it catching up with iOS? Would you still recommend a new user of accessible mobile technology begin their journey with an iOS device?

SB: Android accessibility is improving. It's quite usable, whether you're blind or have low vision, but I think it's a bit more fiddly for low-vision users than iOS is, and it's harder to learn because each Android device and [operating system] can have its own features and quirks. You can save money with Android, because more less-expensive devices are available on that platform. And if you (or someone you love) is an inexperienced user who will probably use that device for a few, very specific tasks, Android's alternative launchers are a great way to customize and simplify a device experience. I'm talking about your mom, here. I think a braille user should stick with iOS, bugs in iOS 11 notwithstanding.

Where to purchase:

iOS Access For All is available for $20 in either e-Pub or PDF format from iOSAccessBook.com

Or from the Apple iBook Store

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