Apple began selling the long-awaited Apple Watch in May 2015. As with other Apple products, the watch is very accessible for VoiceOver users and has some good options for users with low vision. You will need to be familiar with VoiceOver commands to use the Watch. The Watch app on the iPhone is used to perform many tasks including removing third-party apps and adjusting settings on Apple pre-installed apps.

The Apple Watch is not an iPhone on your wrist. You can use the Watch to make and answer phone calls, but your iPhone must be in Bluetooth range to do so. This goes for many other features including texting and e-mail. The watch does not have a headphone jack. Therefore, unless you're using a Bluetooth earpiece, everyone around you can hear your phone calls and VoiceOver.

Many of the standard iOS apps come preloaded onto the watch including Mail, Phone, Messages, Calendar, and Maps, all of which are not removable. Of course, there are accessible third-party apps. For example, I have TimeBuzz, Retail Me Not, Just Press Record, and Steps.

Choosing a Watch

When selecting an Apple Watch, you will want to consider the following:

• size: 38mm or 42mm length; all watches have same thickness
• case material: aluminum, stainless steel, or rose or yellow gold
• Ion-X glass in the Sport model or sapphire crystal for the others
• watchband: numerous options

All Apple Watches have the same rectangular shape.

The Apple Watch Sport is the least expensive and retails for $349. It has an aluminum case and strengthened Ion-X glass protects the display. The band is made of a high-performance fluoroelastomer. This is the only Apple Watch that ships with two different length bands.

The other watches are significantly more expensive. The watches that are not gold have a stainless steel cases with displays covered by super-tough sapphire crystal. You can choose a band of either leather or stainless steel, or get the sport band. Check out the different bands at an Apple Store or retailer who sells Apple watches, or listen to David Woodbridge's watchband descriptions. Apple also sells watchbands separately in case you want more than one.

Getting Oriented to the Apple Watch

Both a magnetic charging cable and an Apple 5W USB power adapter (USB/AC cube) are included with your watch. The charging cable feels very different from the Lightning cable that iPhones use. On one end of the charging cable is an approximately 1-inch round disk. The underside of the watch has a slightly raised and dome-shaped center that is very slightly smaller in diameter than the charger, This is where the disk end of the charger attaches magnetically. The other end of the cable is a USB connector that plugs into the power adapter or a computer.

All non-sport bands can fit any wrist. With the Apple Watch Sport, two bands of different lengths are included. One is for a small/medium wrist and the other is for a medium/large wrist. The part of the band without the holes does not need to be changed. Instructions for switching bands are at the end of this section.

With the watch on your left wrist, there will be two controls on the right edge of the watch. The top control is round and feels similar to a watch stem and is called the Digital Crown. The lower, oval button is called the Friends button. On the left side of the watch, located across from the Digital Crown and Friends button respectively, are the speaker and microphone.

Sensors are located in the dome on the backside of the watch. Near each side of the watchband, on the underside, are small buttons. You may need to use a fingernail to find them. Press these buttons to release the watchband. To install a new band, hold the buttons in and slide the new band into the now-open slot. Release the buttons once you hear or feel the band click in.

Setting up the Apple Watch

Turn the watch on by holding down the Friends button for 2 seconds and then waiting about 90 seconds. The first time you turn the watch on, press the Digital Crown three times so VoiceOver will talk you through the set-up process. After set up you can set up VoiceOver, in Settings, to use the triple-click command to turn VoiceOver on and off. When you turn the watch on, after the initial set up, touch the Digital Crown, and VoiceOver will start talking. Turn the watch off with the Friends button as well. Hold the button in for a couple of seconds. The same shutdown dialogue that you see on the iPhone will come up.

Many of the gestures on the watch are the same as on other iOS devices. Assuming the watch is on your left wrist, flicking right is flicking toward your hand and flicking left is toward your elbow. Flicking up is toward your pinky and flicking down is toward your thumb. There is one gesture that may not be familiar to some VoiceOver users, the force touch. Press down with one finger and wait until you hear a sound. Next, make your selection.

The first option in the set-up process is to choose a language. You will next need to pair the watch with your iPhone. Open the watch app on your iPhone and activate the Start Pairing button. There will be two options: to use the camera or to pair manually. When paring with the camera, it is necessary to hold the watch in the viewfinder of the iPhone. When paring manually, it is necessary to enter a code from the Apple Watch into your iPhone.

Once the watch is paired, the remainder of the setup process is done via the Watch app on the iPhone. This is straightforward. You will be asked a series of questions including wrist preference and whether you agree with Apple's Terms and Conditions. There is an edit field on the watch to enter a four-digit PIN. Double-tap on each number to enter it. Although a PIN is not mandatory, using one is a good security measure. There is also an option to unlock your watch with your iPhone. You can use your PIN with this option as well.

The next part of the setup process is to transfer the apps on your iPhone to your Apple Watch, though not all phone apps are compatible with the watch. Only compatible apps will transfer. To transfer, activate the Select All button. It is easy to later remove any apps you don't want if you choose to have all the apps transferred now. Another option is "Choose Later" which is easily used to move apps onto the watch one at a time. Once the setup process is complete, you can wake up your watch by either tapping on the screen or by pressing the Digital Crown. Put the watch to sleep by covering the home screen with your hand for a couple of seconds. Pressing the Digital Crown will move you between the clock face and apps.

The Watch App on the iPhone

The Watch app has four tabs at the bottom of the page: My Watch, Explore, Featured, and Search. The My Watch tab brings up many of the options used to control features on the watch including notifications, settings, sounds, and which third-party apps are on the watch. The Explore tab offers information and videos about various Apple Watches. The Featured tab displays apps for the watch and the Search tab is used for searching for Watch apps.

In the My Watch tab, flick down to General/Accessibility. This is where VoiceOver and low vision settings are managed.

VoiceOver

As of the time of this review, VoiceOver's speaking rate can be adjusted only from the iPhone. Volume can be adjusted on the phone in VoiceOver settings or on the watch with a two-finger double tap and hold. When you hear a sound, slide your fingers up to raise the volume and down to lower it. There is a unique VoiceOver setting on the watch, Speak on Wrist Raise. When you raise your hand, VoiceOver will automatically speak the current time. I tried this feature but do not use it because it made my watch talk too much.

Zoom

The Zoom feature lets the user magnify text up to 15 times its original size. Use the Digital Crown to navigate the screen or use two fingers to read the screen. There is a grayscale setting that displays text in different shades of gray. The bold text option can also make text easier to read. There is an option to reduce background transparency. This increases contrast, thus making some features such as alerts and Siri easier to read.

The Accessibility Shortcut

The final option in the Vision settings is the Accessibility Shortcut. There are two options, VoiceOver and Zoom. Once a selection is made, triple-clicking the Digital Crown will turn either VoiceOver or Zoom on and off.

Choosing a Watch Face

There are many options for the watch face including Mickey Mouse and a face with extra large numbers. Depending on which face you choose, you can add other information such as date, calendar, temperature, and moon phase. Apple calls these add-ons "complications."

Choose a watch face by first pressing the Digital Crown until the watch says "Clock face." Next, do a one-finger press-and-hold on the watch face (force touch gesture). Once you hear a sound, flick left and right to hear the different types of faces. VoiceOver will read a brief description of each face. The X-Large face has extra-large numbers. When you find the face you want, select it with a one-finger double-tap. I like the Modular face because it has room for five complications. Faces can be changed easily and anytime.

Adding Complications

In order to add complications, perform a force touch gesture and, once you hear the sound, flick up or down until you hear VoiceOver say, "Customize." Flick around the watch face until you hear VoiceOver say "Editing" and which complication is editing. Use the Digital Crown to explore which complications are available for the particular spot on the watch face. For example, the Modular face has room for four complications plus one large complication. Use the Digital Crown to scroll through the list of available Complications. When you find the complication you want to add, press the Digital Crown. Flick on the clock face to find where complications can be placed. There are some third-party apps such as TimeBuzz and Just Press Record that can be put on the watch face as complications. If you install such an app, it will appear in the Complications section of the My Watch tab in the iPhone Watch app.

Notification Center

View notifications on the Apple Watch by doing a two-finger flick down when on the clock face. The Notifications section on the iPhone Watch app looks like the Notifications section on an iPhone. You will need to control watch notifications through the Watch app on your iPhone. Use standard VoiceOver gestures to read and handle notifications.

For the standard notifications such as phone and reminders, the top button within each setting says, "Mirror my iPhone." If this button is activated, the notification will be handled the same way as if you received it on your iPhone. Customize the notification on your watch by activating the Custom button instead of "Mirror my iPhone."

The next section of the Notification settings for the watch is "Mirror iPhone." Underneath this title is the list of third party apps that are compatible with the Apple Watch. You have the option of also having these apps available in the notification center. They will be handled the exact same way they are handled on the iPhone.

Glances

Glances are apps that can be accessed from the watch face. Flick up with two fingers to access them. Glances can be controlled through the Glances section in the iPhone Watch app. Apps in this section are draggable and VoiceOver gives excellent feedback.

There are several ways to move between Glances. Swipe up and down with one finger. There are three options: Previous Glance, Next Glance, and Activate Item. Another way to move is by using the page picker at the bottom of the screen. Each page is a Glance. Therefore, if you have five Glances you will have five pages. The third way is to scroll left and right with two fingers.

Siri

Siri is very useful on the Apple Watch. She can open apps, open Glances, add an event to your calendar, answer questions and do all the other tasks available on an iPhone. Activate Siri by pressing and holding the Digital Crown. The watch will vibrate when Siri is ready. Another option is to raise your wrist and say, "Hey Siri," and the watch will vibrate when ready. On the Apple Watch, Siri's voice is spoken by VoiceOver instead of Siri voices as on the iPhone.

Using the Friends Button

Activating the Friends button will bring up a list of everyone listed in Favorites on your iPhone's Phone app, or you can add people through the Friends option on the iPhone's Watch app. Press the Friends button and VoiceOver will say "Friends." Once a friend is selected there will be options to call or text. If the friend has an Apple Watch, there will also be an option to send a Digital Touch. Activating this option will give three choices: sketch, heartbeat, and taps. Press the "Info" button for more details. Be aware that as of this writing there is a VoiceOver bug that will sometimes name the wrong person when you choose a name. This does not happen with all the friends.

Managing Apps

It is easy to add or remove a third-party app on the Apple Watch. Open the Watch app on the iPhone. After the list of native Apple Watch apps will be a list of third-party apps. Double tap on the app you want to add or remove. There will be two buttons. The top button places the app on the watch and the second places the app in Glances. Both buttons are on/off toggles. An app must be on the watch in order for it to show in Glances.

Near the top of the My Watch screen is an "App Layout" button. Here is where you can move apps around on your watch. Double tap and hold and then drag the app. VoiceOver will announce the app's new position.

Messaging

Since the Apple Watch does not have a keyboard, when messaging you must either tell Siri to whom to send the message or use the Friends button if the person is in your Friends category.

When you receive a text message, swiping up and down with one finger will give the standard options: reply or dismiss. When you reply to a text message, there will be a list of standard replies. Selecting one of these responses will add it to the message and automatically send it. If you want to say something other than the standard replies, activate the "Dictate" button in the lower right corner of the screen. When done, double tap in the same place. The "Dictate" button will not speak. Read the message and then choose either the "Cancel" button in the top left of the screen or the "Send" button in the top right.

You can add your own standard reply by going into the Default Replies in the Messages section of the Watch iPhone app. Double tap on any of the standard replies, remove the text and type in what you want to replace it. If you delete the new text, then the standard reply that was previously there will reappear.

E-Mail

As of this writing, it is not possible to compose e-mails on the Apple Watch, but you can reply to e-mails you have received. Flick up or down on an e-mail to get various options including "Activate," "Trash," and "More." The "More" option reveals three choices: mark as unread, flag, and cancel. Open the e-mail and flick right to read its contents. At the end of the e-mail will be a "Reply" button. There will be standard replies, as in text messages. You can edit these replies as well. There is also the "Dictate" button on the bottom right of the screen. Once your reply is finished, the "Send" button will be on the bottom right of the screen and the "Cancel" button will be on the top left.

Phone Calls

Siri can make phone calls on the Apple Watch or you can use the Friends button, select a friend, and flick right to the "Call" button. The Apple Watch does not play any custom ringtones. A call can be answered and disconnected with a two-finger double tap. A call can also be answered by touching the screen, which will bring up the "Answer" button. Flicking left and right on the screen will bring up other options including "Decline" and "Message." To end a call, flick right to the "End" button.

A call can be transferred from the watch to the iPhone. In the lower left corner of the locked screen is the word "Phone." Select this option (one finger double tap) and the call will transfer to your iPhone.

Battery Level

There is a Battery option in the Glances list. Depending on the watch face you choose, there will be an option to add Battery as a Complication on the clock face. On the iPhone, activate the Control Center. Under the Batteries heading, the battery level percentages of both the iPhone and the Watch will be displayed.

The Apple Watch as a Fitness Tracker

The watch has two pre-installed apps, Activity and Workout. There is also a Heartbeat Glance that will measure your heart rate. Third-party exercise apps are also available.

Activity

The Activity app tracks your movement by telling you how many steps you've taken, how many minutes you've exercised, and how many active calories you've burned. Set up the app by first going to the My Watch app and open the Health section. There will be several questions including weight and birthday. Once you've entered your information, a daily target for movement, exercise, and active calories will be created for you. Go into the Activity app on the iPhone to customize the app. The Activity app can be shown in Glances, or depending on your watch face, it can also be shown as a Complication.

Once the Activity app is opened on your watch, either flick right to read your numbers or use the page selector at the page bottom to read the numbers. Change your movement goal with a force touch gesture. Choose the number of active calories and select the "Update" button.

Workout

The Workout app tracks your physical exercises. There are options for walking, running, cycling and rowing. There is also an option labeled "Other." Select this option if your exercise isn't listed in the app.

Once you select an exercise, choose the workout length and then activate the "Start" button. When your workout is done, select the "End" button, wait about 10 seconds, and flick to the "Save" button. As with most of the other pre-installed apps, Workout can be customized in the Watch app on the iPhone.

Heartbeat

Open the Heartbeat Glance. Flick up or down with one finger until you hear "Activate Item." Select this option to measure your heart rate.

Music

You can use your Apple Watch to control music on your iPhone or on your Bluetooth device, but music cannot be played directly through the watch. In the Music section of the Watch app, there are options to sync playlists to the watch. These can be played through a Bluetooth device without the use of your iPhone.

When the Music app is opened, there are options to choose a source, iPhone or Watch. A list of music options is presented including My Music and Playlists. If you subscribe to Apple Music, the playlists that you added to your library will be included. If you choose to play music from your watch to a Bluetooth device, only the playlists you previously synced will be accessible.

Choose music content. Next, use a force touch gesture to be presented with several options, will including source and shuffle. Once the music starts playing, controls are on the lower half of the watch face. Controls include Previous Track, Play/Pause, Next Track and Volume. The two-finger double tap to start and stop play does not work on the watch. Apple Music subscribers will have the option to play Beats 1 and any music synced to your library. However, the other Apple Music options such as For You, New, Radio, and Connect are not available.

TimeBuzz

TimeBuzz is a third-party app that allows your watch to vibrate the time rather than speak it. I delayed getting an Apple Watch because I did not want the time to be spoken aloud. This app solves that problem. At the developer's website you will find information about the app and an excellent, detailed podcast by David Woodbridge.

Conclusion

The Apple Watch is convenient and relatively easy to learn. I especially like it for texting, notifications and quick e-mails. Be sure you are comfortable using iOS VoiceOver gestures as you will need them on the Apple Watch and when using the Watch app on your iPhone. Take time to explore all the options in the My Watch tab of the Watch app. Remember that Siri can perform many functions including sending texts, opening apps, making phone calls, and of course answering questions.

Product Information

Product: Apple Watch
Manufacturer: Apple

Comment on this article.

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In the December 2014 issue of AccessWorld, we took a look at the Orion TI-84 Plus Talking Graphing Calculator from the American Printing House for the Blind, an accessible version of the standard TI-84 calculator used in many high schools and colleges. Now, the American Printing House for the Blind (APH), Orbit Research, and Texas Instruments have teamed up again to produce a second accessible handheld calculator, the Orion TI-30XS MultiView Talking Scientific Calculator for elementary and middle school students. Recently, I had the opportunity to put this calculator through its paces. Full disclosure: The last time I opened a trigonometry textbook handheld calculators weren't commercially available. It wasn't until 1980 (ten years after that trig class), that I got my first talking calculator, a Sharp EL-620, which did addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and—impressive at the time--even square roots.

The Orion TI-30XS MultiView Talking Scientific Calculator

The new Orion TI-30XS costs $399 (the older Orion TI-84 Plus costs $599), and closely resembles the standard, non-accessible version of the same calculator. In fact, the only two visible differences between the accessible and standard TI-30XS are a slightly thicker back cover, and where the standard model has a solar charger, the Orion version has a row of three access keys (described later in this article).

The Orion TI-30XS comes with the standard clip-on front cover, along with a slide cover that more completely protects the calculator from backpack jostling and other potential damage. A USB charging cable and wall adapter are also provided in the box, along with a pair of ear buds, quick-start documentation in large print and braille, and complete digital documentation on an included thumb drive.

Using the TI-30XS: A Hands-On Tour

As mentioned, the Orion TI-30XS includes a row of three accessibility keys instead of a solar panel. Other than this replacement, the unit is identical to the standard model on the keypad face, sides, and bottom edges. The middle of the back face extends about a half inch, and there is an audio jack to the left and a USB port to the right along the top edge,. The USB port charges both the calculator and the accessibility functions. The battery, replaceable with the help of a screwdriver, is rated to last four to five years.

The Orion TI-30XS includes a 4-line, 13-character display, versus the 8-line, 14-character display of the TI-84 Plus. This is not a significant limitation, however, as you can use the review keys to scroll in any direction. The Orion TI-30XS also lacks graphic capabilities and haptic feedback, but it does offer table mode calculations and the ability to accessibly review them. The calculator can display in both Classic and Math Print views, but only the Classic view is speech accessible. The Orion TI-30XS does not offer braille display output.

Speech Functionality

The three accessibility buttons run horizontally across the top of the unit. From left to right they are the Access (labeled "A") key, the Silence/Learn ("S/L") key, and the Repeat ("R") key. To me this layout represents the epitome of simplicity and elegance. No bypass keys need to be used to make the unit accessible. Consequently, a teacher of students with visual impairments can teach a blind student how to make her calculator talk, then get out of the way and let the math teacher do her job without the student needing to know about special adaptive commands that might get in the way of hands-on instruction.

The Repeat Key

This key repeats the calculator's last utterance. Press it once to repeat the last spoken feedback. Press and hold the Repeat key to voice the entire screen. Press the Access key followed by the Repeat key to voice the screen character by character. Unfortunately even the word "Blank," which denotes a blank line, is voiced one character at a time.

The Silence/Learn Key

Tap this key at any time to temporarily silence the calculator's spoken feedback. Speech returns with the next key press, the same as after using a CTRL key on a computer with a screen reader.

Press the Access key followed by the S/L key to turn off speech completely. This is a useful feature when the student wishes to share her calculator with a teacher, parent, or fellow student. Press the S/L key again to turn accessibility back on.

The Orion offers a Learn mode, which is toggled on and off by pressing and holding the S/L key. With Learn mode enabled, pressing any key prompts the calculator to announce that key's label. Here, APH distinguishes between the function of a key and its label. For example, the Orion voices "N over D" instead of "fraction," and "H Y P" instead of "hyperbolic function." This may take a little extra learning in the beginning, but this holds true for sighted users as well, and, once learned, the blind student will likely feel more at home using the same labels as their classmates.

The Access Key

The Access key is the leftmost key on the top row. Holding it down summons the Orion's voice settings. The Up and Down keys now set the speech volume—there are ten settings—while the Left and Right keys adjust the speed to one of five levels. The Orion TI-30XS uses a studio recorded female voice, the same voice used in APH's Book Port Plus, which I found extremely clear and easy to understand.

One last voice setting, pressing the 0 (zero) key, toggles the voicing of the apostrophe. With this feature enabled, the calculator is supposed to voice a tic between rows and columns of a table as the user scrolls up and down, left and right. This sound refused to play on the unit I tested, even after I reset the calculator several times by holding down the Power and Clear buttons at the same time.

Another minor voice issue I experienced was the Delete key. The letter to the left of the calculator is supposed to be announced when the Delete key is pressed. The unit I tested almost always voiced simply "delete." This and the apostrophe voicing glitch both seem like simple software bugs that can be addressed in a future firmware update.

Finally, giving the Access key a quick press puts the user into Access mode. The Left and Right keys now review one character at a time; the Up and Down keys one line at a time. The 4 and 6 keys move you to the beginning and end of a line respectively, while the 8 and 2 keys move to the top and bottom of the display. Access mode uses a review cursor that does not move your actual calculator cursor. However pressing the 5 key will route your calculator cursor to the review cursor, at which time you can turn off review mode with another press of the Access key and edit your formula.

The Access key also offers additional information. Starting from the Power button on the lower left of the unit and working up, this includes battery charge percentage, available modes (including scientific, degrees, and floating point), firmware version, serial number, and charging status-on/off.

Performing Calculations

Between the key announcement and the review features, I found the Orion TI-30XS completely accessible, save the Delete key issue I mentioned above. The documentation is thorough, and presents several word problems the user can practice on. Needless to say, I am not smarter than a fourth-grader: I could only solve the easiest of these problems. Happily, the documentation follows each problem with a keystroke-by-keystroke solution, which I was able to mimic, making frequent use of the Orion's Learn mode and display review. I do wish APH would add a second Learn mode that offered a more complete description. Perhaps with Learn mode enabled, a single press of a key could voice its name, a second press could offer a brief description. After all, "X Y Z T A B C" and "S T O right arrowhead" could use a bit of explaining, especially to a blind student who doesn't have a quickly accessible printed key function cheat sheet available.

That said, I do commend Orbit Research and APH for creating an accessible solution that only marginally differs in size and appearance from the standard model. This benefits not only the sight-impaired math scholar herself but also the educator, who won't have to learn too many extra keys or worry about special shortcuts that are sometimes too easy to invoke.

Summing Up

Many visually impaired individuals find that various standard computer and mobile calculators do everything they need. Unfortunately, students do not always have the opportunity to use these types of calculators, especially when being tested. After all, how easy would it be to "stray off the straight and narrow" if the mobile device on your desk had access to text messaging, Google, or WolframAlpha?

Even some basic handheld calculators can perform extremely complex calculations. Consequently, most school districts not only prohibit mobile devices during tests, they also set limits on which handheld calculators can be used, or require the device have a special "test mode" that disables certain types of calculations.

The Orion TI-30XS may be approved as an accessible accommodation for students taking the SAT, ACT, and AP classes. (Parents and teachers: you will need to have this calculator approved as an accommodation for use on assessments. Ask the assessment or test coordinator for assistance with this process.)

The Orion TI-30XS is aimed at upper elementary and middle school students. Likely as not, these students have not yet decided if they might wish to pursue a STEM career. However, having access to the same handheld calculators as their classmates can only help to broaden a sight-impaired student's horizons, options, and opportunities.

Product Information

Product: Orion TI-30XS MultiView Talking Scientific Calculator
Available from: Orbit Research,888-606-7248, and American Printing House for the Blind, 800-223-1839
Price: $399

Comment on this article.

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• An Evaluation of the Orion TI-84 Plus Talking Graphing Calculator by Tara Annis
• The Blackboard Online Coursework and Learning Environment: Accessibility Reports from Two College Students and One Instructor by Jamie Pauls

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The American Foundation for the Blind's annual Leadership Conference was held March 3-5 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia. The conference included the AccessWorld Technology Summit, sessions for professionals in the blindness and low vision fields, plus an exhibit area. There was a broad selection of concurrent sessions, so it was easy to focus on one's area of interest.

Opening Session

The conference began with a welcome from AFB's current President and CEO, Carl Augusto. The Stephen Garff Marriott award was presented to Susan Mazzrui, Director of Public Policy for AT&T. The Stephen Garff Marriott Award honors a blind or visually impaired individual who has served as an extraordinary mentor or who has had a remarkably successful career.

The guest speaker at this opening session was Gary O'Donoghue, BBC News Washington Political Correspondent. He spoke about how he became a successful reporter even though he has been blind since eight years of age. His presentation, which included discussion of American politics, was timely and very well received by attendees.

AccessWorld Magazine Tech Summit and Showcase

Lee Huffman, Editor-in-Chief of AccessWorld and Manager of Technology Information at AFB, facilitated this all-day event. There were discussions about accessibility and new technology—both mainstream and products specifically geared for people who are visually impaired.

Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA)

Speaker: Matt Gerst, Director of Regulatory Affairs, CTIA

Mr. Gerst explained that about 40 percent of cell phone users pick up their phone within five minutes of waking up. More and more people are using their cell phones as primary phones and many people who use voice and text are now turning to apps such as Messenger and WhatsApp. CTIA's research has found that the visually impaired use cell phones for the same reasons and to the same frequency as do sighted individuals.

There are many options for people who are blind or low vision. Verizon and AT&T have trained tech support staff to assist customers with disabilities. Some companies offer special plans for people with disabilities. Mr. Gerst spoke about the CTIA website, which contains a wealth of information about wireless communication and picking the right wireless device. Mr. Gerst stressed the importance of letting people know that these resources are available.

Yahoo

Speakers: Mike Shebanek, Senior Director of Accessibility at Yahoo, and Darren Burton, Yahoo Accessibility Specialist

Mr. Shebanek and Mr. Burton discussed going "Beyond Productivity." This involves apps that people use for pleasure instead of work, such as Yahoo News and fantasy sports. They discussed and demonstrated Yahoo's free and completely accessible Video Guide, which lets you search for movies and TV shows to watch on your iOS or Android device. You can tell the app which streaming services to use. These include Netflix and Hulu plus stations from your carrier. There is a search feature and a picker that offers selections based on your mood. Once a movie or TV show is selected, it will play from the appropriate streaming service app. In other words, if a movie is selected through Netflix it will play through the Netflix app, not Yahoo.

Yahoo and Facebook

Speakers: Larry Goldberg, Director of Accessible Media at Yahoo, and Jeff Weiland, Head of Accessibility at Facebook

Mr. Goldberg and Mr. Weiland discussed the Teach Access initiative that was developed in 2015. A group of tech companies, including Yahoo and Facebook, plus a number of universities and advocates, launched this initiative to create teaching models. Students receive training about accessibility and how to create accessible web content.

National Federation of the Blind (NFB)

Speaker: Anil Lewis, Executive Director, National Federation of the Blind, Jernigan Institute

Mr. Lewis spoke about two products from NFB, the NFB Newsline and the KNFB Reader.

NFB's free Newsline lets a user listen to content from numerous magazines and newspapers over the telephone. The service also provides access to job listings. You must be registered with NFB to use the Newsline (different than becoming an NFB member). The user creates a profile and can then easily access content. There is also an iOS app for NFB's Newsline.

The second product Mr. Lewis demonstrated was the KNFB Reader app. This easy-to-use OCR app is available for iOS and Android platforms for $99. During his presentation, Mr. Lewis scanned documents and had the app read them aloud. One excellent feature which he described is the app's ability to read scanned PDF files.

Intuit

Speaker: Ted Drake, Senior Accessibility Engineer, Intuit

Intuit makes mainstream products such as QuickBooks and TurboTax and has worked hard to make its products accessible to people with visual impairments.

Mr. Drake spent most of his presentation discussing how many major tech companies, including Yahoo, Google, and Intuit, confer and help each other with accessibility. Drake said, "We compete with each other in business, but we cooperate in the area of accessibility."

Yahoo has been a leader in accessibility collaboration, inviting other companies to visit and learn from the work of its Accessibility Lab.

Facebook created a new platform called React. They built accessibility into it and into the documentation. Intuit was building something similar but now they too use Facebook's React platform. Intuit also improved accessibility by using the same user login information for all of its products.

HIMS

HIMS makes products for people who are blind and for people who have low vision. Products include braille notetakers and magnifiers.

Envision America

This company makes the ID Mate Galaxy, a talking bar code scanner that can easily find a bar code. It also makes ScripTalk, a device that reads special prescription labels. The reading device is free. Pharmacies including Rite-Aid and OptumRx can provide audible labels. Envision America has also worked with pharmacies to have braille and large print labels.

Enhanced Vision

Enhanced Vision has a variety of magnification products for people with low vision.

NuEyes

NuEyes sells ODG Smart Glasses, which can be used by people with low vision. The glasses magnify images and television can be streamed directly to the glasses. Sound can be transmitted either via a Bluetooth speaker or a hearing aid.

OrCam

The OrCam is a small camera that fits on a pair of glasses and a small control unit. It can read print and US currency and recognize faces.

Reinecker

This company makes a range of electronic video magnifiers for people with low vision.

Humanware

Speaker: Greg Stilson, Blindness Product Manager, Humanware

Mr. Stilson spoke about assistive and mainstream technologies working together. Twenty years ago they were separate, but today there is universal design—the idea that some mainstream technology manufacturers incorporate accessibility while they are creating a product. Stilson emphasizes that, "Technology needs to be efficient for the visually impaired person's workflow."

Freedom Scientific and Optelec

Speaker: Matt Ater, Vice President, Services, Freedom Scientific and Optelec

Mr. Ater began his session by assuring attendees that all Freedom Scientific and Optelec products will be supported even though the two companies have merged. He described several products and updates.

Google

Speaker: Eve Andersson, Senior Manager, Accessibility Engineering, Google

Google is continuing its commitment to accessibility. Ms. ANdersson described the process of how all new Google engineers go through accessibility training. She also spoke about accessibility improvements in Google products including the Android platform, the Chrome operating system, Google's productivity apps, and YouTube.

Google has Android accessibility documents that developers can use for testing their apps. Android Studio has been improved to allow blind developers to use it. Google is always looking for user feedback.

Apple

Speaker: Sarah Herrlinger, Senior Manager, Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives, Apple

Ms. Herrlinger spoke about how accessibility is built into the core of Apple products. All iOS products use the same system. Many iOS gestures can be used on the Mac's trackpad. She added that the Apple watch is the first consumer wearable that is accessible to the blind right out of the box.

pple has put together three app collections: accessibility apps, apps that work well with VoiceOver, and special education apps.

Comcast

Speaker: Thomas Wlodkowski, Vice President, Accessibility, Comcast

Mr. Wlodkowski spoke about Comcast's X1 cable box. With this box, all screen menus speak and video description is accessed independently from the menus. Comcast also has a new voice remote.

Conference Concurrent Session

There were many concurrent sessions in areas including technology, mobility, education, and Senior Citizens with vision loss. Below are summaries of some of those presentations.

Today's Access Technology, the Accompanying Concerns, and What Should Tomorrow Bring for Blind Professionals

Presenters: Dominic Gagliano, Vice President of Sales, Americas, HumanWare, and Greg Stilson, Product Manager, Blindness Products, HumanWare

Mr. Gagliano and Mr. Stilson discussed trends in assistive and mainstream technology. Especially in mainstream, the trend is to make products thinner and lighter. However, some benefits, such as a longer battery life, might need to be sacrificed with smaller products.

Consumers have more options today. For example, they can put an accessible GPS app on their smartphone or they can purchase a Trekker Breeze, a GPS device specifically created for blind and visually impaired users. There are people who have chosen to use a mainstream laptop or Mac while others choose to use notetakers made specifically for people with visual impairments.

Assistive technology and mainstream technology can be used together. For example, someone can use a mainstream computer with a braille display. The presenters indicated that the goal is to make you more efficient in the workplace.

In the classroom, technology needs to foster independence. Students need to be able to access mainstream materials. Mr. Gagliano and Mr. Stilson also discussed the importance of students learning braille. Braille can be used on tablets and touch screens. It works with both iOS and Android.

Mr. Stilson and Mr. Gagliano asked the audience about their favorite assistive technology apps. Answers included KNFB Reader, Read to Go, and BARD Mobile. They asked the audience for some of their favorite mainstream apps. Answers included Starbucks, Amazon, and Waze. There are over a million apps in the App Store and in the Google Play store. The presenters encouraged session attendees to contact app developers if an app they encounter is not accessible.

Google

The Google team presented three demonstrations on March 4: Android Accessibility Features, Chrome Accessibility Features, and Google Apps with a Screen Reader.

Android Accessibility Features

Android accessibility features, including TalkBack, magnification, and contrast, were explained.

Chrome Accessibility Features

This was a presentation about using the Chrome OS on a Chromebook. Chromebooks store most data in the cloud. Chrome's accessibility features include the ChromeVox screen reader, the ability to enlarge the mouse or cursor, the ability to invert colors, and a new voice dictation feature. Chromebook is also compatible with most braille displays.

Google Apps

For this demonstration, the only screen readers used were JAWS and NVDA (Non Visual Desktop Access), with JAWS used primarily. The presenter demonstrated how various Google apps, such as Google Drive and Google Docs, work with a screen reader. Specific screen reader commands were discussed. The presenter demonstrated features in Google Docs such as the choice between allowing only comment rights for a document versus authorizing edit permission. Google Docs can convert a scanned PDF. If the Google Drive client is installed, it will behave like a Windows folder.

Panel: Encouraging Seniors to Adopt Technology for Independence, Communication, and Daily Living

Moderator: Lee Huffman

Panelists: Neva Fairchild, National Independent Living Associate, American Foundation for the Blind; Steve Kelley, MA, CVRT, Vision Rehabilitation Therapist, The Iris Network; and Ike Presley, National Project Manager, American Foundation for the Blind

This presentation demonstrated high- and low-tech devices that can help seniors adjust to vision loss. Many families do not know what resources and equipment are available.

Low-tech solutions included a cutting board that was black on one side and white on the other. This will let the user pick the best side for contrast depending on what is on the cutting board. Another option is a lettuce knife. Although the knife is designed to cut lettuce, it can also cut many other foods. It will not cut the user. Inexpensive or low cost tech items can also be helpful such as a color identifier and the ScripTalk device described earlier in this article.

If a senior has some useable vision, there are many magnification options. The senior should get a magnifier that suits their needs and not pay for features they do not want. It is important to insure that the senior can operate the unit independently.

Smart phones and tablets can perform many tasks with accessible apps such as online shopping, banking, and reading. Stores like Amazon and Target have their own apps. Many banks offer online banking. There are many reading options on a smart phone including Read to Go and BARD. If the user wants to listen to books, but does not want to use a computer or smart phone, they can get a free book player from NLS.

Let Your Fingers Do the Walking: Integrating Nonvisual, Mobile GPS Strategies into Independent Travel

Presenter: Larry L. Lewis, Jr., President and Founder, Flying Blind, LLC

This presentation focused on different GPS navigation strategies used by people who are blind or visually impaired. Global positioning satellites send information back to the Earth, to be picked up by receivers on the ground. GPS identifies the position where a person is located when the signal is received. The user may need to know where they are, what's around them and how they get to where they want to go.

Mr. Lewis discussed several GPS options: the Trekker Breeze, a notetaker, and touchscreen devices. The first option, the Trekker Breeze, is a standalone GPS unit and is especially good for someone who doesn't use a computer. It can be worn around the neck and operated with one or two hands. It will announce streets and give turn-by-turn travel directions. A route can be created, saved, and flipped to get back to the original location.

The second option is a notetaker. These devices are not just for writing. They incorporate other features, including their own apps and GPS. This lets the user virtually explore the route. The notetaker is a good option for a student who is taking the unit with them anyway.

The third option is a touchscreen device. In addition to GPS, the device receives data from cell towers and networks. Location services must be enabled for this to work.

There are many different GPS options for touchscreen devices. Mr. Lewis mentioned three: Maps for iOS, Seeing Eye GPS, and BlindSquare. Maps for iOS integrates with other apps on your iOS device. It works well with VoiceOver and Zoom. He added that Maps for iOS works best for the car and bus.

The Sendero Group's Seeing Eye GPS app is a subscription service. Routes can be planned but if the user wanders off a route, a new route will be recalculated automatically. It gives street names and intersection descriptions as well as points of interest.

The final option was BlindSquare, which costs $29. This app uses other third-party apps to locate restaurants, shops, etc. It announces intersections. BlindSquare has filters so you can choose what you want to hear.

American Foundation for the Blind Access Awards

As stated in the awards ceremony program: "The Access Awards honor individuals, corporations, and organizations that are eliminating or substantially reducing inequities faced by people who are blind or visually impaired."

Award Winners

Avid Technology received an award for listening to feedback from blind and visually impaired users of Pro Tools and making it accessible. Pro Tools is the main audio production program used in recording studios and many schools. The award was accepted by Ed Gray, Director of Partnering Programs.

Glinda Foster Hill, an Education Specialist in the US Department of Education, won an award for working tirelessly to insure that children who are blind or visually impaired receive equal access to education.

ITNAmerica won an Access Award for their work as a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing safe and low-cost transportation for seniors and people with visual impairments. Katherine Freud, Founder and President, accepted the award.

The National Federation of the Blind received an Access Award for development of the KNFB Reader app. This app lets people who are blind or low vision read print independently. Mark Riccobono, President, accepted this award.

Netflix received an award for expanding its number of video described movies and television shows. Tracy Wright, Director of Global Content, accepted the award.

Final Thoughts

The 2016 AFB Leadership Conference had over 400 attendees, which includes several international attendees. Attendees had many sessions from which to choose. There were enthusiastic comments. There was a wide variety of vendors in the exhibit area with educational information and exciting new technologies. It was definitely an excellent learning opportunity for all.

Though this year's Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) conference in Orlando did not mark the debut of revolutionary products for people with visual impairments, the annual event did feature an exhibit hall chock full of familiar vendors, offering new and interesting takes on accessible devices. In this article, we'll share our picks for the 10 most interesting technology products we saw: five blindness-related offerings and five that will interest people with low vision.

Blindness Products

Braille Labeler

At $749, the Braille Label Maker by LoganTech will most likely not grace the desks of most blind people. There are certainly less expensive solutions available, but there is something about being able to type on a Perkins-style braille keyboard and have a nice, crisp braille label emerge from the side of this unit that is just cool! If a person who does not read braille needs to make a label, he or she can simply attach a regular QWERTY keyboard to the labeler and produce uncontracted braille labels.

A school or business needing to produce braille signage might find this little gadget to be just the ticket. Unfortunately, the braille labels are not transparent, because Dymo no longer makes clear 3/8 inch wide labeling tape. This braille label maker is easy to use, and is sure to be a valuable tool for anyone who can justify the cost.

U.S. Maps Come to Life

Anyone who has ever visited a convention booth sponsored by The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) comes away in awe of the sheer number of products APH has to offer at any given time. At this year's ATIA conference, our attention was drawn to APH's Interactive U.S. Map with Talking Tactile Pen.

Any young person—or adult, for that matter—desiring to gain an excellent understanding of the geography of the United States along with some key facts about each state will find this interactive map a pleasure to use.

In addition to being able to trace the tactile U.S. map, the user can touch the accompanying Livescribe pen to each state in order to hear relevant information about that state. Each press of the pen reveals a new layer of information including:

• L1: state name
• L2: state abbreviation
• L3: state capital
• L4: 10 largest cities
• L5: surroundings (land and water)
• L6: land area, water area, state water percentage
• L7: highest point (elevation)
• L8: major rivers
• L9: population estimate
• L10: statehood
• L11: state nickname
• L12: state symbols (bird, flower, tree, and song title)
• L13: state motto
• L14: famous people from the state
• L15: points of interest
• L16: interesting facts about the state
• L17: spelling of state name

At $250, this isn't the least expensive map a person could have in their collection, but it could provide many hours of entertainment and learning for anyone who loves geography and history. For a student, this interactive map of the United States might just be an invaluable tool, indeed.

Glasses That Make a Difference: Reading with OrCam

Imagine sitting at an outdoor café on a warm, summer evening. You are wearing a really cool pair of sunglasses, reading from a menu in preparation for a nice meal. A group of people walk toward your table, and you quickly spot your dining partner for the evening. Now imagine that your white cane is resting on the ground beside you. Did you just experience a bit of a disconnect as you read the previous sentences? If so, OrCam hopes to change all that.

Now imagine sitting at an outdoor café on a warm, summer evening. You are wearing a pair of sunglasses with an attached camera and earpiece. You bring the evening's dinner menu up to the camera's field of view, and allow the text to be scanned and read to you. Now, imagine that a group of people begins walking toward your table. Since OrCam is able to recognize faces, and since you have previously entered your dining partner's name into OrCam's database of known faces, you hear your dining partner's name spoken in your earpiece as he or she approaches your table.

At a cost of $3,500 and requiring three hours of training, not everyone reading this article will be in a position to take advantage of the capabilities of OrCam. How well does it work? How perfect does the lighting need to be? What types of printed material does the camera scan and recognize well? These are not trivial questions, and the price of the camera with its accompanying controller box is not insignificant. But the possibilities are exciting. As technology improves and becomes less expensive, the idea that wearable technology might really help the blind is more than just a daydream.

Bar Codes Rule! I.D. Mate is the Perfect Companion

Have you ever opened your freezer to discover that you weren't really quite sure which frozen food item was in what box? There's nothing else to do but pull one of those boxes out of the freezer, grab your iPhone, launch a bar code reading app, and … try to find that pesky bar code. By the time you locate it, your frozen food isn't so frozen anymore.

Suppose that, rather than using your iPhone, you move to your computer, near which sits a bar code reader. Problem is, the reader has gotten shoved to the back of your desk along with a dozen other items. Placing that frozen dinner on your desk with all those cords and papers while you locate and connect that bar code reader presents its own set of challenges.

What if you could hang a portable bar code reader around your neck, take it to the freezer with you, quickly find the bar code on that frozen meal, and have it cooking in the microwave in no time?

If you are able to spend $1,299 on the I.D. Mate from Envision America, you can do just that. The unit's wi-fi capabilities allow you to keep its multimillion-item database updated on a regular basis. If you need to attach custom bar code labels to items, you can easily record information associated with that label for later identification. Since you've got this nifty device hanging around your neck anyway, why not listen to your favorite tunes using the onboard MP3 player?

While there are certainly less expensive ways to identify a bar code, there are plenty of reasons to want the I.D. Mate after you have had a chance to play with it. The $1,299 sticker shock is eased a bit by a no-interest payment plan of $2,00 down, and $100 a month for 11 months.

The I.D. Mate has been around for a long time, and Envision America is about to release the sixth generation of this product.

A Notetaker That Screams "Take Me Home!" The Braille Sense U2 MINI from HIMS Inc.

If you are a person who wouldn't consider a braille display with fewer than 40 cells, then you might be forgiven for walking right past the Braille Sense U2 MINI from HIMS Inc. After all, the Braille Sense notetaker and Braille Edge displays are well-respected products from a company that continues to be innovative at a time when specialized notetaking products are in fierce competition with much less expensive mainstream solutions. Let someone put the U2 MINI in your hands, though, and you might find yourself singing a different tune.

HIMS has made the rather sensible decision to reduce the size of the U2 overall, considering that this little beauty only has 18 braille cells. If you are someone who still finds reasons to use a specialized notetaker along with your mainstream mobile devices, you might find yourself instinctively wanting to place the U2 in your briefcase, where it would fit quite comfortably.

The U2 has all the features of its big brother, including support for Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Dropbox. At $3,995, you may need to save your pennies before succumbing to the urge to stash the U2 in your carry-on bag for the flight home from a conference, but the idea of being able to leave your Braille Edge plugged in at your computer while hitting the road with the U2 is enough to make the technology-lover's mouth water.

HIMS continues to be relevant at a time when other assistive technology companies appear to be struggling. While they couldn't give details, they promised that many more good things were on the horizon.

If you're wondering why the VarioUltra smart braille display and braille notetaker from BAUM didn't get a mention here, be on the lookout for a full review of this product by Deborah Kendrick in an upcoming issue of AccessWorld.

Low-Vision Products

HIMS Gets Video Magnification Going with the 24-inch GoVision

HIMS is no stranger to the full-size, desktop magnifier marketplace. But the company is hoping to make a splash with its newest product, the 24-inch GoVision, a large, bright, somewhat portable video magnifier. Like a number of smaller units in this category, the GoVision is foldable. At 16 pounds, the optional roller bag seems like a good choice. GoVision's camera, which peeks out over the top of the unit, telescopes. It supports close view for reading, as well as self-view and distance options. Close-view magnification goes up to 31x.

Users can adjust the level of lighting provided by the LCD lighting system, and choose from 40 color and contrast options. There's support for OCR, and saving documents as text or PNG images. Using the USB port, you can save files to an external storage device. You can also mirror an iPhone or tablet screen on the GoVision display, allowing you to use magnification and color/contrast options to view the phone, just as you would a document under the camera.

The Mid-Size Optelec Traveler HD Video Magnifier

In the crowded video magnifier space, there are currently a number of contenders offering devices to the middle of the market: these units are neither full-size desktop units with external cameras, nor can you stash them in a pocket or purse. It's also true that products in the 12- to 15-inch screen range offer the greatest variety of form factors and unique features, with some units behaving like scaled-down desktops, while others go for greater portability. The 4.3-pound Optelec Traveler HD ($2,495) is among the latter. With a 13.3-inch thin film transistor (TFT) screen, mounted at an angle, it looks more like a giant version of a handheld magnifier than a desktop device.

Where desktop units typically feature a top-mounted camera, looking down on an X-Y table, the Traveler HD screen sits in front of and above what you're reading. Slides behind the screen allow you to move a document left and right while reading, and what Optelec calls a "roll" allows you to move the camera to move up and down the page. Zoom up to 30x, use multiple high contrast color modes, and save up to a thousand images of documents you have viewed.

Better Small Things: The iView 5 HD Video Magnifier

Large- and mid-sized video magnifiers tend to get the lion's share of attention from product reviewers, and customers, too. And these segments of the market are where the newest technologies tend to be implemented first. Most companies with products in these categories also offer handheld magnifiers, ranging from 3 to 7 inches in size. Though their features are more basic than their larger brethren, it's worth noting that advanced tech, and modern features, too, are making their way to the handheld category, at a respectable pace. Anyview Company Limited, a Hong Kong-based seller of magnification products, plans to release a five-inch, touchscreen, HD magnifier with near-, and distance-viewing options. The unit, called the iView 5 HD, will be released in time for the CSUN conference, in March.

An Update Brings the Smart Board Closer

Here's an innovation that comes not in the form of a completely new product, but an update to a tool many people with low vision know well: Version 15 of the SuperNova screen magnifier/screen reader from Dolphin Computer Access (due in March) allows users to get a close-up view of a presenter's smart board or computer screen. The clever new feature uses standard virtual network computing (VNC) to connect a SuperNova user to the computer that is controlling a classroom smart board. You'll see your own computer screen as usual, along with a window containing the smart board's contents. The new feature will be part of all three SuperNova versions, and is a free update for current users.

A Well-Connected Combo: the Prodigi Connect plus Android Tablet

Whether cost or space on your desk is a limiting factor, chances are you've been challenged by decisions about what combination of video magnification and computing technology is right for you. Though Humanware is not alone in its attempts to solve this problem, and has even offered other products to do it, the Prodigi Connect 12 magnifier and Android tablet combo makes a very compelling case for anyone craving portability, flexibility, and access to productivity and the Internet, with modern tools.

The Prodigi Connect 12 ($2,695) combines a 12.2-inch touchscreen magnifier, with an Android tablet. You can even use the Connect's camera to enhance your view of the Android interface and apps, and you can copy text from an Android app to the Prodigi for viewing with the Prodigi camera. The nine-pound unit is foldable, and operates via AC power or a long-lasting battery. The wireless HD camera provides near- and distance-viewing options, with magnification up to 40x. Humanware packs the Connect with a wide range of popular Android apps, including some of special interest to low-vision users.

The ATIA Takeaway

Experienced accessible technology users will tell you that ATIA typically begins the product year for this industry. Vendors often preview hardware and software they will ship later in the year, while others tailor messages about existing products for the education-heavy ATIA attendee base. Our time in this year's ATIA exhibit hall suggests that 2016 will be a year of tech evolution, rather than revolution in the blindness and low-vision marketplace.

Comment on this article.

Related articles:

• Evaluation of the I.D. Mate Quest Talking Bar Code Scanner from Envision America by Deborah Kendrick
• Wrap-up Report from CES 2016 by Paul Schroeder and John Lilly
• ATIA 2015 Conference: Technology Highlights from the Exhibit Hall by J.J. Meddaugh

More from these authors:

• Best Android Apps for People with Low Vision by Shelly Brisbin
• An evaluation of the Mystic Access Audio Tutorial for the Humanware Victor Reader Stream New Generation by Jamie Pauls

Dear AccessWorld readers,

It has been one busy, action-packed time at AccessWorld lately! It seems we just wrapped up with ATIA and the AFB Leadership Conference, and we are now in the throes of preparing for CSUN.

The AFB Leadership Conference 2016 was held March 3–5 in our nation's capital, Washington, DC. I am excited to say the conference attracted over 400 established and emerging leaders in the blindness field. Conference attendees included technology experts, corporate representatives, university professors, teachers of students with visual impairments, orientation and mobility instructors, rehabilitation professionals, and parents. They came from diverse organizations and institutions spanning the public and private sectors, including school districts, schools for the blind, Veterans Administrations, hospitals, private agencies, and universities.

As in the past, this year's conference sessions were eligible for ACVREP and CRC CEUs and focused on technology, leadership, employment, education, transition, seniors experiencing vision loss, orientation and mobility, and rehabilitation.

AFB and the AccessWorld team would like to thank our generous conference sponsors: JPMorgan Chase & Co., Delta Gamma, Google, IBM, Vanda Pharmaceuticals, CTIA, Sprint, AT&T, Canon, Facebook, Freedom Scientific, Microsoft, NIB, HumanWare, APH, T-Mobile, ABD Direct, TracFone, LifeScience Technologies, CTA and the CTA Foundation, and the NRTC on Blindness and Low Vision at Mississippi State University.

It's not too early to mark your calendars and save the date for AFB Leadership Conference 2017, which will take place March 2–4, once again at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in our nation's capital, Washington, DC!

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

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I am a regular reader of AccessWorld and love reading its articles.

Will the team at AccessWorld be able to evaluate accessible hotel apps in 2016? I would like to learn about some accessible hotel apps. I want to make sure that all hotel iOS apps are very accessible for people who are blind and visually impaired.

Below are some hotel apps I would like to see evaluated.

• Hilton Honors
• Hilton Worldwide, Inc.
• Best Western To Go
• Best Western International, Inc.
• Choice Hotels
• Choice Hotels International, Inc.

I want to say thank you for making the AccessWorld magazine accessible for people who are blind and visually impaired.

Sincerely,

Valentin Bernal

Dear Valentin,

You may be interested in looking at Janet Ingber's series on the Hospitality Industry. I am providing links to the articles below.

• Focus on the Hospitality Industry, Part I in a Series: A Guide to Online Reservations for Marriott and Hyatt Hotels
• Focus on the Hospitality Industry, Part II: Using Your iOS Device to Book a Hotel Room
• Focus on the Hospitality Industry, Part III: What's on the Menu: a Review of Menu Accessibility on Chain Restaurant Websites

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

In response to Evaluating the Accessibility of Jet, a New Online Shopping Site by Bill Holton:

I have been a customer of Jet since the day it started in July 2015. I'm impressed with its service and selection, also its money-saving prices. I have expressed on numerous calls to Jet the same frustrations about the accessibility of its site. One other concern I have and I have suggested on numerous occasions is that the "delete" button be placed after the item description so people who are blind could hear what they were deleting rather than have to hear it then go back and try to find the deletion button. I believe the Jet experience would be an absolute awesome answer to many of the shopping problems for people who are visually impaired. I believe with Jet's customer service creed they will address these issues but I wish it would be in a more rapid manner.

Mostly very satisfied customer looking anxiously forward to great improvements,

Chris Green

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

In response to Bill Holton's An Evaluation of the Samsung UN50H6400 Television:

I am in the market for a new TV set, and I wonder if there are any other accessible TV sets, either from Samsung or any other manufacturer, that I can consider. I do not need a 50 inch set, a 36″ or 32″ would do. I wonder what progress has been made since this AccessWorld article in August 2014 in the area of accessible TV sets. Any help you can give me would be great.

I wish to thank you, along with Bill Holton, and the rest of the AccessWorld team for your great work. I depend on your excellent research and advice in order to purchase goods and services.

Thanks again,

Carlos Alvarez

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

In response to Out of Sight or Out of Sound: There Is Always a Way: Living with a Secondary Hearing Impairment by Deborah Kendrick and published in the February 2016 issue.

I live in the county of Cumbria in the UK, and I found this article so refreshing. I am totally blind and have a severe hearing loss and recognize your tips on noisy restaurants etc. My wife is also totally blind and very understanding.

Please could you direct me to articles on how technology could improve my social interaction? I always find background noise a conversation stopper for me. If there is a lot of background noise, it's like being swamped with noise and I just want to run.

I look forward to hearing from you—sorry for the pun.

Henry

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

While reading An Overview Survey of Home Appliance Accessibility by Aaron Preece and Neva Fairchild, I found in your overview of stoves, that you omitted gas ranges. A lot of folks in the Midwest and in other states, may not or may choose not to buy an electric range. By omitting gas ranges I feel […] you have done a slight disservice to your readers. Just remember not everyone wants or should have to cook with an electric range.

Sincerely,

Wilfred H. Kitto

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I am writing in response to Bill Holton's Accessible Personal Finance: Dollars and "Sense" for Blind and Low-Vision Seniors in the February 2016 issue. Instead of using the Money Talks program from the American Printing House for the Blind, Microsoft Excel meets my needs more efficiently. I only needed sighted assistance to create a formula [to calculate the] amount of money remaining in my bank account. This reliance was only because I am not knowledgeable in performing this function of Excel. I have used Excel to keep track of my checking account for many years. Although I am not a senior, I am confident that people of that generation could handle using Excel with help/training. I realize that Money Talks can be useful for some people.

To pay my credit card bill or check my bank account, I utilize online websites. The wonderful thing about technology is the ability to accomplish tasks in multiple ways.

I am providing my workarounds for other readers to consider. Thank you for publishing AccessWorld!

Blake Roberts

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I just read A Day in the Life: Technology that Assists a Visually Impaired Person through the Day by Bill Holton, which I found extremely interesting, and it looks like there are many items that can be useful to blind people. I'm 59 years old, and I've been legally blind since birth. Over the last several years, my vision has gradually deteriorated to the point where I can see only light and blurred visions of objects. For the past 15 years, I've had type 1 diabetes, which means I must take insulin every day in order to stay alive. Since 2003, I've been using an insulin pump. I have a talking glucose meter, which allows me to independently check my own glucose levels. However, the pump doesn't talk, and I have to rely on hearing the beeps. Most of the times, I have no problem with this, but sometimes I need to see what it says on the screen. If the pump could talk to me, I could tell what the screen says, and I'd know how much insulin I have remaining in my pump. Also, I could check when my last dose of insulin was, and at what time. I could also check the alarm status on the pump. I hope that one day there will be a talking insulin pump available. I like to be as independent as possible. Fortunately, I enjoy good health, and I hope to remain healthy for a long time,

Sincerely,

Barbara Kirwan

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I enjoyed reading Bill Holton's informative article, A Day in the Life: Technology that Assists a Visually Impaired Person through the Day. Those seniors who might like to include music-making in their daily routine might benefit from the Lime Lighter solution for low vision performers: Dancing Dots.

Regards,

Bill McCann

Leader Dogs for the Blind is Accepting Applications for its 2016 Summer Experience Camp

Are you a teenager who could use a week of fun, outdoor activity and friendship this summer? Does kayaking, rock wall climbing and tandem biking sound good to you? Would you enjoy the challenge of developing new travel skills and stretching your independence? If so, the Leader Dogs for the Blind Summer Experience Camp was designed with you in mind.

The program combines outdoor activities with things exclusively Leader Dog—audible pedestrian GPS training and the opportunity to spend time with Leader Dogs in training and guide dog mobility instructors. The combination will help you increase the skills you need to live independently!

Summer Experience Camp is for boys and girls ages 16 and 17 who are legally blind. The program is completely free including airfare to Michigan—and everyone receives a free HumanWare Trekker Breeze+ GPS device to keep. Summer Experience Camp is scheduled for June 25—July 2, 2016. Applications are due by April 1, 2016.

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

Announcements from Microsoft Accessibility and Inclusive Hiring Programs

Accessibility Roadmap: Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Chief Accessibility Officer

Deep Dive into O365: John Jendrezak, Office of Inclusive Hiring

NEW Inclusive Hiring Website: This will be a new landing spot for all Microsoft's Inclusive Hiring efforts going forward including 'hot jobs' and advice on working at Microsoft with a disability.

M-Enabling Summit Conference and Showcase will be June 13–14, 2016 in Washington, DC

The M-Enabling Summit, a leading conference and showcase promoting accessible technology and environments for seniors and users of all abilities, will be held on June 13–14, 2016 at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel, in Washington, DC

With its theme of "Accessible Technologies and Environments for All," the 2016 M-Enabling Summit will provide a platform for empowering mobile technologies and focus on next-generation innovations and breakthroughs for users of all abilities. Supported by major disability and senior organizations, as well as industry associations and the private sector, the Summit is expected to attract hundreds of participants from more than 40 countries, underlining the global scope of new mobile opportunities for users and developers alike.

The Summit's program will focus on accessibility innovations, with over 120 speakers, private sector leaders, app 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.

Experts will discuss accessibility solutions highlighting 4 major tracks: Mobile enabling solutions, IoT and Smart Cities, Innovation, and Scaling up Accessibility for Business and Government.

2016 M-Enabling Summit key topics:

• Mobile enabling solutions leveraging latest OS and human interface features
• IoT, Smart Homes, and Smart Cities
• Wearables
• Ecosystem in support of Innovation
• Scaling up accessibility in large organizations
• Compliance trends
• Higher Education best practices in leveraging information technology for inclusion

The 5^TH edition of the M-Enabling Summit is organized in cooperation with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Complete agenda

Register now

Take AFB FamilyConnect's Short Survey!

AFB FamilyConnect staff requests your assistance and participation in a survey for its website. The goal of FamilyConnect is to provide an online community for the parents of visually impaired children, and to provide parents, grandparents, and other caretakers a place to find the comprehensive and up-to-date resources and support they need, 24 hours a day.

To help us improve FamilyConnect services and outreach we have hired a respected outside evaluation firm, Rockman et al to develop a survey to help us better understand the needs and perspectives of individuals like you who have accessed the site. We also want to assess the level of your satisfaction with site features, as well as capture any knowledge or tangible benefits you, your child, or family may have acquired as a result of your interactions on FamilyConnect.

Again, the purpose of this survey is to provide information, which can help us monitor and improve the quality of FamilyConnect for you or your child as well as for future users.

The survey should take no longer than 15-20 minutes to complete. By completing this survey you will be automatically entered into a drawing for a $25 Amazon Gift Card.

In addition to the survey, we may, at a later date, ask some of you to participate in a follow-up phone interview with the evaluator. Interview participants will receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card.

Please note that all data that we collect will be kept completely confidential. We will not use any identifying information in our analyses or reports. No one other than the evaluator and AFB staff will see this information.

If you have any questions about this survey please contact Scott Truax at struax@afb.net.

Thank you for your participation and support! Your feedback will provide useful information to AFB in our efforts to continue to help you and your loved ones manage the practical and emotional challenges of blindness and visual impairment.

Take the FamilyConnect 2016 Survey

There is nothing that many gamers who are blind enjoy more than an audio game that offers a totally immersive experience. In 2015, the blind community was introduced to just such a game. A Blind Legend is an audio game that was coproduced by the French company DOWiNO and France Culture, a Radio France station. A crowdfunding campaign on ULULE, along with several sponsorships, helped pay for the cost of the game's production. While the game was not produced specifically for the blind, DOWiNO hopes that it will raise awareness of blindness within the sighted community. While A Blind Legend is certainly not the only audio game produced without accompanying visual features, the use of binaural audio sets the bar very high when it comes to audio game production.

I recently took A Blind Legend for a spin using an iPhone 6.

Getting Up and Running with A Blind Legend

In A Blind Legend, you play the part of Edward Blake, a legendary blind knight who lives in the days of chivalry. Your wife has been kidnapped, and you must seek help to rescue her. Your daughter, Louise, accompanies you as you fight your way through various perilous situations on your way to completing your mission. The game uses a combination of text-to-speech and human audio to move the story along and give the player instructions on how to move through the game. I never needed to turn off VoiceOver during game play. It simply moved out of the way when it wasn't needed.

I obtained the free game from the app store in the traditional way. At first launch, the game installs components, the progress of which is announced verbally along with—more interestingly—a heartbeat sound that continued until the game was completely loaded. Throughout the game, this heartbeat can be heard during fight scenes to let you know when your character's health is weakening.

How to Play A Blind Legend

A Blind Legend is set in a world full of rich audio experiences. Headphones or earbuds are a must when playing this game, as you need to be able to move around the stereo field. The voice acting is quite good. Your character's daughter, Louise, will lead you through the game, giving you needed information about your surroundings, and in which direction you need to go. It is possible to have Louise repeat instructions at any time. The sound effects in the game are quite good, and there are some striking details sprinkled throughout. For example, your character has a shield that he can use to protect himself and Louise from attackers and objects such as falling rocks. When I performed the pinch gesture to activate the shield during a falling rocks scene, I was surprised to note that the sound of the audio changed in my earbuds. It sounded like everything was happening under water. The muffled effect lasted as long as my shield was activated, and stopped as soon as I released the pinch gesture to put the shield away.

The game uses a text-to-speech voice to give information to the player about how to successfully issue game commands, and keeps the human voice actors in the story at all times. I found this to be a nice touch.

The method for moving around in the game is quite unique. In order to move forward, you drag a finger forward on the screen. In order to move faster, you move you finger farther forward and hold it in place. Lifting your finger from the screen stops the character's movement. Flicking right or left on the screen rotates the character; dragging and holding your finger right or left turns the character in a complete circle.

During fight scenes, Sir Edward has a sword. In order to attack an opponent, you need to quickly swipe upward on the screen. Timing is everything when fighting, and I found these scenes to be quite challenging.

It is easy to get killed during the playing of this game, and fortunately several lives are available when game play starts. Lives are restored after several minutes, so it is possible to walk away from the game after you have used up all your lives and return later when they have been replenished.

Finally, it was easy to save my place in the game, and return to the desired spot when I resumed game play later.

My Thoughts On Playing A Blind Legend

After acquiring A Blind Legend from the app store, I was impressed with the amount of information provided during the installation of game components. I found the tutorial that starts A Blind Legend to be quite helpful, and I was pleased with the amount of help provided throughout the game.

A Blind Legend was originally written in French, and the English translation of some of the game's instructions is quite odd in places. In particular, the player is told to pinch the screen in order to activate the shield. To stop using the shield, the player is told to "discard your fingers from the screen." I only noticed these oddities in a few places, however.

Players are warned that there is some profanity in this game, and that is definitely the case, although I didn't find a lot of it.

There were a few times when I was unable to register taps when attempting to select menu items using my iPhone 6. I needed to unload the game from App Switcher and reload it in order to get things working again. I found it impossible to work through one particular fight scene in the game, and I was never able to progress from that point. I was left wondering if I was doing something wrong, or if my actions were not being properly registered in that part of the game. I may never know the answer to that one.

It is possible to purchase additional lives in the game, but herein lies another particularly glaring issue. When activating the area of the game where I could buy more lives, I was greeted with a message stating: "If you are blind, ask someone to help you." Perhaps this was just a particularly awkward French to English translation, but it probably needs reworking, especially considering the fact that the game developers are striving to raise the awareness of the needs of people who are blind. I am told that it is actually possible to purchase more lives without assistance, although I did not try this myself.

The Bottom Line

A Blind Legend is an audio game for iOS and Android platforms that features an interesting plot, high-quality audio and voice acting, and a well-designed user interface. There are some areas of the game that need work, most notably the awkward translations from French to English. Also, I experienced a few times when I wasn't able to select menu items properly in the game, and was forced to restart before I could continue on.

Overall, I very much enjoyed playing A Blind Legend, and I would recommend that anyone who is interested should download the game and give it a try.

There is a rather lengthy AppleVis forum thread devoted to A Blind Legend, and one of the programmers of the game has joined the discussion.

Product Information

A Blind Legend is available from:
Google Play
iTunes
Operating System: iOS and Android
Price: Free with in-app purchases

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In the September 2013 issue of AccessWorld, we described four groundbreaking advances in low vision enhancement, including the Implantable Miniature Telescope from VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies, and the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis from Second Sight. The first of these is a pea-size telescopic lens that increases the useable vision of individuals who have lost central vision due to end-stage age-related onset macular degeneration. The Argus II is aimed toward people with late-stage retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The Argus II uses a wireless signal to stimulate the optic nerve directly via an implanted array of electrodes, bypassing the rods and cones damaged by RP.

As remarkable as these solutions may be, they do have one stumbling block in common: they each assume the recipient possesses a functioning optic nerve that can adequately transmit visual signals to the brain for processing. But what if the optic nerve has been damaged by glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, or trauma? Might there be some way to mend these most complex and fragile of nerve fibers? Or even better, bypass them altogether?

In this article we will describe two recent research breakthroughs—one that shows the potential to help regenerate damaged optic nerves, and the second, a system called Gennaris, that may produce vision without the optic nerve, or even the eye itself.

Regenerating an Optic Nerve

The optic nerve is one of the most important nerves in the body, second only to the spinal cord (the spinal cord includes thousands of nerve strands while the optic nerve has but one). So fifteen years ago when Zhigang He, Professor of neurology at the Boston Children's Hospital F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center set up a lab to investigate ways to regenerate nerve fibers in people with spinal cord injuries, he decided the best place to start would be to attempt neural regeneration in damaged optic nerves as a proxy.

Others have tried optic nerve regeneration or repair. The first attempts spliced bits of the sciatic nerve to replace damaged optic nerve. Most axons didn't regrow. About eight years ago, Dr. He's group tried gene excision to delete or block tumor-suppressing genes. This prompted some optic nerve regeneration, but it also increased cancer risks. Their recent work with Dr. Joshua Sanes at Harvard found a gene therapy strategy to enhance growth factor activities, which could mimic the regeneration effects induced by tumor suppressor deletion. Nevertheless, the number of regenerated axons by these approaches was limited.

He and his co-senior-researcher, Boston Children's Hospital Assistant Professor of neurology Michela Fagiolini, took gene therapy a step further. They used a gene therapy virus called AAV to deliver three factors to boost growth factor responses into the retina, which is part of the optic nerve system.

"Over time we were able to regenerate increasingly longer nerve fibers in mice with damaged optic nerves," he reports. "Unfortunately, the new neural fibers did not transmit impulses, known as action potentials, all the way from the eye to the brain, so there was no new vision."

He and Fagiolini traced the problem to the fact that the new nerve fibers were growing without the fatty sheath called Myelin. Myelin insulates nerve fibers and keeps neural signals on track, much as the insulation surrounding a copper wire directs electrical current to the lamp instead of into the wall studs and outlets.

Turning to the medical literature, he and Fagiolini read about a potassium channel blocker called 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) which is known to improve message conduction in nerve fibers that lack sufficient Myelin. Indeed, 4-AP is marketed as AMPYRA to treat MS-related walking difficulties, which also involve a loss of myelin.

"When we administered 4-TP the signals were able to go the distance," says Fagiolini. A separate lab, where they did not know which of the blind mice had been treated, confirmed that the treated mice responded to moving bars of light while the control group did not.

"There is still considerable work to be done before this treatment is ready for human trials," He says. For example, the team used a gene therapy virus to deliver the growth factors that stimulated optic nerve regeneration, but He and Fagiolini believe they can produce an injectable "cocktail" of growth factor proteins that could be equally effective. "We're trying to better understand the mechanisms and how often the proteins would have to be injected," says He.

Also yet to be solved are the potential side effects of using 4-AP to increase optic nerve signal transmission. The medication can cause seizures if given chronically, so He and Fagiolini have begun testing non-FDA approved 4-AP derivatives which would be safer for long-term use. Despite the remaining hurdles, He and Fagiolini remain optimistic. "At least now we have a paradigm we can use to move forward," He says.

The Mind's Eye

Regenerating the optic nerve could help millions, but what if we could bypass the optic nerve altogether and see without one, or even without physical eyes? That's the goal of Arthur Lowery, Professor of electrical and computer systems engineering at Australia's Monash University. Lowery and his team are currently working on Gennaris, a system that will stimulate the brain's visual cortex directly, sending a grid of electrical impulses that the brain can interpret as recognizable patterns of light and dark.

Research into "brain" vision goes back to the 1960s. "At that time you needed a room full of equipment to get any results at all," observes Lowery. "Even as little as ten or fifteen years ago, producing a grid of three hundred points of light meant passing a bundle of 300 separate wires from the brain to a large, external video camera." Lowery and his team are building on this previous work, taking advantage of the considerable progress which has been made over the past decade in processing power, component miniaturization, wireless data transmission, and induction power transmission such as that now found on some cell phones which can be placed atop the charger instead of needing to be plugged in.

In normal vision, light passes through the eye's pupil and lens and stimulates rods and cones, which are the photo-receptive cells covering the retina. These photochemical signals are transformed into neural impulses, which in turn are transmitted along the optic nerve to the visual cortex. There, the brain turns these impulses into recognizable shapes and images, otherwise known as vision.

As it happens, the neurons in the visual cortex can also be stimulated by contact with tiny electrodes. "We know from previous research that we can produce flashes of light that appear in roughly the same spot whenever that same region of the visual cortex is stimulated," states Lowery. "If we can create a number of these flashes more or less simultaneously, we can create a rudimentary grid of light and dark the brain could interpret as an image." Imagine a square of sixteen light bulbs creating the letter O by switching on the twelve perimeter bulbs and leaving the four center lights turned off. Or a letter L created by braille dots 1, 2, and 3, with the rest of the cell left blank.

The Gennaris team hopes to create just such a grid using tiny ceramic tiles embedded directly onto a test subject's visual cortex. "Each tile is approximately 9 millimeters square—about a third of an inch—with forty-three working electrodes on each tile," Lowery explains. "These electrodes will penetrate 1.5 to 2 millimeters into the visual cortex, reaching what is known as Layer Four, the brain region most directly stimulated by the optic nerve."

A small video camera will transmit real-time imagery to a pocket-size processing unit. There, special algorithms will determine the most essential aspects of each image and break them down into a running series of grids of light and dark. The grids will be streamed wirelessly to a magnetic induction coil placed against the back of the patient's head nearest the visual cortex. The induction coil will be able to remotely spawn a tiny charge in each of the electrodes as appropriate, which will then stimulate the visual cortex much the same way as the optic nerve would normally do.

"We will actually have an advantage over implanted retinal prosthetics," says Lowery. "Most of our sharpest vision takes place in a tiny portion of the retina rich in rods and cones known as the fovea. The fovea is only about a square millimeter in size, so intraocular prosthetics must also make use of retinal tissue more associated with peripheral vision. The brain area that actually processes central vision is twenty-five times larger than the retinal tissue it services, however, which gives us potentially twenty-five times the resolution of a retinal implant."

Lowery and his team hope to initiate their first clinical trials by the end of 2016. "We plan to begin with four tiles, but eventually we hope to increase that number to eleven," he states. "We also hope to reach ten frames a second in transmission speed." According to Lowery, the resolution could also potentially be enhanced many times over by coating the electrodes with special hormones called brain-derived neurotropic factors. "Instead of poking the brain neurons with electrodes, these chemicals would actually encourage the neurons to reach out and make contact and new connections, as though the electrodes were other brain cells."

Also according to Lowery, realistic depictions of the world around us are not the be all and end all of Gennaris's potential. "We already have facial recognition that does a great job of identifying people. Imagine a special icon representing your husband or wife, others for each of your children that could include emotional content, smiles, tears, and the like. Direction and distance markers for doors, elevators, and windows would also be possible. We could even generate runway-light-like guidance systems to help navigate a warren of unfamiliar corridors, pointing out obstacles along the way."

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