After the Kindle iOS and Android apps were made accessible, the blind and visually impaired community was finally able to purchase and enjoy Amazon's unmatched library of e-books using either VoiceOver or TalkBack. Amazon went on to develop the VoiceView screen reader for its line of Fire tablets, which also now offer access to Kindle titles. This left only one inaccessible Kindle reading device—the original Kindle e-book reader.

Recently, Amazon introduced the Kindle Audio Adapter, a USB dongle that enables Paperwhite Generation 7 users to read Kindle books with a ground-up rebuild of the VoiceView touch screen reader. Amazon, like Apple and Google, is pushing hard to have its devices used in the classroom, and the inaccessibility of the original Kindle devices was a definite drawback, if not a deal breaker, for many districts. Also, according to Amazon Accessibility Architect, Peter Korn, "We were still getting a lot of requests for an accessible Kindle. Some visually impaired individuals don't want to use a multipurpose smartphone or tablet to read a book. They want a single device that will read a book and nothing else." This sentiment also explains the ongoing popularity of the Digital Audio Book Players provided by the National Library Service. Those who are currently using one of the several voice-enabled feature phones may also be interested in the Kindle Audio Adapter. Additionally, there is already an extremely large Kindle user base, and, observes Korn, "As this population ages and vision dims many will wish to use the Audio Adapter so they can continue reading with the same device they have always used."

Recently, I put a Kindle Paperwhite with an Audio Adapter through its paces. Here's what I found.

Device and Adapter Descriptions

The Kindle Paperwhite Wi-Fi is 6.7″ by 4.6″ by 0.36.″ It weighs 7.2 ounces, less than many paperbacks. The Paperwhite has a single button–the power button–and one port—the micro-USB charging port, along the bottom edge of the device. There is a fairly wide bezel surrounding the device's six-inch, touch-enabled eInk screen.

The Kindle Audio adapter is a 0.6-ounce dongle with an audio jack at one end and a short, micro USB cable at the other. There is no pass-through, so you can't use your Kindle with speech while it is plugged into the charger. According to Korn, "This is a limitation of the USB standards. Power can move through a USB cable in either direction, but only in a single direction at one time, so the device cannot charge and voice simultaneously."

Happily, Kindle eReaders usually come pre-charged, so I didn't have to wait to try the Audio Adapter. I did have to grab a pair of earbuds, however, since, like the Paperwhite itself, the Kindle Audio Adapter does not have a speaker and earbuds are not included. Nor does the Paperwhite come with a USB wall adapter, only a cable, which you can use to charge the device from a computer USB port or a separately purchased wall adapter.

The Audio Adapter currently works only on 7^th Generation Paperwhites, though there are plans to extend the VoiceView to other Kindle models. The dongle draws its power from the Paperwhite, so you do not need to recharge or replace additional batteries. The Kindle eReader is known for its battery life (the device can operate for weeks without recharging). Understandably, using speech lowers this performance dramatically. The Audio Adapter is rated for approximately six hours of continuous playback, which matched my experience.

Installation

After connecting the Audio Adapter's USB cable and a pair of earbuds to the Kindle, pressing the Paperwhite's power button, and waiting a few seconds, I was greeted with a welcome message and instructed to double tap the screen to load the VoiceView software. The voice was the same IVONA text-to-speech female voice used by default on the Fire tablet version of VoiceView. It is extremely high quality and easy to understand. Unfortunately, neither the Paperwhite nor the Audio Adapter offers hardware volume control (the volume level is software controlled). I found the voice volume sufficiently loud that I did not change it subsequently, but a blind user with moderate to severe hearing loss may have setup issues without a separately amplified external speaker. The Audio Adapter does not have Bluetooth capability; it only works with devices that include an audio-out cable.

Installing VoiceView Files

You can also purchase the Adapter for use with your own Paperwhite Generation 7. Consult this Amazon help page to determine if your device is a Generation 7. You will need to perform an extra step, however, to install VoiceView. Because VoiceView works with existing Kindle Paperwhite eReaders, most come from the factory without the large voice files already installed (not the case with those bundled with the Kindle Audio Adapter). To get the files, you must download them onto a computer and then pair your Kindle with the computer to copy the files. Complete instructions can be found on the Kindle Audio Adapter help page.

The VoiceView tutorial that begins after the software is installed offers instruction on activating controls using double tap, and navigation via either swipe gestures or using touch exploration. A brief typing tutorial is also included. The VoiceView keyboard uses touch-typing: navigate to the character you wish to enter and then raise the finger to confirm. If you hold down on a letter, you will not hear a phonetic, alpha, beta, charlie repeat of the letter, and when you do raise your finger the VoiceView screen reader beeps, then announces, for example, "V Entered." It's useful knowing you have entered the correct character, but the more you type, the more verbose this extra verbiage becomes. Also, the eInk screen glass is not as smooth as either a standard Apple or Android phone or tablet. As with those devices' touch screen readers, using VoiceView for Kindle requires a lot of sliding one's finger around the screen. Some may find the Kindle screen texture refreshing and easier to use. I found it a bit jerky, especially when sliding in small increments, such as when trying to move one keyboard character to the left or right before lifting my finger.

After completing the VoiceView tutorial and selecting a language, the Kindle will complete its configuration. Next, you need to select a Wi-Fi network and enter a password, whose characters echo or not as you choose.

Lastly, you need to enter your Amazon account login and password. Once you've finished with this step, your Kindle cloud library will be available to download to your device.

Using the Kindle with the Audio Adapter

The Kindle home screen includes a Quick Settings button, where you can access VoiceView options. Currently these options are limited to replaying the tutorial and setting voice speed and volume. Alternative voices are not available.

The Kindle Store is completely accessible. Take note, however: you will not be presented with a purchase confirmation screen—once you double tap "Buy this Book," it is yours.

If you have a preexisting Kindle library you can access it via the Home screen's My Library control. Here you will find a complete list of your books, whether they are downloaded on your device or available in the Cloud, and the percentage of progress you've made in the book. Double tap any book in the Cloud to download it to your device. Double tap any downloaded title to begin playback.

You can pause playback at any time by touching the screen with one finger. Perform a two-finger swipe down to resume play. This last command required some genuine creativity on the part of the developers, since the Kindle's touch recognition system only recognizes a single touch-point. At first I could not get this gesture to work. I am left-handed, and when finally I tried the gesture with my right hand it worked fine. I suspect my issue has something to do with the direction a leftie like myself swipes down compared to a righty.

Another missing feature in the first release of VoiceView for Kindle is that there gestures to review text by paragraph, sentence, or character do not exist. Swiping left or right while inside a book moves a single word at a time. Here, I do think that after a pause VoiceView should spell the word or number character by character for clarity, then, after another pause, repeat the characters phonetically. I would also suggest they use up and down swipes to control granularity for character, word, sentence, paragraph, and page.

If you double tap and hold on a word you will be offered its dictionary definition. The "Highlight" option reports unavailable. Double-tap anywhere on the screen to exit the book, to create a bookmark, or to access the "Go to" controls, which are currently limited to the beginning of each chapter. You are not able to scroll page by page through a book using VoiceView.

Currently, the Good Reads, Kindle Free Time, Vocabulary Builder, and the Experimental Browser buttons all report as unavailable. You also can't access the X-Ray or Share options while reading a book.

"We debated long and hard as to whether to hold the product until it provided access to all of the Kindle eReader's capabilities or release it in its current version and then update it as we are able to add new features and capabilities," says Korn. "We decided to go with the option that would allow users to access their Kindle books as soon as possible and then add features going forward."

As is the case with other Kindle software, updates will happen automatically in the background, assuming the device stays connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Final Thoughts

I found the VoiceView screen reader extremely responsive, and the voice quality was excellent. There is still much work to be done, but I think Amazon has made an excellent start, especially considering the Kindle eReader itself is a fairly low-end processor and memory device.

Already, Amazon's ground-up rebuild of their VoiceView screen reader is paying dividends, as the company recently announced that their Fire TV devices are now also VoiceView enabled. Stay tuned for a full review. I also look forward to seeing, or should I say hearing, many new features and capabilities on future versions of VoiceView running on their Fire tablets—especially the extremely affordable $49 model.

Product Information

Kindle Paperwhite Blind and Visually Impaired Readers Bundle is available for $139.98. It includes a Kindle Paperwhite Generation 7 with Wi-Fi, a Kindle Audio Adapter, and a $19.99 Amazon Account Credit.

The Kindle Audio Adapter can also be purchased alone for $19.99.

Comment on this article.

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Editor's Note

This article originally appeared in the July 2011 issue of AccessWorld. As this issue focuses on students heading back to school, I wanted to showcase this still very relevant information as an additional resource for students to keep in their virtual backpack.

For high school and college students, research papers are either viewed as a walk in the park or the bane of one's existence. Some may be able to reel off several pages on a given topic in a matter of a couple of hours, while for others the very thought of a 10- or 20-page research paper on the rise and fall of the Roman Empire is cause for cringing. If you are a cringer, this article provides tips and tools to help make that next research paper a bit easier. Even those who enjoy writing research papers might learn a thing or two.

Getting Organized

Before tackling any research paper, it's a good idea to get your house in order, so to speak. The tools you use to gather and sort your research don't need to be fancy, but they do need to be functional and efficient. Using a laptop computer or notetaker, consider creating a new, project-specific directory in which to store any relevant data or information you run across in your research. When you find an article or piece of information, simply drop a text file into this directory. Be sure to include the title, author, publisher, copyright date, page numbers, and website URL in a consistent spot in your file. This will make it exponentially simpler to cite your sources later. You may also wish to write some notes near the top of the file describing the specific information or facts you plan on using from the source. These additional steps may seem a bit tedious, but they'll likely help you out in the end, especially if you're the type to finish your paper at the very last minute.

If your research includes printed materials, attempt to obtain these materials in an accessible format. As we'll discuss below, many common sources are available online. Others can be digitized using scanning software such as Omnipage or Kurzweil 1000 or a portable system such as the KNFB Reader Mobile or Intel Reader. Alternatively, a human reader may be able to help you write down important information from your printed research. Having these documents in a digital format will allow for easier searching later on, especially when you may not be able to find someone with enough vision to read the printed material.

Defining your Topic and Beginning your Research

Sometimes your instructor will assign a topic or area as your paper's subject, while at other times you may be given the freedom to choose a topic within given parameters. In either case, you may have some leeway in the exact topic you write about. A common mistake is to pick a topic that is either too broad or too narrow for the type and size of the paper. For example, suppose you are assigned the topic "My home state of Michigan" for a 12-page paper. Michigan became a state in 1836. It would be impossible to cover all 170 years of Michigan's history in a dozen pages. Instead, you will need to decide on an area to focus on. Through your initial research, you might learn about Michigan's role in shaping the automobile industry, Michigan's tourist attractions, or the effects of the recent economic downturn on the state. These are much more manageable topics for a paper. Now that you have a narrower focus, you can do some more preliminary research. If it seems that the topic you've chosen does not have much written about it, you may need to broaden your scope. Conversely, if it seems like there is too much to cover in a single paper, you will want to narrow your topic even further.

Effective Online Research

Begin your online research with the basics: Google and Wikipedia. While neither of these references functions well as a primary source, each can be a great jumping off point for further research.

Successful and efficient searching with Google requires some skill. Searching for the term "Michigan" will return all sorts of likely irrelevant results including the Michigan Lottery and the University of Michigan. Google is not smart enough to read your mind; instead of a single general search term, include additional keywords to limit and target your search. Searching for "automobile history Michigan" returns an entire page of relevant results. The first result, in fact, is an article entitled, "Motor City: The Story of Detroit" by Thomas J. Sugrue from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History—a great starting point for this topic. Google includes dozens of powerful and often hidden features that can be used to perform more powerful searches. This page of Google Search Tips includes helpful advice and strategies.

Though most professors, for good reason, frown upon the use of Wikipedia as a source, it's still a great idea to read Wikipedia entries related to your chosen topic. Good Wikipedia entries will include a list of sources for the topic, such as this entry on the history of the automobile. As you read through this entry, you will notice a series of numbered links. These refer to the sources cited in this article. By selecting one of these linked numbers, you will be able to view the footnote, which gives the title, author, and other location information for the source. Well-researched Wikipedia articles such as this one also include a "Further Reading" heading which provides a list of additional books and articles to consult.

While Bookshare is well-known as a source for accessible textbooks and leisure reading materials, recent improvements have increased its usefulness for performing research. Bookshare now includes roughly 100,000 books available in a digital form. It's free for any United States student with a qualifying disability and $50 a year for anyone else. Among the more recent improvements to the website is a full text search of its collection. Typing the search terms "history automobile" into Bookshare reveals a variety of potentially useful book results including Taking Charge: The Electric Automobile In America and Crash Course: The American Automobile Industry's Road to Bankruptcy and Bailout—and Beyond, both of which may provide useful information for the automobile industry's modern history. Bookshare also includes an immense collection of fiction, as well as many opinionated and editorial selections, so be careful to include accurate and pertinent information when performing your research. While on Bookshare, try searching for any books listed in the Wikipedia entries you've read; you may locate some of these sources in an electronic form.

Using School Resources

Most colleges and some high schools provide online research tools for students, often linked to the school's library website. Sometimes you must be physically present at the library to perform the research, while in other cases a student can log in to access information from home. If you are required to be at the library for your research, ask if it is possible to log in from your own computer or one that provides your required accessibility tools. By law, it is the library's duty to provide you an accessible means to access their research collections.

From our experience, most online research collections are quite accessible to use and navigate. Most include some form of a textual layout for searching. Some of the search forms include a wide array of options and features, so it may be necessary to closely examine their structure in order to obtain the most relevant results. Some collections, especially those including 19th and earlier 20th century newspapers, offer materials in a scanned PDF format. While these may seem inaccessible on the surface, they can usually be converted using an OCR program such as Omnipage or Kurzweil 1000. If you don't have access to one of these programs, try one of the many OCR conversion websites such as OCR Terminal. Many of these sites are free or provide a set amount of free pages per month.

While at the library, don't overlook the more traditional methods of research. Many older books and periodicals are not easily attainable in a digital format; a reference librarian or student aid may be able to help you locate these items. To save time, use your library's website to research available relevant materials. Make a list of the sources you're interested in, print it out, and bring it with you when you visit. You can use a website such as WorldCat to search many libraries at once for information. If you find a book or source at a library other than your branch, find out if it's possible to have it delivered to your local library.

Citing your Sources

Creating your bibliography or "Works Cited" page is often seen as very tedious, but putting this important list together should be one of the simpler parts of your paper. One common mistake made by students is waiting until they are finished with a paper before tackling this list. It's much easier to create your citation list as you write your paper. Microsoft Word and other modern word processors provide for a means to add footnotes to your paper. Each time you add a note, move to the footnotes section of your document to enter the title, author, and other source information. This will avoid the problem of trying to remember where you found a specific piece of information when you need to cite it later. There are several acceptable citation forms; find out from your instructor which is required for your paper. Free online tools such as BibMe can be used to properly format your citations. BibMe asks for various information about your sources and then outputs a bibliography in the format you chose.

A Word on Plagiarism

You may at some point find it tempting to copy a few sentences or even an entire paragraph from an article directly into your paper, without proper attribution. Doing so is plagiarism, a very serious academic offense. Plagiarism usually results in a failing grade for a class, and in some cases leads to expulsion. Always be careful to properly cite your sources. Many students (and teachers) use Turnitin to check papers for plagiarism. Turnitin compares submitted text to practically every page on the Internet, research indexes and journals, and papers written by other students.

Conclusion

With the expansion and proliferation of the Internet, online research has transitioned from a luxury to a near necessity. While the Internet does not render your local library obsolete, it's certainly suitable for a wide variety of research tasks. Online research also helps to level the playing field for performing research as a blind or visually impaired student. Given the proper tools and techniques and a bit of perseverance, that next research paper may be a bit easier to tackle.

Comment on this article.

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Dear AccessWorld readers,

I know the students out there may not be ready to hear these words, but it's time to think about the start of a new school year.

New classes, new instructors, class projects, presentations, tests, new people, and maybe even a new school or moving away to college bring about uncertainty and new challenges. Uncertainty is not necessarily a bad thing. This time of year can be exciting, too, especially if you prepare in advance.

Pursuing an education can be difficult under the best of circumstances, and doing so as a person with vision loss can increase the challenge.

For the students in our readership: you must take personal responsibility for your education, and you must be your own advocate. It is very important to prepare in advance, speak to instructors, and tell those you'll be working with exactly what types of accommodations will best meet your needs. Your education will have a tremendous impact on every aspect of the rest of your life, so it's crucial that you do everything you can to get the most out of your studies.

Good planning prevents poor performance! It's never too early to begin planning for the next school term, whether you're in elementary school or graduate school. Acquiring and learning to use the mainstream and access technology that best suits your situation, registering as early as possible for classes, obtaining reading lists, and searching out alternative formats should be done as soon as you can. Waiting until the last minute is a recipe for disaster.

It has become an AccessWorld tradition for the July issue to be our "Back to School" issue. So, this month the AccessWorld team once again focuses on providing valuable information and resources for students, parents, teachers, and professionals in the vision loss field to help make educational pursuits less stressful and more enjoyable. We are excited to bring you the information in this issue, and we sincerely hope you will find it useful.

Please be sure to check out past "Back to School" issues from AccessWorld. The July issues of 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 all contain information that can still be pertinent today. When reading these past "Back to School" issues, I encourage you to start with a 2010 article I co-authored, Educational Resources and Tips from AFB's Information and Referral Center.

As I wrote in the June Editor's Page, AccessWorld is listening. I also told readers to be on the lookout for ways to provide information and feedback to AccessWorld and AFB's tech staff. As Editor-in-Chief, I want to make sure AccessWorld continues to meet your needs and hopefully exceed your expectations. I want to know which technologies you use and which you want to learn more about. I would like to hear your thoughts regarding the coverage provided in AccessWorld. Are you satisfied with article length and level of detail, frequency of publication, and mix of topics? If so, great! If you have ideas for improvements, we want to hear them! Either way, let us hear from you. As time passes and technologies change and advance, the AccessWorld staff understands that your questions and needs change as well.

If you haven't yet done so, please participate in our feedback questionnaire to help you provide us with your views. My tech colleagues at AFB are also interested in other ideas you might have to share with us regarding mobile app development. Please take a few moments to answer a few questions to help us be even better resources for you.

We on the AccessWorld team wish you good luck and good planning as you head back to school!

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

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

Indeed, Happy Birthday Apple!

As it happens, I've been associated with Apple products myself for almost 30 years.

In October 1986 I started a Traineeship with the Australian Taxation Office and my chief work tool back then was an Apple 2E with an Echo 2/+ speech card running the Wordtalk Word Processing software from the company [then known as] Computer Aids Corporation which evolved into GW Micro.

In 1995 I purchased an Apple Mac LC630 computer which was able to run both Windows and Mac OS concurrently, so on the Mac side, I used the Berkley System Outspoken for Mac Screen Reader.

Accessing a Mac in those days was a lot different than what it is now, for example Outspoken would alert you to the presence of an activity or changing event, pop-up of a dialogue or a misspelled word, and it was then up to the user to navigate the screen to find out the contents of the dialogue box or the misspelled word, click the appropriate button and so on, but all the same I got the jobs done that needed to be done, the tasks completed that needed to be completed, etc. I still consider those days with the Mac LC630 as the "Glory Days" of computing even though we've come so far since then, the Internet had also just arrived at the time of the LC630.

Now I have a Mac Mini 2012 model—possibly one of the best ever Mac Mini computers Apple ever made—which runs the latest Mac OSX and Windows 10 as a virtual machine, I use the Mac a good deal of the time.

Thanks for the great article, Happy 40th Birthday to Apple: A Look Back at Apple's Progress, by Janet Ingber, celebrating the achievements of Apple. May we enjoy a bit of Apple for the next 40 years.

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I wish to comment on Janet Ingber's article, Happy 40th Birthday to Apple: A Look Back at Apple's Progress, appearing in the June 2016 issue. I love this article. I remember reading a lot of those facts in Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs, which I downloaded from BARD recently. I remember being less than enthused about switching from Windows to a Mac computer when my parents approached me about it a few years ago. I was very used to the way Microsoft did things, and I had been reading nothing but negativity about VoiceOver. But all this changed on December 27 of 2013 when my parents, a sister, and I walked into our local Apple store. After some hands-on experience, my parents bought me a 13-inch MacBook Air. At first I was a bit unsure about everything, but once I finally got the lay of the land I became hooked. I am now running the latest build of OS X El Capitan, and have found VoiceOver to be a great screen reader. What's more, I really like the direction in which Tim Cook has taken the company. His emphasis on universal accessibility rather than the company's ROI is very refreshing. I can't comment on Steve Jobs' leadership other than what I read in his bio, since I didn't have my Mac back then.

Best regards,

Jake Joehl

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I was reading the interesting AFB scholarship section and wondered if these two winners are blind to some extent. If so, they really have an interesting background.

Christina Ebersohl is working toward her bachelor's degree in music at Portland State University in Oregon, majoring in music performance and viola. She has served as an Arabic linguist in the US Army. This summer Christina will attend a music study program in Italy at the Florence University of the Arts.

Silpa Tadavarthy is attending the Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine in Pennsylvania for her Doctor of Medicine degree and would like to specialize in neurology. Silpa plans to serve the low-income patient population of North Philadelphia during her medical school clerkships.

Oh, and I liked the bit about the young lady who wrote a computer program to solve polynomials. Makes me feel like a dinosaur. Where was that when I was in school?

Suggestion: When undertaking a survey, sweeten the pot. I mean to say, put the name of anyone who did the survey in for a drawing of some kind. For instance, a $15 Amazon Gift Card, as a thank-you.

I always enjoy reading the comments section.

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

Thanks for a nice review in the article, The Talking DAISY Book & Media Player from Accessible Electronics, by Deborah Kendrick

It does sound like a nice product, but I wonder about the usability of the user guide. The article implied there was one, but how convenient was it to access?

Accessing the user guide from the unit can be sometimes convenient, although this is what manufacturers seem t's o prefer, but this requirement can equally add more inconvenience than benefit.

Always enjoy AccessWorld's articles.

Thanks,

David Allen

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

In response to The Talking DAISY Book & Media Player from Accessible Electronics by Deborah Kendrick:

I have Laz's talking MP3 player and I love it. It is extremely accessible and his manual was very helpful.

Jerry Purcell

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I've been using an electronic magnifier for years, and my current unit is old and doesn't work very well. So, the Choose the Right Electronic Magnifier series on what to look for when choosing an electronic magnifier is quite timely. My biggest fear with shopping for a new magnifier is to truly understand all of the features available in today's units compared to 20 years ago. While searching for such units online, there's quite a few varieties to choose from and many of them seem appropriate for my needs. However, it would be so helpful to actually look and test some of them out before paying a fairly hefty price for one of these units. Can you recommend any places where I can go to see a variety of different electronic magnifiers in one location? I live in Michigan and would be willing to travel anywhere around the Midwest in order to test out various units.

Thank you,

Chris

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

In response to Janet Ingber's article Happy 40th Birthday to Apple: A Look Back at Apple's Progress

Wow!

I still can't believe that blind people can use a device that has a touch screen. Not only can we use it but, we can set it up independently. We now have the same amazing technology right off the shelf that our sighted peers do. It's funny, no one has ever made a big deal of me as a blind person using an iPhone, but if I use a blindness product they want to know all about it. No one ever questions the use of an iPhone.

Best regards,

Randee

New Technology Allows Students Who Are Visually Impaired to Take Tests Online

For the first time, visually impaired students will be able to take the same specialized online tests as their peers.

The Northwest Evaluation Association, which administers assessments in several subjects like reading and math for grades 3 through 12, has enhanced its flagship Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment by allowing visually impaired students to take the tests on computers. Read more about these accessible online tests.

Ai Squared joins VFO, home of Freedom Scientific and Optelec

VFO, home of the Freedom Scientific and Optelec brands, recently announced it has acquired Ai Squared, a developer of screen magnification and screen reading software. Together, the companies offer the world's broadest suite of assistive technology products for the visually impaired. Each of the companies has a history of providing technology solutions that enable blind and low vision individuals to reach their potential – to gain an education, obtain employment, succeed in professional careers, and live independently.

"Delivering great solutions, services and support is our passion," said David Wu, CEO of Ai Squared. "Now that Ai Squared has joined VFO, we will have even greater ability to fulfill our commitment to deliver the most innovative and useful solutions for users with visual impairments."

E*TRADE Announces Accessibility Initiative

E*TRADE Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:ETFC) recently announced an initiative to enhance its website, mobile applications, and desktop trading and investing platforms to make them more accessible for customers with disabilities.

E*TRADE worked with representatives of the blind community to enhance its platforms for traders and investors with visual impairments.

Pratik Patel, a long-time E*TRADE customer who is blind, says: "Having full access to financial investing tools is important for everyone. I'm happy that E*TRADE will make its web and mobile platforms more accessible, particularly for people who are blind or partially sighted, when it comes to all aspects of trading and investing."

"I congratulate E*TRADE for its commitment to access and usability, and for its leadership role in making its financial tools available to everyone," says Victor Tsaran, another blind E*TRADE customer who, like Mr. Patel, assisted in the initiative.

E*TRADE adopted the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.0 level AA as its website accessibility standard, and has made substantial enhancements in meeting this standard.

The WCAG 2.0 Guidelines ensure that websites are more accessible to persons with visual and other disabilities and do not affect digital content or the visual layout of the websites, mobile applications, or other online tools. The Guidelines are of particular benefit to blind computer users who use screen reader voice output, braille output or magnification technology on their computers and mobile devices and who, like many individuals with mobility impairments, rely on a keyboard instead of a mouse for navigation.

W3C is an international community that develops open standards to ensure the long-term growth of the Web. The Web Accessibility Initiative is a program of the W3C that works with site owners, developers, people with disabilities and other interested parties to develop accessibility standards, including WCAG 2.0.

More information on E*TRADE's enhancements is available on E*Trade's new Accessibility Information Page.

In broad terms, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) accessibility can be defined as technology being accessed by individuals with a wide range of abilities and disabilities. ICT accessibility is closely aligned with the principles of universal design, allowing individuals to interact with technology and electronic information in ways that work best for their needs and abilities.

The Importance of ICT Accessibility for All

A number of factors have contributed to the increased demand for greater understanding and inclusion of ICT accessibility within industry, government, and education. Compliance has driven much of this demand. In recent years, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has weighed in on several high-profile cases that include well-known institutions and businesses such as Harvard, MIT, and Greyhound Bus Lines. The DOJ has sent a strong message through these and other settlements that accessible ICT is to be considered a critical civil rights issue for individuals with disabilities, and that it falls under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The DOJ makes the following statement on its website, acknowledging both the ubiquity and relevance of ICT in virtually every aspect of all our lives:

"As more and more of our social infrastructure is made available on the Internet–in some cases, exclusively online–access to information and electronic technologies is increasingly becoming the gateway civil rights issue for individuals with disabilities." (Justice News-Department of Justice)

Individuals with disabilities also represent a substantial, and largely untapped, market for businesses. The World Health Organization estimates that there are more than one billion individuals in the world today with disabilities. Achieving greater production in the workplace and expanding the target audience of any company or organization benefits its bottom line, as well as its increasingly diverse consumers.

Meeting the ICT Accessibility Need

Recognizing the increased demand for a greater understanding and wider implementation of ICT accessibility, AMAC Accessibility Solutions and Research Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology devoted their time and expertise to develop a massive open online course (MOOC) specifically on ICT accessibility. In collaboration with the United Nations Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs and Georgia Tech, AMAC launched the appropriately titled Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Accessibility course using the edX platform.

The linked image below provides a brief overview video of the ICT Accessibility MOOC:

Caption: Georgia Tech's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Accessibility MOOC

If You Build It, They Will Come

To date, enrollment in the course includes students in more than 160 countries, with approximately 3,500 total participants. These numbers suggest the growing need, nationally and internationally, for continued awareness and implementation of ICT accessibility.

AMAC Alignment with ICT Accessibility

AMAC specializes in services to government, education, non-profit, and industry that include e-text, braille production, tactile maps, captioning, audio description, assistive technology assessment and training, web accessibility audits, and procurement. AMAC relied on its background, highly skilled staff, and extensive expertise to create and develop the ICT Accessibility MOOC. AMAC also invited national and international subject matter experts as contributors to the MOOC, and included interviews of individuals with disabilities who themselves rely on assistive technology and accessibility solutions on a daily basis.

Overview of the ICT Accessibility MOOC

The ICT Accessibility MOOC provides a high-level perspective to agencies and institutions about how to measure their current ICT accessibility and assess the importance of maintaining an inclusive workplace for both employees and customers with disabilities. No previous knowledge is required for this course, although participants are expected to have a working knowledge of common computer-based applications such as the Microsoft Office Suite.

Course Goals

Participants in the ICT Accessibility MOOC can expect to learn about the fundamentals of accessibility concepts, design, and implementation in the ICT field. Participants will learn how to be able to identify, evaluate, and apply strategies and techniques for making electronic information and communication technology services and products more accessible in corporate, governmental, educational, and not-for-profit organizations. By the end of the course, participants are expected to have a fundamental understanding of the following:

• The foundations of ICT accessibility
• The principles of accessible ICT design
• The uses of assistive technology
• How to create accessible documents and multimedia
• How to evaluate and repair websites for accessibility
• The components of ICT accessibility operations

Intended Target Audience of the ICT Accessibility MOOC

The ICT Accessibility MOOC has been designed to benefit individuals serving in a number of roles, including administrators of agencies and educational institutions; individuals involved with the procurement of technology hardware and software for their particular organization or educational institution; marketing and communications departments; IT departments; parents, family members, and colleagues of individuals with disabilities; service professionals; educators; and students. The content of the MOOC has been designed to be scalable in scope, so that it can be applied to agencies and institutions of different sizes and compositions.

Course Modules

The ICT Accessibility MOOC is divided into six modules, each containing associated activities and quizzes. Although the course itself is considered introductory in nature, the modules contain a considerable amount of detail. Each of the modules also contains videos that have been made fully accessible by AMAC's captioning department, and include links to additional tools and resources are also provided.

Module 1: ICT Accessibility

Background information on ICT accessibility and the future of electronic information accessibility.

Module 2: ICT Accessibility Design

The importance of design in accessibility, the value of container and content, and the evaluation of compliance.

Module 3: Assistive Technology

Impact of assistive technology on individuals with disabilities, federal laws related to assistive technology, definition of mainstream technology, and assistive technology demonstrations.

Module 4: Accessible Documents and Multimedia

Elements of an accessible document, accessibility standards, tools to check accessibility, multimedia captioning and audio description demonstration, audio description standards, guidelines, and resources.

Module 5: Web Accessibility Evaluation and Design

Web accessibility definition and overview, understanding interaction of web and users with accessibility needs, evaluating accessibility issues via online tools, remediation of code in order to achieve website accessibility, and contribution of HTML5 and ARIA to website accessibility.

Module 6: ICT Accessibility Operations

The influence of market forces on the development of enterprise ICT accessibility operations, challenges faced by these enterprises, Enterprise ICT accessibility operational model and how it can sustain enterprise accessibility operations.

The six modules are designed to build upon, and reinforce, one another. Although it is recommended that participants review all of the modules contained within the course, some of the modules may be more specifically applicable to a particular agency or organization depending on its specific needs and accessibility roadmap. For instance, if an agency is particularly interested in policy and design, Modules 1 and 2 may be of particular interest. If a better understanding of assistive technology solutions and the creation of accessible documents for individuals with disabilities is required, Modules 3 and 4 may be especially beneficial. If the topic of web accessibility and implementation of an ICT accessibility roadmap is of greater relevance and importance, Modules 5 and 6 would be especially valuable.

On completion of the ICT Accessibility MOOC, edX offers a verified certificate of completion for $49.00. However, such a certificate is completely optional. Georgia Tech Professional Education (GTPE) also provides CEUs to participants for an additional $50.00.

The Larger ICT Accessibility Roadmap Before Us

Several converging trends provide us with encouragement for a more hopeful and optimistic forecast for individuals with disabilities. The need for compliance driven by legislation, businesses' increasing pursuit of individuals with disabilities as a financially profitable market share, advancements in technology, and the number of under-utilized individuals with disabilities in the job market all point to a more accessible and equitable engagement with individuals of all abilities in the future. As we age, most of us will experience one "disability" or another, whether it's hearing loss, vision loss, compromised fine motor skills, or reduced cognitive abilities. Georgia Tech's ICT Accessibility MOOC can be considered a stepping stone for many corporations, agencies, and educational institutions to begin implementing an effective accessibility roadmap in order to plan for the foreseeable and distant future.

Register for the ICT Accessibility MOOC

To enroll in Georgia Tech's ICT Accessibility MOOC, visit the edX registration page: ICT Accessibility MOOC.

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Over the past year and a half, I have reviewed several games for AccessWorld. Some have been role-playing games that allow you to become someone you are not—taking risks, and doing things you might not do in real life. Other games require you to listen carefully to audio cues, and react quickly with gestures on your smartphone or tablet. Some of the games we have looked at together take advantage of cutting-edge technology available on today's mobile devices, as well as stellar audio production in order to provide the best game play possible.

This time around, we will take a look at a game of a different sort—one that will help you sharpen your mind. Unlike some of the games previously discussed, this game is not new. In fact, it has been around for several years. You don't need to have great hearing or lightning-fast motor skills to play the game, and speed of game completion is not a factor at all. Best of all, this game could actually help you to sharpen your mind. The game that we will look at this time around is iAssociate 2, a word association game by TicBits LTD.

What is iAssociate 2?

iAssociate 2 is a word game that consists of various theme-based levels. At the time of this writing, there are almost 200 levels in the game. Levels can be purchased for $0.99 each, or they can be unlocked with points when you complete a level. The game runs on iOS, and for this review, I am using my iPhone 6 to play the game.

Am Example of Game Play

When you first begin playing a level, you are presented with just a few words to solve. The level that I am playing as I write this article is entitled "Crazy." I swipe through each unsolved word on the screen, I might hear the following information: "This word is associated with the moon and has five letters." Sometimes I might be given a hint to help me come up with the correct word, and I can always use a hint to give me the first letter of the word, and subsequent letters if I choose to use more hints. Each level starts with a set number of available hints or letters that you can view, and more hints are added for tasks such as completing puzzles, and simply playing the game faithfully over a period of time. The answer to this particular puzzle is "lunar." After I fill in the answer, things really start to get interesting. More word puzzles become available, each of which is associated with the moon. I struggled for a long time to come up with the seven-letter word that was associated with the moon and insanity. I chose not to use a letter hint on this word, and finally walked away in frustration. The next day, when I came back to the game, I instantly knew that the answer to the puzzle was "lunatic." For me, this is all part of the fun of playing this game.

The puzzle that featured a movie about patients in a mental hospital was easy. The answer was three plus four plus four plus three plus seven plus four letters long. I instantly knew the answer—"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." The apostrophe in "cuckoo's" didn't count as a letter. More words then became available, all related to the movie. It has been a long time since I watched the movie, so I will either need to watch it again or look it up on Wikipedia to solve the remaining associated words.

As an example of free hints that are provided in the game, let's take a six letter word that is associated with the movie "Psycho." As a hint, we are told that this is typically relaxing when taken. The answer is "shower." Sometimes, the word you are trying to solve may be associated with multiple words that you have already solved. This can make it easier to figure out a particularly difficult word.

iAssociate 2 Keeps VoiceOver Accessibility in Mind

When I began playing iAssociate 2 several years ago, I found that many times when I double-tapped on a word puzzle in order to type in the answer, the edit field would not appear. Nothing I did would allow me to type in the edit field. Today, it seems that this problem has been largely fixed, although I occasionally need to double-tap and hold on a word in order to get at the edit field. This does not happen often, however.

When playing a really long level, there are often dozens of words that have already been solved, with many more that have unsolved associations. This can make for an extremely tedious experience when swiping through the entire list. If desired, it is now possible to hide words that have had all of their associated words solved. This helps to shorten the list quite a bit.

Finally, it is possible to tell VoiceOver to be less verbose when moving through the list of words. Rather than saying "This word is six letters long," VoiceOver will simply say "Six letters." After having played iAssociate 2 for quite some time, I find this less verbose mode to be quite welcome, indeed.

Benefits of Playing iAssociate 2

iAssociate 2 is a game that can really help sharpen your thinking in a way that few games I have ever played can. It's also a great way to learn new things. As a result of playing through the "Forces of Nature" level, I learned more about earthquakes and volcanoes than I ever thought I would want to know. Some words will never be solved until you do a little research. There are references to movies, songs, artists, styles of fashion, and food from all around the world.

Some levels are just plain fun. "Winter Wonderland" is just what the name implies. There is something in this level for everyone, from references to Christmas carols to winter sports.

By far, the hardest level for me so far is the one that deals with fashion, but that's where my wife shines. Another appealing aspect of this game is that you can enlist help from those around you to solve various word associations. Is this cheating? I suppose it depends on your perspective. Unless you are a walking encyclopedia of knowledge, I doubt that any one person could possibly answer every single word association in all 176 plus levels without some help. There aren't a lot of games that blind and sighted people can play together, but iAssociate 2 is definitely the exception.

The Bottom Line

When I first began playing iAssociate 2, I played the game incessantly. I put it aside after a while, and didn't pick it up again for quite some time. When I once again began to play the game, it was like touching base with an old friend I hadn't talked to for ages.

The game developers say that it is possible to sync your place across multiple devices, but I have not tried this. It is also possible to connect with other players on social media to get help with difficult words, but I have not tried this either.

iAssociate 2 is a great game that will last you for a really long time. The developers have worked over the years to improve accessibility with VoiceOver, and I find the game to be a pleasure to play from the perspective of a blind person. Whether you choose to use voice dictation, braille screen input, or the iOS keyboard, you just might find your proficiency at inputting text into your iOS device to improve greatly, and since you're playing a game, you don't even realize you're practicing your skills. It just seems like you're having fun!

Product Information

Product: iAssociate 2
Developer: TicBits LTD
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Platform: iOS

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In the July 2015 issue of AccessWorld, we took a look at an enhancement to the Netflix movie and television streaming service that allowed blind people to access audio-described content. Implementation of audio description by Netflix was not without its flaws, and many blind people struggled to get the service up and running. After a few days and a couple podcast demos, most were able to begin listening to content on their 3rd generation Apple TVs and iOS devices with relative ease, although access to this content via the Web proved to be quite a bit more difficult. That said, it appeared that Netflix was committed to adding audio-described content on a regular basis, and at a fairly rapid rate. At the time the aforementioned AccessWorld article was published, there were at least 87 pieces of audio-described content available on Netflix.

For this article, we thought we would take a look at the implementation of audio description on Netflix one year later, and see where things stand. Did Netflix make good on its promise to add new audio-described programs regularly? And what about the less-than-stellar screen reader support on their apps and website? After all, it wasn't going to do the blind community much good to have audio-described content available if it was difficult or impossible to access.

The State of Audio-Described Content on Netflix

At the time of this writing, there are currently 152 programs listed with audio description. Netflix constantly adds new material to its service, and also removes content from time to time, so that number will naturally change frequently. Considering that some material has been removed in the past year, and more will be added by the time this article is published, it is safe to say that the amount of audio-described content on Netflix has more or less doubled over the past year.

If you browse through the list of audio-described content on the website, you will find Netflix original material including new seasons of "House of Cards," and "Marvel's Daredevil." You will find documentaries such as "My Beautiful Broken Brain," and "Keith Richards: Under the Influence." TV series, movies, and children's programming are also included.

Improved Access to Netflix Content

At the same time that Netflix has been steadily increasing its audio-described offerings, it has also been improving access to that content across all apps and its website regardless of the browser in use. When the 4th generation Apple TV was released, it was not possible to enable audio description on the Netflix app without calling technical support for assistance. This has been resolved, and owners of the 4th generation Apple TV are now able to enjoy audio-described content with little or no hassle.

Those who use iOS devices will now find it much easier to locate content using the Netflix app. The focus issues that plagued VoiceOver have been fixed, and it is easier to obtain descriptions of programs such as the title and synopsis. It is easy to move forward and backward through a program while it is playing, and turning on audio description is easy as well.

While there is more work to be done, Netflix is steadily improving access to its website regardless of the screen reader, operating system, or browser in use.

In a recent agreement reached between Netflix and the American Council of the Blind, among others, Netflix continues its commitment to enhancing its service to the blind community. They will continue to provide audio description for all of their original content, and will make every effort to obtain audio-described content from third-party sources; DVDs they rent to their customers will contain audio-described tracks as well. Finally, Netflix has committed to ensuring that blind people will be able to accessibly use their service regardless of what device is being used.

The Audio Description Project: One Way to Obtain Help with Using Netflix

The American Council of the Blind maintains a resource called the Audio Description Project, a place where the blind community can find information about audio-described programming whenever and wherever it is available. The project has a page exclusively devoted to Netflix. There, it is possible to view an alphabetized listing of all audio-described programs on Netflix, read more about the agreement reached between the ACB and Netflix, and learn how to enable audio description on all devices that you want to use to watch Netflix.

The Audio Description Project is a great resource for all things related to the subject of available audio-described content, and is updated regularly.

The Bottom Line

A year ago, the blind community was almost giddy with excitement over the fact that a mainstream service such as Netflix would actually follow through on a promise to include audio description as part of its content. Today, there isn't a lot of discussion on social media regarding audio-described content on Netflix, not because the blind community has lost interest, but because Netflix has kept its commitment. Any tech-savvy blind person who uses a variety of platforms and devices to obtain content online is aware that audio-described movies and television programs are not only available on Netflix, but accessible as well. While there is always room for growth and improvement, Netflix continues to demonstrate its willingness to provide services to its blind and sighted customers alike.

Will Netflix be a springboard for other services to begin offering audio-described content as well? As of this writing, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and others do not yet provide audio description for their content, but perhaps this will change soon.

Zagga Entertainment, a Canadian-based startup, hopes to provide audio-described content complete with video so that blind individuals can watch movies and television shows with their sighted friends and family. The service is still in beta, and does not yet offer well-known movies and television programs. Kevin Shaw, the company's founder and president says that this content will be available when the service is officially launched later this year. A premium membership to the service will allow you to access all available content, and will cost $9.99 per month. It is currently possible to try the service free for 30 days. Zagga Entertainment promises to release fully accessible iOS and Android apps for its service, as well as providing a fully accessible web experience.

Imagine a time when finding a movie or television program that contains audio description will not be difficult. If you go to a theater, you will be able to either use a device provided by the venue, or access content from a variety of apps on your smartphone, syncing the audio description track with the movie that is playing. As companies like Netflix continue to provide services to the blind community, perhaps other companies will work with organizations such as the American Council of the Blind to make their services available to the blind as well. In the meantime, companies such as Zagga Entertainment will be able to help make audio-described content available to as many blind people as possible.

These are exciting times for the blind, and AccessWorld will certainly be there to keep everyone informed about what is happening now, and what is soon to come.

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Whether you're shopping for a new shirt or attempting to diagnose why your talking computer has gone mute, as people with visual impairments we all need sighted help every now and then. Desktop scanners paired with OCR software signaled a major milestone in reading independence, and the mobile revolution has brought forth innovations ranging from easily accessible color and currency identifiers to GPS navigation apps and services offering accessible orientation and wayfinding.

One of the more recent milestones in mobile assistance is the use of phone and tablet cameras to help with item and situational identification. It started when many blind individuals began using their device cameras and video calling capabilities to seek remote assistance from friends and family. My wife, sister, and nephew have been invaluable remote assistants. More recently, however, the vision-impaired community has begun to seek help outside their social networks. We've discussed Google image recognition and the TapTapSee mobile app in previous issues of AccessWorld. We've also covered Be My Eyes and CrowdVis, both of which use iOS video to offer remote sighted assistance sessions.

Recently, a new player entered the accessibility arena. It's called BeSpecular and it is being previewed and made publicly available on July 1 at the American Council of the Blind's 2016 convention in Minneapolis. So by the time you read this, the app will be publically available as a free download for both iOS and Android.

How it Works

I have been a member of the BeSpecular beta testing group for several months, and as one would expect for an app aimed at people with visual impairments, the developers have gone to great lengths to make both their iOS and Android apps completely accessible. Unlike Be My Eyes and CrowdVis, however, the app does not rely on video to get the job done. BeSpecular uses the device camera to send still images to a worldwide network of volunteers. As I discuss below, there are advantages and disadvantages to using pictures instead of a live video connection, but first let's step through a sample BeSpecular session.

Using BeSpecular

When you first install and run the BeSpecular app, you are asked if you wish to register as a visually impaired or sighted user. I tested the app on my iPhone 6 and registered as a visually impaired user. Registration required only my name, email, and password selection. I could also enter optional biographic material, which I skipped for the time being.

You can choose to either "Take a picture" or "Upload picture from gallery." The latter option opens your photo library, which, as we will see later, can be quite a useful feature.

Double tap the "Take a picture" button and BeSpecular announces "Focusing, please hold still." Unfortunately, the app does not wait until you are actually holding the camera still to snap the photo. If you double tap the "Take a picture" button and wave the camera around, the shutter still snaps. BeSpecular does use auto-flash, and when sending a library photo it will advise when an image is too dark.

After a photo has been taken you are offered the option of snapping an additional picture to be sent with your assistance request. This is ideal when your question requires a multi-sided view of an object, or when, say, you don't know which side of the box actually contains the cooking instructions.

There are two ways to ask questions about the image you send. You can type your request, or you can record a message. To record a message, double tap and hold, begin speaking, and then release the tap when you are finished. WhatsApp users will be familiar with this process, but I found it a bit awkward. My muscle memory says double tap and start speaking, then double tap when you finish, as is done with normal dictation on my iPhone. Perhaps the developers could add this option? I did find it amusing one time when BeSpecular considered my question too brief. They suggested I explain in more detail what information I wished to ask about my image, and also to consider thanking the volunteer.

Once you've recorded your question you can choose to either send your request or cancel the session. BeSpecular uploads a high-resolution version of the image, so it will take a bit longer than other photo uploads. And unlike all of the other remote assistant sites we have evaluated here at AccessWorld, BeSpecular sends your requests to multiple volunteers at once. You will be notified how many volunteers are currently responding to your request. You can set up device notifications so you can check your email or listen to a podcast while you wait, although during the beta period responses usually arrived in less than a minute. After each reply you have the option to ask for further replies if the answer was incomplete, or to end your request.

Sighted volunteers can respond either with a typed message or audio recording. Unfortunately, due to privacy concerns, you cannot establish a one-to-one connection if the responder requires an additional photo or other clarification.

You can refer back to a history of your requests and responses, however, and though I was unable to test this feature, the official release version will allow users to save BeSpecular photos to the device's camera roll using a received text description for its name—a handy feature indeed.

Like any service that depends on volunteers, the number of responses and the speed of these responses varied throughout the beta cycle. At the conclusion of the beta test, BeSpecular had 1,500 registered members, 65 percent sighted and 35 percent with a visual impairment. Occasions when fewer than two volunteers replied to my requests were rare. Still, it remains to be seen if BeSpecular suffers the same growing pains as Be My Eyes, which experienced a number of server crashes as word of its release spread.

According to Stephanie Cowper, Co-founder of BeSpecular, "Our developer team has worked hard to build scalability in from the ground up."

According to Cowper, "specular" is a physics term. "It means 'reflection of light,'" she said, "which seemed appropriate for an app like ours." Cowper also notes that the dots for the braille letter "S" are basically a mirror reflection of themselves, adding with a laugh, "We added the 'Be' because BeSpecular rolls easier off the tongue."

Why Use BeSpecular

When asked what advantages the BeSpecular model might have over the video based options, Cowper grouped her responses into two categories: one for the volunteers and one for the users.

"Volunteers want to volunteer," she states. "Be My Eyes has so many volunteers compared to the number of sight-impaired users, any one sighted helper might go for up to a year without receiving a single request. When a request does come, he or she is going to feel they have to drop everything and offer assistance right away, which isn't always practical. Since we send requests to multiple volunteers at once, if someone isn't in a place where they can respond, they can rest assured someone else can offer assistance.

"For the vision-impaired, chances are the responses are going to come quicker. Also, you may only wish to know something simple, like whether the can of soup in your hands is chicken noodle or tomato. You may not wish to engage in a prolonged wait for a video session for this. Also, BeSpecular is unique in that we are accessible to the deaf-blind community."

One BeSpecular use case surprised Cowper and her team. "Many of our users are on Snapchat and WhatsApp. Instead of having to ask friends to explain an image, they started snapping screenshots and sending them from their photo library for BeSpecular volunteers to describe."

BeSpecular will begin life as a free, ad-supported app. "The ads will be tightly integrated into the app—no banners or popups," Cowper promises. "We will also be offering an ad-free subscription model." Pricing has not yet been determined, but Cowper says, "We are expecting it to be less than $20 per year for unlimited use."

Final BeSpeculations

During my beta test period I rarely needed to ask for an additional response, though often a second reply came through before I could tap the "Cancel" button. It remains to be seen how well the response speed and quality will hold up once non-beta volunteers begin to sign up. Be My Eyes was flooded with new volunteers as news coverage, including AccessWorld's, hit the wires. Will lightning strike twice? Or will remote sighted assistance be "yesterday's volunteer opportunity"? Myself, I'm hoping for lightning.

How to Get Started

Visit the BeSpecular website.

For iOS and Android download links.

You can also connect with the team via e-mail, Twitter (@Bespecular), and Facebook.

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One layer after another, as I unpack the box and examine its contents, a single thought repeats in my brain: "This could be a braille user's dream!" The thought occurs so spontaneously because the contents of this box hold no mystery for the person who is unable to read print.

First, there is a USB keyboard. Next, is a slim 8.5 by 11-inch book, with an embossed label on the front cover announcing that it is the "6dot Label Maker User's Guide." Beneath the USB keyboard and the braille user's guide is another box. This, of course, contains the device itself, a device I am now more eager to see than I had anticipated. Nestled around the device are several rolls of labeling tape and a coiled AC power adapter. In the center, looking not quite like any device I have seen before, is the 6dot Label Maker.

Now, of course, I knew what this box contained before the unpacking began. This product was packaged with a braille-reading blind person in mind, with measures taken to ensure that every item was clearly recognizable and the product itself ready for the new customer to explore immediately. Braille is so personal, provides such an instant word-to-mind connection, that it is not lost on me that "6dot" is emblazoned in perfect braille on the top of the unit—and on the bottom.

With book and device on my desk, I am ready to begin the familiar process of test-driving a new product.

The Many Uses for Braille Labels

Whether in a college classroom or a casual conversation at a party, if I am asked to explain how I use braille, the litany of labels always comes up. Beyond books and magazines in braille, beyond reading my computer screen and iPhone screen from a refreshable braille display, there are the labels that are affixed to all manner of items throughout my home and office.

From shampoo and laundry detergent to coconut milk and soy sauce, from cuticle oil and Tylenol to Mexican vanilla and ground curry, braille labels of my own making enable me to grab products with ease and efficiency equal to that of a print-reading person. Braille labels are on my appliances, credit cards, movies, music CD's, power adapters for an array of technology, and file folders.

This is not extraordinary. Any blind person who works, cooks, or pursues any activity independently will have a similar assortment of items labeled in braille for confident recognition.

How that braille gets thereon to any one of those objects in the first place, however, is a somewhat tedious story.

Current Methods for Making Braille Labels

Probably the most ubiquitous material for labeling objects in braille has been DYMO labeling tape. Users put braille on the tape by employing a variety of methods. For decades, a mechanical device called a DYMO labeler, a wheel with the braille alphabet around the rim and a handle to be squeezed as each choice is aligned, has probably been the most popular tool for this purpose. The problem with this method is that only the alphabet and a few contractions fit onto the wheel. Thus, labels are long and cumbersome, and words do not take the shapes so familiar to the fluent braille reader. The labelers are temperamental, at best, with a reputation for failing easily, either by jamming or not cutting the tape properly. Usually, the labels had to be cut apart with scissors, sometimes frustrating blind and sighted alike by the awkwardness of peeling off the adhesive backing.

Two other methods of producing more accurately formatted braille labels have been to use a Perkins Brailler or slate and stylus.

An accessory for the Perkins Brailler enables the braille user to use whatever symbols or contractions she pleases, but again, inserting and removing the tape and device can be tedious, and only the experienced braille user can do the job.

Finally, many braille slates have been designed with slots for feeding the tape through the slate and holding it in place while the user hand punches the desired braille characters. This has been my own labeling method of choice for many years, allowing me to employ any braille configuration that fits the space and the item to be labeled, while also allowing some portability since a slate, stylus, and roll of tape can be easily transported. Many competent braille users, however, have never learned to use a braille slate and stylus, so this method is not particularly widespread.

Thus it is with a resounding "Drum roll, please!" that the 6dot Label Maker appears on the scene with an automated approach to making personalized braille labels.

The 6dot Label Maker

My first thought upon lifting the 6dot out of its box is that it somewhat resembles an old Braille 'n' Speak on steroids. A sighted friend commented that it looked like a miniature flying saucer! It is roughly egg-shaped, measuring about 8 inches wide by 5.8 inches from front to back and 2.8 inches tall. It weighs 1.5 pounds.

On the top is a Perkins-style keyboard, bright green against a light gray casing, with a few additional blue keys to set them apart from the others. The braille name "6dot" is at the top of the unit, enabling the braille user to orient the device properly, with the name at the top. With the label maker in this orientation, there are the six keys for dots 1-6 in the center. Closest to you, at the bottom edge, is a long space bar. Between the space bar and 6 keys are left and right arrow keys with a round Enter/Cut key between them. That's all there is to the keyboard.

On the right side is a rocker switch for powering the machine on and off. And behind the dot 2 key, on the back of the machine, is the tape exit where the newly made label rolls out. There is a USB port for connecting the external keyboard and a connection point for the AC adapter. The unit arrives with six AA batteries and one roll of DYMO tape pre-installed. The included braille user's guide is clear and concise, albeit not entirely complete, and renders the new user ready for labeling in a matter of minutes.

Test Drive

As a veteran braille user, the pleasure of simply typing on that familiar Perkins-style keyboard to produce the desired label was initially nothing short of thrilling! The machine makes no sound when powered on, but a distinct beep or whine is heard for each character typed on the keyboard. There is about a two-second processing time for each character, but you can type quickly and wait for the 6dot to catch up. In other words, if you want to type "shampoo," you can type the entire word quickly and listen for the resulting processing beeps to conclude. Alternatively, you could type the "sh" contraction and wait, the "a" and wait, the "m" and wait, and so on, until the word is complete.

Again, each character takes about two seconds to process. Once the brailling has finished, a press of the round Enter/Cut key cuts the label and now the label is ready for you to pluck it from the tape exit location at the back of the unit. Each cut label has a tab at the right end, making the separation of the backing from the adhesive tape quick and easy.

What I particularly appreciated immediately was that I could quickly produce a label bearing any symbols I chose. I could make my label in uncontracted, English Braille American Edition, Unified English Braille, Grade 3 Braille, or even some short-form concoction with a meaning clear only to me.

The braille is outstanding – much crisper than produced by any of the manual methods detailed above. Adding the tab for peeling after each cut is a welcome benefit. Some might find the tab less than cooperative, but I found that by bending it back and forth a few times, the removal was smooth and clean.

Adaptations for Sighted Users

Sometimes, it is preferable for a sighted assistant, family member, or friend to make braille labels. One obvious situation where this would be the case is in immersing a child or new braille reader in the wonders of the tactile reading system. A sighted teacher or parent can make labels with confidence, knowing that the right end, the end where the tab for peeling is located, is also the right edge or last character of the word on the label.

For this purpose, the product includes a standard QWERTY keyboard and a small USB adapter for attaching it to the 6dot Label Maker. When attached, any character typed on the QWERTY keyboard is then produced by the label maker. The drawback, of course, is that labels generated by the QWERTY keyboard are produced in uncontracted braille. That said, they are also produced quickly and in crisp braille that will endure.

About that Dream State

As with any brand-new experience, once familiarity is established, flaws and caveats are more apparent.

The 6dot Label Maker is by no means perfect. Waiting for the processing of each character is sometimes tiresome; the tab produced by the cutter is difficult for some people to manipulate; the QWERTY keyboard could be smaller and include a direct interface. And it should be mentioned that as I tested the topic of this new device on the minds of a few braille-using colleagues, the consistent reaction was delight mixed with dismay that the price was too extreme.

So, no, the 6dot Label Maker is by no means perfect, but it is a stylish and efficient device, and the closest we have ever come to putting fast and fabulous braille labels into the work and play environments of braille readers.

Product Information

The 6dot Braille Label Maker sells for $749.00.

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