Dear AccessWorld Editor,

In reply to Maribel Steel's frustration with Siri in her March letter, I have several suggestions. I've had the pleasure of assisting many sighted colleagues and friends to better utilize voice recognition.

First, it's important to listen to someone who is successfully utilizing Siri. Last time I went to my hairdresser, I had her listen while I texted friends, added items to my grocery list, scheduled appointments, changed meeting dates, answered email and created some reminders. She had previously not been able to do a thing with Siri, but after that she could also use Siri well. She does a lot of driving and needs to keep her eyes on the road and her hands on the wheel. My hairdresser claims not to be very good with technology,but she easily learned by listening to me. I learned through YouTube. I simply had it search for all videos about Siri and listened to both the successes and failures.

This issue with Siri demonstrates a problem many people have with technology. They do not approach it as a fun adventure but rather as a serious task. Though I now use Siri to accomplish duties in my job, when I got my iPhone for Christmas I goofed off with it for several weeks before trusting it to my work calendar and email. To master the onscreen keyboard, I did not attempt to write critical memos, but instead I played text adventure games. I put appointments on my calendar like, "brush the dog" and "call Mom," things that didn't matter if I messed them up. I tried to take videos of my friend's cat, read price tags at Wal-Mart, and searched the web for entertainment.

One of the funniest Siri experiences I had was when I asked her to "call my husband at home." "Which husband?" Siri replied. This happened because I had duplicates of some of my contact records. Rather than being frustrated, I found it hilarious because I was still in the exploration stage, and not yet using the iPhone as a serious tool.

I now can type accurate memos, schedule meetings reliably, and keep track of a complex to-do list, but that's because I started out with the iPhone as a toy.

One of my job duties is to train students to use digital voice recorders. I always tell them to not wait until they need to record an important course lecture, but rather to sit in front of the television and record a program. To simulate [the conditions in] a large lecture hall, I suggest that they put a pocket radio in their garage or on their patio, turn on a sports event, and record at varying distances.

I also suggest when they are practicing taking notes on a computer or iOS device, that they first take notes on trivial things like TV commercials. I ask them to [listen to a medication commercial and] list three side effects, or write down the diseases [the medication is] supposed to alleviate. If new technology is a toy first, and a tool later, people will be far more effective with more complex tasks.

People feel that playing games with technology is a waste of time, but playing is how children learn how to navigate the world. So why can't we, as adults, use the love of play to learn to navigate complex technology!

Sincerely,

Deborah Armstrong

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I am a Hearing Instrument Practitioner in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. I am thrilled to have this positive review, Phonak ComPilot Product Review: Wearing a Necklace of Sound, A Product of Interest for Deaf-Blind or Hard of Hearing, by Deborah Kendrick, forwarded to me by an avid reader of AccessWorld Magazine. I have passed it on to my Phonak rep who will hopefully kick it upstairs to have the glaring usability issues rectified.

There are a few points to mention to readers if you get comments asking for further information:

The newest version of the ComPilot (ComPilot Air or uStream) can also come without a neck-loop. The antenna is integrated but the buttons aren't quite as handy.

Unitron (sister company of Phonak) has quite the same accessories. In Canada the ComPilot (and often also a second accessory such as a Bluetooth remote microphone or TV adapter) is included in the price of new hearing instruments. This might also be true in the USA.

Most hearing instruments come with great accessories like this nowadays. The ComPilot happens to be an outstanding device and more usable than some others. For slightly older Phonak hearing instruments, there is also the iCom which is not as great but a serviceable streaming option for older instruments.

The streaming function though can be generic but by default isn't.

So even for this the ComPilot must be configured by the HIP/Aud when purchased separately. The level of beep or voice alerts can be changed to be "warning only" or go into detail all the time.

The microphone is on the top of the device (between the holes for the neck loop) and what seems to be a microphone grill on the front of the device is purely decorative. The neck loop allows the ComPilot to hang at an ideal distance from the mouth so that things like background noise or wind noise don't disrupt the streamed phone conversation too much. There also is a short neckloop available.

If the streaming audio quality is generally poor (eg intermittent in one ear) the issue is nearly always a defect in the neckloop/antenna. The antenna can be easily replaced and typically free of charge.

There are two other separate hearing instruments I would like to point out for you:

The ReSound LiNX connects directly with an iPhone. There are still issues to be worked out with this though as the battery doesn't last as long as people would expect and it's sometimes intermittent. It is promising though. Check out other iOS compatible hearing aids.

Hansaton xEarA ITE (larger in-the-ear) hearing aids can be charged using an overnight induction charger. Batteries don't need to be changed.

Hansaton has just partnered with Sonova (parent of Phonak and Unitron) so their next line of instruments will all be compatible with devices such as the ComPilot. A rechargeable RIC (similar to the Phonak Audeo line) will be launched soon.

Again, thank you for this excellent and helpful article.

Best regards,

Martin Sattler

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

Voice Dream Writer: An iOS Editor with Accessibility Extras by Bill Holton was an excellent, thorough review. Nice job!

I had heard of this app, but I am now going to get it based on your review.

Thanks!

John Riehl

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

AccessWorld's one article, CSUN 2015: What's New from the Exhibit Hall and Beyond by J.J. Meddaugh, is good, but it is simply not enough. Why not publish several articles, running over several months, to more fully cover CSUN? Then, one would be able to begin to scratch the surface of things.

Thank you,

David

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

Thank you very much for the article, CSUN 2015: What's New from the Exhibit Hall and Beyond, by J.J. Meddaugh. I strongly suggest more articles in future issues to cover more CSUN Conference information.

Sincerely,

Michael Micallef

2015 M-Enabling Summit: Conference and Showcase

The 2015 M-Enabling Conference will be held June 1–2, 2015 in Washington DC at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel.

The two day high-level conference and showcase is entirely dedicated to solutions promoting and implementing accessible mobile communications and services for senior citizens and people of all abilities. During the Summit, participants will gain insight into how accessible mobile applications and services transform customer relations for the private and public service sectors. Further, the Summit will provide the opportunity to network with influential industry and government leaders from around the world.

For more information, visit the M-Enabling webpage, or contact:

Ron Akins
301-493-5500, ext. 3310
akins@ejkrause.com

Pat Hazan-Tessler
301- 493-5500, ext. 3386
tessler@ejkrause.com

Francesca Cesa Bianchi
Vice President, Institutional Relations
G3ict
678-534-8518
fcesabianchi@g3ict.org

Envision Announces Dates and Location for 10th Annual Envision Conference 2015

September 9–12, 2015
Grand Hyatt Hotel, Denver

Envision recently announced that its 10th annual Envision Conference will be held September 9–12, 2015 at the Grand Hyatt in Denver. Organizers of the program, which gathers specialists from around the globe to share knowledge on the latest findings and approaches related to addressing vision impairment, are now accepting submissions of prospective clinical education and research abstract presentations to be included on the four day agenda. Full details of the 2015 program are available at the conference website.

The Envision Conference typically offers 90 hours of clinical education and research sessions pertaining to low vision. Participants enhance their ability to:

• describe the most current research and clinical practices in low vision rehabilitation
• recommend appropriate patients who could benefit from low vision rehabilitation
• recognize the multidisciplinary nature of professionals involved in low vision patient care
• assess the potential for patients to maximize functional vision through low vision rehabilitation
• select appropriate resources and adaptive strategies for patients with permanent vision loss
• develop strategies for strengthening the role of low vision on the public health agenda
• address disparities in access to low vision care
• provide opportunities and training to address national eye health epidemics

Many sessions can earn attendees continuing education accreditation through agencies including: the Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (COPE), the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation & Education Professionals (ACVREP), the Commission on Paraoptometric Certification (CPC), Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC), and the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO).

Two Scholarships Offered

This year Envision is introducing two scholarships to attend its annual conference. Each scholarship will be awarded to either a full-time student studying clinical areas of low vision rehabilitation (optometry, ophthalmology, occupational therapy, orientation and mobility, or low vision therapy), or to a Ph.D. candidate specializing in research related to low vision applications or clinical outcomes. Scholarships will cover the full cost of registration, but do not include travel or hotel expenses. Students interested in applying for a scholarship should submit a curriculum vitae, at least one letter of reference from a professor or clinical supervisor, a completed application, and a one-page narrative explaining their interest in low vision rehabilitation or research and outlining how attending the conference would benefit their education or career.

Applications are due by April 15, 2015. Notification of acceptance will occur by May 15, 2015.

Envision Names Athlete Matt Simpson and Optometrist Jeanne Derber Keynote Speakers For Envision Conference 2015

Envision recently announced that Matt Simpson, a champion goalball player and the membership and outreach coordinator for the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes, and Dr. Jeanne Derber, a Colorado Springs-based optometrist and director of vision services for the?United States Olympic Training Center, will serve as co-keynote speakers at its 10th annual Envision Conference, September 9–12 in Denver.

Envision's 10^th annual conference will provide a multi-disciplinary forum for the exchange of ideas and information on approaches to low vision rehabilitation. Over four days, ophthalmologists, optometrists, occupational therapists, researchers, academics and other vision care professionals will attend sessions, view exhibits of the latest low vision products and services and share knowledge from around the globe in an effort to improve approaches to minimizing the adverse impact of vision loss.

The keynote address will take place during the Opening Plenary Session on Thursday, September 10. Full details of the 2015 program are available on the Envision website.

Valley Braille Service Founder and Chairman Retires

Valley Braille Service, Inc. recently announced the retirement of its Founder and Chairman of the Board, Richard H. Dortch.

Richard devoted many years to providing Braille to the blind community, often offering his music services to small choral and church groups who could not afford to purchase music for their blind members. Richard received many awards, including a Certificate of Commendation from the United States Senate and a Congressional Certificate of Congratulations from the United States House of Representatives, and also served on the board for the Nevada Council of the Blind.

Day-to-day operations will continue to be managed by Deb Wilson, President of Valley Braille Service, Inc. Deb has worked closely with Richard the last few years to ensure a smooth transition in leadership and a continuing attention to quality that is important in producing accurate transcriptions.

Freedom Scientific Releases MAGic® 13 Screen Magnification, with Support for Windows® 8.1

Freedom Scientific recently announced the release of version 13 of MAGic Screen Magnification Software in English, German, and Spanish. It increases the size of what a user sees on the monitor, up to 60 times magnification, and can also speak out loud what is on the screen.

"This release brings all of MAGic's current features into the Windows 8.1 environment, as well as adding many new features," says Dusty Voorhees, Senior Product Manager at Freedom Scientific. The Text Viewer is an entirely new concept that automatically clarifies low-contrast, stylized, and variable sized text, and displays it in a separate window. This feature allows users to actively work in their applications without having to make adjustments as they encounter anomalies, providing improved speed and productivity when working with complex documents or web pages.

Additional Features:

• Support for Office® 2010 and 2013 in both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.
• More magnification levels for better user control. MAGic has added one-quarter-step increments from 2× to 4× magnification and whole-step increments up from 4× to 60× magnification.
• Dozens of languages and Vocalizer Expressive voices from Nuance® Communications are included at no extra cost. These voices represent a new level in human-sounding responsive synthesized speech, and are the same voices that are offered with JAWS®.

For a full list of the features of this release, visit the MAGic What's New page.

Tema Smith-Bosken is a rare individual who came to technological accessibility by way of her husband, Bob Bosken, a techie who is blind. She has become a tenacious advocate and leader for an inclusive cyberspace. The couple met in the 1990s as co-trainers contracted with the Social Security Administration (SSA) to train new SSA employees. Bosken was working with Bartimaeus, a company of access technology experts with blindness, and was training individuals with visual impairments. He later became an employee of the SSA.

Having never known a blind person, Smith-Bosken was fascinated by how Bob interacted charismatically with other people, and with how he interacted with technology as well as she did. She wanted to learn more and she did. Today, she is as familiar with JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver as any user who is blind. She and her husband are high energy advocates for all things technological. When I ran into them for the first time in years and we exchanged life updates, Smith-Bosken was delighted regarding her new job at JPMorgan Chase.

"They are going to be the go-to financial institution for all people with disabilities," she enthused, and clearly felt fortunate to be among the gurus mapping the company's accessibility journey.

A Personal Prologue

Before beginning work on this article, I had some personal experience with JPMorgan Chase and the company's approach to accessibility. When accessible ATMs (those with headset jacks, indicating that the menus are spoken) were popping up all over the country, Chase was the first bank to add "talking" ATMs to two of its branches in Cincinnati, which is where I live. One of those branches was a mile from my home, so I opened an account. The ATM was great, though branch employees knew little to nothing about its presence or functionality.

When I later opened a Chase credit card, I was delighted to discover that the bank's braille statements were the most professional of any I'd seen from any company to date—and were produced by a blind-owned company in Tampa, Florida.

Later still, when I opened a mortgage with Chase, I was dismayed to learn that, although I could get my credit card statements in braille, no such alternative format was available from the mortgage department. [Author's note: That experience was in 2010. When reviewing this article prior to publication, media representatives of JPMorgan Chase assured me that mortgage statements are now available in alternate formats.[

JPMorgan Chase Players and Plans for Accessibility

Of course, people who are blind and visually impaired aren't the only potential customers seeking inclusion by a financial institution. In recognition of a multi-faceted need for inclusive practices, the company has assembled a team of developers, testers, and advisors who represent the array of disability challenges from vision and learning disabilities to mobility difficulties and more.

Smith-Bosken says that some 200,000 Chase employees have received the company's ADA course, while 30,000 to date have participated in role-based accessibility training. The latter is designed to meet the needs of each specific role — from Web developers to content authors to bank tellers. Smith-Bosken has had a hand in designing some of that training and has experienced the joy of observing fellow employees experience it.

For some, training has focused on methods for creating accessible PDF files; for others, the focus might be on disability etiquette.

Chase has ramped up its presence at technology and disability related conferences. At the 2015 CSUN conference, there were five sessions led by Chase staff, two of them by Smith-Bosken herself.

Closer to home, the American Foundation for the Blind's 2015 Leadership Conference in Phoenix will feature a luncheon demonstration and discussion of Chase's Web accessibility features for up to 30 individuals who express interest.

On the webpage discussing Chase's commitment to accessibility, clear awareness of most disability issues is evident. Besides raised-line checks and alternate format statements, customers will find offers to provide sign language interpreters for facilitating financial discussions, reader services by appointment to explain confusing financial issues on statements, a close adherence to World Wide Web Consortium guidelines, and an awareness of most popular screen reading software.

Becoming an Accessibility Aficionado

While plenty of people who do not have disabilities work at JP Morgan Chase and elsewhere in the realm of accessibility, anyone who actually "walks the walk" is likely to have a bit more zeal for getting it right.

Smith-Bosken didn't have a disability when she became immersed in a belief that accessibility, independence, and inclusion were human rights, but her immersion is perhaps more complete than some who actually experience lifelong disability.

The Boskens' two children, ages 14 and 10, have caught the accessibility and technology bugs as well.

Her sons, Smith-Bosken says, have been listening to speech synthesizers since they were born, and every laptop and phone in the family has a screen reader running on it.

While they do enjoy movies together, a more common family scene is for the four of them to cuddle while listening to an audio book that Bob has downloaded from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped BARD site.

One son aspires to be a designer of accessible video games one day, because it makes him mad that he can't play his favorite games with his dad.

When asked if she can navigate a computer screen without vision, Smith-Bosken says that she often closes her eyes while looking at a Web page, and encourages co-workers to do so as well.

One laptop at home actually has a broken screen, and Smith-Bosken will sometimes use it, with JAWS or NVDA reading the screen to her, to send an e-mail or read a file.

The JPMorgan Chase Online Environment

Seeking a personal encounter, I decided to test the Chase website with a personal mission.

I had actually visited the site once several months ago, with a not-so-happy ending. I had received a promotional invitation to sign up for autopay for my mortgage and to be entered in a drawing for $35,000. That was incentive enough for me to visit the site, and unfortunately, I ran into an unlabeled button or link and abandoned the effort.

Today, the team of accessibility gurus at Chase like to fix broken labels and buttons, so before completing this article, I paid the site another visit.

My mission was to sign up for online banking.

The process wasn't simple or fast. There were six steps, each with its own page. The process was, however, completely accessible and successful. Each step was clearly labeled and fairly easily navigated which, as all readers of AccessWorld know, is not something we can take for granted in the online environment of any corporate entity, financial or otherwise.

Smith-Bosken emphasized that there is big news coming regarding online accessibility. While she was not at liberty to elaborate, it is clear the company plans to roll out some additional accessibility features in the foreseeable future.

Will JPMorgan Chase become the go-to financial institution for all people with disabilities? That will depend on future strides in online usability and access, the continued commitment of its accessibility team, and the involvement of accessibility advocates with spirits kindred to that of Smith-Bosken.

Comment on this article.

Related articles:

• An Introduction to Accessible QuickBooks by Intuit and My Blind Spot
• Accessible Mobile Money Management: Evaluating Mint, Check, and MoneyWiz iOS Apps

More articles from the Deborah Kendrick:

• Walt Disney World Provides Accessibility for Blind Guests
• AGOGO: An Amazing Antidote to Boredom and More

It's time to think about spring cleaning. You may want to work on your Mac's software, but definitely don't use a vacuum cleaner. Here are some applications that can help. Some will delete unwanted programs while others scan your Mac to free up space on your hard drive. Useful apps include App Cleaner, App Zap, Disk Cleaner Pro, Quick Cleaner, and CleanMyMac. Before using anything that will delete files on your computer, it's always very important to back up your hard drive.

For this review, I used an 11-inch MacBook Air running OS X Yosemite, along with the latest availalbe versions of the apps.

AppCleaner

Although it's not available in the Mac App Store, this application can be downloaded from the developer's website:

According to the website, "AppCleaner is a small application which allows you to thoroughly uninstall unwanted apps. Installing an application distributes many files throughout your System using space of your Hard Drive unnecessarily. AppCleaner finds all these small files and safely deletes them."

Finding Applications to Delete

When AppCleaner opens, focus should be on the "Applications" button. If not, use Tab or Shift\ +\ Tab to get to it. Select the "Applications" button. VoiceOver does not give any feedback that something is happening, but if you move to the right there will be a search button. Activating the Search button will present an edit box for searching for a particular application. Type the name of the application into the edit box, and move right for a table with the search results. Another option is to ignore the Search button, and continue moving right to the applications table and interact with it.

Deleting an Application

If you use the Search button to find an application or if you locate the application in the table, the information will be displayed in the same way. VoiceOver will say whether the check box next to the application's name is checked or unchecked. There is a button to show in Finder, and finally the application's name and path. Check the box if you want to delete the application. Move right, past the app's information to the search button and select it. This is not the same search button as described above.

VoiceOver will not give feedback that the app's files are displayed, but by moving to the left, the files can be located in a table. Each file has a check box which is checked by default. Move back to the right and activate the "Delete" button. You will hear the familiar sound as when items are added to the trash. That's where the deleted files will be moved.

This application is easy to use. It would be improved with increased VoiceOver feedback, but with some practice this isn't a serious issue. It is important to keep in mind Applications Apple has pre-installed on your Mac cannot be deleted.

App Zap

According to the Mac App Store, "App Zap has one function only, and that is to get rid of unwanted apps and all their related files. Simplicity and security are the driving force behind the build. From the moment you click on the App Zap icon you need to be in control of removing apps in the most efficient and expedient fashion. If you click on the advanced function the app will search for all related files of the app to be eliminated."

Finding Applications to Delete

When this application opens, you will be on a button. Initially VoiceOver only says, "Button." However, with hints enabled, after a few seconds VoiceOver will add, "Show all installed apps." The same situation occurs with the second button which is "Show Help." The final button is used for choosing how App Zap deletes files. This button is completely unlabeled.

Activate the "Show all installed apps" button. VoiceOver will not indicate that anything new has happened on the screen. Move left, and App Zap will state the number of apps found. Move right, past the buttons, to a table listing all the applications. Each entry will include a check box, the application's name, and four buttons. Select the check box next to the name of the application you wish to delete.

Deleting an Application

To the right of the application's name are four unlabeled buttons. As with the "Show all apps" button, VoiceOver will eventually speak the button's function. The first button is "Back," the second is "Just remove selected app," the third is "Remove all selected apps and all related files," and the fourth is "Browse app for related files." Choose which action you want to take, and a dialogue box will appear presenting the option to remove the checked files. There will be "Yes" and "No" buttons for this action. When applications are being deleted, App Zap will say it is deleting files, but no feedback is given when the task is complete.

In comparison, App Zap has more significant VoiceOver issues than AppCleaner, and it does not give enough feedback.

Disk Cleaner Pro

According to the iTunes Store, "Disk Cleaner Pro removes tons of unnecessary files on your Mac to free up hard drive space.

Disk Cleaner Pro can clear:

• Unused caches
• Unused logs
• Old email attachments
• Old downloaded files
• Unnecessary foreign languages
• The Trash!"

Finding Files to Delete

When Disk Cleaner Pro is launched, focus is on the "Continue" button. To the left of the "Continue" button is information regarding how much free space on your hard drive is available. To get started, activate this "Continue" button.

When the next screen appears, VoiceOver will say that you are on a checkbox and whether it is checked or unchecked, the name of the item it affects, and how much space is used for each category. The first checkbox refers to the Application Logs. The next is Downloads, and there is a button to view the contents of your Downloads folder. Next comes an explanation of what the App Logs are. This can be confusing since the explanation isn't next to the app logs check box. Next is an explanation about the contents of the Downloads folder.

Next are two checkboxes, one for Application Caches and the other for Mail Downloads. A button to view the contents of the Email Downloads folder is the next control, which is followed by descriptions of the Application Caches and Mail Downloads. The final two checkboxes are Voices and Trash. These are followed by descriptions about the folders.

Deleting Files

The final control is a button labeled "Clear Disk Space." Once activated, a dialogue will open to confirm the selected files should be deleted from your Mac. When deletion is complete, Disk Cleaner Pro gives a congratulatory message and indicates how much space has been freed. There are then buttons to share or exit.

This is an inexpensive, easy-to-use application. Although, it would make more sense for descriptions to be spoken just before or after each checkbox, Disk Cleaner Pro is definitely useable.

Quick-Cleaner

According to the Mac App Store, "Quick Cleaner is a smart app to help you regain wasted disk space on your Mac. This application works by scanning your home directory to find unnecessary files, such as old caches, logs, browser data, and iOS update files.

Finding Files to Delete

When Quick Cleaner opens, focus is on the "Start Scan" button. At the top of the window is a toolbar followed by the words "Used," Free," and "Total." After the words are three numbers which correspond to the three words. For example, the first number is how much free space is available on your hard drive.

Next is the "Start Scan" button. The first time the "Start Scan" button is activated, a dialogue box will appear, requiring that you manually select your home folder. Follow the instructions in the box by selecting the "Home Folder" button. A new screen will load showing the contents of your Home folder. Move right to the "Open" button to start the scanning process. If you want to scan a different folder, move left to the pop-up menu and make another selection.

Quick Cleaner does not give any indication that a scan is complete. A scan is complete when the screen contains information about the various files that can be deleted. For example, the first section is Trash. Others include Downloads, Logs, and Old iPhone Updates. In the Trash section there is information about how much space will be freed if files are deleted and how many files are in the Trash. There's a "View" button and an "Open" Button. The "View" button loads a table of all items in the Trash. Here is where you can manually choose, with checkboxes, which files should be deleted. By default all the boxes are checked. The "Open" button opens the files in a Finder window. In this display, just the name of the file is listed. For example, if there's an application in your trash, the application has many files within it. Choosing the "View" button will give you a list of every file in the app as opposed to using the "Open" button where just the application's name is displayed. Each section has the same controls.

Deleting Files

Review the files to be deleted before going to the next step. When ready to execute the deletion process, move right to the "Delete Files" button. There will be no audio feedback when the scan is completed. The screen will indicate how many files have been removed and how much space is freed.

Quick Cleaner is a good option for cleaning up your Mac. It works well with VoiceOver, and it's free!

CleanMyMac 2

According to the developer's website, "The Simplest, Safest Way to Clean Your Mac! CleanMyMac 2 is an ingeniously simple, yet surprisingly powerful application for keeping your Mac clean, organized, and free of files that slow it down. It's simply the best app for cleaning up your Mac!"

Finding Files

When the application opens, there is a table on the left that can be used to remove files or the menus can be used in combination with a table of files scheduled for removal. Some people prefer the menus. In either case, make sure that you review which files are scheduled for removal. There are some unlabeled buttons next to the table that can be ignored during the standard file deletion process.

The View menu contains a list of actions CleanMyMac can perform. Next to the action's name is a key combination to enter without going into the menu. For example, Command-1 is Automatic Cleanup and Command-2 is System Cleanup. If using the View menu, select the option you want.

Before continuing, use VoiceOver commands to read the screen. There is information about how much content will be deleted. There will be a table with form controls to select specific files to be removed. Use the checkboxes if you only want to remove specific files listed.

Deleting Files

The next step is to do a scan. Go to the Action menu and arrow down once. VoiceOver will say the name of the action to be performed. For example, when emptying the trash Voiceover will say, "Empty." For some actions, it will say, "Scan. Press the Return key." You may need to go back into the Action menu and arrow down once to press the Return key. A chime will sound when the operation is complete. Once done, go into the Action menu and arrow down to finish and select this option. Then use VoiceOver navigation to find out how much content has been removed.

CleanMyMac 2 works well with VoiceOver: although, it is expensive. It gives the user a lot of control when choosing files to delete. If you have a lot of files and want to free up space on your hard drive, download the free trial and decide whether the app is worth $39.95.

The Bottom Line

Although all these applications can be used with VoiceOver, App Cleaner and Quick Cleaner are free. CleanMyMac is very expensive, but depending on your usage, it might be worth downloading the free trial. Disk Cleaner Pro is an inexpensive option. App Zap requires some extra work where App Cleaner is free and more accessible.

Product Information

AppCleaner
Price: Free

App Zap
Price: $4.99

Disk Cleaner Pro
Price: $1.99

Quick-Cleaner
Price: Free

CleanMyMac 2
Price: Full Version: $39.95. The free trial allows you to remove up to 500 MB.

Comment on this article.

Related articles:

• Series: Mac, PC, or Both: Choices for Blind and Visually Impaired Computer Users Part I
• Book Review: Learn to Use the Mac with VoiceOver: A Step-by-Step Guide for Blind Users

More articles from Janet Ingber:

• Focus on the Hospitality Industry, Part I in a Series: A Guide to Online Reservations for Marriott and Hyatt Hotels
• An Overview of OS X Yosemite for the Mac

Ever since the introduction of the iPhone 3G and Android devices people who are blind have been on a journey of discovery as they explore the landscape of smartphones and tablets. One bump in the road for many travelers with visual impairments has been typing on devices with touchscreen keyboards. Any blind person who has ever listened to s sighted person type a text message at lightning-fast speed knows that the touchscreen typing experience for the visually impaired community is quite different. Bluetooth keyboards have eased the pain for some, but setting up such a keyboard is not always convenient in settings where one must quickly respond to a message and then put the phone or tablet away. Voice dictation has its unique set of issues as well: a crowded room can make accurate translation from voice to text difficult, and people often do not want to talk to their smart devices when they are in a group of people.

Recently, several apps have been developed to allow people who are blind to use a touchscreen to type in braille. With the release of iOS 8, Apple offered its own solution in the form of built-in braille screen input, which lets you quickly jot down a note, respond to a text message, or answer an e-mail using the touchscreen for typing. Even more significant is the ability to transition from braille screen input back to a more traditional keyboard where text can be easily edited. With the introduction of Apple's braille screen input, is there a need for separate apps to allow for the writing of text in braille? At least one developer thinks so.

Taking a Look At iBrailler Notes

iBrailler Notes by iBrailler LLC is an app designed to allow ten-finger braille entry using an iPad. Placing all ten fingers on the screen calibrates the keyboard for use. If your hands begin to drift from their original position, you can simply recalibrate and keep typing. Thumbs are used for the space key, the left pinky accesses the Backspace key, the right pinky activates the Enter key. A simple flick left or right with one finger moves the cursor one character at a time, a two-finger flick moves by words, a three-finger flick moves by sentences, and a four-finger flick moves by paragraphs. Downward flicks with various finger combinations control the reading of text. You save a note by performing an inward pinch gesture; the text selection menu is accessed through an outward pinch gesture. Drawing half circles counterclockwise and clockwise will move you to the beginning and end of the note, respectively; full circles undo and redo actions.

A restricted version of the app is available for free. A $39.99 in-app purchase is required to access functionality such as saving an unlimited number of notes, exporting your notes to Dropbox, and copying text to the clipboard for use in another application. Finally, the app developer suggests that the user disable the multitasking gestures feature of your iPad when using the app, but this does not appear to be an absolute necessity.

Using iBrailler Notes

I evaluated the free version of iBrailler Notes using a 2014 iPad Air. I did not disable the multitasking gestures setting as mentioned above when testing this app, as I could not see myself actually doing this if I wanted to simply jot down a quick note and then return to normal use of my iPad.

iBrailler Notes runs in landscape mode and opens with a start-up wizard that can be disabled at any time. The application help for this program is quite thorough and easy to follow. I had no difficulty learning the fundamentals. I found calibration of the keyboard to be quite straightforward, and typing in braille was a pleasure. It is possible to type in grade 1, contracted or computer braille. I used contracted braille exclusively for this evaluation. iBrailler Notes runs in conjunction with VoiceOver, and I heard the familiar voice of Alex as I typed. I received quite a start, however, the first time I backspaced over a mistyped character and heard a very loud, high-pitched female voice that I didn't recognize. This happened every time I performed the backspace command. I was used to Apple's implementation of character deletion, which is different from that used by iBrailler.

If I typed the phrase "crazy dog" and realized that I actually meant to type "lazy dog," using Apple's standard keyboard I would place my cursor to the right of the letter "r" and hit the delete button twice. Using iBrailler, it is necessary to move to the letter "a" before backspacing to delete the letters "r" and "c." This was not a problem, but did take some getting used to. I found mastery of the inward pinch gesture to save a note to be quite tricky and took a lot of practice for me; drawing circles on the screen to undo and redo edits was also quite a challenge for me. The developers of the app have deliberately chosen not to make menus visible on the screen so that as much real estate as possible can be devoted to typing on the braille keyboard.

Final Thoughts iBrailler Notes

As stated earlier, I found the experience of typing on the iBrailler Notes keyboard to be quite enjoyable, and I had no trouble recalibrating the keyboard when my fingers drifted from their original position as I typed.

Mastering gestures such as an inward pinch and drawing half circles on the screen was quite difficult, and in some cases, impossible for me to master. The help system is quite good, and I believe that the developers of the app have put quite a bit of thought into its design, although it would be helpful if there were a way to access function menus in a more standard fashion. For example, a double-tap-and-hold gesture might bring up a menu for saving, exporting, and other common actions.

For anyone who frequently uses their iPad and enjoys typing in braille, iBrailler Notes deserves consideration. The $39.99 price tag for the full-featured app definitely gives me pause, as I am quite comfortable with Apple's current implementation of braille screen input. The advantage of a stand-alone app such as iBrailler Notes is that it can be updated quickly, while Apple's braille screen input will be updated only when the operating system itself receives an update. The fact that you can try a free version of iBrailler Notes is definitely a plus. Finally, the loud, high-pitched voice that is heard when backspacing over a character is quite jarring, and should definitely be looked into.

Although I will personally stick with Apple's native braille screen input, I am glad that I took the time to test drive iBrailler Notes, and encourage others to do so as well. Be sure and send feedback to the app developer so that this program can become even better over time.

Product Information

Product: iBrailler Notes
Developer: iBrailler Notes LLC
Available from the iTunes App Store
Price: Free in restricted mode; an in-app purchase of $39.99 unlocks all features.

Comment on this article.

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Many people who are blind still prefer a feature phone over a smartphone because they find dial pads easier to navigate and control than a flat touchscreen. Indeed, in the January 2015 issue of AccessWorld we reviewed the Odin VI, a blind-friendly feature phone with a pre-enabled voice guide. In this article we will take a look at a brand new offering from Odin: the Nexus 5 running Claria Vox. This phone works like a talking feature phone, only this one is based on the Android operating system. The Nexus 5 includes a suite of apps designed specifically for accessible, touch-button control, but you can also operate the phone as a standard touchscreen device running Android 4.4.2 KitKat, and enjoy the same features and apps as other accessible smartphone users.

The Claria Vox Keypad

The Nexus 5 Claria Vox is a standard Google Nexus 5 smartphone with a maximum 16 GB of memory (it's not possible to increase memory on the phone with a micro SD card). The phone arrived in the original Nexus 5 packaging, along with a micro USB charging cable and power adapter. The Nexus 5 Claria Vox is a standard Android smartphone, with a Sleep/Wake button on the right edge, Volume Up and Down buttons on the left, a headphone jack on the top and a USB power port on the bottom. The phone does not have physical Home, Back or Recent Apps buttons.

They phone's keypad and touch-button functionality is facilitated by a tactile overlay. The Claria Vox arrives fitted with a black, rubber, bumper-style phone case that covers the bottom half of the touchscreen with a total of 19 small rectangular cutouts you touch like buttons—I'll refer to these cutout areas as "buttons" or "keys" from here on. When your finger meets the touchscreen glass exposed by these buttons, you can activate a combination of standard Android controls and a feature-phone-style keypad. The overlay includes three separate areas, which can best be described from the bottom up: At the bottom center is the Android Home button. Above the Home button are four rows of three keys each: a standard phone keypad. Use these keys to enter numbers and letters the same way you do on a standard feature phone. A small raised line just beneath the 5 key replaces the customary raised dot. When you are in a text edit field, the Star (*) key cycles through various punctuation marks and the Pound (#) key cycles through numbers to lower and upper case letters. Other times the Star key announces the time and date and the Pound key announces missed calls, text messages, and the like.

A wide raised line separates the top of the keypad from two rows of buttons that activate many of the Claria Vox controls. The two middle buttons in these two rows are the Up and Down keys. To the left of the Up key is the Menu button, which will either open the application specific menu button, or, whenever you are in an edit field, accept voice dictation. To the right is the Status/Correct button. In standard mode this button reports connection and GPS status and battery connection. When in an edit field, it acts as a backspace key.

To the left of the Down button is the OK button; to the right is the Android Back button. Use the Back button to back out a screen and eventually return to the main Home screen.

At first I found using the overlay a bit awkward. However, after I noticed the two raised areas I found it somewhat easier to orient my fingers. I do wish the separation between the top two command rows and the dial pad were much wider, however. Reaching for the 2 button, for example, almost required reaching to the very top of the overlay and then counting down three buttons. If I didn't do it this way, all too often I would mistype, since I am not accustomed to beginning a dial pad entry partway down the dial pad, despite the raised separators.

My nails are trimmed fairly short, so I found it easy to point my fingertips straight down into the recesses to reach the touchscreen. Women with longer nails may find it difficult to do this, and may have to use the pads of their fingertips and press just a bit harder on the overlay to activate the buttons.

Using the Claria Vox Interface

My Nexus 5 arrived pre-charged, and when I turned it on it came up speaking with the Talkback Android screen reader configured with the Google text-to-speech voice set at a moderate speed and medium volume. Normally on Android phones you must "Slide to unlock" in order to begin using the phone. You must also do this with the Nexus 5, but you do not have to locate a particular spot on the touch screen or move left to right. Merely slide a finger in any direction against the exposed upper glass of the touchscreen and Claria will announce: "Home…Phone, one of nine."

You are now on the Claria Vox home screen, and as you have probably guessed, Phone is the first of nine Claria Vox applications. You can use the Up and Down buttons to scroll through the list, or enter the number of the desired option.

Phone

To answer a call, press the OK button; to reject a call, or hang up on an existing call, press the Back button. The Claria Vox does not announce caller ID by default, but a quick touch of the screen while the phone is ringing prompts the announcement. Some may appreciate the privacy afforded by this design. I tend to carry my phone in my pocket, however, and would prefer to hear this announcement by default, which is not currently an option.

Pressing the OK button at the Phone prompt calls up a menu of five options:

Dialer

Use this option to enter a phone number, then press the OK button to place the call. You can also use the Dictate button at the uppermost left of the overlay to speak the phone number you wish to dial. For me dictation worked perfectly, even when I purposely mumbled a few of the digits.

Contacts

Use this option to search your contacts. Use the Up and Down buttons to scroll through your list, or enter a letter (press the 8 key twice, quickly, to enter a "U," for example). Pressing the Menu button offered options to create or import a contact.

Call Log

This option presents a list of calls, and allows you to recall, text message, or create a contact from the log.

Voice and Numeric Shortcuts

This option allows you to set speed dials and voice prompts for quicker dialing.

Voicemail

I had difficulty setting up my voicemail. The first time you access this option you are taken to the voicemail setup, where you are prompted to enter a PIN. However, with the phone against my ear, I could not make dial entries, and if I lowered the phone I could not hear the prompts. I was advised by the company that pressing the OK button anytime during a call toggles speaker phone mode. This worked, but it also pointed out a lack of context-sensitive help.

Text Messages

Use this option to send, read, and reply to text messages. Current feature phone users will be familiar with the steps to compose and review messages. You may be surprised how quickly you can send out a message when you use dictation, however. Speak some text and Claria Vox will offer up multiple responses. I almost always received 100% accurate responses and could select the first option presented, but I could also cursor down to select from other, slightly different responses.

E-mail

The e-mail option was easy to set up using my Gmail account. Unfortunately, however, Claria Vox did not download my Gmail contacts or calendar. I rather suspect this is a limitation of Android overlays, since I experience the same issue with the EqualEyes Android suite, which I reviewed in the December 2013 issue of AccessWorld.

See below for a solution to this problem.

Vision Aids

This option includes several useful camera-based apps:

Optical Character Recognition

Claria Vox includes a basic Optical Character Recognition (OCR) program. It is no match for something like KNFB Reader, but I found it serviceable, especially for flat, printed pages. Activate the app, hold the phone over the page to be scanned, then touch the screen or press OK. You can read the results using the Up and Down buttons, and then save the text, image, or both.

Color and Light Detectors

With either of these apps enabled, simply touch the screen or press OK to get a reading. I found both of these very handy.

Camera

Here you can use your camera to snap a photo or take a video. Press the 1 key to toggle the light. One extremely useful feature was the ability to give an image or video a description before saving it to the Gallery. The camera app also includes a bar code identifier that will search the Internet for scanned products. I have never had much luck using such apps, and for me the Claria Vox proved no exception.

Utilities

The Claria Vox utilities include a Notes app you can use to create and edit notes, including text you save using the OCR app. You can also accessibly browse the Android File Manager, set alarms, create and listen to voice memos, access the calculator, consult your calendar and enter new appointments, and check your local or remote weather.

Claria Vox also includes an accessible GPS app based on Google Maps and navigation. The entry fields say "Enter Address Only," but I was able to dictate a location, such as the name of my local hospital, and the app entered the information perfectly. You can set the travel mode, alert announcement distance, and location update frequency. The GPS does not have "look around," capabilities.

Multimedia

The Nexus 5 Claria Vox offers several additional apps that enable access to smartphone mobile capabilities using a talking, feature-phone interface.

Mobile Web Browsing

Some feature phones offer rudimentary Web browsing, but none do it especially well. The ability to browse the Web on the go may be one of the main reasons you may be considering stepping up to a smartphone, and the good news is that the Claria Vox overlay offers up a capable Web experience.

Webpages you call up—via voice search, bookmark, direct URL entry, or pressing OK on an already loaded page—will read to the end automatically. Pressing the 9 key will pause and restart page voicing. You can also use the Up and Down buttons to move through the page. Pressing the 1, 2, 3, or 4 buttons will filter the page by element, links, headings, and forms respectively, similar to a computer browser's quick navigation shortcut keys. Press 3 for example, then use the Down button to navigate by headings. Press the 1 key to continue element by element.

I found browsing with the Claria Vox browser significantly easier than with any feature phone I have evaluated. I would not trade in my touchscreen browser, however.

Claria Vox Radio

This app gathers links to many popular radio stations from around the world. The listings were a bit out of date—several of the streams I tried returned error messages. But I was able to add other MP3 or MPU streams, and then add these stations to my favorites.

Claria Vox News

The News app offers a list of news sources sorted by country. The US list currently includes Voice of America, CNN News, ESPN, ABC 17 News, and the Los Angeles Times. You can listen to the articles being read in full, or use the Up and Down buttons, but, frustratingly, the web browsing 9 button to toggle reading off and on did not work. I also wished there were a way to add extra RSS feeds to the news reader.

Claria Vox MP3 Player

This app plays the music files you have downloaded onto your device. At first I was unable to fully test this app because USB tethering to my computer would not work by default. After consulting with an Odin representative, I was instructed to enter the Android Settings menu, access the Storage option and enable a USB connection. This worked, but hopefully the company will enable tethering by default soon.

Either pressing the OK button or touching the Nexus screen acts as a Play/Pause button. The player also played some, but not all, of the videos I tried. It had no trouble with MP4 files, but AVI files would not play. Nor would the short video I created to my iPhone and e-mailed to myself.

The Claria Vox Book Reader

The Claria Vox Book reader will open Daisy 2, MP3 books and text files. It is also supposed to open Audible books. Unfortunately, currently, the first time you log into your Audible account using a new device, you must complete an inaccessible CAPCHA. There is a link for blind users, but on the Claria Vox browser, this did nothing.

Bookshare and BARD Mobile Talking books are also not supported on the Claria Vox.

Android Applications

You can run all of your device's standard Android apps on the phone using Talkback. There are nineteen apps listed in this menu option, including Google Play Store, Google Wallet and Android Device Settings. If you invoke any of these you will be taken out of the Claria Vox skin and placed into standard Android mode running Talkback with a slightly different voice, which makes it easy to keep track of which mode you are in. Most of the Android standard Talkback swipe and tap gestures are available to you using the top half of the phone, which is not covered by the tactile overlay. However if you wish to enter text you will need to remove the tactile overlay in order to access the onscreen keyboard. You can also install and use a Bluetooth keyboard.

A discussion of Talkback accessibility is beyond the scope of this review. However I will note that the Up and Left home gesture will return you to the Claria Vox software menu. If you added any Play Store apps to the phone they now show up in the Android Applications list. Also, if you log into your Google account using the Play Store or another app, your contact lists will now appear in the Claria Vox phone, text messaging, and e-mail apps.

Updates

This option enables a quick way to update the Claria Vox apps, add new Claria apps as they are released, and update your phone's operating system. During my evaluation of the Nexus 5 Claria Vox there were no updates to install. I would have thought that a Nexus phone would be eligible to upgrade to the newest Android version, Lollipop, but this was not the case.

Settings

This option offers access to all of the standard Android settings. This is where you go to join a Wi-Fi network, and enable Bluetooth, GPS, and NFC. Other settings include voice language and speed, color scheme, and text size, and braille display settings.

One setting that is unique to the Claria Vox is the Android Interaction setting. The first option in this menu is Home Button Long Click. Enable this toggle and you can perform a long touch of the Home button to toggle back and forth between the Claria Vox app list and the default Android Home screen.

Recommendations

The Nexus 5 Claria Vox software could definitely benefit from some upgrading. Odin did not create this software; they licensed it from a British company. Consequently, it will remain to be seen how responsive the developers will be with software updates and adding new apps, such as the ability to read BARD Mobile Talking Books.

All that said, I believe that for some people with visual impairments the Nexus 5 Claria Vox will be an excellent mobile experience. As noted above, many people with visual impairments feel much more confident using a keypad, and for these individuals the Claria Vox tactile overlay offers a one-of-a-kind way to pair the ease of using a keypad with the power of a smartphone.

Another reason I suspect many people with visual impairments are reluctant to upgrade to a smartphone is the all-or-nothing change such a move represents. It takes time to learn to use a touch screen reader effectively, and during this learning period your phone may seem less than useless. With the Nexus 5 Claria Vox you can spend the day using the phone in keypad mode, then, when you have free time, you can explore the more advanced Android features and develop touch screen skills at your own pace (and with the excellent help of Odin tech support and a series of audio tutorials I am told the company will soon release).

Product Information

Product: Nexus 5 Claria Vox
Available from: Odin Mobile, 855-217-9459
Price: $599 (comes unlocked for both the T-Mobile/Odin and AT&T networks)

Comment on this article.

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Facebook is an excellent way to keep in touch with friends and family. For users of computer and mobile access technologies, however, at times, there can be challenges. The company continuously evolves its products, which can introduce changes to screen reader flow. So, in order to help readers more fully enjoy their Facebook experience, we are excited to offer the following information.

Thanks to consumer feedback, and working with several organizations, including the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), Facebook has taken accessibility to a whole new level. In July of 2011, the company formed the Facebook Accessibility Team to improve its support of accessibility across products. Recently, AccessWorld spoke with team founder, Jeff Wieland, and accessibility engineer Ramya Sethuraman, who offered us a top-10 list of things they'd like our readers to know about Facebook's accessibility program and products.

Facebook Offers Extensive Keyboard Navigation

For computer users who do not use a mouse, including most screen reader users, the main Facebook website makes extensive use of headings, landmarks, and lists, which can be easily navigated with your screen reader navigation keys. Additionally, the main Facebook website also offers an extensive roster of Access and Shortcut keys to help you navigate the site and quickly perform actions, such as liking, searching, and sharing.

Access Keys

"Access keys let you jump quickly from page to page [within Facebook] with a single key combination and without having to Tab down to or search for the appropriate control," says Wieland.

Key combinations vary by browser and/or system:

• Chrome for PC users combine the ALT key with the access keys listed below.
• IE users combine the ALT key with the access keys listed below, completing each command by pressing the Enter key.
• Firefox for PC users press Shift + ALT in combination with the access keys listed below.
• Mac users press Control + Option in combination with the command keys below.

Facebook Access Keys

Home

1

Timeline

2

Friends

3

Inbox

4

Notifications

5

Settings

6

Activity Log

7

About

8

Terms

9

Help

0

Shortcut Keys

Much the same way as most screen readers offer single-key navigation shortcuts to help you quickly find your way around a webpage, Facebook offers a number of single-key commands to perform various actions. Many of these shortcut keys conflict with browser keys, however, so for now, at least, you will have to either use your screen reader pass-through command, or turn off enhanced browser navigation (Forms Mode in JAWS, Focus Mode in NVDA, and Browser Mode in Window-Eyes).

"If you happen to be in an edit box, or on some other pop-up control, you may have to Tab away or close the dialogue before using the shortcuts," says Wieland.

Facebook News Feed Shortcuts

Scroll forward through News Feed stories

j

Scroll backward through News Feed stories

k

See more of the selected story

Enter/Return

Post a new status

p

Like or Unlike the selected story

l

Comment on the selected story

c

Share the selected story

s

Open an attachment from the selected story

o

Search

/

Search chat contacts

q

Open a list of these keyboard shortcuts while in News Feed

?

Facebook Messenger Shortcuts

Search conversations

CTRL + g

Show/hide keyboard shortcuts

CTRL + q

Archive/unarchive conversation

CTRL + Delete

Mark as spam

CTRL + j

Start a new message

CTRL + m

Go to Inbox

CTRL + i

Go to Other

CTRL + u

Facebook Is Making Photos and Videos More Accessible

"We're still rolling out the Dynamic Alt Text Generator to more products that will improve the accessibility of both photos and videos," says Wieland. "We gather all the metadata a user supplies and combine it to generate a caption that tells a more complete story about that." This Facebook Design video shows voicing for photos and videos before and after Dynamic Alt Text captioning.

Check out the Mobile Apps for Facebook

Facebook offers a mobile site, but Wieland encourages iOS and Android screen reader users to try the native apps for these operating systems. "We've put a lot of work into improving the accessibility of the Facebook and Facebook Messenger native apps, and in some cases we can build accessibility experiences in these applications we simply can't easily replicate on the Web (like use of gestures)," he says.

When you have finished reading a timeline entry using the iOS app, for example, you can now perform a two-finger double-tap to summon a VoiceOver menu, which includes options to Like the post, comment, turn on notifications, or indicate "I don't want to see this" (which will hide the story). The two-finger scrub gesture also now works to close any pop-up or dialogue screen. The Facebook Messenger iOS app also now includes an Action item on the rotor. Perform a one-finger swipe up to delete a message thread, mute a conversation, archive a conversation and more.

It's Easy to Contact Facebook

"Facebook offers several ways to get in touch with the Accessibility Team, and we love getting your feedback," states Wieland. Users can Like the Facebook Access for People with Disabilities page to stay up to date on accessibility work and improvements, visit the Facebook Accessibility Help Center, and follow the Facebook Accessibility Team (@fbaccess) on Twitter. The Accessibility Help Center offers an accessibility bug report contact form where you can report accessibility issues.

Spreading the Accessibility Message to Other Facebook Employees

In October of 2014, the Accessibility Team launched an installation at Facebook Menlo Park, California headquarters called the Empathy Lab. The lab is designed to showcase the different and various methods that people use to interact with Facebook and broaden the company's understanding of how to build products that are both usable to those with limited bandwidth and accessible to screen reader users.

"We're hoping to give Facebook employees an idea of what it's like to use Facebook with magnification or a screen reader. We do this with a collection of laptops and mobile devices which can only be used with a keyboard or using screen readers or on slow network connections," says Ramya Sethuraman. "The installation has become so popular, we're looking to expand it to other campuses so more members of the Facebook team can experience it."

The Facebook Team Is Constantly Improving the Accessible Facebook Experience

Below Wieland outlines just a few of Facebook's recent accessibility enhancements.

• You now have the ability to control font size in the iOS Messenger app.
• New VoiceOver gestures were added to help people more easily access the Delete, Mute, and More actions within iOS Messenger.
• New access keys were added to the mobile site.
• A "Skip to News Feed" link was added to Facebook for people using just the keyboard and screen readers to easily jump to the News Feed stories.
• We now support multilingual caption files for Facebook Videos so you can provide subtitles for all of your video content.

Facebook Will Keep You Updated

Every month the team posts a comprehensive review of the key accessibility changes and enhancements. Here's the February 2015 update and the Accessibility Year in Review. "Follow our Facebook page so you don't miss any future updates," Wieland suggests.

Facebook Wants Your Help

Facebook has a dedicated User Experience Research team that runs many different kinds of studies, including in-house usability studies and phone interviews with people who use their products.

"Our last round of accessibility usability testing focused on TalkBack with Facebook for Android," relates Wieland.

If you would like to be considered for participation in future studies and getting paid for your feedback, send an e-mail to the accessibility research team.

Accessibility Beyond Facebook

"The Facebook Accessibility Team is passionate about making accessibility more mainstream, and one of our top priorities is to introduce accessibility to new audiences," says Sethuraman. "For instance, last year we spoke at Stanford University to introduce students to writing accessible code. We also gave a talk on Web accessibility basics at the Grace Hopper Conference."

In addition, the Facebook Accessibility team actively consults and collaborates with various disability organizations. Notes Wieland, "Last year we sponsored and spoke at the American Foundation for the Blind's Leadership Conference. We also sponsored the American Council for the Blind's summer conference in Las Vegas. We recently joined the American Association of People with Disabilities Tech Forum and are excited about collaborating with industry leaders on a range of accessibility related initiatives."

For Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), Facebook hosted companies from the Bay Area for a round of lightning talks on accessibility implementations. Guests included the co-founders of GAAD, Jennison Asuncion and Joe Devon.

Facebook Is Hiring!

"We recently grew our dedicated accessibility engineering team, and we are still hiring," says Wieland. "We are actively looking for an Accessibility Specialist." You can read more about the position on Facebook's careers page.

Comment on this article.

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