By the last quarter of 2012, Freedom Scientific had announced two new braille displays: the Focus Blue 40 and the Focus Blue 14. These displays were proclaimed by the company to be something new and noteworthy in the world of refreshable braille displays, but many of us didn't immediately take notice.

Sometimes into every life (or exhibit booth) a little bad luck must fall. That was the case where this reviewer and the Focus Blue 14 were concerned. The first few times I attempted to have a look at the product, something went awry. Over a period of six months or so I approached a Freedom Scientific vendor at several different events and asked to have a look at the 14-cell braille display, only to learn that it wasn't charged or for some other reason chose not to perform.

I include this anecdotal information as a friendly reminder that a first look can be misleading for all of us. Because of those negative encounters, I had more or less dismissed these displays; I am pleased and relieved that a chance encounter turned that opinion on its head.

A friend put a Focus Blue 14 in my hands at a social gathering and encouraged me to play around with it a little. I pulled my iPhone from my bag, attempted a pairing, and was instantly dazzled! At that point, I had paired probably a half dozen different refreshable braille devices with iPhones and this time, the speed and ease with which the pairing occurred was unprecedented and impressive.

Both the Focus Blue 14 and its sibling, the Focus Blue 40, are lightweight, portable, lower-priced than refreshable braille devices have been in the past, and offer features that will appeal to the casual braille user as well as the seasoned braille expert seeking more sophisticated functions. While these two displays are very similar, I will discuss them individually in the interest of clarity. Part 1 of this review will be centered on the smaller unit, the Focus 14, and Part 2 on the larger display, the Focus 40.

Out of the Box

The first thing you notice about the Focus Blue 14 braille display is that it is, well, adorable! People have stopped me to comment on its appearance everywhere I have pulled it out, whether they are "insiders" accustomed to seeing assistive technology products or just innocent bystanders, noticing that I am reading or writing on this eye-catching and cute blue gizmo.

As its name suggests, the unit sports royal blue keys on a black base. It measures 3 inches in height, 6 inches in width, and is about a half-inch thick. The mix of royal blue, black, and almond in addition to its size make it an eye-catching device. Actually, it is aesthetically pleasing as well, a fact in which Ron Miller, Freedom Scientific's product manager of blindness hardware takes particular pride.

The Focus Blue 14 has an eight-key Perkins-style keyboard on top, below which are 14 cursor routing buttons, 14 braille cells, a space bar and, at either end, a mode button and a navigation rocker button. On the front edge of the unit are eight additional controls (two each of selectors, rockers, panning buttons, and shift keys), all of which are used in various combinations with the keys on top of the unit to perform an impressive array of commands. The display has a smooth feel and all keys require only a very light touch. The braille dots themselves can be adjusted for firmness to suit the individual braille user. On the left edge of the Focus Blue 14 are the USB port and its Power button.

Included in the box with the Focus 14 are its AC power adapter, USB cable, and carrying case. Most notable was a beautifully bound and excellently formatted complete user's guide in Grade 2 braille. The user's guide is also included on a CD and can be downloaded from the Freedom Scientific website.

Test Drive

The Focus 14 offers both Bluetooth and USB connectivity. As mentioned above, the device is a breeze to pair with an iPhone. I have now paired several units with several iOS devices, and each time the process is blessedly seamless. Similarly, when the Focus 14 and iOS device have been separated or inactive for a time, re-establishing connectivity proceeds smoothly.

The braille keyboard is extremely quiet, enabling one to read and write in any situation without distracting others.

With the Focus 14 paired with my iPhone 5, I have written hundreds of text messages, read and replied to my e-mail, navigated countless other apps, and read books in braille.

There is something so distinctly personal about reading a text message with your fingers and typing a reply that you can read as it emerges on the braille display. Yes, of course, blind and low vision people can accomplish such tasks by listening to audio output as well, but the experience of reading and writing text and e-mail messages with the Focus Blue 14 augments that experience. You have complete control over your message input and output. Reading and writing simultaneously on the braille display is a close simulation of the experience enjoyed by sighted users. As with any braille device paired with an iOS device, VoiceOver is necessary for the braille to function, but speech can be muted. For those who have not experimented with such devices, it warrants pointing out that, when speech is muted on the phone, the experience of sending and receiving text or e-mail messages is also rendered more personal by virtue of its being private. That is, no one can read the content flashing on that braille display except the person in whose hands it is held!

Although reading documents, magazines, and books is possible with this tiny display, many braille users will find the limitation of only 14 cells more appropriate for shorted items like quick identification of buttons and icons on the iPhone or iPad screen.

Due to its shortened display length, Focus Blue 14 is best suited for use with smart phones and mobile devices, it can also be connected via Bluetooth or USB to serve as a completely reliable refreshable braille display for your computer.

I connected it via USB to a netbook running Windows XP and JAWS 15 and was once again pleasantly surprised by the ease with which the two were united. Driver installation was automatic, taking literally just seconds between connecting the display to the computer and enjoying complete braille access to the computer's screen. It was the fastest such installation I have ever witnessed.

Switching the Focus 14 between USB and Bluetooth pairings was also smooth sailing. By simply removing the USB cable from the computer when wishing to use the phone, the Focus 14 quickly found its connection to the phone and was once again paired with the phone. Similarly, once I plugged it back in, it was ready to resume use with the computer.

Battery Power

The Focus Blue 14 uses a USB cable to recharge either via its AC adapter or while connected to a computer. On AC power, the unit is fully recharged in about three hours. Once the battery is fully charged, manufacturer guidelines suggest that the Focus 14 can be used for up to about 20 hours. Actual performance was sometimes even longer than this estimate.

Final Analysis

Freedom Scientific's own product manager for this line of products is a proud proponent of braille and the evidence that he and other braille aficionados had input in developing this display is clear. The Focus Blue 14 is a pleasure to use. It is small, lightweight, and appeals esthetically to the senses of sight and touch. It is simple enough to be used out of the box by most braille users, and complex enough to satisfy the needs of sophisticated lovers of technology. Freedom Scientific focused on braille when this product was in development and, fortunately for many braille-using customers, no one looked the other way until the job was done!

Product Information

Focus Blue 14
Cost: $1295
Available from: Freedom Scientific
(800) 444-4443

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The AccessWorld Technology Summit and Showcase was held on February 27, 2014, in Brooklyn, New York, as a special part of the American Foundation for the Blind Leadership Conference.

This all-day event, facilitated by Lee Huffman, AccessWorld and Technology Information Editor, discussed mobile communications, social networks, technology areas, and advancement in the work place. There were seven presentations from companies including Google, Yahoo! and Facebook.

Google: The Accessibility of Google Docs

Presenter: Shawn Laurait, Software Engineer, Google

Laurait used a speech-enabled laptop computer connected to a screen to demonstrate how to create and edit a Google Docs document. He showed navigating through the document and the accessibility of keyboard commands. He explained that when a Google Docs document is opened, information will automatically be spoken about the documents.

Lauriat explained that although some people are initially leery of using Google Docs, it is quite accessible and Google is working to enhance accessibility and documentation. He said that Google Docs works well with Firefox and the Non-Visual Desktop Access (NVDA) screen reader. On the Mac, he said that Google Chrome works better than Safari with Google Docs. On mobile devices, Google Docs works well with VoiceOver and iOS. He indicated that Google is working on Google Docs with BrailBack, an Android app for using a braille display.

IBM: Going Social and Mobile in the Enterprise

Presenters: Tom Babinszki, IBM Accessibility Advisor and Drew LaHart, Manager, CI 162 Consulting, and Accessibility Project Office IBM Human Ability and Accessibility Center

Babinski stated that for many years, IBM has made a special effort to hire individuals with disabilities by providing necessary training and accommodations. Each employee with a disability has a manager to provide assistance. Everything spoken between the employee and manager is kept confidential. If a person has skills, disability is not an issue.

IBM Connections, the world's largest social collaboration platform, was designed to be completely accessible. It allows employees to work together on their computers and devices. Connections is used internally at IBM and externally by many businesses. There are versions for iOS and Android in the iTunes App store and Google Play Store.

My Blind Spot Inc.: The Quest for QuickBooks: How a Small Nonprofit and a Corporate Giant Joined Forces for Greater Accessibility

Presenter: Albert Rizzi, Founder and CEO, My Blind Spot Inc.

Rizzi wanted to use QuickBooks for his business, but he found the software inaccessible. He contacted Intuit, the company that created QuickBooks. With its cooperation, Rizzi began the task of making QuickBooks accessible not only to people who are blind, but also to people who have print disabilities.

During the development of the accessible version, Rizzi was in constant communication with Intuit. They used beta testers who were visually impaired to insure accessibility. The 2014 version of QuickBooks is now accessible, a circumstance that can open accounting and bookkeeping jobs to people with visual impairments. Rizzi spoke about creating training tutorials and self-paced virtual lessons. He spoke about the importance of starting a dialogue and dispelling myths about accessibility.

Charmtech Labs, LLC: A Discussion and Demonstration of Capti Narrator

Presenter: Yevgen Borodin, PhD., Research Assistant Professor at Stony Brook University and President and CEO of Charmtech Labs LLC

Dr. Borodin began his presentation with this definition of universal access: "technology [that] is useable and accessible to the maximum extent possible, by everyone regardless of their age, ability, or circumstance." He explained that most technology is not developed with universal access from the start and that accessibility is often an afterthought. Dr. Borodin spoke about website accessibility, pointing out that screen readers cannot read graphics and that some web designers label graphics with Alt tags that are not related to the graphic. He explained that forms are not always accessible and that when a person with a visual impairment submits a form an error message might appear, but the person wouldn't be able to find the error.

The next inaccessibility problem he spoke about was how to deal with a CAPTCHA. Even audio CAPTCHAs are usually extremely difficult, if not impossible, to understand. He explained that sighted people don't listen to the web.

During the second half of the presentation, Dr. Borodin demonstrated Capti Narrator, a universally accessible, cross-platform application with a built-in screen reader. Capti Narrator is accessible right out of the box. It lets people listen to web content and documents through a playlist interface. Capti Narrator makes it easier to find and read articles on cluttered web pages.

Capti Narrator was designed for anyone who wants to listen to web content, documents, audio books, etc., regardless of their visual acuity. Capti Narrator lets the user perform other tasks while listing to content.

Yahoo!: Yahoo!'s Accessibility Progress

Presenter: Mike Shebanek, Yahoo! Senior Director of Accessibility

Yahoo! is one of the most popular websites, receiving millions of hits per day. Yahoo!'s accessibility team plays a big part in the development of products for the company. The team conducts training sessions and evaluations with designers and developers to ensure that accessibility guidelines are both understood and followed.

Shebanek described a training session where staff had to simulate being blind and walk around the building. They took turns guiding each other. Staff members learned a great deal about navigating without vision. Shebanek said, "It was really cool to watch and experience their change in perception and their capabilities."

Shebanek said that Yahoo! is making an effort to do more with mobile apps and demonstrated the free and completely accessible Yahoo! Fantasy Sports app. Accessibility is being built into the apps as they are being developed. He added that every designer has received accessibility training and has learned to use VoiceOver (for iOS devices) and TalkBack (for Android devices.) Developer response has been extremely positive. Shebanek said, "That sense of understanding and capabilities when people are given the right tools is unbelievable because now nothing is out of reach."

The accessibility team at Yahoo will be expanding. In addition, outside companies can come to Yahoo! to learn about accessibility and use the technology to make their products accessible. Shebanek said, "It's not just for us to figure out. It's for us to share how we're figuring it out, and share those problems, issues and solutions. We'll learn from them as they learn from us."

Visus Technologies Inc.: VelaSense

Presenter: Stephen J. McCormack, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO

Dr. McCormack provided a demonstration of an emerging product called VelaSense, an application that works on the Android operating system. It will be for sale shortly.

Dr. McCormack had VelaSense read the selection menu. There were many options including e-mail, alarms, contacts, calendar, Facebook, Twitter, weather, a bar code scanner, Google searches, news and much more. News articles were presented as links, without any additional clutter. This app will also have facial and object recognition capabilities.

VelaSense runs on Android 4.2 or later, and it is being positioned to be available as a download from your wireless carrier. It is its own separate screen reader, so TalkBack should be turned off when you use VelaSense. The developers have made it easy to switch between the two screen readers. Dr. McCormick said, "The technology is just one aspect. The ability to have your own personalized database, your own personalized routes, and music, that's where everything's heading." He continued, "The intent here is to bring as much autonomy to the individual as possible."

Facebook: Accessibility Efforts at Facebook

Presenters: Jeff Wieland, Project Manager, Web Accessibility at Facebook, and Ramya Sethuraman, Engineering Lead, Web Accessibility at Facebook

Facebook's accessibility team was formed in 2012. Wieland explained that it was the function of his team to make all the different forms of Facebook accessible, such as facebook.com, m.facebook.com, Facebook for iOS, and Facebook for Android. He said, "We have 16 flavors of Facebook and we want to make sure that all these different flavors work really well with accessible technology and core accessibility." He indicated that their developers are very responsive. Wieland said, "There are a lot of people working on making their products accessible and writing accessible code. We really focus on writing tools for navigating documentation, things that will make them autonomous."

During the Facebook presentation, Sethuraman demonstrated how Facebook handled some accessibility issues. She explained that the Caption Generator looks at the location, tagging, date, and other data and generates a caption that can then be read by screen readers. Prior to this, if someone posted a photo but didn't enter a caption, a person who is blind would not have any idea what was in the photo. The Caption Generator is automatic if a description is not entered when the photo is uploaded.

Another accessibility improvement is the use of headings and landmarks, making it easier for screen reader users to jump directly to different locations on the page. Sethuraman demonstrated how to create an event on Facebook using just keyboard commands. She noted that there are keyboard shortcuts to navigate a Facebook page. Some shortcuts, however, conflict with some screen readers and they are working on the issue.

The accessibility team used both comments from users and accessible technology to see how Facebook worked. Developers were given both information and training on how to make their products more accessible.

Developers writing Facebook applications for iOS or Android automatically receive training before beginning work on their product. Built into every internal Facebook product page is a menu where developers can learn about accessibility and check that their product meets standards. Quality assurance staff members have received training about accessibility and how to use access technology. Wieland explained, "Partnering with these folks has been essential to us capturing more things that we can do better about accessibility, earlier in the development process." Sethuraman is the only one on Facebook's core accessibility team who writes accessible code. Wieland proudly added that due to internal accessibility efforts at Facebook, 79 support-level engineers are now writing and implementing accessible code into their individual projects, even though their projects do not fall under the umbrella of accessibility.

Wieland closed the presentation by speaking about the importance of having computer science students learn about accessibility while they're still in school. He talked about a young engineer who graduated from a very prestigious school, but had no idea what a screen reader is.

Sethuraman said that the team looks at all feedback and, "We will make things better."

Panasonic: A Presentation of Panasonic's Newly Improved 2014 Accessible Viera HDTVs and Bone Conduction Headphones

Presenter: Tony Jasionowski, Senior Group Manager Accessibility, Panasonic

Jasionowski gave a brief history of the Panasonic accessible TV. It was marketed in Japan in 2011, in England in 2012, in the U.S. in 2013, and is now in 20 countries. Twenty languages are available. The televisions have both voice recognition and text-to-speech capabilities.

Although the 2014 model isn't available yet, it will have facial recognition. If it recognizes your face, it will automatically put up your particular home screen. It will also recognize your voice.

Jasionowski described the Panasonic bone conduction headphones product this way: "It does not have a speaker so it conducts the sound through the skull." There will be both wireless Bluetooth and wired models that will be available at the same time as the TVs.

He said that the TVs are very accessible when hooked up to an antenna; when hooked up to a cable box or satellite, accessibility diminishes because you're using a third-party remote control rather than the one from the TV. The cable or satellite box controls the TV. He added that some of those companies are working to make their boxes more accessible.

Jasionowski is very dedicated to improving accessibility. He is on two Consumer Electronics Association committees. One is for improving access to video description and he chairs the other on standards for TV audio.

Conclusion

This was a very informative summit. It's clear that these presenters and the companies they represent are dedicated to improving accessibility for people who have visual impairments, and a great deal of progress is being made.

For more information, visit:
www.drive.google.com,
www.ibm.com/connections,
www.captivoice.com,
www.yahoo.com,
www.visustech.com,
www.VelaSense.com,
www.facebook.com/accessibility.

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From February 27 through March 1 of this year, hundreds of assistive technology trainers and specialists, rehabilitation professionals, and leaders in the blindness field descended upon New York City for the annual American Foundation for the Blind Leadership Conference (AFBLC). In recent years, technology has been a key focus of the fast-growing conference and this year was no exception. While it's virtually impossible to talk about every session at the event, below are some highlights from a few of the weekend's technology sessions.

A Big Presence from Google

Google has been no stranger to accessibility conferences of late, and the 2014 AFBLC was no exception. The Friday morning keynote was given by Kannan Pashupathy, Vice President and Director of International Engineering for Google. Pashupathy, who also oversees the company's accessibility efforts, outlined some new initiatives and policies that Google is undertaking, including embedding accessibility specialists throughout the company and ensuring that all new apps are accessible before release. It remains to be seen what effect, if any, this policy will have on Google apps and services. Many recent Google apps for the iPhone, for example, still remain largely inaccessible, including recently released versions. That being said, the keynote offered a glimmer of hope that the culture at Google is starting to improve when it comes to access. Many would like to see an acceleration in the pace of change in the coming months.

Later that day in a breakout session, Eve Andersson, Google's Manager of Accessibility Engineering, gave some demos of the Android operating system and its capabilities using the Talkback screen reader. While few details were given as far as future plans for Talkback, Andersson demonstrated an awareness of some of the current inherent challenges and hinted that change may be on the way. Recently, Android's accessibility team merged with the main Android team, which may lead to a more cohesive exchange of ideas between the various developers. Google is expected to release the next major version of Android this June at their annual Google IO conference.

Google Glass and its implications for accessibility were also discussed, including an application for recognizing text while walking. For those unfamiliar with Google Glass, it is essentially a computer worn as glasses. In addition to a wide array of visual applications, the possibility exists for creating a virtual reality using sound and the vantage point of the glasses. Sadly, face detection has not received the same love, as it is implicitly banned by Google for privacy reasons. While this restriction is for the most part understandable, it's unfortunate that Google has chosen to categorically disallow face detection apps as this could open up a world of possibilities for the blind. An opt-in system using photos of friends might be an appropriate compromise and allow for the ability to find a friend who is in the same room.

YouDescribe Helps Increase Access to YouTube Videos

While the amount of descriptive video on television and at the movie theater has increased much in recent years, online content has largely been excluded. But providing description for the millions of YouTube videos currently available would be extremely cost prohibitive. Enter YouDescribe, the brainchild of researcher Josh Miele at the Smith-Kettlewell Institute. YouDescribe is a website that allows anyone to provide audio description tags for online videos. The simple tools allow the user to pause the video at the point where a description needs to be added and to record a description. Then, anyone can go to the site and listen to the descriptions recorded by others.

The site provides guidelines and tips for how to describe videos, though people are free to utilize the service in the way that most suits them. In fact, the same video could include more than one description track. For instance, one set of audio descriptions may focus on the action taking place in a scene while a different track may focus on scenery, visual effects, or costumes. Users can effortlessly switch between these tracks and listen to the descriptions that suit them. The descriptions are provided by volunteers, so the cost to have a video described is quite negligible. YouDescribe is still in its infancy, and it'll be interesting to follow its developments.

Roadblocks for Accessible Telephony in the Workplace

Darren Burton, Director of AFB Tech, provided some preliminary findings from an ongoing AFB research project on Voice over Internet Telephony, or VoIP. These systems are most commonly found in offices and customer service call centers. Several software solutions were tested, with most providing limited or no accessibility.

Cisco produces the leading phone system used in commercial environments, and while Cisco phones are not accessible out of the box, third-party software called Accessaphone bridges this gap and provides full accessibility, albeit at a very hefty price of $1,500 per user. This has the effect of creating an access barrier for an employer who wishes to hire a person who is blind for a customer service position, since someone, whether it is the company or an agency for the blind, would need to cover this cost. For organizations that need to provide accommodations for several employees, a discounted pricing structure for multiple licenses is available.

While other software for VoIP systems exists, it is generally not compatible with the mainstream solutions. So unless you have control over which phone system is being used at a particular company, you are forced to use the system that's available, often to the detriment of accessibility. In addition, many of the mobile apps currently include unlabeled buttons or other focus issues. AFB research on the subject is ongoing and may include the development of their own software to solve some of these issues.

AFB Access Awards

AFB Access Awards are given to companies or organizations that go above and beyond when it comes to accessibility. Among this year's winners was Image Searcher, creators of TapTapSee, the innovative object identification app for iOS devices. TapTapSee allows a user to take a picture of an item and be told more about it, using a combination of automatic detection and human workers. I discussed the app and its development with the company's cofounders for a podcast on Blind Bargains. Other winners this year included Fleksy for their accessible iOS keyboard, Independence Science, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

An Industry Comes Together

There are trade associations for teachers, lawyers, doctors, and countless other fields, but those in the field of accessibility have had few options when looking for a group that represents them. The International Association of Accessibility Professionals seeks to change this by providing a means for members to network and share resources. A common sentiment spoken throughout the weekend is that accessible design should be taught at the college level to computer science students. Often, it is a lack of awareness that leads to programmers creating code and products that are not usable by all, and attacking the problem early on is seen as a possible solution.

Looking Ahead

The 2015 Leadership Conference will be held April 9–11 at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown. If you have an interest in access technology, this event should be on your radar. The large presence by mainstream technology companies including Google, Facebook, Yahoo!, Panasonic, and IBM was quite impressive and provided an excellent opportunity to have an honest and constructive dialogue with these teams. There are a lot of individuals who genuinely care about improving accessibility to their products, and hearing about their successes and failures was quite enlightening.

This year's conference was the largest and best attended in AFB history, a record that may only stand until the 2015 event convenes in Phoenix. Make plans now to attend—and we hope to see you there!

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In 1985, California State University at Northridge (CSUN) launched its first Technology and Persons with Disabilities conference. I didn't attend the first year, but I clearly remember publishing the announcement in TACTIC magazine, the predecessor to AccessWorld, which I'd launched earlier the same year. I remember how the announcements piqued my interest and confirmed for me that my own timing, professionally speaking, was in alignment with the rest of the access technology universe.

CSUN, as the conference has come to be called, was the brainchild of Dr. Harry Murphy. As he was planning the October 1985 conference throughout 1984, he envisioned maybe 200 participants, primarily from California. That first event drew 600 people, and they came from everywhere. Today, the CSUN conference attracts over 4,000 attendees.

CSUN workshops and exhibit requirements quickly outgrew its college campus origins. The conference was held in the Los Angeles Airport Marriott and Hilton hotels for several years, until it outgrew those venues as well, and relocated five years ago to the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, California.

At the CSUN conference, educators, developers, rehabilitation professionals, visionaries, and self-proclaimed geeks from throughout the US, Canada, and several other countries come together to share information and excitement about the future of assistive technology. For three days, there are approximately 20 sessions to choose from every hour, and an exhibit hall where a few hundred companies demonstrate their products. Add to this the private suites hosted by companies with demonstrations, parties large and small, and new and emerging entrepreneurs testing out their ideas in one of the most recognized venues in the industry and you have far more than any single individual can absorb. This article is an attempt to share as much as possible of the 29th annual CSUN conference held March 17–22, 2014 in San Diego.

CSUN 2014 Conference Overview

The first thing to point out in providing an overview of the CSUN conference is that it is impossible to see and do everything the conference offers! The official conference this year began with a keynote address Tuesday evening, followed by three full days of workshops and exhibits. Products and sessions of interest to every category of disability are on hand.

Sessions are keyed to give attendees some guidance in selecting workshops of interest. You can look for all sessions, for instance, that have been flagged with categories such as blind and low vision, deaf and hard of hearing, communications difficulties, learning disabilities, web accessibility, aging or, my own personal favorite, other. While these categorizations aren't perfect, they aid tremendously in sifting through the smorgasbord of offerings to choose just one workshop per time slot.

That said, there might be three or four workshops in a given hour that fall into the same category, so other conditions will factor into making choices as well.

Armed with the schedule of workshops, the exhibit hours, and the list of companies exhibiting, making a schedule beforehand is a good idea. Even with a schedule, however, there will always be distractions — a product catching your ear or eye over here, a conversation with a presenter there, a chance meeting with a new developer with an exciting idea—all contribute to a kind of organized chaos that is somewhat intoxicating to most fans of access technology.

This article will provide a summary of those things that fit into my own CSUN tour. Before we go there, however, a few words about conference accessibility will help set the stage.

Conference Accessibility

Since the CSUN conference on Technology and Persons with Disabilities functions as an international venue for showcasing and discussing products, policies, and practices for the use of technology across disability lines, it would follow that the event itself would be a model for what real inclusiveness and accommodations looks like.

Sometimes it is.

The hotel where it is held is completely wheelchair accessible, for instance, so that all presentation rooms and exhibit areas can be easily navigated by individuals using mobility devices.

All presentation rooms are equipped with microphones and decent sound systems, and a wide array of assistive listening devices is available for use by individuals throughout the conference.

A well-maintained dog relief area is set up in a convenient location, but there is always room for improvement.

Six weeks prior to the conference, I called the CSUN office to ask about tactile maps. Yes, there would be tactile maps (otherwise known as braille maps) available at registration, I was told. I had already paid the rather hefty conference registration fee and wanted to get mine in advance. The reply was unrelenting. I could have one when I arrived at the conference registration table.

I arrived at said registration table Tuesday afternoon, but was informed that the maps were gone. No more would be arriving.

The program and other conference materials were available in hardcopy print, hardcopy braille, or a DAISY CD. On my registration form, I had indicated a preference for electronic media and a tactile map, but had expected that the electronic media would be a more commonly available format such as a secure digital card or USB flash drive.

One other accessibility feature that seemed to reflect an inadequate grasp of issues was the statement on the website that people needing a guide in the exhibit hall could receive such assistance for 20 minutes. Obviously, 20 minutes would be of little or no usefulness in such a populated venue. Since I did not test this feature personally, however, I can't report on whether organizers were fastidious about the 20-minute limit.

Fabulous Kickoff, Fabulous Presentations

The Tuesday evening opening session featured keynote speaker, Tommy Edison, a radio announcer who is blind and who has carved for himself an impressive social media niche via his role as "the blind film critic" and his "blind experience" YouTube videos. Edison's approach to talking about blindness is refreshingly lighthearted and somewhat irreverent and his laughter is infectious. His attitude served as a perfect launch for the official start of the conference.

General breakout sessions began at 8 a.m. Wednesday morning. Again, with some 20 choices every hour, making a schedule was far from easy; here are a few topics and specific sessions that I found particularly informative:

• Best practices in creating audio description
• Examining copyright of third party captioning
• Workshops to help content providers and consumers navigate the complex waters of multiple reading platforms and content formats
• Dr. Robert Carter, (the Tech Doctor) and his colleague Allison Hartley made a presentation specifically outlining the products and procedures required to create and distribute podcasts
• Using iPhone apps for everything from barbecuing to planning a trip
• The use of the iPhone camera by people who are blind
• Scott Davert of the Helen Keller National Center and Amy Mason of the National Federation of the Blind made a particularly interesting presentation on communication, both simplistic and technological, for people who are both deaf and blind
• A blind architect presented his approach to creating a virtual audio walk-through in creating acoustically navigable spaces
• HIMS Inc. and Serotek Corp. teamed up for a lively presentation demonstrating how mainstream and specialized technology can work together to create a seamless electronic and communications environment equivalent or perhaps superior to that enjoyed by people without disabilities.

There were lighthearted moments, too, such as when the HIMS Inc. robot was invited to their after-hours reception for mingling with guests and again to introduce a session or two.

All of the sponsors—Amazon, Comcast, Google, Freedom Scientific, Deque, and others—offered sessions, demonstrations, and events of their own as well. Comcast demonstrated its new set-top box, which will feature talking channel guide and program information, a demonstration that particularly dazzled blind and visually impaired attendees.

And Amazon set one day and room aside during which participants were invited to test drive the Kindle Fire.

Cruising the Exhibit Hall

While the exhibit hall was always busy, it was a welcome relief from the sometimes crushing crowds conjured by the breakout sessions. If you were in the right place at the right time, you maybe exchanged a word with Stevie Wonder who came, just as the rest of us did, to have a look at the latest wonderful tactile representation of the face of Abraham Lincoln, an example of the power of the 3-D tactile graphics produced at the American Thermoform booth.

NPR Labs demonstrated a prototype of its effort to bring the text of radio to deafblind people, and HumanWare proudly demonstrated the wireless capabilities of the second-generation Victor Stream.

HIMS Inc. had one of the most innovative new products with its Blaze. A combination book player and OCR device, the Blaze seems to be picking up where the KNFB mobile left off, but the product is still in beta so it's not quite ready for prime-time reviewing.

Whether your greatest interest lies in portable magnification devices, braille displays, tactile graphics, handheld book players, accessible web design, iOS accessibility, or something else entirely, there were plenty of products worthy of attention at CSUN 2014. See elsewhere in this issue of AccessWorld for additional product information.

Conclusion

Is CSUN still the definitive access technology event? While there are ways in which it could be even better, it is indeed the class act it has always been, and many of us are already looking forward to next year.

The 30th annual CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities will be held in San Diego, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, March 2–7, 2015. For more information, visit the conference website.

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This past March, I had the privilege to attend the 29th Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, more commonly known as CSUN, in San Diego. The conference has in fact become an annual ritual for me, because it is always exciting to see the latest and greatest in access technology. My primary conference task is recording podcasts and interviews for Blind Bargains, an effort that the American Foundation for the Blind has generously sponsored for the past three years. In addition to talking to many of the leaders in the field, recording podcasts gives me a chance to learn about and play with many of the new and upcoming gadgets and programs that will be gracing our households, schools, and workplaces in the coming months.

Due to the enormity of the CSUN conference, it's virtually impossible to see it all. My AccessWorld colleague, Deborah Kendrick, attended many of the sessions including the keynote and offers her take in this issue which you should check out as well. Where appropriate, I've linked to related podcasts from the Blind Bargains coverage for further information.

HIMS Surprises Many with a Book Reader with OCR

There were many rumors leading up to this year's CSUN conference surrounding HIMS releasing an update to the BookSense line of digital book players. But instead of a slightly modified version with wireless support such as what HumanWare did with their new version of the Victor Stream, HIMS introduced the Blaze EZ to much fanfare. The EZ includes basically all of the features of the BookSense, including support for a multitude of audio and text formats and wireless capabilities, but as Dave Wilkinson from HIMS explained, they've added support for a new format called "print." After the demise of the KNFB Reader, a handheld device that was capable of performing OCR to translate printed text into speech was no longer available. And while some iPhone and Android apps have made a stab at this feature, limitations have prevented any apps from covering much ground when it comes to accurate print translation.

BookSense users will also notice a major design change as the numeric keypad was replaced with a much simpler array of buttons including dedicated keys for major functions. While this approach may be simpler to grasp for those who are new to these types of devices, it remains to be seen how this will affect the productivity of advanced users, many of whom are early adopters. That said, the Blaze EZ name implies that other models may be on the horizon.

The Blaze EZ shown at CSUN was an early version and many questions are still to be answered about the device. Adding features to help one orient the page or take clear pictures would go a long way to separating this device from apps on mobile devices. No price was given, but we expect it to be significantly cheaper than the KNFB Reader's $1,800 price tag. Expect the Blaze EZ to be on sale in time for the summer conventions.

Accessible Mathematical Equations

It's encouraging to see the amount of effort being made to make the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields accessible. This year's conference included a demonstration of an early version of the free MathPlayer software from Design Science. MathPlayer allows the user to read simple and complex equations using human-readable speech. It does this by interpreting a computer language called MathML which is a widely-used standard in the mathematics field. Just as HTML is used to create a website, MathML is used to represent an equation. Using a screen reader, one can traverse an equation by element or group and easily understand its content. Navigational commands similar to those used on a website are invoked to move about the equation, which is also displayed visually. Currently, Window-Eyes 8.4 supports MathPlayer in Microsoft Word documents, and other screen readers including NVDA are working on implementing the feature as well. Ultimately, support for MathML on websites, braille translation, and a simple way to input equations are on the roadmap. Listen to a demonstration with project consultant Sina Bahrum to hear MathPlayer in action.

True Accounting Accessibility with QuickBooks

The accounting software from Intuit is recognized as the industry leader, but for those using a screen reader, much of it has remained inaccessible. A transformation has begun, however, as Intuit is working to make its QuickBooks software for business accounting completely accessible. Intuit's expanding accessibility team partnered with My Blind Spot to make many of the necessary changes, and the latest version of QuickBooks 2014 includes much of these accessibility improvements. Ultimately, scripts for your screen reader of choice may be necessary to fill in a few gaps, but the expectation is to eventually have access to virtually any feature of the product. The scripts will likely be offered for free or at a nominal cost by My Blind Spot.

The implications for this development extend far beyond enabling blind business owners to manage their own books. QuickBooks is also used in professional applications by thousands of accountants, and this level of access has the potential to open up another job category where the blind and visually impaired can compete on an equal footing. Hopefully this accessibility will trickle down to Intuit's other flagship products, such as their home accounting suite, Quicken, and their tax preparation software, TurboTax. In addition, improvements are also being made to many of the company's online offerings including QuickBooks Online and Mint. Check out an extended Blind Bargains interview with many of the players involved in making this all happen.

Say Goodbye to Romeo and Juliet

Whenever a discussion of braille embossers is on tap, the venerable names of Romeo and Juliet from Enabling Technologies inevitably enter into the conversation. These names have been used for its single-sided and interpoint embosser lines respectively for two decades. But as with most Shakespearean characters, Romeo and Juliet have appeared to meet their demise, soon to be replaced by more modern and capable embossers.

The Cyclone is a sleek-looking single-sided braille embosser while the Trident includes interpoint capabilities, meaning one can print braille on both sides of the page. The design is a radical departure from the former models, using a glossy finish and a clear coat paint job similar to what you would find on an automobile. The differences go beyond aesthetics, with USB and network support and a minimalist three-button interface (since users these days generally use software to control their embosser, the extra buttons on the device were seen as unnecessary). The Cyclone prints on tractor-feed paper at 60 characters per second (CPS) while the Trident offers a speed of 100 CPS. These models are available now for $2,995 and $3,995 respectively. Enabling Technologies President Tony Schenk explains more and gives a demonstration in a Blind Bargains podcast.

Scratching the Surface

There were over 100 companies in this year's exhibit hall so naturally there is much more to talk about than what has been covered here. A wide array of new portable and desktop video magnifiers was on display as well as tools and software that interface through iOS or Android devices. Not everything seen at CSUN will make an impact or even become available at all, but it's one of the best ways to get a snapshot of what's new and on the horizon when it comes to access technology. While the CSUN conference itself has a roughly $500 registration cost, the exhibit hall is free to enter without a full registration. If you're in San Diego next March, I encourage you to check it out. And of course, check back with AccessWorld as we'll certainly feature reviews of some of this year's hottest products in the coming months.

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Dear AccessWorld readers,

It has been one busy, action-packed month at AccessWorld!

We began the month with the 2014 AFB Leadership Conference, which was held in New York City February 27 through March 1. During that cold weekend in Brooklyn, hundreds of assistive technology trainers and specialists, rehabilitation professionals, and leaders in the blindness field gathered at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge where there were plenty of opportunities to make new connections, reunite with old friends, and learn from the best and brightest minds in the vision-loss field.

This year's conference theme was "Your Bridge to the Future," and our sessions (which were eligible for ACVREP and CRC CEUs) focused on technology, leadership, employment, education , orientation and mobility, and rehabilitation.

At the conference, AccessWorld was proud to sponsor the AccessWorld Technology Summit. This full-day event was made up of presentations from technology giants including Google, IBM, Yahoo!, Facebook, and Panasonic.

AccessWorld authors Janet Ingber and J.J. Meddaugh were also in attendance at the conference, and their coverage of the conference can be found in this issue.

As the 2014 AFB Leadership Conference closed, the technology conference of the year was just around the corner.

The 29th Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, otherwise known as CSUN 2014, was held March 17 through March 22 in sunny San Diego, California. It's impossible to take in all of the pre-conference workshops, educational sessions, forums, technology exhibits, and group meetings, but the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) and AccessWorld were there, doing our best to experience as much of CSUN as possible!

AFB staff members were involved in several educational session presentations and meetings with national leaders in the mainstream and access technology arenas. In order to help keep AccessWorld readers up to date with the goings on at CSUN, AFB was, once again, proud to sponsor the Blind Bargains podcast coverage of CSUN 2014. The AccessWorld team encourages you to log on to the Blind Bargains Audio Content page, which features great interviews, presentations, product demonstrations, and updates on the latest in technology news from the conference.

It's not too early to mark your calendars and save the date for the 30^th annual CSUN conference, March 2–7, 2015, again being held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel in San Diego.

The AccessWorld team hopes you enjoy this issue, which in addition to conference coverage, includes product and app evaluations by Deborah Kendrick and Bill Holton.

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

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I am going to prepare my tax return independently for the first time this year, and I truly appreciate Denis Walsh's timely article, Evaluating IRS Free File. I was told that TaxAct is screen-reader accessible and had planned on using that package. Is it accessible? What about Turbo Tax, a for-purchase software?

I hope you can offer some guidance.

Thank you,

Terri Hedgpeth

Response from AccessWorld author Dennis Walsh:

Hello Terri,

Thank you for your nice comment regarding the Free File article. I'm glad that you found it useful.

I was told by an IRS representative last year that TaxAct is accessible, but I did not find this to be the case in my Free File evaluation. Perhaps this is different with their regular online version which I did not evaluate. I don't know if you're a JAWS user, but I know at one time JAWS provided helpful scripts for TaxAct, though this may have been exclusive to their regular online version. I do not know if this is still the case.

In evaluating TaxAct offered through Free File, I found that I was able to establish an account, but the account setup confirmation e-mail I received was inaccessible. JAWS seems to recognize TaxAct screen controls, but I was unable to advance through the Federal Q&A or basic info. I had a similar experience in my second session. The primary navigation links were also not responsive.

My experience with TurboTax was similar. I have been generally disappointed with the accessibility of accounting and tax products offered by Intuit, although I understand the company is making strides as of late in QuickBooks access.

Of the 14 Free File vendors, I found 1040.com and FreeFileUSA to be the most screen-reader friendly. If you live in a state with an income tax and your income is under $30,000, you might also evaluate TaxSlayer, since it also offers a free state return. I found TaxSlayer to be pretty easy to work with also.

Finally, if you don't have a good experience with your first choice, I would encourage you to try another vendor. You won't obligate yourself to file with a particular vendor by simply setting up an account.

Good luck with your tax return.

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

The March edition of AccessWorld is wonderful. I particularly enjoyed the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9″ review by Bill Holton and Deborah Kendrick's article about the free Window-Eyes for users of Microsoft Office offer.

Thanks,

David Goldfield

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I thought Bill Holton's March article, Accessibility of the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9″, was a generally good review. However, I wish the article had pointed out a major shortcoming of the Kindle Fire vs the Kindle—it's more expensive, and one must either have a WiFi and/or cellular connection to buy and download books, as opposed to the Kindle Paperwhite, which lets you buy and download books from anywhere. I resent having to pay more for a somewhat accessible Kindle device that doesn't give me the same purchase and download functionality as a cheaper Kindle. I wish the article had pointed out this significant shortcoming.

Regards,

John Riehl

Response from AccessWorld author Bill Holton:

The Kindle Paperwhite that allows you to download books anytime is the Paperwhite 3G, which I note today (March 17, 2014) at the Amazon Kindle website is priced at $189. On the same page is listed a Kindle Fire HD, which includes the same accessibility features as the HDX model I tested, for just $139. I have also received any number of e-mails this past month offering the HDX for up to half off. So to me, at least, it looks like a customer would be paying for the Paperwhite's anytime download feature both in cash and features.

Also, I am not sure how this is different from other tablets, which start out at the low end with Wi-Fi only devices and then go up to the more powerful and expensive 3G models. That said, while I certainly respect your point, the intent of this piece was to introduce the accessibility features in the new Kindle line and to show AccessWorld readers that accessibility is no longer a deal breaker.

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I wish to comment on Janet Ingber's article in the March issue, A New Music Streaming Service: iTunes Radio is Here. I just purchased my first Mac, and I am finding it to work great. Kudos to Apple for including VoiceOver on its devices at no extra charge, thereby embracing the idea of universal accessibility. Prior to reading her very helpful article, I had no idea iTunes Radio was brand-new. I played around with it a bit, and I'm quite impressed. The sound quality is very good.

Best regards,

Jake Joehl

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I read the evaluation of the accessibility for the new Kindle models in the March issue. I am a Bookshare member, and I am wondering if there is an app like Read2go that can run on the Kindle and will allow you to read Bookshare documents. Any information would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Harmony

Response from AccessWorld author Bill Holton,

Unfortunately, the Amazon app store does not currently offer an app that will read Bookshare books. The developers of the Go Read Android app are looking into ways they could support the Kindle, but for now the only way you could use a Kindle Fire HDX to read a Bookshare book would be to use the Silk browser to read books on the Bookshare site directly.

Thanks for your question.

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

The Chromecast is amazing if you run Android. I have had no problems using my Android tablet to both set up and control my Chromecast. Google has been keeping accessibility for the blind in mind a lot more in recent years, and giant leaps have been made to Google's offerings to make them more accessible.

One example of this is the Accessible Search project. Google took what they learned from that and rolled the best parts into the main Google search page.

Granted, the set-up process of the Chromecast could use just a small amount of work, but it would be hard to make the process fully accessible due to technical limitations of the Chromecast itself. The problem is that not all devices communicate the same way, so it would be easy to have an Android tablet tell Chromecast that it is running accessibility and more feedback is needed, but Apple keeps things under wraps about the status of accessibility features. Not only this, but Windows does not report screen reader use at all. This means that there is no way to have Chromecast already know you need more help. Sighted users would probably find a question relating to spoken feedback as an unnecessary step. The only way the codes would not match is if you had two people setting up Chromecasts side by side and a slight mix-up occurred, so it's safe to assume they match. The code is also written in large letters near the bottom right of the TV screen, making it easy to see for people with partial vision.

Finally I would like to add that the device was built to be used primarily with the Chrome web browser, as well as Chromebooks and Android devices. Google only opened the door to iOS and Apple as an afterthought. If you do not fully embrace the open nature that is Google's offerings, then the Chromecast is not for you, and you should stick to shelling out double if not triple the price of Google's products for something that in the honest view of myself, was designed for people who aren't exactly tech savvy. I give Apple credit for making its products very accessible, but now there's a choice. Even though there may be a few bugs and snags, I prefer Google's more open approach.

Thanks,

John Lewis

EnableAmerica.jobs Provides New Online Resource for People with Disabilities Seeking Employment

Enable America has launched a new dynamic and searchable online jobs board:
EnableAmerica.jobs.

EnableAmerica.jobs provides information on more than a million job opportunities from employers nationwide that are committed to building diversity in their workplace, by including people with disabilities, disabled veterans, and wounded warriors. New features allow users to tailor their search to occupation, location, and company.

"The Enable America Jobs Board not only provides great capability to those we serve, it also gives users insight on which employers are taking affirmative action to increase the number of people with disabilities in their workforce," said Chris Jadick, Enable America's Executive Director. "The list of Enable America's Employment Partners is impressive and growing, and with new Department of Labor regulations taking effect this month through changes in Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, we look forward to working with many more."

The debut of EnableAmerica.jobs comes at an important time, as new US Department of Labor (DOL) rules on the recruitment and hiring of people with disabilities took effect on March 24. Administered by the DOL Office of Federal Contracting Compliance Programs (OFCCP), the "Final Rule" revises Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act requiring federal contractors and subcontractors to follow new guidelines for hiring individuals with disabilities (IWDs). There is also a 7-percent utilization goal for employment of qualified IWDs.

"Enable America works with employers to build bridges to people with disabilities, as well as helping companies institute their Section 503 compliance initiatives, through affirmative action programs (AAP) to build workplace diversity," Jadick said. Companies that have joined Enable America as Employment Partners include Eaton Corporation, Price Waterhouse Cooper, Lenovo, Duke Energy, Northwestern Mutual, EDM Americas, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, and VASTEC.

Additional information on Enable America's achievements can be found at EnableAmerica.org. Companies can learn more on Enable America's Employment Partner program by contacting Executive Director Chris Jadick via e-mail, or by phone at 813-222-3204.

CVS Announces ScripTalk Talking Prescription Labels

CVS recently announced that it is providing ScripTalk talking prescription labels to customers with visual impairments ordering through cvs.com. Call 888-607-4287 to order a prescription with the talking labels. The ScripTalk reader, available free from Envision America, is needed to listen to talking labels. Envision America can be reached by calling 800-890-1180. The new initiative will ensure that cvs.com customers with vision loss can access the critical health and safety information provided on standard labels. Complete information is available on the Law Offices of Lainey Feingold webpage.

M-Enabling Summit to be Held in Washington, DC

The M-Enabling Summit, a conference and showcase solely devoted to accessible and assistive mobile technology for seniors and users of all abilities, will be held June 9–10, 2014, in Washington, DC.

The Summit, organized in cooperation with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), encompasses a variety of topics from sectors including education, senior services, rehabilitation, travel and transportation, smart homes, mobile e-commerce, and emergency response. Leading solutions for those with physical, visual, and speech impairments, who are hard of hearing, and who have learning and cognitive disabilities will be demonstrated. The Summit will also review how mobile applications and services leveraging the latest accessibility innovations embedded in sartphones and tablets are playing a key role in rapidly transforming these sectors.

The program will focus on mobile accessibility innovations with 150 speakers, private sector leaders, application developers, mobile accessibility experts, and disability advocates sharing their experience.

View the complete agenda
Register now (early rate ends April 11, 2014)

For additional information, e-mail Pat Tessler, or call 301-493-5500.