Whether it was in response to blindness or attention issues, impatience, or just plain insatiable curiosity, I have long held a certain anxiety related to boredom. I have always worried about having time on my hands—an hour, two hours, 15 minutes—with nothing to do. Of course, the more Zen-like readers in our audience are undoubtedly shaking their heads, reminding me that I could meditate, have a mindful moment, be still—and I really do try to do that sort of thing, but I'm a task-driven sort of creature and need to know that I'm accomplishing, being productive, moving forward in some tangible or intangible manner. Waiting for a meeting to start, the bus to arrive, my name to be called in the waiting room of a physician or accountant—each of these is a block of time needing to be filled. There was a time when I schlepped braille books or magazines and, later, various computer devices with me as protection against that boredom. Countless friends and colleagues talk about the same ongoing dilemma—the need to have "something to do" while on a bus, a train, a plane, or otherwise on literal or metaphorical hold.

For the last few years, the iPhone has been my unflagging antidote to boredom. With a variety of apps, I could listen to news, books, music, and podcasts. It couldn't get any better than that, I thought—until it did!

Launched publicly just a year ago, the AGOGO app has propelled media lovers to a whole new level. And, better still, although its creators didn't know about blind and visually impaired media consumers before the app was launched, they quickly learned about us and enthusiastically embraced the necessary concepts to bring us more fully into the fold.

What is AGOGO?

AGOGO is like a party to which you can invite all of your favorite content. You build your own Go Channel and add to it all the things that you most enjoy hearing. You can have news and interview programs from NPR, alongside news and interview programs from various TV networks, alongside podcasts on anything from cooking to poetry to science, alongside your favorite music and comedy and, well, anything else audio. You can browse areas of interest on AGOGO—art or books or comedy or technology—and immediately add them to your own Go Channel; or you can browse and just listen for the moment. You can have radio, TV, and podcast favorites all piled together in your Go Channel—say, "Diane Sawyer," "60 Minutes," "All Things Considered," and "The Daily Show," all gathered together with, say, podcasts from the Poetry Foundation, the BBC, and AppleVis. When you play your Go Channel, content is constantly refreshed, so if there has been a new TED Talk or edition of Fresh Air produced since the last time you opened the app, it will be right there waiting for you.

You can listen to music or programs and podcasts about music. You can listen to book reviews or snippets of new books or programs about books and the publishing industry. You can listen to news commentaries or hear text-to-speech renditions of small chunks of information from your favorite newspapers. You can browse the various channels already established as categories or simply listen to your own Go Channel or music collection (the one on your own iPhone or a service like Spotify if you are a subscriber).

The AGOGO Story

J.D. Heilprin, AGOGO founder, is a media aficionado and entrepreneur who has been responsible now for four startups, all centered on a theme of compiling available media content for easier consumer access. His first was Rio, a player that brought music together in a single electronic location—not amazing by today's standards, but before the iPod it was revolutionary. He later conjured a system that would pull together all legally downloadable television programming into a single application, which launched as Flicker and subsequently became TV_COM.

AGOGO grew out of what Heilprin saw as a growing need for consumers to have media content of all varieties and to have it on the go, to combine media access with mobility. He wired the dashboard of his car with an iPad, an iPhone, and an Android device and drove from San Francisco to New York, curious to see how much of his favorite media (and with how much complicated maneuvering) he could enjoy hearing while on the road. The resulting brainstorm was that there had to be an easier way!

If you are driving a car or riding your bike or otherwise engaged in ways that make looking at a screen less than advisable, there needed to be a way to hear your favorite news and music and podcasts and programs without constantly pressing buttons, changing screens, or even navigating among multiple devices. Heilprin describes AGOGO as a kind of sophisticated tuner. It indexes content and enables you to point to exactly what you want to hear without myriad excess steps involved in getting there.

Embracing Accessibility

The AGOGO public beta launched in the fall of 2013 and its official public launch was March 27, 2014.

The intervening months attracted a voluminous amount of user feedback, and many of those feedback messages were from people who are blind or visually impaired.

"I wish I could say that I was smart enough to have set out to build something that was a completely accessible universe of programming to the blind community," Heilprin said, "but it didn't happen that way." Blind people were not on his radar screen at all. AGOGO grew out of the desire to create something that people could use without looking at the screen, and the surprise was that there was this whole population of consumers who never looked at the screen and who loved the product.

Heilprin was so enthusiastic about the concept of accessibility that he and his team decided to move it to the top of their list of priorities and to immerse themselves in learning how to do accessibility right.

They engaged in conversations with many of those original testers who had provided feedback. Eventually, realizing that the San Francisco Lighthouse was in the same neighborhood as AGOGO headquarters, they reached out to Lighthouse CEO Bryan Bashin, and board president Joshua Miele (both of whom are blind) and formed a wonderfully productive partnership.

In collaboration with the San Francisco Lighthouse, AGOGO has conducted usability testing, organized focus groups, and even secured some blindness training for a few of their engineers. AGOGO engineers pushed themselves to use AGOGO without looking at the screen, using VoiceOver exclusively to see what pitfalls in navigating the app might occur.

Content Categories

In addition to categories of content that center on books, music, science, movies, and a host of other interests, AGOGO now has a channel called Universal Access. The name might change, but the focus is thriving. You may have noticed that earlier reference to AppleVis. It is just one of many familiar sources of blindness and assistive technology content available in the Universal Access channel. Want to add Triple Click Home or Blind Bargains to your Go Channel along with the "TODAY" show and "All Things Considered"? Adding any item with a simple tap (or double-tap in the land of VoiceOver) is all that is required, and AGOGO will provide you with the newest episode each time you open the app.

Heilprin says that in making AGOGO more accessible to the blind community, his team has made the app better for everyone, and that he's constantly adding more improvements to his wish list. People who are blind, for example, have requested an integrated book channel. There is an abundance of outstanding information on books, book reviews, and book samples on AGOGO. Heilprin's vision, however, is that just as you can now do with music, you could hear a review of a book, buy the book, and begin reading it, all within AGOGO.

If you don't have an iPhone, you can still enjoy AGOGO from your computer, although the company is aware that the Web-based version has a few accessibility issues remaining and is addressing them. An Android version is also in process.

The spirit of inclusion that Heilprin and his team have poured into this product is both commendable and wise. While they do not currently have a blind person on the team, the website says they're hiring. Boasted benefits include ergonomic chairs and all the coffee you can drink! Together with an endless stream of deliciously stimulating audio content—well, for some of us it's hard to imagine a better environment.

Though we never have to complain about being bored again, one more feature Heilprin says they are trying to figure out—how to speed up the audio content—would make this app just about perfect!

Sign up for AGOGO by visiting the site, or go to the iTunes App Store on your iOS device and search for "AGOGO."

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If you're like me, you have several different GPS navigation apps on your iPhone, some free and others rather expensive. You may even be paying a monthly or yearly subscription fee to ensure you have the latest map and place data. If that is the case, here is a less expensive alternative you may wish to consider.

BlindSquare from MIPsoft uses data from Open Street Maps to provide street names and intersection alerts on iPhone 4 and later, or an iPad with either 3G or 4G data connection and service plan. The app then combines this map data with a treasure-trove of place names and other information crowd-sourced by millions of Foursquare users around the world. The result, BlindSquare, is a VoiceOver optimized app that offers accessible travel directions, along with the names and locations of millions of "points of interest" (POIs) including restaurants, banks, grocery stores, subway stations, and almost anywhere else you need or wish to go. In this article I will take you on a guided tour of this app and demonstrate how to make use of its many powerful features. First, though, let's take a quick look at the app's building blocks: Open Street Maps and Foursquare.

Open Street Maps is a crowd source project that was founded in 2004 with the goal of providing accurate mapping data that wouldbe available without charge to individuals, app developers, and technology solutions around the world. Craigslist uses Open Street Map data, and if you've ever used MapQuest to get directions you've also made use of Open Street Map data.

Foursquare is a social connector, a way to keep track of where your friends are and what they are doing right now. You can post your current location by "checking in" using a smartphone app so your friends can also find you. Frequent check-ins garner points and badges. Increasingly, businesses are offering discounts to those who check-in frequently, and if you are the person who checks in most at a restaurant, bookstore, or other location, you may even be designated the "mayor" of that location.

Along with the Open Street Maps list of points of interest (POIs), Foursquare also allows users to create their own check-in venues, comment about existing POIs and report outdated or non-existent listings. Someone in my neighborhood, for instance, has geotagged our community pool, and about a mile from my house someone else, the Connors, presumably, have dubbed a stretch of woods "Connor's Campground."

The BlindSquare App

Open Street Maps and Foursquare are both available on a number of platforms, including iOS and Android. For now, unfortunately, BlindSquare is iOS only. I tested version 2.2.1, which is available from the App Store for $29.99.

This price compares quite favorably to mainstream navigation apps, such as Navigon and TomTom, and there are never any map update charges or subscription fees, as is the case with other accessibility-optimized navigation apps.

You can use your favorite iOS voice, such as Samantha, with BlindSquare. The download also includes a full set of high-quality Acapela voices. You can set the BlindSquare speech rate and volume to different levels than the VoiceOver settings. I found this extremely convenient when running BlindSquare in the background with another app speaking in the foreground. The BlindSquare alerts were more distinct and did not interrupt speech in the foreground app.

When installing the app, you are asked for permission to access your device's location services and your contact list. The first permission is absolutely necessary. After all, what good is a GPS app if it doesn't know where you are? Allowing the app to access your contacts can automate data entry when you wish to navigate to one of your contact addresses, but it is not imperative that you grant this permission.

Near the top of the opening screen there is a button labeled "Foursquare." You can use this button to create a Foursquare account, or log into your existing account. However, you do not need to have a Foursquare account in order to access almost all of the BlindSquare features.

If you do create and link to a Foursquare account, you may receive extra information, such as restaurant menus, special offers, and suggested places based on your check-in history.

The first BlindSquare control we will discuss is the Distance control. This setting creates a circle with a radius from 82 feet to 1.24 miles, with your position in the center. BlindSquare will auto-announce POIs and destinations that fall within this circle. This screen also allows you to set whether or not BlindSquare should speak the current address from time to time as you walk, a handy feature to help you make sure you haven't lost your way.

If you are exploring a new area, you may wish to have BlindSquare report everything it finds in your designated circle, at least until you get the lay of the land. If you are on a mid-town Manhattan bus, however, you would likely be overwhelmed with that level of information. Use the "Filter Announcements" button to set the level or type of information you wish to hear as you travel. Your choices are "All," "Streets Only," "My Places," "Streets and My Places," "Places only," and "None." If you make a selection that includes "Places," you will be presented with a list of categories you can select or deselect for auto-announcements. These categories range from "Arts and Entertainment" to "Travel and Transport." If you just want a few categories announced, activate the "Deselect All" button and then add back in the few you do want.

This list includes two additional categories, "My Places" and "Shared Places." The first contains venues you have added to your BlindSquare database. These locations are saved with other BlindSquare data using iCloud. You can add places, edit their names, and indicate how near to this place you need to be before the app will sound an alert. You can also share your places with friends via e-mail, messaging, Twitter or Air Drop. If you have linked to Foursquare, the "Shared Places" category includes all of the places your friends have added to their "Home" category on Foursquare.

Back on the main screen, you will find the same list of Foursquare categories. Tap the "Food" category, for instance, and you will be presented with all restaurants, diners, and burger joints within your distance circle. This list is sorted both by popularity—number of Foursquare check-ins to POIs within your search radius—and by distance.

Clicking any of these listings calls up a menu where you can perform various tasks such as adding the venue to your favorites lst, accessing a Google page with phone numbers, store hours, menus and such, and read tips from Foursquare users (if you have a linked account). You can also plan a route, which we will discuss in detail later in this article.

If the place you seek is not in the category list, or if it's located outside of your distance circle, you can use the search button at the very top left of the screen to find it. Of course, the thoroughness of the Foursquare venue list will depend on the amount of Foursquare activity in your area. For example, in some cities the Travel and Transport category will list the location of nearly every bus stop. I had to add the stop nearest my house to my "My Places" list because it has not yet been added by a Foursquare user and checked into by at least five users. The BlindSquare database limits itself to venues with at least five check-ins to help weed out false and/or useless entries. A Foursquare search of the word "My" in my neighborhood listed venues such as "My Happy Place," "My Home Office," and "My Bed." Without the requirement for five check-ins, I would be inundated with voicings of unwanted places.

Getting Around

You don't need to have a particular destination in mind to use BlindSquare. If you're just out for a stroll, when you open the app it will begin by announcing your current location, nearby streets, and POIs within your distance circle, depending on which "Filter Announcements" setting you have enabled. As you walk, the app will update this information and announce intersections as you approach them. You can set how far away BlindSquare will announce upcoming intersections to Short, Medium, or Long. Access this control by double tapping the "Other" button on the main screen, then the "Settings" button, then scrolling down to the "Intersection Announcement Distance" control. If you begin traveling faster than 20 miles per hour, after seven seconds the app will begin announcing intersections sooner, however, so you don't have to make this adjustment every time you get on or off a bus.

While we are in the Settings menu, there are several other BlindSquare controls worth mentioning:

• Enable BlindSquare Help—If VoiceOver hints are enabled, this option will provide context sensitive help, which can be very useful to beginner users.
• Track Destination Automatically on Entire Route—This option will either offer you prompts all the way to your destination or else only announce the destination when you are nerly there.
• Shake Gesture Settings—when you shake your device with BlindSquare running, it can announce your current location, perform a Foursquare check-in, announce the pedometer reading, or any combination of the three.
• Automatic Sleep Time—sleep mode helps save battery time. If you are stationery for the set time BlindSquare will automatically put itself into sleep mode, and the app will not track your position or announce POIs until you resume movement. There is also a Sleep button on the main screen you can double tap at any time to activate or deactivate sleep mode.
• Track Destination Automatically on
• Direction Style—clock face, degrees, or cardinal directions
• Select Voice and Language—choose from built-in iOS or downloaded Acapela voices
• Speech Rate—ccan be set independently of VoiceOver setting
• Volume—ccan also be set independently of VoiceOver setting
• Delete Unused Voices—frees up device memory
• BlindSquare sounds—instruct the app which events, such as app startup or arrived at place, should be accompanied by sound cues
• Use Headset Remote to Control BlindSquare—see "Remote Navigation," below, for a detailed discussion of this feature
• Fleksy Keyboard Settings—the upcoming iOS 8 will allow you to install additional third-party keyboards, such as the Fleksy keyboard that allows you to type without striking every key precisely. BlindSquare was the first app to directly integrate the Fleksy Keyboard—it's built-in, you do not need to install the app on your device to use Fleksy. You can also use the MBraille keyboard and voice dictation to enter addresses and other place information into BlindSquare. A Bluetooth keyboard, notetaker or braille display supporting text input will also work.

As mentioned above, you don't need to have a particular destination in mind to use BlindSquare. That said, if you perform a venue search from the app's home screen, or select a location from one of the category lists, My Places, or Shared Places, you are presented with the opportunity to have BlindSquare begin tracking that location. From that point until you either reach your destination or toggle tracking off, you will, depending on your settings, receive periodic announcements of distance and direction to your destination or an announcement of when you are nearly there.

You can also select a contact using the home screen "Tools" menu, and if the vCard contains an address BlindSquare will offer to begin tracking that location.

The "Tools" menu also includes several other useful options:

• Look Around—with this option enabled you can point the top of your device in various compass directions and BlindSquare will announce the drection and all intersections and places that are located between you and the perimeter of your distance circle. Press this option a second time to toggle the option off
• Your Location—announces your current address and the nearest intersection
• Recent Places—provides a list of all recently announced places
• Nearby Intersections—provides a map of nearby intersections along with their compass or clock face directions from your current position. You can slide your finger across the screen to get the lay of the land, but you cannot track a road from one intersection to the next (You can double tap any of the intersections, however, and call up a Place Summary screen. See more about Place Summary screens below.)
• GPS Info—detailed discussion below
• Weather—grab a quick weather report for the location
• Contacts—double tap this option to summon your device's contact list (you must first have granted permission for the app to access your contacts)
• Braille Display—optimize the BlindSquare readout for your connected braille display

Linking to Turn-by-Turn Directions

BlindSquare does not offer turn-by-turn directions, which in my opinion is a good thing. After all, why reinvent the wheel? Instead, the app calls up a list of all of the mainstream navigation apps on your device. Apple Maps comes preinstalled on all iOS 7 devices. Google Maps is available via a free App Store download. Navigon, TomTom, and others are also available for varying prices.

Call up a destination and double-tap the "Plan a Route" button, and BlindSquare will send its coordinates to whichever third party app you select. There you can get turn-by-turn directions, and select your mode of travel: walking, driving or public transportation. I find Google Maps to be the absolute best for public transportation schedules and stops, and since it's free, I see no reason not to download this very useful app.

While your turn-by-turn navigation app is running, BlindSquare will still work in the background, announcing street names, approaching intersections, and points of interest. Let's say your bus route ends with a four-mile stretch of straight road. Your turn-by-turn navigation app might not be able to warn you when your stop is coming up. With BlindSquare you will stay properly updated on your position.

Researching a Location

It is also possible to learn what is between that bus stop and your ultimate destination ahead of time. When you call up the bus stop, or your ultimate location, you will find a "Simulate This Location" button. Activate this control and BlindSquare will place itself at the remote location and begin playing a whooshing cityscape sound t remind you that you are in simulation mode. From this mode you can perform all of the standard BlindSquare actions. You can Look Around, search for the coffee shop that is closest to the bus stop and add it to your My Places list, grab a quick weather report, etc. Press "Tools," then "End Simulation Mode" to return to your current location.

Sharing a Location

That coffee shop you stopped at was the best ever. You'd like to invite a friend to meet you for a second cup. Here's how.

Activate the "Share This Place" button on the Place Summary screen.

A second screen will appear with the place's name and a text entry field for an optional comment. You can then choose to share your location using Air Drop, e-mail, text messaging, Twitter, or WhatsApp (if installed). Alternatively, you can select "Clipboard" and then paste the information into a document, note, or any other app of your choice.

BlindSquare will send your designated location with links that open in BlindSquare, Foursquare, Apple Maps, Google Maps, or other third party navigation apps you have installed on your device. You can also send just the address.

Sending a location via e-mail prompts BlindSquare to also send a Google street map right in the message, and a Google Street View picture that shows the direction your phone was pointed toward when you shared the location. This option can be extremely helpful if you find yourself lost, or have a question about which door to use, the left or the right. A useful addition to this feature would be the ability to seamlessly add a quick photo, voice memo, or video to your e-mail.

If someone shares a place with you and you open the BlindSquare link, you will get the full Place Summary screen, with controls to add it to your favorites, track location, plan a route, check that location's weather, simulate that location, and more.

Editing Locations

One last feature of note on a My Places summary screen is the Edit button. This button allows you to change the name of the location and set an alert distance different from your default setting. This screen will also note your current GPS accuracy and allow you to set your current coordinates as the location for this plce. This feature can come in extremely handy, if, say, the BlindSquare location to a large office building leads you to the front door on one street, and you prefer to enter via a side door on a different street.

Remote Navigation

Traveling with a cane or guide dog can make it somewhat difficult to perform all the tapping and swiping required to use a naviation app. Happily, BlindSquare offers a hands-free mode so you can control the app, even when your phone is locked and in your purse or pocket. Access it through the "Other/Settings" menu by double tapping the "Use Headset Remote to Control BlindSquare" option. There you can toggle your headset remote controls from "Music and Video Playback" to "BlindSquare." Now, you can control most of the app's on-the-go features using the remote buttons on your iPhone earpods, or any other headset or device that supports Apple's remote control features.

To enable this feature, call up the BlindSquare "Settings" Menu and activate the "Use Headset Remote to Control BlindSquare" option. Now, pressing the Play/Pause button on your remote calls up an audio BlindSquare menu, which announces, one by one, options to access Location, Sleep Mode, Look Around, Around Me, Start Tracking, GPS Info, Time, Add Place, and Weather. Pressing the "Play/Pause" button a second time after the voicing of any of these commands calls up that item, and causes BlindSquare to announce the appropriate information. A double-tap-and-hold gesture will increase the size of the BlindSquare radius, a triple-tap-and-hold will decrease it. Remote commands will work even if your phone is locked and in your pocket. See the Help menu for a complete list of remote commands, or consult the impressively thorough documentation found on the BlindSquare website.

Final Comments and Recommendations

I have been using BlindSquare for several months, and I cannot praise this app enough. The BlindSquare feature set includes everything I want in a navigation app. Its effectiveness is limited only by the quality of the crowd-sourced map and POI information, which, even in my small town, I found exceptionally accurate and comprehensive. The developer has more than proven himself responsive to the needs and wishes of VoiceOver users, and continues to update and support the app on a regular basis.

In short, BlindSquare is a must-have app for any VoiceOver user who wishes to use an iOS device as a navigation aid.

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For years, I have used various flatbed scanners to perform optical character recognition (OCR) on memos, letters, and other documents, and to scan documents and photos for faxing or attaching to e-mails. I also use a flatbed scanner to recognize the texts of entire books, so I can read them on my computer or portable device. The process is tedious at best, requiring that you open the scanner lid, reposition the book, and close the lid for each new page or double-page spread you'd like to scan. Scanning a book in this manner can also damage the spine, since you often have to flatten the book with some force in order to expose the inside edges of the text to the scanner. Often, the only way to get a truly useable scan is to destroy the book by cutting off its cover and spine—not a viable option if the book is a rental textbook or a library book.

Fujitsu took a new approach with its latest model, the ScanSnap SV600 Overhead Scanner. The ScanSnap employs a moving scanner head with light bar and scanning lens to scan downward, across pages and books that lay open on a table or desk.

What's in the Box

• The ScanSnap SV600
• Black scanning mat
• Power cable
• USB cable
• PC software (Mac software can be obtained via a download from the Fujitsu web site.)
• Two plastic end caps
• Print documentation

Physical Description

The ScanSnap SV600 resembles a large desk lamp, with a base, a neck, and a head that hangs over the text to be scanned. The base is approximately 8.5 inches wide and 3 inches deep, and it sits at a tilt, about 1 ¾ inches high at the rear and ¾ inches high at the front. On the rear edge, toward the right, are two ports: the power cable port, at the extreme right, and a USB port to its left. There are two buttons on the front: a long Scan button, and, just above it and not nearly so long, a Stop button.

The neck holds the scan head about 11 inches from the desk top and is not adjustable. The scanner head has two components: the housing and the scanning unit with lens and a light bar. At its widest, the housing is 8 inches wide, and it is positioned above and just in front of the base. The scanning unit, including the lights and lenses, snuggles beneath the shell and pivots up and forward. Picture that desk lamp shining straight down at the edge of the paper closest to the base. Start tilting the head so the light shines toward the center of the page, moving slowly until you have covered the entire sheet from top to bottom.

The scanner is well balanced. It would take a direct hit to knock it over. However, the ScanSnap also includes a bit of extra protection—two plastic end caps with adhesive edges that will secure the scanner to a surface.

There is no physical locking mechanism to hold the ScanSnap secure during transport. The unit I tested did have tape holding the scanner unit immobile inside the shell, which I needed to remove before using the scanner.

The black scanning mat unrolls to approximately 21 inches wide by 17 inches deep, with a 9-inch wide by 2-inch deep indentation that allows you to position the mat centered against the scanner. The mat has various markings to help users center the materials to be scanned, but I found this easy enough to do without visual cues, as there is also a notch at the center of the base to help with positioning.

The ScanSnap Software

The ScanSnap SV600 Windows drivers and software come on a disk in the box, along with a copy of ABBY FineReader for ScanSnap. Mac users will need to download the software from the product website. Unfortunately, to download the Abby Fine Reader software, you will need your scanner's product and serial numbers, which are located in small type on the rear of the scanner base.

The ScanSnap does not use standard TWAIN drivers, so you will need to use the Fujitsu drivers and software to create scanned images. Using the accompanying Abby Fine Reader is the easiest way to turn scans into text, though there is a way to port your scans to OpenBook, K1000 or other OCR packages (see below).

The Mac software installation was completely accessible, but Windows installation presented issues. The opening splash screen was completely inaccessible; Window-Eyes couldn't read it at all. I did find a workaround: from my computer drive list I used the context menu "Open" option to explore the DVD drive. I was then able to navigate to the setup files and install each of the three scanning components: ScanSnap Manager, ABBY FineReader for ScanSnap, and CardMinder, a utility for organizing business cards.

A better solution is to download the PC software from the site, which will give you the latest versions of the software (I needed to download and install the new versions anyway because of a bug that was fixed after the installation disks were produced). To download the Windows version of FineReader for ScanSnap, you will also need the product and serial numbers located on the scanner's base.

The Scanning Process

The easiest way to begin a scan is to place your document or book on the mat. Use the scanner base edges and notch to help center the document on the mat with the top edge against the scanner. Press the Scan button. The ScanSnap driver will load and the ScanSnap Manager will start up with the announcement "SV600 is ready to scan." Press the Scan button again at this point to initiate the first scan.

To initiate a scan using a Windows PC, navigate to the ScanSnap Manager icon in the Notifications Area, then press either your screen reader's right click hot key or the Windows Applications Key. If you're using a Mac, begin by navigating to the manager's dock icon. Then press the Shift + CTRL + Option + M open shortcut menu hot key to invoke the manager.

At this point both the PC and Mac versions provide a software "scan" button you can press to begin a new scan. Unfortunately, you must begin each new session from the Notifications Area or the Dock; there isn't a hotkey or menu option within the software itself to start a new scan. I found this rather inconvenient when beginning a second scan of a different book or piece of mail. Usually, I much preferred to simply tap the ScanSnap's physical "Scan" button and avoid the sotware altogether.

The ScanSnap completes a scan in less than five seconds. The manager then announces "Continue scanning." You can press Spacebar on this control, or simply give the hardware Scan button another press. When you have finished scanning all of your pages press the Stop button to end the scanning, or press the Tab key once in the manager to reach the "Finish scanning" button.

The manager Settings menu includes an option to increase or decrease the length of time between a press of the hardware Scan button and the commencement of scanning. This option may be useful to some, since to press the Scan button you need to reach over the mat and the document you're scanning.

Another reason to set the time interval is if you wish to have the ScanSnap auto-scan repeatedly. The Settings menu offers two options: Time Interval and Page Turning Detection modes. With either of these options enabled, merely hold the Scan button down for at least two seconds before your first scan. To end your repeat-scan session, press either the Scan or Stop button.

I found both methods extremely useful in scanning multiple sheets of paper. I could lay the stack on the mat, and then as each page completed scanning, I could lift the top sheet and wait for the next sheet to be scanned. This was considerably easier than using a flatbed scanner, where I must lift the page, or stack of pages, off the glass, then replace the scanned page and orient it on the scanner glass.

Page turning detection made scanning a book considerably easier than using a flatbed scanner. I could quickly scan two pages at a time, and I didn't have to break the book's spine or press down on a scanner cover to perform a proper scan. There is plenty of vertical space between the book and the scanner bar to use your hands to turn pages and hold a large book open with your fingers. During my testing the auto-scan never started before I had the page turned and ready.

Image Enhancement

The ScanSnap Manager software performs certain image manipulations to make the scans easier to turn into digital books and to improve OCR. First, since the book is not pressed against scanner glass, most people will tend to hold the pages down and out to the sides with their fingers. The ScanSnap software does its best to remove finger images from the scan before saving it. Second, and of more interest to screen access users, the software tries to "flatten" the pages, compensating for the down curved inner edges that can lead to less-than-stellar text recognition.

When you complete a single or multiple page scan, the ScanSnap Manager offers you two choices: "Crop and save flat document images as is" and "Correct and save double-page spread document images (book/magazine)." There is also a "Check/Correct" button, where you have the opportunity to crop the image, or to move the divider marker, if the page was not centered. These controls are completely graphical, however, so of little use to those with limited or no sight.

You will nevertheless wish to use the "Check/Correct" option, since it is after this screen, when you activate the "Apply" button, when the finger removal and page flattening is performed automatically. Select "Save and Exit" at this point and the scan is saved in a PDF file for further action. For this review I performed OCR on the same scanned pages with both processed and unprocessed images. For double-page spreads recognition was always improved noticeably after the image processing.

By default the ScanSnap manager saves the scan as an image-only PDF, but the Settings menu includes options to "Save in JPG" and "Save in searchable PDF." The latter option creates files that contain both pictures of the scanned pages and the text, which is recognized using ABBY FineReader for ScanSnap. The settings menu also includes options to have your work saved in a different PDF file for each page, or a single PDF file containing all of your scanned pages.

After saving the image in a PDF file, the manager opens the ScanSnap Quick Menu, which offers a number of choices, including the ability to scan to print, e-mail, Dropbox, Google Docs, or a specific folder, and ABBY scan to Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. Unfortunately, when using Window-Eyes on the PC, the buttons did not voice the appropriate labels and I had to use the mouse cursor to find the option I wanted. Happily, the Quick Menu defaults to the last choice you made, so after using the ABBY Scan to Word option, the next time I merely had to press Spacebar to re-invoke the option. You can also use the right click menu to remove some of the options from your favorites, and to have the Quick Menu only display those you are likely to use.

The Mac software needed a bit more tweaking. The buttons on this Quick Menu lacked accessible labels, so you have to label them using the VoiceOver Control + Option + / (Slash) command. I spent some time pressing unlabeled buttons to try figure out which option each called up so I could label the buttons properly, but then I discovered that in the Mac Settings menu of the manager there is a table listing all of the applications in the Quick Menu in the order they appear, and with the option to change their order.

You can also add other applications to the Quick Menu. For this review I added Kurzweil 1000 to the applications list in the Windows version settings menu. I set the manager to use this application, and I turned off the Quick Menu. Now, when I finished scanning a page or several pages, I could select "Crop and save flat document images as is" or "Correct and save double-page spread document," then click the "Apply" button, and, after I clicked "Save and Exit," K1000 automatically started and my recognized text appeared in the K1000 window.

The Mac default Quick Menu options are the same as the PC version, including ABBY FineReader for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. These file formats will open in Pages, Numbers, and Keynote, and since these apps have recently become free, I hope a future software update will include these file types as defaults.

Unfortunately, there is currently a major accessibility issue with the ScanSnap for Mac Settings menu. I was able to navigate the first tab of setting options. Other options only appear after you select the "Details" button, and I could find no way to access the remaining tabs using VoiceOver find, cursor, or mouse commands. I needed sighted help to mouse to one of the additional tabs, after which I was able to navigate them with no difficulty. Happily, these are settings you do not need to change often. I reported this bug to the company. Hopefully it will be fixed in the next version update.

Scan and OCR Quality

For this review I performed a comparison scan of a paperback entitled Mastering Leptin, by Byron J. Richards, using the ScanSnap and my Canon CanoScan 4507B002 USB scanner. The book is approximately 6 inches wide by 9 inches tall by 1.5 inches thick, and I started scanning the book about midway through the text

Spread open, the book barely fit on my USB scanner. I lowered the lid, but did not crack the spine, press down on the lid, or weigh it down with other books.

Performing a scan of the same two-page spread using the ScanSnap, I simply positioned the book on the scanning mat and allowed the pages to spread naturally. I did not hold them down during scanning.

I used K1000 running the FineReader OCR engine to recognize both scans

The first paragraph of results using the CanoScan:

The problems of inflammation and cardiovascular risk are sip,iilfl^ elevated in insulin-resistant and leptin-resistant individuals. ""I !i# j lems of inflammation extend to many aspects of disease i isk, a Iih4 \ is being announced loud and clear t the American publie.'"

Slowing the aging process is related to having a good 111y 1111iill* of natural balance and an ability to bounce back and manage Mil

The results of the same text as scanned and image corrected with the ScanSnap SV600:

The problems of inflammation and cardiovascular risk are significantly elevated in insulin-resistant and leptin-resistant individuals.³⁰⁴ The problems of inflammation extend to many aspects of disease risk, a fact that is being announced loud and clear to the American public.³⁰⁵

Slowing the aging process is related to having a good rhythmic base of natural balance and an ability to bounce back and manage stress.

Neither recognition is perfect, but as you can see, the CanoScan created an image with dips at the end of each line, causing K1000 to misrecognize more text and to place line breaks where they do not exist. Recognition could doubtless have been improved if I had pressed down on the cover, or broken the spine, or scanned the pages one at a time, which would have taken twice as long.

For comparison's sake, here is the same page scanned with the ScanSnap and recognized with FineReader for ScanSnap:

The problems of inflammation and cardiovascular risk are significantly elevated in insulin-resistant and leptin-resistant individuals.³⁰⁴ The problems of inflammation extend to many aspects of disease risk, a fact that is being announced loud and clear to the American public.³⁰⁵

Slowing the aging process is related to having a good rhythmic base of natural balance and an ability to bounce back and manage stress.

The ScanSnap will accommodate books with a maximum size of 8.5 inches by 11 inches, which translates into a book that opens up to 17 inches in total width. Consequently, I was able to scan an open magazine two pages at a time. Because of the focal settings of the scanner, the unit is only able to scan books less than 30mm (1.18 inches") thick. Thicker books can be successfully scanned, but you will need to physically elevate the scanner itself by placing the base atop a book or some other object.

One problem I encountered when scanning a book with the ScanSnap was at the very beginning of books. I had to hold the pages open, as an unread book tends to want to stay unread. I tried holding the page open in midair to keep the scan as flat as possible, but I soon learned the easy way to do this—place another book under the left side and hold the page down against it.

The ScanSnap Manager includes auto page orientation, but there are quirks, especially when recognizing a two-page spread. The text is recognized, but the resulting PDF places the images upside down, and the OCR results are reversed—page 2, then page 1. Hopefully, this is another bug that will be fixed in a future software release.

The Bottom Line

Retailing at $799, the ScanSnap SV600 is a bit pricey for most. I did find it discounted to $616.99 at Amazon. The price also compares favorably to the Pearl from Freedom Scientific ($795—but if you need to buy the OpenBook OCR software, the price to use the Pearl jumps to $1,790).

If most of your scanning needs are single page documents, memos, letters, and mail, the ScanSnap may not be for you. OpenBook and K1000 are much quicker getting you from the scan to the reading page—there is no intermediate step. With the ScanSnap, it's also not possible to scan a few pages and start reading while you continue scanning more pages.

The FineReader for ScanSnap is also locked to the ScanSnap Manager, which means you can't use this software to scan e-mail attachments or JPGs you already have on your computer.

If, however, you do a lot of whole book scanning—especially if the books are borrowed from friends or checked out from the library—the ScanSnap SV600 may prove extremely useful and well worth the price. Mac users will probably need a bit of sighted assistance to set up the scanner and software, at least for the current software release, version V6.2L10.

Product Information

The Fujitsu ScanSnap SV600
Price: $799

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Although it's roughly only the size of their manual brailler writer, the Perkins SMART Brailler does a lot more. It provides customizable audio feedback as the user types, there's a screen on which a sighted person can see what is being written, and a memory device can be plugged in via a USB port.

The SMART Brailler is a learning tool for anyone learning braille. As the user types, the SMART Brailler speaks according to the speech settings—similar to how a screen reader provides audio feedback. A teacher who cannot read braille can see what a student is writing as he types, and the student gets immediate audio feedback from the machine so he doesn't have to wait until the teacher reads his assignment. Because it has a screen, the SMART Brailler provides instant visual feedback. Thus a parent or other sighted individual can help a child with her assignments and the device also helps the parent learn braille along with the child. In addition, the braille file can be put onto a flash drive and then onto a computer in text format. These features allow blind and sighted children to work together on an assignment with relative ease.

This unit uses braille paper up to 8.5 by 11 inches and can braille up to 28 cells per line. At this time, the SMART Brailler does not support Nemeth code.

What's in the Box

The box contains the SMART Brailler, a braille guide for getting started, a small piece of printed paper with a few updates to the braille guide, and a small box that holds the power adapter and a rechargeable battery. If you want to use features such as audio feedback, it is necessary to either install the battery or use the power adapter. If the SMART Brailler is only being used as a standard Perkins brailler, it is not necessary to use battery or AC power.

The enclosed braille instructions explain how to install the rechargeable battery but also say that you may need sighted assistance. The screws for the battery compartment cover are very tiny and come completely off when they are loosened. The battery itself gets plugged into a small port inside the battery compartment. Once the battery is plugged in, the screws need to be tightened. Using the AC adapter, the battery must be charged for about eight hours before being used. However, if the brailler is plugged in, it can be used while the battery is charging.

Layout

Position the SMART Brailler with the keys and screen facing you. The handle is located below the nine keys that make up the keyboard. In the middle of the keyboard is the spacebar. To the left of the keyboard are the keys for typing dots 3, 2, and 1. The keys for dots 4, 5, and 6 are to the right of the spacebar. The line spacing key is at the far left of the keyboard and the backspace key is at the far right.

The carriage is at the top of the brailler. The carriage consists of the embossing head on the bottom, the carriage release button on the top and the easy erase button slightly to the right of the release button. The paper release levers are on the left and right side of the carriage. The roller handles, for loading paper into the carriage, are on the left and right side of the brailler. At the back of the brailler are two indentations. The left one is just above the AC adapter. When the tabs just above the indentations are lifted upward, the reading rest will appear.

The power switch for the SMART Brailler is on the right side of the unit. What makes this brailler different is the SMART Module, which is located above the braille keyboard. In the middle of the module is a screen, meant for sighted users. To the left of the screen are four buttons. From top to bottom, these buttons: 1) turn the screen off and on, 2) change screen display modes, 3) control whether the SMART Brailler types contracted or uncontracted braille (contracted braille translation is provided by Duxbury Systems), and 4) control what and whether the brailler speaks. The speaker is located to the left of the four buttons.

The menu button is located above and to the right of the screen. Next to it and slightly below are four crescent-shaped buttons, with a diamond shaped button in the middle. The four crescent buttons are for up, down, left, and right and the diamond button is the Select button.

At the top right of the SMART Module is a headphone jack and along the right side of the module is a volume control. There's a USB port at on the lower right side of the SMART Module. The margin guides are located behind the SMART Module and are accessed by gently pulling the top of the SMART Module forward. Once the margins are set, push the SMART Module back into place.

Getting Help

Along with the instructions that come in the box, there are several other ways to learn how to use the SMART Brailler and get assistance. The SMART Brailler comes with an excellent audio tour. It is accessed by turning on the brailler and pressing the down button until you hear "Audio Tour." Press the select button to start the tour. The tour reviews the SMART Brailler's layout and describes how to accomplish a variety of tasks including how to load paper, set margins, and choose between contracted and uncontracted braille.

A link on the website leads to descriptions on how to accomplish tasks such as creating and saving a file and how to transfer a file from the SMART Brailler to a computer.can be downloaded as a PDF document from the website. Activate the SMART Brailler User Manual link. This manual gives very detailed, step-by-step instructions.

There are several training videos on the SMART Brailler website. When using Safari and Chrome on the Mac I was not able to access the controls for many of the videos. I was able to play the In Depth Training Webinar and the SMART Brailler for Adults Learning Braille webinar. With Windows Explorer on a PC, activating the Training Videos link loaded a new page with access to all the videos (not all the buttons were labeled, but the play buttons were).

Customer support can be reached at 617-972-7308 or by e-mail.

Using the SMART Brailler

The audio tour was very useful for learning the layout of the brailler and for learning how to accomplish tasks required to use the SMART Module. When the audio tour was paused, the brailler kept saying that the tour was paused and to activate the select button to continue.

It took a couple of attempts for me to load the paper correctly. I discovered that if I placed my hand at the top of the unit's reading rest, so I could make sure the paper stayed on the guide, it was easy to get the paper in. By following directions on how to remove the paper, the paper came out easily.

Using the SMART Module

If more than one person will be using the SMART Brailler, separate accounts will need to be created. Doing so lets each user have their own settings and files.

Creating an Account

Turn the unit on and use the down button to get to the "User" option. Press the Select button. Auditory instructions will be presented on how to create an account. Each letter of the name has to be selected from the alphabet. The four crescent shaped navigation keys will move through the letters. Use the Select button to choose a letter. When finished, navigate to the OK button. After a few seconds you'll hear the name of the account.

The Settings Menu

This menu offers ways for each user to customize the SMART Brailler's voice, language, screen, and more.

Voices and Language

The default language is US English but many other languages, including Spanish, French, and Russian, are also available through the settings menu. Acapela text-to-speech voices, from Acapela Group, are provided for each language. US English has Heather as the default, but Ryan and Laura are also available. Voices are chosen via the Settings menu.

Colors

The third option in the settings menu is Colors. This setting is useful for sighted teachers and parents as well as users who are low vision. The default setting is black on white. There are many other options including: white on black, yellow on black, black on yellow, and black on pink.

Brightness

The next option in the Settings menu is for adjusting the screen brightness. The user is prompted to use the up and down buttons to adjust the brightness. No audio feedback was given to indicate any changes.

Power

The Power option provides options for choosing how long the screen stays on without being used. There are separate settings for adapter and battery.

System

The final option in the settings menu is System. This category presents information about the SMART Brailler such as license, operating system, and battery status.

Adjusting What the SMART Brailler Says

The speech button, which is the bottom button on the left side of the SMART Module, offers several options for choosing what the Brailler says. These options are: letters, letters and words, speak lines, speak everything, and speech off. Speech rate cannot be changed.

Erasing a Mistake

A very convenient feature is the built-in erase button. Instructions on how to use it are in the audio tour. The Brailler says the name of the character being erased. However, if the error is in the first cell on a line, the eraser cannot be used for that error.

You can only edit the line you are on. If you've made an error on a previous line, FAQ recommends transferring the file onto a computer, editing the file, and then transferring it back to the Brailler.

Creating and Saving a file

Any saved file can be opened on the SMART Brailler or put on a USB drive and copied to a computer. This is accomplished through the file menu. When the Save button is activated, the Brailler will use the first line of text as the title. Therefore you cannot customize a file's name. If the first line you typed is "English Assignment," that's what the saved file will be called. Therefore, make sure the first line will help you identify the file easily. If you add more to the file, each subsequent addition will have a number in parenthesis. All files are saved as .txt files; this is the only format that the SMART Brailler can read.

The file menu gives additional options such as Read File and Save File to USB. I was able to have the SMART Brailler read a text file from a USB drive, but it took some time for the file to be loaded and then read. A file was copied from the Brailler to a USB drive. I was then able to read the file on a PC and a Mac. In both cases all words were correct and they appeared in the same location as on my original braille file. Another option is to print a file. This can be done by connecting the Brailler to a printer via the USB port.

Building on Patterns

Building on Patterns is a curriculum developed by the American Printing House for the Blind that is designed to help children learn braille. An app based on this program, developed by Perkins, is installed on SMART Braillers purchased from the Americn Printing House for the Blind. The app contains exercises and gives audio feedback whether user answers correctly or incorrectly.

Conclusion

The Perkins SMART Brailler is an excellent learning tool, allowing blind and sighted users the opportunity to work and learn together. The machine is relatively easy to use, with documentation online and via the onboard audio tour.

Product Information

Product: The Perkins SMART Brailler
Price: $2,195
Available from:
Perkins
175 North Beacon Street
Watertown, MA 02472
Phone: 617-972-7308
Fax: 617-926-2027
E-mail: PerkinsProducts@Perkins.org

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Dear AccessWorld readers,

I know the students out there don't want to hear these words, but it's time to think about the start of a new school year.

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

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

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

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

Just as we have done for the past three years in the July issue, the AccessWorld team once again focuses on providing valuable information and resources for students, parents, teachers, and professionals in the vision loss field to help make educational pursuits less stressful and more enjoyable. We are excited to bring you the information in this issue, and we sincerely hope you will find it useful.

In this issue, Janet Ingber looks at a learning tool perfect for the classroom: the Perkins SMART Brailler, which allows blind and sighted users the opportunity to work and learn together. For those students new to iOS or who want to become more proficient and use their device more specifically as a productivity tool for school, Bill Holton reviews iOS Access for All: Your Comprehensive Guide to Accessibility for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch, by Shelly Brisbin.

In that vein, you may also want to check out an article from last year's "Back to School" issue. Deborah Kendrick's review of iOS Success: Making the iPad Accessible: A Guide for Teachers and Parents (National Braille Press) might be of interest.

If you plan to do a lot of whole-book scanning—especially if the books are borrowed from friends or checked out from the library, Bill Holton's in-depth evaluation of the SV600 scanner may prove extremely useful.

Finally, if you are moving away for school this year, you will surely want to check out Bill Holton's evaluation of the BlindSquare navigation app. finding your way around town or around campus, or finding the coffee shop or the library will be much easier if you have this app handy.

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

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

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I want to thank John Rempel for a very good review of the Uber rideshare service published in the June issue. I have used this service three or four times here in the Chicago area, and I found it to be reliable and the drivers friendly and helpful. I definitely agree with Rempel that you should use the options provided after a ride has been requested to let the driver know you are blind if you can't see the vehicle, so he or she will know to look for you.

Sincerely,

Ray Campbell

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I am a person with low vision due to albinism, and I recently read an article in the Back Issues of AccessWorld, entitled, Celebrating Nearly 12 Years as a Bioptic Driver, by Deanna Austin, published in December 2010.

I have been behind the wheel several times, but never out on the open road during normal driving hours. I love cars, and it has always been my dream to be able to drive legally.

I have read a bit about bioptic lenses and the driving laws. I currently live in Florida, and according to what I have read, I would not be able to obtain a driver's license with bioptic lenses in the state of Florida. I am wondering if there is an alternative to bioptics or if you know of any laws that may have changed. Any additional information on the matter would help.

Thanks in advance,

Oscar

Response from AccessWorld Author, Ike Presley:

I am a current bioptic driver, and coincidentally, I was one of the first bioptic drivers in Florida back in the early 70s, until they sent us all a registered letter telling us our licenses had been suspended, with no explanation. We tried to fight it, but as they say, "…you can't fight city hall."

I do not know the current situation in Florida, but here are some resources you might want to check out.

• International Academy of Low Vision Specialists
• BiopticDrivingUSA
• BiOptic Driving Network
• National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation (NOAH)
• Some articles about bioptic driving on the NOAH site

I urge you to connect with NOAH. It's an organization that does a lot of good work. It is having a conference in San Diego July 10–13, 2014, where I will be presenting an overview of technology for people with low vision.

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I read the last two articles about Accessible Quick Books with great interest as I have been struggling to use the accounting software with JAWS since starting my business in January, 2014. After reading the first article entitled, An Introduction to Accessible QuickBooks by Intuit and My Blind Spot and the second article entitled, Continuing the Accessibility Conversation: An Interview with Albert Rizzi of My Blind Spot and Lori Samuels of Intuit, both by Aaron Preece, I have two questions:

1. Is there a separate version of the software that incorporates the accessibility fixes or is Quick Books Pro 2014 accessible off the shelf?
2. The articles mention JAWS scripts. Where can I find the Quick Books scripts for JAWS?

Thank you for your assistance,

Douglas Martens

Response from AccessWorld Author, Aaron Preece:

QuickBooks Pro 2014 contains some accessibility fixes, but to benefit from the full range of current accessibility, it is necessary to use the JAWS scripts. The scripts do not seem to be publicly posted at this time, but you may be able to obtain a copy of the scripts from My Blind Spot by sending an e-mail to info@myblindspot.org.

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

In the archives of AccessWorld, I recently read the article from the February 2014 issue entitled, Evaluating the Accessibility of the Microsoft Surface Pro 2 Using Narrator, by Bill Holton, and I have a few questions.

I am a school teacher and wanted Narrator to read some text as an audio aid. My problem is that once it's reading, no other actions can be performed without causing it to read something new.

Is there a way to have Narrator read selected text in only one window and allow you to navigate away to multitask and work on other things?

Thanks,

Brian Dang

Response from AccessWorld Author, Bill Holton

The reason Narrator is stopping when you start doing other tasks is because of a feature called interruptability. Most screen readers will stop talking when you press any other key. Imagine if you were a very fast typist and had to wait at the end of each sentence for the screen reader to catch up with you.

Unfortunately, I do not know of any way to toggle interruptability off using Narrator, and when I called the Microsoft Accessibility Answer Desk, the technician could not find one, either. If you have a recent version of Microsoft Office on your Surface Pro, consider installing Window-Eyes, which is free for users of Office. Window-Eyes offers the option to turn off interruptability in the Keyboard Settings menu.

I hope this helps.

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

In the June issue of AccessWorld, Janet Ingber wrote, Mike Malarsie Teaches How to Be Blind. What an inspirational story of a brave person with great soul and great compassion.

Thank you for sharing this with your readers. I will introduce AccessWorld magazine to many in the blind community in Zimbabwe.

Gladys

Calling All Low Vision Advocates!

Sign and Share the AFB Change.org Online Petition and Tell Congress it's Time for Medicare to Cover Low Vision Devices Now!

Recently, the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) called upon organizations from throughout the vision loss community to formally endorse a petition to Congress urging law makers to extend Medicare coverage to low vision devices. The response has been overwhelming, and groups continue to voice their support. We also heard from many individuals from around the country asking for the opportunity to participate. Now you can!

Sign the AFB Change.org petition and tell Congress that it's time to end the failure of America's national Medicare system to cover low vision devices!

Once you've added your name to the petition, please share this invitation widely with your networks.

For decades, the vision loss community has been advocating for Medicare coverage of access technologies, particularly low vision devices. Currently, Medicare will not pay for any device that happens to use a lens, regardless of whether such device incorporates any other features. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency responsible for the management of Medicare, has ruled that devices, such as low vision devices, that use a lens are excluded from coverage just as are eyeglasses or contact lenses (except in very narrow circumstances).

By joining and promoting this petition, you are playing a direct and meaningful part in our community's fight to overturn this unacceptable national policy and to secure coverage for vitally needed low vision devices under Medicare. CMS will not provide coverage for these devices unless Congress tells them to. Repeated attempts to work through both the Bush and Obama administrations to overturn the far-too-restrictive CMS position on low vision devices have been rejected, and official correspondence from the Congressional Vision Caucus and other leading law makers has not convinced CMS to act. Now is the time to urge Congress to take decisive meaningful action and direct CMS to extend appropriate coverage for low vision devices.

Sign and share the petition today!

For further information, contact:

Mark Richert, Esq.
Director, Public Policy, American Foundation for the Blind
(202) 469-6833
MRichert@afb.net

American Foundation for the Blind Launches CareerConnect App!

The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) CareerConnect Web Program now provides vision professionals, job seekers, family members, and youth who are blind or visually impaired with a resource that fits in their pocket. AFB has designed the CareerConnect App around some of the key features of the AFB CareerConnect Program. This could be your quick lesson idea, the tips toward finding your next job, or the inspiration and advice toward your first career.

If you're a teacher, transition specialist, rehabilitation counselor, or a related professional, you may be interested in the following:

• Lesson Plans: over 80 focused transition lessons for use with students who are blind or visually impaired.
• Our Stories: employment success stories, organized by career cluster, to inspire and inform youth about the successful professional paths of people who are blind or visually impaired
• CareerConnect Blog: read and share transition and employment related advice for youth and job seekers who are blind or visually impaired and stay p-to-date with the latest changes and announcements

If you are a job seeker, transitioning youth, or want to maintain employment, you may be interested in the following:

• Tips and advice from the CareerConnect Blog.
• Our Stories pieces to find out how successful people who are blind or visually impaired do their job and have found their road o success.

If you are a parent or family member of a youth who is blind or visually impaired, you may be interested in the following:

• Lesson Plans for creative and easy lessons that build toward independence and success in employment
• Our Stories to explore over 100 stories about people who are blind or visually impaired making great strides toward success
• The CareerConnect Blog for resources, changes in the program, and useful advice

Don't be left behind! Download the CareerConnect App from the Apple App Store today for your iPhone or iPod touch. AFB will be adding new features and functionality through the coming year. The price is just right: FREE!

AccessNote App Is Now FREE!

AccessNote, the popular note-taking app from AFB, is now being offered free of charge through the Apple App Store, and it will be coming to Android in the very near future. AccessNote, designed specifically for people who are blind or visually impaired, offers great searchability and syncing to DropBox. AFB is bringing its success to everyone by now offering this productivity tool for free. Check it out today!