When Olga Baldassi received a Galaxy S III for her birthday, one of the first apps she installed was Total Commander, a program for Windows, Apple, and Android that adds functionality to file management commands (cut, paste, etc.). "I'd used Total Commander on my Windows machine for years, and I even had it on my HTC TyTN running Windows Mobile," she says. Unfortunately, when Olga tapped the icon to start Total Commander on her new Android phone, she discovered the buttons at the bottom of the screen were unlabeled. "Talkback kept saying, 'Button, button, button,'" she recalls. "Without those labels, the app was all but useless to me."

It's happened to nearly every smartphone or tablet user who relies on built-in voice or braille support. You hear about a great new mobile app. You download and install it, and only then do you discover your awesome new app leaves a lot to be desired on the accessibility front. The app may be totally inaccessible. Perhaps there's a single critical feature that doesn't voice, and you are almost certain it could easily be fixed.

VoiceOver for iOS offers several ways to help make the inaccessible accessible, including user-labeled elements and Direct Touch, a feature that allows users to interact with the screen without requiring the pass-through gesture. TalkBack, TouchBack, and SoundBack for Android are making significant advancements with each new release. Third party Android screen readers are also available, including Spiel and Mobile Accessibility for Android that can help solve many accessibility problems. There are times, however, when your only recourse is to give up on a new app or reach out to the developer and hope he or she is willing and able to make the necessary modifications.

That's what Olga Baldassi did. "I sent a support e-mail explaining the problem, and the very next day there was a new beta available with every button properly labeled," she reports.

Perhaps your own app advocacy has proven less than successful. Below, we'll offer up some suggestions to help you more effectively communicate with developers and help them improve accessibility for you and other screen access users. First, let's step back and take a brief look at where things go wrong.

Why Apps Won't Talk

At present, Windows Phone 8 has no screen reading capabilities, and the story remains unclear for Blackberry version 10. As for iOS and Android, "Far and away, the most common accessibility issues involve unlabeled elements, such as buttons, form fields, and checkboxes," says Pratik Patel, accessibility consultant and author of the upcoming eBook, Designing and Developing iOS Apps with Accessibility. Another accessibility issue is the use of customized, non-standard interfaces. "In the current Netflix for iOS app, they highlight graphics by covering them with a button," Patel explains. "VoiceOver thinks you're pressing a button, but when you do, nothing happens."

Sometimes the problem is caused by a developer actually using a standard interface. Many Android apps allow users to choose a more accessible browser, such as Firefox, when the app calls up a web view. "Others, like the Facebook Android app, invoke the standard Android browser, which is not yet fully accessible," Patel notes.

The good news on the Android front is that, since voice and braille access are not part of the operating system, they can be improved and updated more frequently, whereas VoiceOver for Apple products must await a new iOS release to fix bugs and introduce new features.The bad news is that, currently, there are at least three different versions of Android (Gingerbread, Ice Cream Sandwich, and Jelly Bean) that offer different levels of accessibility and sometimes even different ways to accomplish the same task. Also, there are hundreds of different Android devices. For many there is no upgrade path, and the manufacturer has added custom interfaces and apps with features designed to improve the sighted user experience, which too often limits voice and braille accessibility even further.

Determining the Problem

If you encounter an app that appears inaccessible, check with others to make sure they are experiencing the same issues. Friends and colleagues are a great place to start, but for a wider user base, consider subscribing to an Internet news list devoted to mobile accessibility. The Eyes-free and Viphone lists are great resources when you have questions about an iOS or Android app, and signing up is easy. Simply send a blank e-mail to either the Eyes-free group or the Viphone group and reply to the brief confirmation e-mail.

Once you've signed up, you're in touch with hundreds of users and more than a few developers who may already have figured out a solution to your accessibility problems. Perhaps there is a menu option that needs to be enabled to improve accessibility. Maybe there are unlabeled buttons, and another subscriber can tell you what each button does in the order they appear. There may also be workarounds you weren't aware of or a different app that does everything you need that is already 100 percent accessible.

Twitter is another valuable resource. Tweet your questions with the hash tag "#a11y". (There are 11 letters between "a" and "y" in "accessibility.") Then, use Twitter or your Twitter client to search for "#a11y", and join a worldwide community of users interested in reporting and solving accessibility issues.

Read Access Ana's excellent blog, Accessible Android Blog, a treasure-trove of searchable articles and links to other resources, including "That Android Show," Serotalk's monthly podcast covering Android news and accessibility. iOS users may wish to check out AppleVis, a repository for hundreds of blog posts and podcasts describing in detail how to use various iOS apps with VoiceOver and braille access.

First Contact

Still can't get that app working properly with speech or braille? "It's probably time to reach out to the app's developer," suggests Michael Hansen, an AppleVis team member. Your best starting point is usually the support e-mail address listed on an iOS help screen or the Android app's Play Store page.

"In most cases, it's not that developers don't want to add accessibility to their apps. They simply aren't aware of the need and how simple the necessary changes can be to implement," says Hansen.

Dos and Don'ts for Contacting Developers

Do: Be courteous and polite when drafting that first support e-mail.

Don't: Be vague ("Your app doesn't talk") or confrontational ("If you don't fix your app, I'm going to demand a refund and tell everyone I know not to use it!").

Do: Describe your issues clearly and concisely.

Don't: Forget that you are a part of a larger community. Leave a bad impression on a developer, and it will not only affect his willingness to help you but also any number of other vision impaired users who could benefit from accessibility improvements.

Hansen suggests you begin with something like, "Hi, my name is… I am a visually impaired user of a…phone or tablet, and I am trying to use your app with my device's screen reader or braille display. This is how accessibility works, and these are the problems I am experiencing that I believe could easily be fixed…"

Unsure of your communication skills? Click the "Advocacy" link at AppleVis.com, and you will find a developer feedback template you can cut, paste, and modify to enhance your support request. But remember, if you do get a response (especially if you get a positive response), your work is far from done. "It needs to be a two-way street," notes Hansen. "We need to encourage friendly developers and meet them halfway with the information and resources they need."

Invite developers to subscribe to the relevant newslists where they can dialogue with knowledgeable users who can offer insights and suggestions and help them solve accessibility issues. It can also be useful to point them to other resources they may not be familiar with. The Accessibility Developer Checklist is a good starting point for Android developers. For iOS, Apple offers the Accessibility Programming Guide for iOS: Making Your iPhone Application Accessible.

When the developers of Bossjock Studio (an iOS app that allows users to add music, pre-recorded promos, sound effects, and other audio elements to their recordings on the fly) learned its app was not VoiceOver compatible, the company enlisted the help of the visually impaired community. "They showed us how we could make simple changes we didn't even know were possible, then beta tested our updates," says company partner Dave Mansueto. "After we made the changes, they also spread the word, and during the weeks following the release of our VoiceOver compatible version, sales spiked up to 700 percent."

VoiceOver users also helped the app's developers improve their interface. "They encouraged us to keep things clean and simple," says Mansueto. "These are changes that benefit all of our users and not just the visually impaired."

Syntellia is another company that realized early on the benefits of working with the visually impaired community. What if you could type on a touchscreen without looking at the screen? That's the question Syntellia co-founders Kostas Eleftheriou and Ioannis Verdelis wanted to answer, both for themselves and for others. So, they began work on Fleksy, a typing app that uses advanced algorithms to predict the word you want even if you mistype every letter.

"It quickly became obvious that we needed more feedback," says Verdelis. "CSUN was approaching, and the opportunity was obvious." Eleftheriou attended the show and demonstrated Fleksy to hundreds of visually impaired users. "The feedback was incredible, both in terms of acceptance and also development-wise," he says. "Going in, we assumed too much, and we were surprised by how people type. Everyone has their own way of typing, but everyone stumbles on the same problems."

After the conference, the company began working closely with a number of visually impaired beta testers. In July of 2012, they released Fleksy for iOS, and with ongoing feedback and suggestions, they continued to hone and improve the app. In October of 2012, the company raised $900,000 from investors to continue their work, and this past January they snagged a CES Design and Engineering award. More recently, the company began beta testing an Android version of the Fleksy keyboard. They're also marketing to a far wider audience: anyone who wants to type up to 35 words a minute reliably and without needing to focus on tiny keys drawn on very small touchscreens.

The company also recently made Fleksy for iOS a free app. "The visually impaired community has supported and propelled us from an accessibility technology to a mainstream technology, and we want to reward and thank those who helped us along the way," says Verdelis.

When Companies Don't Respond

In a perfect world, all companies would respond as favorably as the developers of Bossjock Studio and Fleksy. Sadly, however, there will be times when your support requests will be denied or even ignored.

"Don't give up," advises Hansen. "Again, your advocacy work is just beginning."

Seek Alternate Contacts

Search the app website for others you can contact directly. "You may get lucky and find an e-mail address for the lead developer or the company's founder," Hansen adds.

With large companies like Netflix or CNN, your support e-mail may be read by technicians who have little or no day-to-day contact with the actual developers, so you'll have to find another way to reach them either directly or indirectly. Does the company have a Twitter account or Facebook fan page?` Reposting your help request via one of these public-facing venues may help focus attention on your accessibility issues.

Don't Get Discouraged

If you have sent in a support request and a new, updated version of the app appears without the needed changes, don't hesitate to send another request. Remind the developer of the issues and ask if fixes are scheduled for a future software release.

There are times when you will not hear back from a company or developer, but action is being taken behind the scenes. "We lobbied hard for Facebook to improve their mobile app," recalls Hansen. "We never heard back from them, but in the next release, several accessibility improvements suddenly appeared."

Facebook has now publically expressed an interest in improving the accessibility of their app even further. They set up and monitor a Twitter account (@FBAccess) where users can report problems and offer suggestions.

Strength in Numbers

If you find a better contact for an iOS or Android app, don't be shy about sharing it on the appropriate newslists, Twitter accounts, and other accessibility forums. Help others in their quests to coax needed changes from app developers, and advocate for others as you would have them advocate for you.

One easy way to add your voice is to join AppleVis.com's "Campaign of the Month." Each month the site managers select a different app with unresolved accessibility issues and create a form request. Click the button, and an e-mail will automatically be sent to the company on your behalf describing the issues and requesting they be fixed.

Also, don't forget to share your successes. If a developer goes out of his way to address access problems, be sure to alert others who may have given up on the app or who are using another app with less than total success. Be enthusiastic, both with your praise and your wallet.

When several users of the Downcast podcatcher player reached out to app developer Seth McFarland, he took note. He squashed a number of accessibility bugs and went on to add several new features to enhance the Downcast experience for visually impaired users, including VoiceOver-friendly gestures to refresh podcast feeds and mark episodes as played. He also added variable speed controls for video playback along with the ability to exit the app mid-video and have the soundtrack continue to play in the background.

Thanks to the steady stream of positive feedback and encouragement, it has turned into a labor of love for McFarland. "Downcast has been an incredible learning experience for me in many ways, and making it accessible to visually impaired users was one of the biggest and most important lessons," he reflects. "Apple's developer tools make it relatively easy to make iOS applications accessible, but with so many accessibility options to implement, I wouldn't have known the best ways to use them or even which ones to implement without feedback and suggestions from people who actually use those accessibility features in Downcast. I do get a lot of compliments from blind and visually impaired users thanking me for making Downcast so accessible, but the way I look at it, VoiceOver users are just using a different but no less important user interface, and they are just as important to me as any other customer who uses my app."

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People with low vision who use screen magnification software to access computers running the Windows operating system are often shocked by the cost of these programs. Full-featured screen magnifiers cost $500 to $700; moderately priced programs are in the $300 to $400 range; lower-cost programs are around $100. People often ask if there are more affordable alternatives, and the answer is yes. Freeware and shareware programs don't offer the variety of features available in commercial screen magnification programs, but they may be adequate for some users who are on a tight budget.

The Windows and Mac operating systems include screen magnifiers as part of their accessibility options. The Microsoft Magnifier was significantly improved in Windows 7 but appears to have had no major upgrades for Windows 8. The Apple screen magnifier, Zoom, is included with Mac computers, iPhones, and iPads. For a comprehensive review of these two programs, see the AccessWorld article"The Bigger Picture: A Comparative Review of Magnifier for Windows 7 and Zoom for Mac OS."

Freeware programs are free, but shareware programs allow the user to "try before you buy." If a shareware program meets your needs and you wish to continue to use it, you are asked to register the program and pay approximately $50 or less. This will fee entitles you to a licensed/registered version of the program, and the developer will notify you when updates or fixes are made to the program.

The following search strings were used to locate software for this review:

• "Free screen magnifier software."
• "Free screen magnifier software download."
• "Best free screen magnifier software download."
• "Free screen magnification software."

The results of the searches provided links to an overwhelming number of matches. One of the notable matches of interest is the Screen Magnifiers Home, which lists articles about screen magnifiers and other topics of interest to people with low vision. The "Download" link on the homepage leads to a page where the visitor can download over 30 different Windows-based freeware and shareware screen magnifiers.

I evaluated twelve of these programs using an HP Pavilion zd8000 Pentium 4, 3.0 GHz notebook computer with 1 gigabyte of RAM running the Windows XP Professional operating system. The programs were downloaded from various websites. Before downloading these programs and trying them out, I suggest that you create a new user account profile on your computer and use it while previewing these programs. You can switch back to your regular user account to fix any problems that may occur. I also created a new folder for each program and experienced no problems when I chose to save the downloaded files into the folder. I opened the folder and ran the .ZIP file. I have not had any problems with my computer after downloading, installing, and running these programs. When launching many of these programs, a security warning will appear stating that Windows could not recognize the publisher. You will need to click "Run" or press the "Enter" key to proceed. A checkbox near the bottom left corner of this window states: "Always ask before opening this file." Uncheck this box to launch straight into the program in the future.

Some of these programs were very simple, providing the equivalent of a hand-held magnifier that you might use by holding it up to the screen for viewing. These types of programs may be useful for spot reading or viewing small details found in graphical information on a webpage. They may be adequate for entering small amounts of text, but they do not perform well with text editors, word processors, or e-mail programs. Many of the freeware programs fall into this category and are addressed as a group rather than individual programs.

Freeware Programs

• DesktopZoom 3.5
• Dragnifier 2.5 (Donations requested)
• Lightning Express
• Lupa 0.99
• Magnifier 2
• Magnifixer 3.2
• Virtual Magnifying Glass
• Zoom+

The freeware programs reviewed reinforce that old saying, "You get what you pay for." Most of these programs only offer the ability to enlarge a circular or rectangular area beneath the mouse pointer. Programs such as Dragnifier 2.5, Lupa 0.99, Magnifier 2, Magnifixer 3.2, Virtual Magnifying Glass, and Zoom+ provide a limited number of magnification choices and are primarily useful for spot reading. Some of the features offered include:

• Several levels of magnification.
• Adjustability of the lens size and shape.
• Some offer visual cues to help locate the cursor (most do not).
• Most of these programs can be configured to automatically run when the computer starts up.

Factors that make these difficult to use:

• Limited or no documentation (instructions, user manual, etc.).
• A confusing user interface.
• Severe pixelation as magnification increases (stair-stepped edges of letters).
• No tracking of the insertion cursor in a word processor or e-mail.
• Some do not show the mouse pointer in the magnifier area, thus requiring the user to navigate and place the pointer using the unmagnified view.

It appears that most of the software in this group has been designed for users with good vision who just need a bit of magnification on occasion to view information displayed at a small size. Users with low vision will find these programs of little use beyond the spot reading tasks described above.

Two programs in this group merit further exploration: DesktopZoom 3.5 and Lightning Express. Both of these programs offer additional features that make them useful to people with low vision:

• Multiple viewing modes (full screen, lens, fixed window).
• Color inversion (dark on light, light on dark).
• Color choices for the mouse pointer.
• Keyboard commands for adjusting settings.
• Higher magnification with a wider range of powers.
• Tracking options that follow the insertion cursor in a word processor and e-mail.
• A fixed window location so that the viewing window can be placed in the best location on the screen for users with certain types of field loss.

These features make DesktopZoom 3.5 a more useful tool than the others in this group, but the program does require fine tuning many of the settings for optimum efficiency. The combination of settings that leads to efficiency is not clearly defined in the sparse documentation. Lightning Express, which can be downloaded to your computer like all the other freeware programs, offers an additional feature that allows the program to be launched directly from its website. This can be very helpful when using a public computer where installation of a program may not be permitted. Based on the features available and the ease of use, I would select Lightning Express as the best of this group.

Shareware Programs

• ABF Magnifying Tool ver. 1.2.0.21 ($14.95)
• DesktopZoomer 1.3.1 ($14.95)
• The Magnifier ver.1.50 release 5 ($49.95)
• Screen Loupe for Windows 95/NT Ver. 4.5 ($14.95)
• ZoomPower v.1.2 ($29)

You can use all of the programs in this group for a specified period of time or for a specified number of trials for free. Once you have reached the limit, you will need to register the program and pay for a licensed copy in order to continue use. In most cases, you can accomplish this at the developer website. For an additional fee, some offer a CD/DVD version of their product in addition to the downloadable version.

The programs in the shareware category have many of the same strengths and weaknesses of the freeware programs, but some offer additional features and better usability for people with low vision. ABF Magnifying Tools, Screen Loupe for Windows 95/NT, and Zoom+ do not offer any additional features or ease of use that make them a better choice than Lightning Express. They are adequate for viewing information but offer weak support for word processing and e-mail applications.

DesktopZoomer does offer several additional features not found in the freeware programs. One of the most notable of these is the ability to download the program to a USB flash drive that can be used to run the program on any personal computer. (Some networked computers may not allow a program to run from the USB flash drive.) DesktopZoomer supports multi-screen monitors and works with Windows 7; a soon-to-be-released version will work with Windows 8. This was the only program that specifically stated that a Windows 8 version is being developed. Others may be developing Windows 8 versions, but plans are not specifically noted in the documentation.

The documentation for DesktopZoomer is more extensive than that for the freeware programs, and it does a good job of explaining the features. It does not always inform the user about which combination of settings to select to achieve the best use of the program with word processing, e-mailing, and Internet browsing. Tech support is available via e-mail, and the developer was very helpful in answering questions and explaining how to use the program effectively.

This program works well for reading and for text editing. Once the appropriate settings have been selected, the lens and full screen modes will follow the insertion cursor in Notepad and WordPad but not in Microsoft Word. Determining the combination of appropriate settings was not clear at first, but with feedback from tech support, I was able to make the program work efficiently for text editing. One other positive feature of DesktopZoomer is the use of keyboard commands to control the program and the ability to edit or reassign these functions to different key combinations when they cause a conflict with keyboard commands of other applications.

The Magnifier, version 1.5, release 5 is available as a free demo version, an e-License ($49.95), a DVD ($59.95), and on USB ($69.95.) Its online User's Guide is available in several formats: Manual PDF, EBook PDF, US Letter PDF, and A4 PDF. It provides essential information and assists the user in understanding the program features and how to use them effectively.

The Magnifier magnification range is 1x to 40x and can be adjusted in increments of one-tenths. A toolbar can be displayed for quick and easy adjustments, or you can use an extensive list of keyboard shortcuts to access almost all of its features. One reading feature of this program that I found very useful is an option for panning that is a bit different from other programs when reading text from left to right. The user can hold down the "Control" key and press the right arrow key to start panning the viewing window across the screen. When you reach the end of the line of text, simply release the "Control" key, and the viewing window jumps back to the beginning of the line. Other programs require the user to issue an additional command to move back to the beginning of the line. Better smoothing of text, better tracking of the insertion cursor, and more robust panning features make this program seem more familiar to users of commercial screen magnifiers.

The Bottom Line

Freeware and shareware screen magnification software can definitely save the user some money, but at what cost? Users must determine if these programs offer the features required to accomplish their desired tasks. Successful use will be greatly determined by the user's ability to understand the various features and how to combine the settings for these features to provide optimal productivity. Those who are new to computing will find this process challenging and possibly frustrating. Those who have used a full-featured screen magnifier will immediately notice the inadequacies of freeware and shareware programs and be hampered by the limitations.

Three of the most widely used applications on computers are for word processing, e-mailing, and Internet browsing. Some of the freeware and shareware screen magnifiers will provide adequate access to accomplish these tasks, but they may prove frustrating to new users and underpowered to those more experienced. Commercially available screen magnification programs generally offer more features that make accomplishing these activities easier, but for a price. This leaves the computer user with low vision in a quandary about which screen magnifier to use. A reasonable course of action might be to try the steps below, and if they do not work, move on to the next suggestion.

1. Investigate the Microsoft Magnifier included with Windows.
2. Create a new user account and some folders on your computer in preparation for trying out freeware and shareware programs.
3. Search the Internet for "free screen magnifiers," or just try some of the ones reviewed in this article.
4. Download and save these programs to their individual folders.
5. Try out the programs individually to see if they meet your needs.
6. I suggest starting with Lightning Express, DesktopZoomer, and The Magnifier 1.5.
7. If these are not adequate, download and investigate a demo copy of the low-cost (less than $100) commercial programs: ZoomText Express and WinZoom Lite.
8. If none of these provides the features you need to get the job done, then acquire a demo version of one of the mid-range programs ($300 to $400): WinZoom, iZoom, or Lightning Express (with speech).
9. Some applications will require a much more robust set of features. Users of these applications will want to acquire demo versions of full-featured screen magnifiers ($500 to $1,200): Magic, ZoomText, or Super Nova.
10. One final option to consider is an access program that provides screen magnification, screen reading, and applications all in one package: CDesk and Guide. These two programs may be more than adequate for individual and personal use but may not be appropriate for many work environments and educational settings. For a review of these programs, see the AccessWorld articles "CDesk COMPASS by AdaptiveVoice: A Low-Cost Screen Reading and Screen Magnification Solution for Windows" and "Guide Software, Revisited".

Following these suggestions should assist users with low vision in determining which screen magnification software will best meet their needs.

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Since its release in 2007, the Victor Reader Stream from HumanWare has been one of the most popular and successful portable DAISY players on the market. The Stream can play many file formats, including DAISY Talking Books, NISO Books, HTML files, text files, MP3 media files, and files in the OGG Vorbis format. HumanWare released an updated version of the Stream in February 2013. I love my classic Stream, and I had high hopes for the new model. Sadly, the updated device fell short of my expectations.

What's in the Box

The package contains the Stream with the SD card inserted, a USB power adapter, a Micro USB cable that is meant to connect the Stream to the AC Adapter or a computer, a short Micro USB cord with a standard USB female port on the opposite end for connecting NLS book cartridges or USB flash drives, a silicone case, a pair of ear bud headphones, and warranty information. The device and peripherals are packaged in a molded plastic tray underneath which you'll find the warranty information.

Physical Description

The Stream is 4.5 by 2.4 by 0.7 inches and weighs 3.9 ounces with the battery inserted. The top edge of the Stream houses the SD card slot in the center and the 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, which protrudes from the plastic exterior of the Stream, on the right. The right side of the player contains a recessed 3.5 millimeter microphone jack at the top, with a "Record" key, which has a barely detectable tactile dot, just below.

The front of the player is separated into two sections containing various keys. At the very top, there are three keys spaced slightly apart. The first is a square-shaped "Go To" key with a raised area in the center. Located above this key is a small hole which is the internal microphone. To the right of the "Go To" key is the round, smooth "Wireless" key. There is an LED indicator just beside the "Wireless" key, which provides a visual indication of wireless status. On the far right is the smooth, diamond-shaped "Bookmark" key. Below these three keys are keys resembling the keypad of a telephone. These keys are rectangular and smooth with the exception of the "5" key, which has two raised dots on the left and right edges of the key for orientation. These keys can be used for number and text entry or for various other functions when you are not in a text or number entry field. Below these twelve keys is a raised line that separates the bottom keys from the telephone keypad. Just below the line in the center is a smooth, oval-shaped "Sleep" key. The bottom row of keys are completely smooth and contain a left pointing arrow-shaped "Rewind" key on the left, a square "Play/Stop" key in the center, and a right pointing arrow-shaped "Fast Forward" key on the right.

The right edge of the player contains three keys near the top. The top key is a smooth, round "Power" key that you press and hold to turn the player on and off. Pressing and releasing this key while you use the player cycles through audio adjustments, such as speed, pitch, volume, and tone. Below this key are two arrow-shaped keys pointing upward and downward. These are used to increase or decrease the selected audio setting, such as pitch or speed. The back of the player is mostly taken up by a battery cover. There is a release for this battery door towards the top of the player.

Documentation

The Stream has a built-in user guide. Once the device is turned on, you can press and hold the "1" key to access the user guide at any time. The guide is read using the text-to-speech (TTS) voice you have selected. You can also access the Key Describer Mode by holding the "0" key. The Stream is automatically in Key Describer Mode if you activate it without the SD card inserted. The TTS voice will also tell you how to enter the user guide. This is a useful feature so that new users can easily find the documentation. You can also find an HTML file of the documentation on the HumanWare Stream Support website. The HTML file is well structured with headings for easy navigation with a screen reader. The built-in user guide has navigation heading options as well.

The documentation is very thorough. All of the functions are described well, and all supported files are discussed with details regarding their behavior on the Stream. An appendix is included where you can find technical information about the Stream, and any errors that the Stream can report are explained. Overall, the Stream's documentation is easily accessible, descriptive, and easily navigated.

The Stream Bookshelves

The Stream can play many different types of digital media. These files are separated by type into various bookshelves: Talking Books, Other Books, Music, Podcasts, Notes, and Text Files. The "1" key provides access to the Bookshelf and is used to cycle through the various bookshelves on the Stream. Once you have cycled to the desired bookshelf, you can use the "4" and "6" keys to cycle through the books on the bookshelf and the "2" and "8" keys to scroll through the various navigation levels. For example, on the Music bookshelf, you can either navigate by file or folder by using the "2" and "8" keys to cycle between these levels. Folders located inside other folders are listed as levels 2, 3, 4, and so on. You can play a book or file using the "Play/Stop" key or move into a book or folder, but not play it, with the "Confirm" key. You can delete a book or file by pressing the "3" key.

Navigation During Media Playback

Once you have selected a book and have begun playback with the "Play/Stop" key, the navigation keys will be used for book navigation. The "2" and "8" keys are used to cycle through different navigation elements, and the "4" and "6" keys are used to move backward and forward using the selected navigation element. Depending on which bookshelf you are on, you will have different navigation elements available. For example, if you are listening to a file on your Music bookshelf, you can select file or folder navigation. If you are listening to a file on the Podcasts bookshelf, you only are able to navigate by time jump intervals. If you accidentally press the "4" or "6" keys during playback, you can cancel the move and return to the position where you were reading by pressing the "* [asterisk]" key, which functions as the "Cancel" key, within ten seconds of the error. You can also navigate by short intervals by pressing the "Fast Forward" and "Rewind" keys. Holding these keys skips quickly through the file, and if you press and hold them, you will skip by increasing intervals indicated by a time announcement. When the Stream begins to jump by intervals, it will play a small clip of the new playback position in the audio. If you press and hold the "Fast Forward" or "Rewind" keys in a text file or DAISY book in text playback mode, it will jump by percentage intervals. The Stream announces the percentage skipped, but it will not read the contents of the file unless you release the key.

You can also navigate by using the "Go To" key. Pressing this key will provide a prompt to go to a certain element, such as page or heading. You can repeatedly press the "Go To" key to move through the various prompts available in a given file or book. You can then use the telephone style keypad to enter the number of the element you are attempting to navigate to. In files with digital text, you will also be provided with a search option. You use the telephone keypad to enter letters, numbers, and symbols in a similar manner to entering text on a cell phone with only a telephone keypad. For example, the "2" key contains the letters "A," "B," and "C." To enter a "C," you would press the "2" key three times quickly. The Stream will announce "C," and it will be entered into the text field. You can press the "Rewind" key to backspace a character and the "Fast Forward" key to read what is entered into the field. You press the "Confirm" key or the "Play/Stop" key to go to the first occurrence of your search criteria. Once you have searched for a word or phrase, you can cycle through its occurrences by using the "4" and "6" keys. This search option appears below the lowest form of navigation available in the current book and can be cycled to and from with the other navigation elements. For example, if you search for something in a Bookshare book, the search option will appear below the character element in the elements list using the "2" and "8" keys.

Bookmarks and Other Keys Used During Playback

You may add various types of bookmarks during book playback. Bookmarks are managed by using the diamond-shaped "Bookmark" key on the upper right side of the device, above the "3" key. To insert a bookmark, you press the "Bookmark" key twice. The first press is the prompt for going to a certain bookmark, and the second is the prompt for inserting a bookmark. You can confirm the entry of a bookmark at the current reading position by pressing the "Play/Stop" key or the "Confirm" key. You can press the "Record" key to insert an audio bookmark. An audio bookmark can be up to a minute long, and it will be played when you reach its position in the book.

After the "Insert Bookmark" prompt is the "Insert Highlight Bookmark" prompt. This allows you to highlight a portion of text by placing bookmarks at either end of the passage. You first navigate to the "Insert Highlight Bookmark" prompt where you can set your starting position. Next, you find the end of the passage you would like to bookmark and press the "Bookmark" key once. The Stream will announce "End Highlight Bookmark," and you can then press the "Confirm" key to set the ending position of your highlight bookmark. If you rewind and place the end position of the highlight bookmark before the starting position, the Stream will reverse their names so that the end position is the start position and the start is the end. You can go to a bookmark by either pressing the "Bookmark" key once to go to the "Go to Bookmark" prompt and then entering the number of the bookmark you would like to move to, or by pressing the "Bookmark" key four times to get to the bookmark list. You can then use the "4" and "6" keys to move through the bookmarks you have placed. When moving to a bookmark, the bookmark type and number will be announced, and playback will automatically begin from that point. You can remove your bookmarks by pressing the "Bookmark" key five times. The Stream will announce "Remove Bookmark," and you can enter the number of the bookmark to be removed and press "Confirm." You can enter the number "99999" to have all bookmarks removed.

There are two keys you can use to gain information about the currently playing book or file: the "Where Am I" key ("5") and the "Info" key ("0"). Pressing the "5" key during playback will provide information about your position in the book or file. For example, if you press this key in a Bookshare DAISY book, the Stream will announce the current percentage, the page, the heading, and the current heading title. After this announcement, playback will resume at the point where you pressed the key. If you press this key twice during the playback of an audio file, such as a file on the Podcasts or Music bookshelves, you will be given the tag information for that file. Pressing the "0" key will give you information about the current book or file as well as other information about your Stream, such as the wireless status, battery status, and information on your SD card. The information will be read automatically. These keys only work during media playback and pressing them while you are on a bookshelf will launch the selected file and immediately play the info for that key. The "9" key can be pressed during media playback to cycle between recorded audio and digital text if this is supported in your book. Pressing this key on the Music bookshelf will shuffle the files, and pressing it again will return the files to their original order.

Settings Menu and Recording

You can enter the various settings menus at any time by pressing the "7" key unless you are in the midst of recording. To cycle through the various settings menus, press the "7" key multiple times. When you are in a menu, you can use the "2" and "8" keys to move between individual settings and the "4" and "6" keys to make adjustments for the selected setting. You must press the "Confirm" or "Play/Stop" key to set the chosen option for a setting. If you use the "Confirm" key to select an option, you will remain in the menu, but if you use the "Play/Stop" key, you will be returned to playback. Just as the "5" and "0" keys launch the selected book if you press them while you are on a bookshelf, the Settings menu will also launch a book before opening it if you are on a bookshelf and not in playback mode.

The settings are separated into various menus that cycle in a similar manner to the bookshelves. For example, you press the "7" key multiple times to move between menus. The menus will wrap to the first menu if you press "7" while in the final menu. The first menu is the Navigation and Playback menu. Here you can set files to play on a loop, enable and disable various time jump intervals, set the playback of auditory information (such as bookmarks), and set the ability to adjust pitch or tone from the "Power" key. The second menu allows you to set the types of information that will be read during DAISY book playback. Some of these include footnotes and producer notes. You can set these to always be read, never be read, or be read on demand by using the "Confirm" key during playback. The next menu allows you to set your TTS voice and braille translation table, and the following menu allows you to set your preferred type of recording format for audio notes and the recording source. For example, you can set the Stream to record from an external microphone. The final settings menu contains the option to format your SD card, which erases its contents and places the default Stream bookshelf folders on the card. The card will also be automatically renamed to "VRStream."

You can create audio recordings called Notes by pressing the "Record" key on the side of the Stream. Press and release this key to begin recording and press it again when you are finished, or hold it in while recording and release it when you are finished. When you begin a recording, the Stream will announce, "Start Recording," and then play the sound that indicates the start of playback to note that you are now recording. Pause the recording by pressing the "Play/Stop" key, and cancel the recording with the "Cancel" key. Humanware has added the ability to add bookmarks during recording. Press the "Bookmark" key to insert a bookmark during recording (you will not hear a tone to indicate the bookmark was inserted). The bookmark is placed several seconds after you press the key.

Notes are automatically saved to the Notes bookshelf where they are labeled with a number. Deleting a note does not erase that number's use from memory, however. For example, if you record three notes and delete the first note and record another note afterward, the new note will be labeled Note 4.

New Features

The Stream has seen several changes. The unit is somewhat smaller with the sides curving inward towards the back of the device and the corners are more rounded. The unit now has a Micro USB port, and the new charger is a USB charger compatible with mainstream technology. The speaker and the microphone are louder. The unit is noticeably faster, and the TTS voices are now high quality human-sounding voices provided by Acapela instead of Nuance's Vocalizer. The features of the original Stream Soft Pack are now included with the unit, including support of the DOCX and EPUB file formats as well as the option to record in MP3 or WAV. The ability to record in the older recording format is no longer supported, but older files can still be played.

The Stream now has a clock feature, which can be viewed by pressing the "Sleep" key, and it also has wireless capabilities. Pressing the "Wireless" key will announce if the wireless is enabled or disabled, while pressing and holding the key activates or deactivates the wireless feature. You can enter the Wireless menu by pressing the "Wireless" key when the wireless feature is turned on and then pressing the "7" key. You can connect to wireless networks by either entering the network information manually, scanning for available networks, or importing a profile from a file generated using the HumanWare Companion software. Once connected, you can use this menu to be sure you are connected to the Internet. The device downloads a file from the HumanWare website to test this, and it is placed on your Text bookshelf. At this time, the only function of this technology is to wirelessly update the Stream with new software and to obtain National Library Service user keys for playing BARD digital Talking Books. The battery level is now announced as a percentage instead of a relative vague level, such as "High" or "Medium." The battery is now connected to the battery cover, and it is released by pressing upward on a switch on the back of the device. (The previous model had a battery cover that was somewhat difficult to remove for some users.)

Problems with the New Model

The new Stream has several hardware and software problems. The new speaker is somewhat muffled compared to the speaker on the previous model. The original Stream speaker is quieter but clearer than the new speaker. There is a high-pitched, low-volume tone audible behind all recordings no matter the recording format, which is distracting and makes the device useless for creating recordings meant to be shared with others. The United States Acapela voices Heather and Ryan are difficult to understand as well, particularly at faster speeds. However, you can reinstall the Stream software with United Kingdom voices Rachael and Graham, which are much clearer even at high speeds.

The booting and shutdown times are much longer on the new Stream. This is especially true during shutdown when the power-off sound is heard several seconds before the device actually shuts down. If you are on the Music bookshelf, increasing the bass will sometimes cause scratchy distortion in certain audio files with pronounced bass, a problem not present on the original Stream. The LED indicator on the new Stream is faint and located on the side next to the "Power" key, which makes it difficult to see. The LED placement on the original Stream, on the front of the device between the "Go To" and "Bookmark" keys, is better.

The Bottom Line

The new Stream has some improvements over the original, but several issues have been introduced in the new model. At the moment, if you have an original Stream, it's not worth upgrading to the new one. The device will be worth purchasing once some bugs are corrected and the ability to download books wirelessly from the Internet is added. If you can't stand to listen to the Vocalizer voices, you may want to upgrade to the new model as it offers some higher quality voices. Even with its problems, HumanWare has produced a device that has the possibility to grow into a desirable reading solution for people who are blind or visually impaired.

Manufacturer's Comments

Thank you for a thorough review of the features and functions of the Victor Reader Stream, it is appreciated. HumanWare has reduced the size of the Stream by some 28%, while still maintaining the same familiar key pad spacing of the original, which our loyal users will appreciate. We also kept the familiar Bookshelf structure and navigation tools to make it easy to adapt to for existing users and easy to learn for new users. Thank you for describing these in detail in the review.

The wireless component is built into the hardware already, and a number of exciting wireless features will be added in future software updates. Meanwhile, HumanWare is working hard in collaboration with over a dozen different international organizations and content providers to help move their content toward a wirelessly downloadable format into the Stream. Having the National Library Service's Key available this way, as you mentioned, is a great start. The good news is that wireless software updates are now possible with this latest model, so keeping your new Stream up-to-date with the latest features will be that much easier. The other issues mentioned are duly noted, and will be considered as we continuously improve our products into the future.

Regards,

Matthew Janusauskas
Technical Product Manager - Victor Reader Products

Product Information

Product: Victor Reader Stream (New Generation)
Price: $369
Available From: HumanWare
Phone Number: 1-800-722-3393

Comment on this article.

Dear AccessWorld readers,

That's right, people are talking, commenting on articles, writing in to ask questions about both mainstream and access technology, and weighing in with their opinions to let their voices be heard on everything from the future of braille to video description, from frustration with inaccessible apps to the inaccessible feature phones, and all the good, the bad, and the ugly with all things Windows, Apple, and Android.

The AccessWorld staff enjoys and, more importantly, appreciates hearing from all of you. Quite often a comment or question from a reader turns into an article that, in turn, provides information to the thousands of readers who visit AccessWorld each and every month. In the coming months, the staff and I will be increasingly looking to your feedback to drive content decisions we make for AccessWorld. So, lay it on us!

We are looking for both quantitative and qualitative feedback. Right now, I encourage you to use the "comment on this article" links at the very bottom of each article to provide feedback, positive comments and, yes, constructive criticism, for me and the AccessWorld authors. You can also use the comment link to ask specific questions about each article. If you prefer, you can also send an e-mail directly to me. When you write in, remember, we may choose to publish your letter in the Letters to the Editor section of AccessWorld. The staff and I also believe it is important to know who says what. To that end, beginning with the May 2013 issue both first and last names will be published in the "Letters to the Editor" section. If you do not want your name published, just let us know when you write in and we'll refrain from publishing your comments.

Also, be on the lookout this summer for an AccessWorld reader survey where you can let us know what you're most interested in reading. This is your opportunity to have your voice heard, so speak up! The AccessWorld staff is listening!

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

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

As always, J.J. Meddaugh did a great review in his March 2013 article, "A Collection of Accessible Apps for Your Android Device." I would appreciate him writing an article explaining if and how app developers and vendors respond to access issues, and comment on the best way to offer feedback, possibly in the Play Store or by direct e-e-mail.

Thanks,

Lucia

Response from AccessWorld Editor-in-Chief, Lee Huffman:

Hello Lucia,

How ironic you would ask for an article like this! It was already in the works. I hope Bill Holton's article in this issue, "Reaching Out: How You Can Help App Developers Improve Accessibility" answers all your questions. Thanks for reading AccessWorld and for sending in your request.

Sincerely,

Lee Huffman

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I read with great interest Deborah Kendrick's March 2013 article, "Talking About Accessibility: An Evaluation of the Panasonic KX-TG6591T Cordless Phone."

It is about time that the makers of many other electronic devices such as Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) radios, washing machines, etc., start including Text to Speech (TTS) capabilities. In reality, if they do this on a global production scale, the price of the added feature will be only fractionally higher than [that of providing] dedicated or specialized devices to accommodate particular end users.

I believe the politicians and the world organizations of persons with disabilities, together with the United Nations, must put more pressure on the big companies to produce products with accessibility in mind.

Thanks for publishing AccessWorld. It's a great resource!

Best regards,

Michael

Response from AccessWorld Senior Features Editor, Deborah Kendrick:

Hello Michael,

I was so delighted to see your comment regarding my Panasonic article. I recognized your name immediately, fondly remembering the braille letters you used to send when I was producing TACTIC. It's fabulous to see that you are still interested in access technology and reading our publication.

Incidentally, I concur, it's high time manufacturers of other consumer electronics get on board with adding text-to-speech and other accessible interfaces.

Thanks for reading and thanks for writing!

Sincerely,

Deborah Kendrick

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I very much enjoyed reading the March 2013 article by Cooper Kendall and Lacey Markel entitled, "USABA and WellPoint Foundation National Fitness Challenge Helps Visually Impaired Athlete Go from Biggest Loser to Biggest Winner." It was very encouraging! I wish there would have been organizations like this when I was a teen. This article is right on the mark.

Thank you,

Lewis

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I am wondering if any of your tech people have tested the accessibility of all hazard public alert weather radios with SAME technology. These radios can be a lifesaver in case of a disaster, [but they] cannot be programmed by a person who is blind. Even though the radio will sound an alert tone, there is still text on the screen that does not read aloud for a blind person. Some radios will show a color on the screen for watches, warnings, and alerts without sounding a tone. As you can see this does a blind person no good.

Thanks,

Dwayne

Response from AccessWorld Editor-in-Chief, Lee Huffman:

Hello Dwayne,

Thank you for reading AccessWorld, and thank you for writing in with your question concerning the accessibility of hazard public alert radios. AccessWorld has not recently evaluated this technology. In light of recent major storms, I fully understand the concern around this topic. Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. We will definitely take it into consideration when planning future product evaluations.

Sincerely,

Lee Huffman

Fun for You and $5 for AFB VisionAware!

Enjoy today's bestsellers in easier-to-read large print by subscribing to Reader's Digest Select Editions Large Type and Reader's Digest Partners for Sight Foundation will donate $5 to AFB in support of VisionAware, a free, easy-to-use informational website for adults with vision loss, their families, caregivers, healthcare providers, and social service professionals.

For the low price of only $20.00, get a whole year of exciting reading, five volumes in all. Each volume features up to two edited best-selling books.

Order Select Editions Large Type today, and remember, large print books make great gifts for your family and friends!

Time is Running Out! Register Now For the AFB Leadership Conference

Registration is now open for the 2013 AFB Leadership Conference and Illinois AER Annual Meeting. Visit the conference website to register, read the meeting agenda, and reserve your hotel room at the special group rate. Join experts and colleagues for intensive pre-conference sessions on April 18 and full-conference sessions on April 19 and 20.

Topics include:

• Leadership
• Technology
• Education
• Rehabilitation
• Research

American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) Scholarship Program 2013

AFB administers seven post-secondary education scholarships for up to 11 deserving students who are legally blind. The following is a list of scholarships offered:

Delta Gamma Memorial Scholarship: One scholarship of $1,000

• Undergraduate or graduate studying in the field of rehabilitation and/or education of persons who are blind or visually impaired

Ferdinand Torres Scholarship: One scholarship of $3,500

• Undergraduate or graduate studying in any full-time program in any field

Gladys C. Anderson Memorial Scholarship: One scholarship of $1,000

• Undergraduate or graduate studying in the field of classical or religious music
• Applicant must be female

Karen D. Carsel Memorial Scholarship: One scholarship of $500

• Graduate studying in any full-time program in any field

Paul W. Ruckes Scholarship: One scholarship of $1,000

• Undergraduate or graduate studying in field of engineering or in computer, physical, or life sciences

R. L. Gillette Scholarship: Two scholarships of $1,000 each

• Undergraduate studying in the field of literature or music
• Applicant must be female

Rudolph Dillman Memorial Scholarship: Four scholarships of $2,500 each

• Undergraduate or graduate studying in the field of rehabilitation and/or education of persons who are blind or visually impaired

Visit the AFB 2013 Scholarships Application page for further information and to fill out the application form.

Contact: Tara Annis
Phone: (800) 232-5152
E-mail: tannis@afb.net

Service Dogs to Receive Free Sight-Saving Eye Exams Throughout the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico

WHO: American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO)

WHAT: The 6^th Annual ACVO/Merial National Service Dog Eye Exam Event provides free eye exams to thousands of service animals from board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists.

WHEN: Register online between April 1 and April 30, 2013. Exams occur throughout the month of May 2013.

WHERE: Participating veterinary ophthalmologists throughout the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

WHY: Guide dogs, handicapped assistance dogs, detection dogs, and other service animals, (including horses), serve the public. So, the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO) is launching the 6th annual ACVO/Merial National Service Dog Eye Exam Event. More than 250 board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists throughout the U.S., as well as Canada and Puerto Rico will provide free sight-saving eye exams to thousands of service animals. Since the program launched in 2008, nearly 16,000 service animals have been examined.

QUALIFICATIONS: To qualify, service animals must be active "working animals" that were certified by a formal training program or organization or currently enrolled in a formal training program. Additional registration details can be found.on the ACVO website.

Owners/agents for the animal(s) must FIRSTregister the animal via an online registration formbeginning April 1. Registration ends April 30. Once registered online, the owner/agent will receive a registration number and can then contact a participating veterinary ophthalmologist directly to schedule an appointment during the month of May. Appointment dates and times are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Perkins School for the Blind, Helen Keller National Center, and FableVision will Lead the iCanConnect Campaign

Many thousands of Americans who have combined loss of hearing and vision may soon connect with family, friends, and community thanks to the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program. Mandated by the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) established this new program to provide support for the local distribution of a wide array of accessible communications technology.

The FCC is also funding a national outreach campaign to educate the public about this new program. The iCanConnect campaign will be conducted jointly by Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, MA, the Helen Keller National Center in New York City, NY, and FableVision of Boston, MA. iCanConnect will seek to ensure that everyone knows about the free communications technology and training that is now available to low-income individuals with combined hearing and vision loss. From screen enlargement software and video phones to off-the-shelf products that are accessible or adaptable, this technology can vastly improve quality of life for this population.

iCanConnect seeks to increase awareness about the availability of communications technology for this underserved population, so people who are deaf-blind and have limited income can remain safe and healthy, hold jobs, manage their households, and contribute to the economy and the community.

Information about the new equipment distribution program is available online at the iCanConnect website or by phone at 800-825-4595. Additional information is available through the online FCC Encyclopedia.

"With the right technology, people with disabilities can link to information and ideas, be productive, and move ahead," said Steven Rothstein, President of Perkins. "Perkins' most famous student, Helen Keller, exemplified the potential of a person who is deaf-blind. We are proud to have a role in this transformational program."

The CVAA, championed in Washington, D.C. by Congressman Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts and Senator Mark Pryor of Arkansas, acknowledges that advances in technology can revolutionize lives. Nearly one million people in the United States have some combination of vision and hearing loss. People with combined loss of vision and hearing as defined by the Helen Keller National Center Act whose income does not exceed 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines are eligible to participate in the new program.

"The mission of the Helen Keller National Center is to enable each person who is deaf-blind to live and work in his or her community of choice," explains Executive Director Joe McNulty, adding, "This critical technology access program accelerates those efforts but only if people know about the resources. iCanConnect is poised to get the word out, coast to coast."

"FableVision's mission is to help ALL learners reach their full potential," said Paul Reynolds, CEO of FableVision Studios. "With this program we advance that mission, helping spread the word about equal access to tools that offer those with hearing and vision loss the transformational power of technology." Reynolds adds, "Now everyone is invited to the technology promise powering the human network."

Writing about any topic is more fun if you passionately care about the matter at hand, and the joy spreads exponentially when everyone else wants to talk about it as well.

My articles "Connecting the Dots" and "More Than a Line" in the January and February issues of AccessWorld, respectively, clearly sparked evidence that there are people everywhere who want to talk about braille.

Many readers have shared with me their personal journeys toward and reliance upon braille, including a radio broadcaster in Ireland, a medical transcriber in Florida, and psychologists in California and Wisconsin. Longtime users of braille have discussed how vital braille has been in getting their advanced degrees and advancing in their careers, and many referenced the sheer joy of simply reading and writing with braille.

With regard to the projects highlighted in those earlier articles, response has been varied but fascinating. Many braille users are eagerly awaiting the release of the B2G, the project Deane Blazie, Mike Romeo, and others have been developing for the Center for Braille Innovation at National Braille Press. Other seasoned users of braille-related technology, however, expect that this multi-functional Android-based device will be just one more in a long line of "separate and somewhat equal" products designed specifically for people who are blind rather than being an adaptation of a mainstream product for universal inclusion.

A Sweet Memory

Susan Spungin, longtime leader in the blindness field, says the multi-line refreshable braille devices discussed in "More Than a Line" triggered a sweet and poignant memory.

Nearly 30 years ago, Spungin says, the Technical Department at AFB was engaged in exploring a full-page braille display. The engineer on the project, Doug Maure, was convinced that only a full-page display was acceptable. Susan Spungin, however, wondered at the time if perhaps four or five lines of braille might be what people who are blind would prefer instead.

"No blind people were asked," Spungin recalls, and the project was eventually abandoned. "I can't help but wonder if this [full page display] was the sighted world's concept of what blind people want." The "sweetness" of the memory comes, she said, not only from seeing that a four or five-line display might well be on the horizon but that, today, people who are blind will be at the table, playing a part in determining the kind of device needed.

Indeed, the evolution of technology has everything to do with the degree to which consumers are vocal about a product, but this is especially true for people who are blind who, before they began using technology, were all too often the last to know of any newsworthy development whether it pertained to disability or to the world at large. While there were a handful of publications in 1980 produced in braille and dedicated to issues of particular relevance to the blind, word of innovative projects reached a relative few and did so with an unavoidable delay. Today, online publications like AccessWorld deliver information instantly so that blind readers are often well ahead of their sighted peers in knowing what's going on.

An Interest in Participating in New Product Development

Many readers wrote to ask how they might become involved in testing and evaluating new products, which indicates not only high interest but the degree to which 30 years has changed the face of consumer input.

Thoughts on a Multi-Line Braille Display

So, what are people who are blind saying regarding the notion of a multi-line braille display? Opinions seem to be as varied as the individuals themselves. The display scheduled to be released as a demonstration model in the coming months by National Braille Press is wildly anticipated by those pursuing degrees or careers in science, technology, engineering, or math due to the promise of an array of braille dots to appear above the five lines of refreshable braille to display graphics. A few readers wrote to say that they are actually postponing the purchase of a braille display until a multi-line unit becomes available. Others, however, are far more concerned with the mere availability and accessibility of information in braille rather than in the method used to deliver that information.

National Library Service

Karen Keninger, the first director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) to have been a lifelong patron before coming to the job, has made no secret of her own dream of one day distributing a refreshable braille display to all patrons. Since the 1930s, NLS has provided its patrons who are blind or low vision with equipment (phonograph record players, cassette tape players, and digital talking book machines) for playing the recorded books it produces and distributes (all without charge). Since 1999, thousands of patrons have relished the freedom of downloading braille and, more recently, recorded books from the NLS website. Today, those who download "talking books" from the Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) site can play them on the machine NLS provides. What Keninger suggests is a low-cost braille display that would work in the same way for downloaded braille titles, a delicious concept indeed!

Another, more imminent, development coming from NLS is a smart phone app (for both iOS and Android devices) that will enable patrons to download books directly to their mobile phones. Since the BARD site has, in the last year, finally incorporated the download of its Web Braille collection, developers have made sure that the app offers users of the Web Braille collection the opportunity to read those books on a refreshable braille display paired with a mobile device. In other words, while the braille-display-for-every-patron may still be in the dream stage, for those NLS patrons who already own mobile phones and paired refreshable braille displays, the opportunity to download and read braille books anywhere just gets better all the time. Perhaps even more relevant to this discussion, the fact that users are clamoring for this function is indicative of the power and importance of braille to those who use it.

Conclusion

Arguably, there has not been so much discussion (much of it heated) regarding Louis Braille's tactile reading system since nearly 100 years ago when the famous "war of the dots" finally pronounced braille as its victor. Not only were other systems (New York Point, Line Type, Moon Type, and American Braille, among them) found to be not quite as usable as braille, but all reasonable parties concurred that a single uniform system was the way to go. With the advent of refreshable braille in the 1980s, the world of information has expanded exponentially for those who are blind, low vision, or deaf-blind who read and write braille. Braille books and magazines are costly to produce and bulky to tote. An average textbook, for example, might range from 6 to 20 separate volumes in braille, each nearly the size of a sofa cushion as a blind poet once scoffed. With refreshable braille displays and notetakers, a reader of braille can carry scores or even hundreds of books in a single electronic device and can access the same limitless amount of information as sighted colleagues.

However, the braille landscape is more complicated than it has ever been. Far too many children are not learning to use braille, while the adults who have benefitted from genuine literacy through braille are vehemently advocating for more braille in the classroom. Projects like the DAISY Consortium's Transforming Braille, NBP's Center for Braille Innovation, and apps like the one to be released from the National Library Service clearly indicate that the need and desire for braille access is alive and well.

The Braille Authority of North America announced a significant decision in November 2012 that has stirred up considerable controversy in its own right. The Unified Braille Code will be the standard literary code for North American publication, and the Nemeth code (as revised in 1972) will continue to be used for science and mathematical texts. The controversy comes from some groups' and individuals' conviction that one code should be used for all braille production, regardless of content.

While the future of braille is inconclusive in some ways, there is plenty of buzz about it among the blind. Are there revolutionary breakthroughs just around the corner? We at AccessWorld are keenly interested and, knowing that you are too, will continue bringing you news of the above projects and more.

Comment on this article.

For over a decade, we as a society have witnessed the phenomenon of social networking. Belonging to these networks has become the status quo for many of our sighted colleagues and friends, and many of us who are visually impaired have also benefitted greatly by participating. To be sure, there's more to these networks than Facebook and Twitter. Social networks have become the standard by which so many of us communicate within the classroom and workplace and amongst acquaintances and friends with whom we share similar interests. Even educational institutions and places of employment are adopting ingredients of social networks to create their own private networks for the purposes of disseminating information and promoting more optimal communication among their instructors, students, employers, and employees.

However, as with any technological advancement, a great deal of confusion surrounds the accessibility of these networks for many of us who use access technologies. This confusion might be attributed to social networks being rather intimidating to those who have visual impairments and have yet to access them. As a result, it's very easy to mask this confusion with a defense along the lines of not really wanting to be involved with social networks or being too busy to take part. The reality is that social networks have a great deal to offer us. Once the concept is firmly grasped and access obstacles dealt with, social networkingfor people who are visually impaired can be rewarding, fulfilling, and fun.

The first in a series dedicated to removing the mystery of social networking for participants who are visually impaired, this article explores exactly what social networks are, how they work, and why they are important. The second and third articles will discuss strategies for accessing these social networks on desktop and handheld platforms.

The Foundation of Social Networks

Before we can begin to fully comprehend the opportunities that social networks present to us, it's important to identify and grasp two key components without which social networks as we know them today would not exist.

Web 2.0

Most of you may have heard the term Web 2.0, a piece of Internet jargon that has been kicked around for the past 13+ years and is often thrown into lofty, high profile presentations relevant to the continual evolution of the World Wide Web. While this phrase may project the aura of something abstract and hard to grasp, it's actually a fairly straightforward concept. Web 2.0 simply refers to the interactive manner by which web developers and users manage and share content via the World Wide Web. For those of you who have been in the access technology game for 15 years or longer, you can remember the rather static process in the 1990s of launching your web browser and visiting specific websites that did a fantastic job of presenting you with information, but there was little to nothing that you could do with this information once you retrieved it.

Web 2.0 changed that. Now, web developers take their cues from users and offer all sorts of ways to interact with websites.This means that those of us who are not in the business of actually developing websites can have a tremendous impact on the way a website is presented and behaves. Being a much more dynamic and evolving process, Web 2.0 characteristics include but are not limited to:

• Real-time provision of material by users. Example: a forum where a question is posed and people respond with a variety of helpful answers.
• Delivery of content via web-based applications to end users. Yes, developers are able to accommodate those who visit today's website driven by Web 2.0 with applications, such as real-time chatting, messaging, and the sharing of multi-media files (including videos).
• The assembling of groups of users for the dissemination of and interaction with various types of information, such as documents and aforementioned multi-media content.

Web 2.0 really doesn't use any sort of updated or proprietary Internet technology for websites to flourish, but these websites do require a flexible platform for content delivery.

Cloud Computing

The term that best describes this platform is the "cloud," another abstract concept that isn't that difficult to understand if you don't think too hard. The cloud is virtual space where Web 2.0 websites and applications reside. The process of "cloud computing" as we know it allows us all to:

• Communicate and share information with others in realtime.
• Access websites and content from a variety of desktop and handheld computers with various operating systems.
• Store and retrieve information and media without the need for physical storage devices. No more misplacing those memory cards and thumb drives!

With the cloud as our foundation and Web 2.0 firmly positioned as our vehicle for virtual access, we can now move towards a better understanding of online social networks, what they are, how they work, and why they should matter to us.

What Is a Social Network?

The term "social networking" might best be defined as the process by which people interact with online services within virtual, cloud-based communities for the purposes of communication and sharing information. The process of social networking has been in existence for well over 15 years and dates back all the way to the birth of online bulletin boards prevalent during the late 90s. These bulletin boards allowed for information to be posted and for participants to post comments. Bulletin boards evolved into more of an e-mail-based listserve model driven by e-mail posts whereby members of a particular listserve could reply to e-mail threads. Today's social networks take advantage of cloud-based Web 2.0 know-how and have left the bulletin board and listserve predecessors behind. However, the listserve is still a widely used tool throughout the vision impaired community.

There are over 200 social networks in existence today, not including the internal social networks created by organizations to be used by their students, instructors, employees, or members. There are two steps you must take to participate in any of these networks. The first step is to simply sign up for an account. The process is pretty straightforward: you establish a username (usually an existing e-mail address) and a password and provide some basic information.

The second step, creating a profile, is a bit more involved. This profile is for current and future members of the social network to learn more about who you are and to connect with you to communicate via all the features that the social network offers. Remember, the more specific your profile is, the more likely it is that you'll nurture existing relationships and make new personal and professional connections via this online community. Include your personal interests, hobbies, work history, and educational background to find people who have common experiences or histories. Remember that social networks are very public, so be comfortable with the information that you share on any personal social network being available to current and future employers.

Ingredients of Social Networks

Once you have your account and your profile, you're all set to begin your journey into the world of virtual online communication. While specific social networks cater to different groups across educational, professional, and social market segments, many of them are made up of the same functionality. Here are some of the most important actions:

• The ability to post status updates. (In other words, publicly sharing something significant that may be occurring within your life.) Remember, significance is most definitely in the eye of the beholder! This status update will appear prominently on your "Wall," a space for status updates and other types of information. Depending on your profile settings, either other members with whom you have connected with through a social network will be able to view these status updates, or they may be open to all who browse the virtual community.
• Instant messaging (to be discussed in the next article) and private messaging other group members.
• Acquiring news feeds. Many of today's websites provide you with the ability to "Like" the webpage, which is associated with today's most popular online networks. This means that whenever a given website posts either a status update or news feed, it will appear on your wall for you to read, like, comment on, or share with others. Once you "Like" a number of webpages, you can efficiently consolidate various articles and points of information,eliminating the need to visit numerous websites and dig for the information that magically appears on your Wall.
• Share photos, audio, and video comments with others. This works similarly to posting a status update or sharing a news feed.
• Create groups. These groups can be either public or closed, depending on your preference. These groups are created by people who share a similar interest with a group of online friends and wish to share information only with the members of that group. Information consists of status updates, files/documents, multimedia, and articles shared on other websites. Group members may like, comment on, and share these updates when applicable. It's a tool used to keep groups organized as well as to disseminate information to specific individuals within your social network. Members may be invited to join a group or, if it is an open group, may join without an invite.
• Create events. These events may be online events or actual physical events. In either case, an event is created with a description and time and desired online connections are invited to attend. Invitees may "RSVP," "Decline," or select the "Maybe" option on the online invitation.

These are by no means all of the functionality prevalent within social networks, but they do provide you with an idea of the power that they possess.

Non-Visual Obstacles to Accessing These Networks

So, why aren't more of us benefiting from all of the good things that have been said about social networking up until this point? Quite simply, there are definite access concerns to overcome that require a bit of strategizing and improvising. Here are just a few of them:

• The utilization of various types of web elements to access the types of features listed above. In the next article, we'll cover some strategies for navigating the convoluted online waters of these websites since they aren't for the novice web surfer.
• Social network developers' insatiable need to constantly make changes and updates to the interface and functionality. The dynamic nature of social networking is one of the main factors that impacts how we as computer users who are visually impaired access these sites. We might develop a strategy for virtual online access only to have the rules of the game changed, generally without much warning. Keep in mind that it only takes a few tweaks to the code of a webpage to throw us a serious curve ball.
• The emergence of portable touchscreen technologies. These technologies offer us mobile apps, alternatives to visiting a particular web address to access a social network. These apps are also susceptible to updates by developers, thus posing a risk for screenreading technologies to not always work as they did in previous versions of the app.

Conclusion

This article is designed to educate you about the importance of social networks and give you a blueprint for accessing social networks. In the next article, we'll take a tour of desktop access to some of today's most popular social networks and provide you with some strategies for turning your desktop computer into a vehicle for virtual communication.

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