For the past two decades, Windows and Mac computers have largely dominated the consumer computing landscape. This was a good situation for the accessibility community since both of the major players can be paired with screen reading and magnification solutions to perform everyday tasks. Google aims to upset this balance of power with its Chrome operating system, a somewhat radical departure from what most computer users are accustomed to.

Chromebook, Google's take on the laptop computer, and the Chromebox, a small desktop unit about the size of a cable box, are starting to gain in popularity, especially in the education market. Rather than loading programs locally on the machine, the Chrome OS is web-based, meaning that just about all functions are performed from the browser, whether you are using Gmail to read your e-mail messages, YouTube to watch a video, or Google Docs to write and collaborate on a project. Because of this, Chrome machines include relatively limited computing power, similar that of a netbook computer's. To make it all sing in terms of access, every Chrome machine includes a program called ChromeVox, Google's take on a screen reader. We put a Samsung Chromebox model through its paces to see if Chrome and the screen reader are ready for prime time. While our experiences were gathered using the desktop model, a portable Chromebook would render similar results. Our testing was done using Chrome OS version 26, the latest available as of the time of this article.

The Hardware

The Chromebox is a slender piece of equipment that easily fits on a shelf, bookcase, or television stand. With a length and width of just over 7 inches and about an inch in thickness, its size is barely smaller than a Mac Mini. Weighing in at a bit under three pounds, it includes six USB ports (including two on the front), several video output options (including HDMI), and a combination headphone and microphone jack. No keyboard, mouse, or monitor is included, so you'll need to connect these if you wish to use them. We performed all of our testing without a monitor attached, an advantage sometimes enjoyed by desktop computer users who are blind. The on/off button is on the front left side of the unit and includes raised markings for easy location.

Initial Setup

The first time you start up a device running the Chrome OS, you are guided through several setup screens. ChromeVox includes a global shortcut for starting and stopping speech output: Ctrl + Alt + Z. We were able to successfully turn on speech and go through the setup process independently. One thing we immediately noticed about Chrome is its relatively fast boot time, clocking in at about eight seconds on our model.

The setup guides the user through selecting a language and keyboard type, connecting to a wireless network, and signing into a Google account. Chrome saves all of your settings and user information to a Google account, and you can create one if you don't have one already. If you have a Gmail e-mail address, however, you already have a Google account and can use this to log in. Google has chosen this approach so that users can save and retrieve their settings across devices. One could essentially walk up to any Chrome machine, log in with their user name and password, and use it as if it were their own device. This also extends to accessibility functions in ChromeVox, so settings like speech rate, for example, will be remembered across machines.

Once you complete the setup process, the machine is supposed to locate and download the latest version of Chrome so your computer will automatically be up-to-date. Unfortunately, no speech output was given to indicate that the update occurred.

Getting Help

After completing the setup, you are presented with a mostly thoughtful ChromeVox tutorial. I say "mostly thoughtful" because the first screen did not self-voice, and it would be quite difficult to know how to read the tutorial without being told first. For this reason, it may be a better idea to read the online tutorial on another machine. Getting past this quibble, the tutorial includes information on navigating through webpage s, changing the voice, moving through tables, and other commonly used keyboard shortcuts.

ChromeVox includes a Keyboard Explorer, which allows you to learn the layout of your keyboard. While this is useful, we were unable to find a way to press specific key combinations to learn their function. Aside from this, a list of ChromeVox keyboard commands is available where you can arrow through dozens of ChromeVox commands and their current key assignments. Additional help is also available from the Google Group and e-mail discussion list, which is monitored by Google employees.

Browsing the Web

Since the major functions of the Chrome OS are all web-based, we'll focus first on the browser experience. After logging in, you can press Ctrl + N to open a new browser window. From here, you can perform a Google search, visit the Chrome Web Store to download apps (more on that later), or type in a website address.

Navigation on the web is primarily performed using the ChromeVox keys plus another key or keys. On a Chromebox with an external keyboard, for example, the ChromeVox keys are Shift + Search by default. (The "Search" key is the "Windows" key on a standard keyboard.) To move through a webpage, you press Shift + Search along with the up or down arrows. On a Chromebook, the ChromeVox keys are slightly different. All of these commands can be modified or reassigned.

The browser includes a nearly full complement of accessibility shortcuts, including keys to move between headings, lists, and forms, commands to navigate tables, and a links and headings list to jump quickly to specific parts of the screen. Both verbal and audio cues are given to indicate various page elements, such as buttons and combo boxes, and tones are played to indicate progress while loading webpages. Overall, the browser is able to decipher and present a variety of webpages with relative ease, which is probably one of its strengths when it comes to accessibility.

The Chrome Web Store

Things start to get a bit more interesting when visiting the Chrome Web Store to download apps and extensions. Much like a smart phone, Chrome offers thousands of additional applications and extensions that can be used to customize your device. We wanted to test this out by downloading one of the additional text-to-speech voices for ChromeVox. After navigating to the page for the voice using the browser and selecting the "Add to Chrome" button, however, a dialog box pops up, which is hard to locate and navigate. Focus is not placed in the box, making it difficult to figure out what the next step is to install the voice. After fiddling around with some possible key combinations for a bit, it appeared as if I was finally able to install the voice, but no confirmation was spoken, making it nearly impossible to figure out if I actually succeeded. ChromeVox could use some improvements in speaking notifications and progress bars as it often gives no feedback, which can lead to confusion and frustration.

Google Docs and Drive

Like the rest of Chrome OS, word processing is performed entirely on the cloud using the web-based Google Docs interface. Google Docs allows users to edit and share documents with a focus on collaboration. In essence, one person could create a Google document and then allow others to edit it while viewing the changes in real time.

Upon opening Google Docs, you are placed in a typical word processing window and able to type and edit text. I was able to use standard navigational commands, such as using Ctrl + Right/Left Arrow to move by word, and ChromeVox spoke appropriately. I could also move to the toolbar to change the current font or add comments to a document. Not all common functions speak, however. When using the Shift key to select text, no indication was spoken as to what text I was selecting.

Perhaps the biggest issue with text editing has to do with speech lag and responsiveness. A fast keyboardist relies on nearly instantaneous feedback when typing, in order to quickly correct errors and move around the document. While typing, we experienced a quarter of a second lag using the default voice with ChromeVox. While this may not seem like a long time and is perhaps acceptable for web browsing, it can be a real time killer when attempting to type a long article. In other words, there was a quarter of a second delay from the time I pressed a letter until the time ChromeVox spoke that letter. This is an issue that is not unique to ChromeVox but one that must be tackled in order to ensure an effective and efficient screen reading experience.

Incidentally, by purchasing a Chromebook or Chromebox, Google provides 100 gigabytes of free storage for two years from a web-based file hosting service similar to Dropbox. This additional space is available by redeeming an offer on the Chrome website. After pressing the "Redeem Offer" button, a pop-up appears, which is not accessible, and ultimately locks up speech entirely, so I was not able to obtain my additional space.

Chrome OS Settings and Customization

ChromeVox includes some basic settings for customizing how text is presented, accessible from the Options menu. Simple adjustments like the rate and pitch of the voice are also available using hotkeys. The amount of punctuation that is spoken and whether characters are spoken as you type can also be adjusted. Advanced options like a user dictionary for fixing mispronounced words are not currently available, however.

The Future

The Chrome OS is in its infancy when compared to the Windows and Mac operating systems, and accessibility hurdles are to be expected. Google in recent months has become more proactive in improving access by launching a beta program and giving away dozens of free Chromebooks to users who are blind or visually impaired. If Google wants to seriously pursue the education market and, by all accounts, it does, it will need to improve accessibility to the Chrome OS. ChromeVox shows a lot of promise and potential and can become a fully-integrated screen reader as long as the entire Chrome development team is on-board. We expect all of the built-in apps of the operating system to work out of the box and to use a consistent and intuitive interface. While the web browser and parts of Chrome are quite usable now, much work still needs to be done. We look forward to the results and possible improvements from this beta program and will closely follow its development.

The Bottom Line

With models starting at around $200, Chromebooks are priced competitively with other low-end laptops. While the Chrome operating system includes a wealth of built-in accessibility with ChromeVox, we hesitate to recommend the Chromebook as an efficient day-to-day tool for most users. If you are seeking a low-cost machine to surf the web and check e-mail, then you may want to give Chrome a look. However, for much of anything else, including word processing, sticking to Windows or the Mac would likely be your best bet at this point. That being said, the development of ChromeVox has been quite rapid in recent months, and the viability of the Chrome OS for users of assistive technology could change quickly. If it does, we'll be sure to update you in AccessWorld.

Have you tried a Chromebook, or are you participating in Google's beta program? We'd love to hear your impressions. Send us a comment, and we may publish it in a future issue of AccessWorld.

Comment on this article.

Dear AccessWorld readers,

You have all heard the old saying, "Build it, and they will come." Well, AFB and the Illinois AER built it, and, believe me, it came… the rain that is. The 2013 AFB Leadership Conference in conjunction with the Illinois Statewide AER Conference 2013 was held April 18-20 at the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel. Despite the torrential rain and storms that delayed and canceled flights in Chicago and the entire eastern United States, the conference went on with barely a hiccup.

While we all regret that a few presenters and some registered attendees were not able to make it to the conference, those who attended were met with informative presentations, great opportunities for networking, and the chance to speak with a great group of exhibitors. I want to extend a thank-you to our conference partners: The Chicago Lighthouse, Hadley School for the Blind, Friedman Place, Illinois School for the Visually Impaired, Illinois State University, Northern Illinois University, Second Sense, Spectrios, and Vision Forward. A thank-you also goes out to all exhibitors and presenters.

Conference attendees were also able to attend the Migel Award Ceremony and Luncheon where Jim Fruchterman and Dr. Kay Ferrell were presented with the American Foundation for the Blind Migel Medal, the highest honor in the blindness field, for their outstanding contributions that have had an impact on countless lives of people with vision loss.

It was a very successful conference. In fact, preparations are already underway for the 2014 AFB Leadership Conference to be held at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge. I encourage you to hold the date and plan to join experts and colleagues for intensive pre-conference sessions on February 27 and full-conference sessions on February 28 and March 1. You can check back for the agenda and more meeting information by visiting the AFB Leadership Conference page.

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

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

It appears the only way to comment on articles is by sending an e-mail message. Any plans to implement an online forum? It would certainly promote discussion and interaction amongst readers and AFB staff.

Thanks,

Scott Blanks

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

Hello Scott,

Thank you for reading AccessWorld and for writing in with your comment and question.

You are correct: at this time the only way to comment is through e-mail. An online forum for interaction with AccessWorld readers has been discussed internally, but a decision to implement an online discussion forum has not been made at this time. However, input such as yours will help drive the future of AccessWorld. I encourage you to continue sending questions and comments. The AccessWorld staff and I want to know what readers are thinking.

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

Janet Ingber'srecent two-part series entitled Mac, PC, or Both: Choices for Blind and Visually Impaired Computer Users, comes at a time when many of us are looking seriously at Macs and various iDevices. I have made this move myself and welcome the information found in the article. I have worked in various computer environments for close to 30 years and celebrate the opportunity to work with VoiceOver on my Mac. Articles such as this offer great support and practical tips.

Thanks,

Leo Bissonnette, PhD

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I read with great interest Deborah Kendrick's April article entitled The Future of Braille Technology: Perspectives and Implications.

I have been a braille reader since I was four years old. I much prefer it over speech output. In fact, I would not care if everything was in braille instead of speech output.

I imagine braille costs a lot more to produce than speech. With […] fewer people reading braille, I sometimes wonder if it is even worth making braille products. Braille displays are out of reach for most people who are blind. If you do not need [a display] for a job or school, your state agency is not going to help you buy it. I would love to have a braille display. If I did,I would probably never use speech. I do not care how good text-to-speech is. It will never be as good as braille.

Sincerely,

Dwayne McNutt

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

My husband is a driver and we are desperate to find something [that] has speech recognition. We have tried just about all the apps we could find. He has Evi, but we would appreciate any additional information you could offer.

Thanks for your assistance,

Kelly K

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

Hello Kelly,

If your husband has an iPhone 4S or iPhone 5, SIRI can accomplish the text from voice. Another hands-free option is Vokul. It's inexpensive and works well. As with any speech recognition program, there may be some occasional errors. Also, Vokul can be on in the background, but in previous testing, it would sometimes start requesting commands or begin talking by itself. You may find this AccessWorld article by Janet Ingber, Siri Substitutes: If You Don't Have Siri, There are Other Options, helpful.

Thank you for reading AccessWorld.

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I like AccessWorld because it presents information for users who are completely blind as well as users who are visually impaired without any snobbery.

I am downloading Fleksy as I write because typing on any virtual keyboard for this partially-sighted user has been a spiritual adventure in building "patience" into my soul. I sometimes come down from that lofty height wanting to scream and yell.

Like many people with vision loss,I am still trying to figure out all the cell phone access issues. I currently have a phone with a real keyboard, which is quite accessible, but there is a two second delay in call connections sending and receiving, which is driving me crazy. I'd love the luxury of a Galaxy 3 but just can't justify the expense.

Please keep reviewing Android cell phones for low vision access, including such issues as enlarging the font in all parts of the phone (surfing the net, the keyboard/number pad, contacts lists, etc.).

I would also be interested in more articles discussing problems and solutions of traveling in today's rather unfriendly environments.

I really appreciate AccessWorld's even-handed approach to disability. Not all publications perform in such a mature manner. Keep up the good work!

Thanks,

Name withheld upon request

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I appreciated Aaron Preece's April article entitled An Evaluation of the HumanWare Victor Reader Stream (New Generation). I have a first generation Victor that I use every day for reading NLS books and listening to some podcasts. I was considering purchasing the new Stream because the advertising claims the speaker is better and has Bluetooth connectivity.

Based on the problems described in this article, I think I'll wait and continue to use my old trusty Stream for now.

Thank you,

Gil Johnson

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

Janet Ingber's April article, Mac, PC, or Both: Choices for Blind and Visually Impaired Computer Users, Part II: Mac and Me: Using My MacBook Air with VoiceOver, is an excellent article on how to use VoiceOver from a keyboard. I just entered the "i"—world a couple months ago via an iPod touch. The shortcut keys you covered will help since I just got a Bluetooth keyboard to go with the iPod. I can see the sense of eventually going to a Mac. Trying to keep Jaws and Voiceover shortcut keys straight could be a challenge!

Keep up the great work,

Rob Stemple

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

Aaron Preece's April article, An Evaluation of the HumanWare Victor Reader Stream (New Generation), does not address or compare the units' respective battery lives and charging times. When buying a portable device, this is [our] first or second most important factor. Please address.

Cheryl Orgas and William Meeker

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

Hello Cheryl and William,

Both Stream models get 15 hours of battery life. The new Stream takes five hours to charge using the included charger while the original takes four hours. The new Stream can also be charged using a computer's USB port or a commercial charger. Using another option other than the included charger will take longer to charge the device.

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

As valuable and interesting as it is to learn about and use mainstream social networks, there is a healthy community of social networks specifically targeted to, and optimized for, users who are blind or low vision. These cloud-based sites do not prohibit sighted participation, but they are a safe space for people with vision disabilities to share and socialize without having to always explain every view. Sites I'm aware of include Klango.net, Zonebbs.com, and SAM Net. The people who use these sites often also use Facebook, Twitter, and Skype. I think these sites are undervalued by those who haven't found them. These sites are a way to genuinely experience "the blind community."

Sincerely,

Bill Pasco

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

Thank you for Aaron Preece's thorough review of the features and functions of the Victor Reader Stream in the April issue. It is appreciated. HumanWare has reduced the size of the Stream by some 28 percent while still maintaining the same familiar keypad 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 in the future.

Regards,

Matthew Janusauskas,

Technical Product Manager, Victor Reader Products

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I want to thank Bill Holton for his very informative and uplifting article in the April issue, Reaching Out: How You Can Help App Developers Improve Accessibility.

I am feeling very out of touch regarding mobile accessibility, and this article has given me information I can use immediately to improve my experience accessing my new Android phone. I feel much more hopeful that I will actually be able to make full use of this phone's features. Thanks again.

Sincerely,

Juanita Ohara

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I was wondering if you would give any consideration to adding the ability to share AccessWorld articles on social media to the website. I read AccessWorld every month, and there are often articles I would like to share with my Twitter followers. I've recently taken to copying article headlines and addresses into tweets manually, but it would be awesome to see an automated sharing feature (similar to what is found on most news websites) available.

Sincerely,

Michael Hansen

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

First, let me say that I love your magazine and the information it provides. In this age in which technology is constantly changing and updating for the benefit or detriment of its users, it is refreshing to find a publication [that] provides a one-stop place for technology consumers who are blind to find the information we need. I have also recently downloaded the AccessWorld app on my iPhone and am equally pleased with its performance. It's a very efficient and easy-to-use way to read your magazine.

With this said, I have one suggestion for future updates to the AccessWorld app for iOS. Currently, one is only able to share articles from AccessWorld via e-mail. If this is possible, I think it would be great if there could be a feature in the app which would allow someone to share an AccessWorld article on Facebook and Twitter. This is a feature which I have found to be very useful in other similar news apps. I would love to be able to share the wonderful information in your magazine with my friends who are blind on Facebook and followers on Twitter as many other readers probably would.

Please let me know if this is possible and what your thoughts are on this suggestion. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your time and attention to this e-mail, and thank you for the work you do to provide people who are blind with the technology information we need.

Sincerely,

Chris Nusbaum

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

Hello Chris,

Thank you for writing and for sharing your suggestion of adding a share feature for Facebook and Twitter. This is something several readers have asked for in the past. I am happy to let you and all of the AccessWorld readers know we are currently in the process of implementing the share features. Look for them in an upcoming AccessWorld Issue!

First-Ever Braille Summit to Solicit Ideas on Promoting and Supporting Braille Literacy

More than 50 braille readers, braille literacy professionals, librarians, and others with a stake in the future of braille will gather at Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts, June 19–21, 2013, for a Braille Summit.

The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), Library of Congress, has organized the event, the first of its kind, in concert with Perkins to solicit ideas on ways libraries can promote and support braille literacy.

"NLS hopes that bringing together experts from across America and around the world will help us pinpoint the issues affecting braille literacy and develop fresh solutions for addressing them," says Karen Keninger, director of NLS.

The conference, which will open with a keynote speech by Peter Osborne, chief braille officer of the Royal National Institute of Blind People in the United Kingdom, will be organized around five major tracks: Braille Readers, Library Selection and Collection Development, Braille Production, Braille Technology, and Promoting Braille Literacy and Awareness.

Participants will have the opportunity to listen to experts in each of those subject areas and then engage in facilitated discussions with their peers. Time will also be set aside for attendees to explore exhibits featuring new technological developments and best practices in braille. An agenda listing all events and speakers is available at the Braille Summit website.

"Recommendations generated at the summit will help shape braille programs and priorities for the future of the NLS library network," says Keninger. NLS plans to publicly release a summary of recommendations once the event is complete.

NLS administers the free program that loans materials to residents of the United States and U.S. citizens living abroad who are unable to read or use standard print materials because of visual or physical handicaps. These materials include braille and recorded books and magazines, music scores in braille and large print and specifically designed playback equipment. For more information about NLS at the Library of Congress, visit the NLS website.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world, with nearly 142 million items in various languages, disciplines, and formats. The Library serves the U.S. Congress and the nation both onsite in its reading rooms on Capitol Hill, and through its award-winning website.

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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."

Thanks to Vision for a Nation, many people in Rwanda are receiving free eye examinations and, if needed, free eyeglasses. The Vision for a Nation Program was founded in 2009 with the goal to provide universal access to eyeglasses, beginning with the people of Rwanda. The program is governed by the Vision for a Nation Foundation, a charity registered and based in the United Kingdom. It has recently been awarded a £250,000 (approximately $380,000) Global Poverty Action Fund Innovation grant from the UK government. Private donations also make up a considerable funding source for the charity.

In April 2012, Vision for a Nation was granted international non-governmental organization (INGO) status by the Rwandan government, which means that it's recognized as a non-profit international philanthropist organization. INGO status was granted following renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding between Vision for a Nation Foundation and the Rwandan Ministry of Health.

Vision for a Nation Executive Director Sjoerd Hannema holds a Master degree in Law from Leiden University in Holland and has over 20 years of international experience in the consumer goods industry.

Massimo Presente joined Vision for a Nation in January 2012 as the Country Director for Rwanda. He has more than 20 years of international development experience, working in various countries including Ethiopia, India, and China. Mr. Presente spent eight years working for ORBIS International, a non-governmental organization (NGO) devoted to blindness prevention with a special focus on childhood blindness in developing countries.

The Program in Rwanda

According to Vision for a Nation, there are only 4 optometrists and 10 ophthalmologists to serve the Rwandan population of 10 million. Almost 85 percent of the population lives in rural areas with limited eye care. 57 percent of the population lives in poverty, unable to afford eyeglasses. The Government of Rwanda has endorsed the Vision for a Nation program and the distribution of eyeglasses as part of the implementation of its national eye care plan.

Within five years, Vision for a Nation's goal is to screen all Rwandans eight years and older, and provide glasses to those who need them. The program is being conducted in three phases:

Phase 1: Setting Up Distribution and Beginning Assessments

The first phase began in August 2010 and concluded in September 2011. During this time, 2,038 Rwandans had a vision assessment, and more than 700 people received eyeglasses. A distribution method was designed, involving training nurses to conduct vision assessments and provide glasses when needed.

Phase 2: Training and Distribution

The money awarded to Vision for a Nation by the UK government is earmarked for this phase, which began in March 2012 and is expected to conclude June 2013. The goal of this phase is to use 417 community health centers throughout Rwanda for trained nurses to perform examinations and provide glasses if needed. Up to 1,600 nurses will be trained, and they, in turn, will train approximately 1,500 community health workers and 500 school teachers. Vision for a Nation estimates that 425,000 Rwandans, age eight years and older, will receive free vision assessments during Phase 2 with up to 30,000 pairs of eyeglasses provided to those who need them.

Phase 3

This phase will run from 2013 to 2015 and build upon the groundwork of Phase 2. By the completion of Phase 3 of the project, it is the goal of Vision for a Nation for every Rwandan eight years and older to have had a vision assessment and receive eyeglasses if necessary.

The Glasses

Vision for a Nation currently distributes several types of glasses. Their website states that up to 90 percent of refractive errors can be corrected. If an individual can benefit from reading glasses, they receive a pre-made pair. The adjustable glasses are made by Adlens, a UK company which was formed in 2005. There are two types of glasses being used: Fluid-Injection and Emergensee. Adlens donates an additional pair of glasses to Vision for a Nation for every Fluid-Injection pair that is purchased. The glasses are available for purchase in many countries, including England and the United States. All the Adlens glasses have frames, nose pieces, and arms that can be adjusted to fit each individual.

Fluid-Injection Lenses

Fluid-Injection lens technology was originally developed to provide vision correction in less-developed countries with their primary features being that they are easily adjusted and users can obtain their glasses immediately. The refractive power of the lens is adjusted through the reservoirs of the optically-clear silicon in the polycarbonate lens. Once the adjustment is complete, the dispenser can seal off the lens. Hemisphere Glasses, which use this fluid injection technology, are available with clear lenses or as sunglasses, and can be set for near, intermediate, and distance vision. They can also help correct presbyopia, a vision condition in which the crystalline lens of the eye loses its flexibility and makes it difficult to focus on close objects.

John Lennon Collection

Adlens has designed glasses that look similar to those worn by John Lennon with the iconic round shape. These glasses can be used for near, intermediate, and distance vision. They have aspheric lenses, which gradually change in curvature from the center out to the edge (as compared with conventional lenses with the same curve across the whole surface) and can help improve peripheral vision.

In an Adlens press release, Lennon's wife, Yoko Ono, comments, "Adlens' technology is such an interesting concept with such amazing potential that really captures the imagination. I am sure John would be proud to be associated with the glasses and the ethos behind them."

Emergensee Glasses

Emergensee glasses are smaller than the Hemisphere and Lennon glasses, and they use Alvarez technology, whereby an oval lens is situated within a rectangular lens. Knobs on each side of the glasses are turned to slide the lenses across each other until optimum focus is achieved. The glasses are continuously adjustable for near, intermediate, and distance tasks.

Impact of the Program

The Vision for a Nation website has several stories and videos on how receiving glasses has had an impact on the lives of Rwandans. Below are four story excerpts; read all stories on the site by activating the "Stories" link on the homepage.

Alysi

Alysi is a tailor in the village of Nyirangogo. His near vision was failing, which made it difficult for him to thread the needle on his sewing machine and forced him to rely on relatives or passers by to do it for him. This decreased his productivity because assistance isn't always available, and as a result, he was making less money. Alysi was overjoyed to receive his new reading glasses, and he can now thread the needle without assistance.

Godance

Godance lives in the village of Nyankokoma where she is a farmer, shopkeeper, student, and mother of six. All her life she had "fuzzy vision." She received a pair of adjustable glasses and said, "Wow! Beautiful! I really can see."

Justin

Justin is a student who was having difficulty reading the blackboard, but his family could not afford to send him to the optometrist to get glasses. He received a free vision assessment and within 20 minutes had a new pair of glasses. This would have taken many years of saving and traveling a great distance if Justin's family had to get glasses from an optometrist.

Denys

Denys is a farmer living in Sabiro with his wife and six children. He received his first vision assessment thanks to Vision for a Nation, and they determined he needed glasses for distance and near vision. He received two pairs of glasses, one for distance and one for reading. He can now safely travel to the market and read to his children.

Resources

• Vision for a Nation
• Adlens Website
• New York Times article on Adlens John Lennon glasses
• The Charity Commission for England and Wales

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Josh Miele demonstrated an extraordinary brand of maturity when, at age 11 or 12, he told his family to let go of the grief and anger they were all experiencing over the sulfuric acid assault that had burned and blinded him at age four. There had been multiple surgeries to attempt restoration of his badly burned face and even remote hopes of vision restoration. However, the young and uncommonly wise Miele was finished with the past and with wasting time in hospitals. He announced that there would be no more surgeries. He was blind, and his face would always look different. It was time to accept the status quo and move forward.

There would be other strikingly mature and perceptive decisions along the path that has led Dr. Miele to a central role in researching and developing methodologies for people who are blind or visually impaired. As a principal investigator for the Smith-Kettlewell Institute in San Francisco, his work encompasses a variety of projects, each of them having at its core the goal of enhancing and increasing access to the world around us for those unable to do so through the sense of sight:

• How do you deliver a picture that a blind person can understand, revealing how those crazy streets and intersections converge and diverge in your neighborhood? Make a simple, uncluttered map that you can "see" with your hands.
• How do you make braille notes anywhere atany time without schlepping a wagonload of equipment everywhere you go? Wear gloves that enable you to write braille on anything anywhere and, subsequently, send that text to your hardware device of choice.
• How do you watch a movie with your kids or sighted spouse and not bug them to find out who is chasing whom? Develop a cloud-based,crowd-sourced database of verbal descriptions that anyone can access when the need arises.

These are some of the kinds of questions (and answers) populating Josh Miele's typical workday, but how did a little boy who trustingly opened a gate for his neighbor and, subsequently, almost died from the vicious attack of acid on his head get to this intellectually vibrant place in his life?

Early Years: New York City

Growing up in New York City offered certain advantages. Miele attended public school, learned braille, received early training in using a white cane for mobility, and had a lot of freedom as a child to run, climb, and explore. His mother's passion for art mingled with love for her son prompted her to encourage him to sneak under the ropes and touch priceless creations in museums thus adding to his ever-expanding mental database for perceiving the visual world. He took violin lessons at the Lighthouse International in New York for a time but, like many six and seven year olds, hated to practice and eventually quit. Music theory classes, on the other hand, captivated his attention.

In the seventh grade, he made a new friend, Brian Schachter, who played piano. Although their musical passions were quite different (Miele favored Jefferson Airplane and the Beatles, while Schachter was wild about rap), they formed a musical connection. Together, they wrote some songs with Schachter crafting the melodies and Miele the lyrics, and they played at making their own recordings. Miele would sing and wire up the soundboards, and Brian would write music, play piano, and recruit more peer musicians. They formed a band. Bass players kept leaving them, however, so one day Miele picked up the bass, too. He says he didn't practice that instrument much more diligently than he had the violin, but he continued to play. Today, Brian Schachter, who Miele still describes as a best friend and "a real musician," is musical director for a Jewish meditation center, Chochmatut it Halev,in Berkeley, CA, and Miele continues to play bass for the center's musical component.

Despite being part of a band and having his own small circle of fabulous friends, Miele had another of those prescient moments when the time came for choosing a college. There was only one place he wanted to go: California. Yes, there was partially the draw of a long distance friendship he'd developed with a girl there, but his certainty was much deeper than that. He just knew that California was where he belonged, perhaps where he could fully become just Josh Miele and not the kid who was blinded and burned in a freakish split-second assault at his own front gate.

His sense of what he wanted to study was equally clear. A lover of all the sciences (biology, chemistry, and more), physics, he says, is at the bottom of everything. "It is the science of the world, of the way everything works in the world," he says, and he wanted to immerse himself in understanding it. He applied to more than one school, but it was his acceptance into the University of California at Berkeley that launched the next chapter of his life.

Before going to college, though, Miele followed what would reveal itself to be a somewhat misguided perception on his part. While growing up, he had more than a little disdain for people who are blind as a group. He was intellectually and culturally savvy and perceived those who are blind as being far less so, even maybe somewhere out on the fringes of what constituted "cool." Still, he had a pragmatic sense of his own differences as a person who is blind. He knew that braille and finding your way around, for instance, are essential blindness tools. With that knowledge came his assumption that training with a guide dog was "just what you did," what every person who is blind had to do in order to function independently in a new environment.

Accordingly, in the summer following high school graduation, he went to the Seeing Eye and trained with a guide dog. He and his new dog headed for Berkeley where Miele would experience a kind of cultural conversion.

Blind Pride

He didn't know much about disability rights before his 1987 arrival in Berkeley and certainly didn't know the powerful scenes of the disability rights drama that had been enacted in real life on that very turf. The irony was that he had long been fascinated by civil rights and the 1960s counterculture, and says he spent a lot of time wishing he'd been born in 1955 instead of 1969. Having been drawn to California, he hadn't really known what all awaited him there, but it wouldn't be long at all before his spirit was singing (consciously and unconsciously), "This is where I belong."

At the heart of that joy in relocation was his immediate acquaintance with amazing and talented people who were blind. Where his life in New York had blatantly excluded those who were blind as potential friends because he hadn't yet encountered many with whom he sensed a common ground, Berkeley was teeming with kindred spirits who were blind. Previously shunning blindness, he was now embracing it, immersing himself in the already established and "tremendously cool" blind community. As he puts it, poking just a bit of fun at his own young awakening, "I got blind pride!"

The dog turned out to be one of the few of his decisions that was less than accurate. After three years of living in Berkeley (and discovering that he had been in error when jumping to that younger conclusion that a guide dog was part of the grown-up blind package), Miele concluded that he wasn't really a dog user at heart. Happily, his dog was retrained for someone else.

A Scientist's Interest in Access Technology

While earning his degree in physics, Miele went to work for Berkeley Systems, a company whose flagship product was outSPOKEN, the first screen reader for Macintosh computers. The work he was doing there felt more important than school, so he actually left school for some time.

Eventually, though, he was so passionate about access technology and the research that would affect those who are blind that he made another of those perceptive decisions to put himself where he truly wanted to be. "I wanted to be sure that I would have a voice of authority when it came to research and development in accessibility," he says, "and I recognized that everybody in the field whose thoughts were considered of note held higher degrees."

He returned to school and finished his bachelor's degree in physics. He did an internship at Smith-Kettlewell where he says Bill Gerrey was a significant mentor to him. It was Gerrey, in fact, to whom Miele turned for advice when he found himself at an academic crossroads.

Berkeley Systems was sold in 1996, and Miele concluded that he had two clear choices for next steps: he could start his own company or work toward a PhD. The question he asked Gerrey was whether or not getting some sort of policy degree was a wise choice.

The gist of Gerrey's reply was, "Why would you waste your time? You're a scientist! At least get a degree in experimental psychology."

Indeed, the degree that now appends the PhD to Josh Miele's name is in psychoacoustics and couldn't be more perfectly suited to his work and passion. Psychoacoustics examines how we hear and interpret what we hear. Miele's primary doctoral work was focused on auditory motion perception, how hearing enables us to perceive the direction in which a sound is traveling and how fast the sound is moving.

In 1998, Miele was a summer intern at Smith-Kettlewell. Later, he was there under a pre-doctoral fellowship and, in 2003, for a post-doctoral fellowship. His connection to Smith-Kettlewell was akin to the one he had experienced earlier for Berkeley itself: this was where he needed to be.

Moving Forward

Today, Josh Miele still lives in Berkeley with his wife of 12 years, Liz Ruhland, and his children, Benjamin, 10, and Vivien, 8. He is president of the board of directors for the San Francisco Lighthouse, is more connected than ever to that "cool blind community" in Berkeley, and has a one-hour commute to and from work at Smith-Kettlewell.

Typically, Miele says, he invents things because he personally needs or wants them. His first project at Smith-Kettlewell a dozen or so years ago was a good example. In his graduate work with auditory motion perception, he used a data analysis and data visualization tool called MATLAB. "It's sort of like Excel on steroids," he says, displaying data in multiple dimensions. He needed it,but it wasn't accessible. He developed tools for taking the bar charts and other graphic information displayed in MATLAB and presenting them in auditory and tactile formats.

Tactile maps, smart pens, and crowd-sourced video description head the list of the projects and tools exciting him most at present, and each of these will be featured in more detail in upcoming AccessWorld articles.

"I find existing tools and pull them together, adding an interface that will render something accessible which has previously been inaccessible to people who are blind," Miele said. He does this with imagination, intellect, and creativity. He does it because he wants an even greater accessible claim on the world around him,for himself and all his friends who are blind or visually impaired.

For more information, visit the Smith-Kettlewell site.

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When Helen Keller attended the now-famous Perkins School for the Blind, she was on the road to becoming a world-renowned writer, speaker, and defender of social justice. Clearly she was brilliant and talented, but the simple gift of communication, the relentless,frenzied spelling into the little girl's hand, was the key that launched her on her path of remarkable achievement.

Today, there are an estimated one million Americans with combined vision and hearing loss sufficient to warrant deaf-blind status, and a new federal program holds the promise of providing them with a similar key to communication, 21^st-century style.

The National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP), a part of the Communication and Video Accessibility Act, became effective in July of 2012. Administered by the Federal Communications Commission, the pilot project allocates $10 million each year to provide telecommunications equipment and other technology that will connect individuals who are deaf-blind to a world of opportunities for connections to work, school, and social interaction.

Each of the 50 states has a single organization under contract to qualify, assess, and train individuals receiving equipment, many of them receiving assistance and advice from Perkins and the Helen Keller National Center.

To date, some 600 consumers are in the process of receiving assistance, and the numbers are growing. Given the nature of deaf-blindness, the hardest part may well be getting word to those who can reap the greatest benefit from the program.

The Perkins School for the Blind and the Helen Keller National Center have launched a campaign called iCanConnect in an attempt to spread the word and answer basic questions regarding the program.

Steven Rothstein, president of Perkins, believes that the promise of this legislation cannot be overstated. At present, in its pilot project stage, the program is in its infancy with FCC still making the rules and figuring out the best direction.

"When you take the long view," Rothstein said, "I believe the program has the potential to make more of a difference for deaf-blind individuals than anything that has happened since Helen Keller was enrolled at our school."

Equipment Covered by the Program

Some people who are deaf-blind are completely deaf and completely blind. Some have some usable vision, others have some usable hearing, most have their own unique blend of the two sensory disabilities. Consequently, the type of equipment that will connect a given individual to communication can vary considerably.

Essentially, any technology or telecommunications equipment that provides some link to communication and connections to the wider world is likely to be within the parameters of the NDBEDP. Specially designed products, such as signalers that flash or vibrate to indicate the ringing of a telephone, braille notetakers that connect to the Internet,and refreshable braille displays that connect to computers for e-mail and Internet access are eligible for the program. Similarly, laptop and desktop computers, oversized computer monitors that enable a person with extremely low vision to see content from the Internet or e-mail messages, or text-to-speech software that reads the screen aloud are all possibilities. Also on the list are a variety of mobile devices (such as smartphones), tablets, and PDAs that render communication and connection possible and offer accessibility features to individuals who have limited sight and hearing.

How the NDBEDP Can Help

Jorge Santos of Chicopee, MA, is one of the happy consumers who has been served by NDBEDP. He had worn powerful hearing aids since age four; his vision gradually declined as well. In 2000, he was finally diagnosed as having Type II Ushers Syndrome, a congenital disease that causes both hearing and vision loss. He attended the Helen Keller National Center for training and job assessment in 2003, where his aptitude for working with computers was recognized. Upon returning home, he enrolled in a certification course in a nearby community college and became a certified computer technician. He now works at a local Boys and Girls Club, maintaining computers, teaching kids to use them, and managing password protection and Internet safety.

Through the NDBEDP, Jorge now uses a Mac laptop, an iPad, and iPhone, and has a 27-inch computer monitor that enables him to control the large font and white-on-black contrast that he needs for reading web pages and e-mail. His iPhone is connected to a Bluetooth device that sends sound directly into his hearing aids.

"There was a time," Jorge reflects, "when I was frustrated by things I couldn't do any more. Now I just move on."

For him, moving on has included connection to a local deaf-blind club, involvement in a local group of individuals who are visually impaired or blind who do community service projects, and serving as an appointed member to the consumer advisory board to the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind. His new equipment, he says, makes all of those pursuits along with his job and family life possible.

Eligibility for the NDBEDP

There are very specific guidelines for qualification for the program. First, not surprisingly, the application process requires a physician or other health care professional to document sufficient loss of both sight and hearing for the applicant to qualify as deaf-blind. Secondly, applicants must have proof of income placing them at or below 400 percent of the US poverty guidelines. In the continental US, individuals with annual income at or below $44,680, or families of four with an income at or below $92,200 are eligible. In Alaska, the threshold is $51,440 for an individual or $106,040 for a family of four. In Hawaii, an individual with an income up to $55,880 is eligible or $115,280 for a family of four.

How to Apply

The iCanConnect site provides contact and other information for the contracting organizations in every state. The site also provides a list of the wide array of equipment considered within the scope of the NDBEDP, and a downloadable brochure. For many individuals who have combined vision and hearing loss, learning about the project or accessing the web site may be the largest obstacle to submitting an application. Articles like this one, in other words, are a vital tool in spreading the word and finding the individuals who can benefit from the program. Many states have opted in to access information in a national database maintained by Perkinsin order to locate and reach out to individuals who may be eligible.

When applications are accepted, each individual is assessed to identify the most appropriate equipment, and training is provided.

Today's world of telecommunications was certainly never imagined by Helen Keller or her peers. We know what she accomplished through far simpler tools than those available to us in the 21^st century. Only time and the continued growth of this truly encouraging national program will reveal the productivity and contributions yet to be made by contemporary deaf-blind Americans.

For further information on the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program or to locate a partnering program in your particular state, visit the iCan Connect site or call 800-825-4595.

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Now that you've gained an understanding of what social networks are, how they work, and their value to you as a user of access technology, it's time to get down to business and turn our attention to utilizing and reaping the benefits of these valuable interactive tools. This article focuses on accessing social networks using a desktop computer. Though it's quite fashionable to interact with these networks using a smartphone or a portable tablet, there is still a great deal of value in using your computer and favorite screen reader. In addition, desktop access serves as a fantastic means with which you might familiarize yourself with the various functionalities present within these virtual communities.

This article provides an overview to three leading social networks, identifies browsing components for access, and concludes with some concrete strategies to quickly and efficiently glean desired information and functionality from each.

Three Different Social Networks and Their Respective Market Segments

While there are over 200 social networks which one might access, our attention will be focused on three extremely popular ones: LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Each network offers its participants a wealth of information, functionality, and the ability to interact with others who have similar interests. Each network requires its participants to establish a user profile. Each network is constantly evolving and changing, which means that some of the materials and strategies covered in this article may not be 100 percent accurate weeks or months after its publication. Finally, while each network was born out of a mission to meet the needs of a particular market segment, it's worth noting that due to the interests of the companies, organizations, and individuals as well as information acquired and shared are relevant to both their personal and professional pursuits. Let's take a panoramic view of each network before accessing them.

LinkedIn

It's no secret that the way you find, maintain, and improve your employment situation has evolved from the dated methods of thumbing through the local newspaper and responding to "Help Wanted" ads, and we have services like LinkedIn to thank for this. Founded in 2003, this social network geared towards the aspiring job seeker hosts approximately 200,000,000 members. Each member has a user profile that is accessed via an e-mail account and a password. This profile provides work history information, andit also allows former colleagues andclassmates you connect with to view your current professional aspirations. Therefore, it's very important when you establish your LinkedIn profile that you are as thorough as possible when providing details about your current and past employment. LinkedIn will only work to your advantage to the degree that you provide substance to your profile (this is also true of the two additional social network services discussed below). LinkedIn provides a means to upload a profile photo by which sighted LinkedIn users might identify you when browsing LinkedIn's profiles. LinkedIn also gives you the ability to upload a resume and associate it with your profile so that, when others view your profile, they may also access your resume within their webbrowser.

Both profile photos and resumes are often overlooked aspects of many LinkedIn user profiles of the visually impaired, but they're often the most important items sought by employers and colleagues. The process of uploading both photos and Word-based resumes is rather straightforward. From the upload field, simply select the "Browse" button using your favorite screen reading command, then select the location on your hard drive where the given file is stored. Activate the "Open" button to place the file location and title in the edit field before selecting the "Upload" option. LinkedIn is polite yet firm about reminding you what percentage of your profile is complete and encourages you each time you sign in to complete the remaining portions of your profile for a more optimal use of the LinkedIn service.

An Overview of Your LinkedIn Service

You can post updates on your LinkedIn profile. Updates might be a topic of interest, a project you are working on, a link to an interesting article, etc. You will be able to view notifications, which might be a response to something you've posted. You may also read, reply, and manage messages using LinkedIn's comprehensive web-mail service. If you're not comfortable with webmail and prefer to stick to a POP or exchange-based mail client, LinkedIn will also send e-mails to the e-mail address associated with your profile, and you may reply to these messages from your mail client. These e-mails may be requests by others to connect to you on LinkedIn, a weekly summary of your connections? LinkedIn activities, or even a personal message from a LinkedIn user or group moderator.

Some helpful suggestions that will enable you to grow your professional network:

• The more thorough you are when selecting your industries of interest, the more invaluable this service will be to you.
• Refer to the list of recommended news articles that relate to your areas of interest.
• LinkedIn also gives you a synopsis of the latest connections that your current LinkedIn connections have made and offers you the opportunity to continue to grow your professional network. It also shows you how many times your profile has been viewed over the past seven days as well as how many times you may have shown up in a LinkedIn search. You may upgrade to a paid premium service to optimize this aspect of your LinkedIn experience. Currently, you may upgrade to LinkedIn Premium for $39.95 per year.
• LinkedIn gives you a snapshot of your current list of LinkedIn connections and offers suggestions of people you might know and may wish to connect to. It does an eerily exceptional job finding individuals relative to your interests, educational background, and work experience. When you connect with an individual, an e-mail is sent to them inviting them to connect to your network. They may accept or ignore your request. The same is true when others invite you to connect.
• LinkedIn lists current job openings which it believes may be a good fit for you based on the information in your user profile.
• The more groups you join, the more information you'll receive, and the more likely you'llbe to grow a healthy and useful professional network.

It costs money to run these networks, so in order for LinkedIn and other similar social network services to remain free of charge to basic users, we all need to endure prominent ads throughout the sites.

In this day and age where educational and rehabilitation services are driven by dollars earmarked toward competitive employment, LinkedIn can be a technology service provider's best friend as both a means of honing important technology skills that consumers will be able to carry into the job market as well as a means of preparing consumers to face a highly competitive job market controlled by a predominately sighted workforce.

Facebook

With over one billion users, Facebook is undoubtedly the most popular of all social networks. Founded in 2004, what was once a network that allowed college students to connect with one another, Facebook has truly morphed into a global phenomenon that affects how we obtain and share information. You can't visit a website that delivers content without encountering an option that enables you to "Like" the website so that you might receive pertinent information about it on your Facebook Timeline. Many sites also provide options to share specific articles to your Facebook Timeline for other Facebook friends to view.

Building a Facebook profile differs dramatically from that of LinkedIn. When you sign up for a Facebook account, you may use an existing e-mail address and establish a password, but when you build your profile, more attention is given to your marital status, your age, hometown, current residence, interests, and family members who may also be on Facebook. You may list educational and work experiences as well, but the emphasis is definitely slanted to a more social experience.

An Overview of Facebook

On your Facebook page, you will find a section that allows you to view any friend requests or invites to different Facebook groups or events that are being hosted via Facebook. Facebook allows for the creation and managment of either virtual or real-time events, where friends and friends of friends may receive, accept, and decline invites to, and receive pertinent information about, specific groups and events.

The Homes section allows you to view your News Feed, which is a compilation of items and activity from your Facebook friends and "Liked" webpages in one place for you to access. You also may read and respond to messages andview upcoming events. You may also manage photos that you've stored on Facebook and make additional edits to your user profile, such as a vocational switch or change in marital status.

You may view groups to which you belong and also view your list of Facebook apps or plug-ins that enable Facebook to interact more seamlessly with other social networks. Be careful when activating and using these third party apps for they often pull information from your Facebook profile and share it with the third party.

You may set up a Facebook page to showcase your interests, a company, etc. and invite your friends or other Facebook users to "Like" your page.

Last but not least, Facebook advertisements keep the service running for all of us to enjoy!

Because Facebook permeates so many different facets of our lives, it's a bit more complex to navigate. We'll cover some strategies for getting the most out of our Facebook experience in the final section of this article.

Twitter

Founded in 2006,Twitter introduced us to the concept of microblogging, providing bits of information in short chunks of text no longer than 140 characters. Twitter users may convey what they are thinking, news, links to pertinent information, videos, and photos by simply composing a "tweet" and posting it. Twitter differs significantly from the social networks previously discussed because one can follow or be followed by other members of the Twitter service relatively easily.

While Twitter is geared for users of mobile devices, it does offer desktop computer functionality. Because it's set up to interact with mobile services, it's a bit easier to navigate on a mobile device than LinkedIn or Facebook. Once you establish your Twitter profile, you may do the following:

• Compose a new tweet.
• Search for or follow members Twitter suggests to you.
• View tweets made by members who you are following.
• Re-tweet tweets from others.
• Bookmark a list of favorite tweets.
• View a list of trends or topics that are being tweeted about.

There are two essential symbols that Twitter users must use to optimize their tweeting experience. Firstly, placein the at (@) symbol directly before someone's Twitter user name allows you to mention them in a tweet. It's a great way to fuel social banter and lively discussions. Secondly,placing the number or pound sign (#) in front of a phrase is an easy method for tagging your tweets for easier searching and categorizing by other users or trending algorithms. A phrase composed this way is called a hashtag.

For example, as a long suffering fan of the Chicago Cubs, I may wish to use #Cubs, #baseball, and #slump when tweeting about my team. If a fellow fan searches for these tags, my tweets will show up along with any others tagged the same way. On your Home page, Twitter can provide a list of trending topics tailored to your location and followers, which can help you find users who are interested in the same things you are.

Overall, Twitter is more than just a service that allows you to tell the world where you are dining or what you are eating for lunch. It's a fantastic way to succinctly convey content to a large audience and is often preferred over the comparatively complex, detailed chunks of information provided by Facebook.

Ingredients for Accessing LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter

Now that you have a basic understanding of these three networks, let's discuss the fundamental ingredients for accessing them. At the heart of all desktop social networking access is the selection of a solid browser. Internet Explorer 10, Mozilla Firefox 20, and Apple's Safari 6.03 are all exceptional options that present information in slightly different ways. Much of this information is dependent upon the manner by which your desired screen reader interacts with these browsers. JAWS for Windows 14 as well as Window-Eyes 8.1 are fantastic compliments to either Internet Explorer or Firefox while VoiceOver 4 provides palatable alternatives to Safari on a Macintosh.

For instance, Windows-based screen readers and webbrowsers take advantage of hotkeys that invoke dialog boxes for accessing elements on a webpage to navigate to different regions of the screen. Once you have become comfortable with the layout of a social network by exploring the different elements available on the main pages, you may use specific hotkeys to navigate among these various elements without bringing up these dialog boxes and, thus, eliminate a step when interacting with these services.

VoiceOver provides rotor commands for accessing elementssuch as headings, links, and form fields within a social network service when using the Safari browser. Users may utilize keyboard equivalents for navigating by their preferred elements or use Apple's multi-gesture trackpad to quickly select these rotor settings.

At the end of the day, before you can expect to be an effective social networker, you must have already mastered web browsing functionality within your screen reader of choice. Secondly, you must ensure that the browser you are using is up to date. Thirdly (and probably most overlooked), you need a machine powerful enough to run an intensive browsing session concurrently with a memory-intensive screen reader.

Practical Strategies for Accessing LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter

After you've selected your preferred screen reader and browser and have updated both on a machine with enough processing power, you'll want a few practical strategies for access. All of these networks organize information via web elements. The first question you must ask yourself after logging onto a service is: What do I want to do? If you wish to share information, you'll learn very quickly that in order to share anything, you must activate a "Share" button. Use your means to locate this button and navigate to the edit field adjacent to it. In this edit field, you may type text or paste the contents of a link. Once this text is entered or pasted into the edit field, activate the "Share" button, and the information will be posted.

If you wish to comment on or "Like" a particular post that a connection or friend has made, locate either of these posts, read the contents, and use the above strategy for locating the appropriate button. If you wish to comment, locate the edit field adjacent to the comment button and repeat the process described above.

All three networks divide their services into easily navigable headings. Navigating via headings is very efficient when trying to locate information on a busy website.

Both Facebook and Twitter have mobile alternatives to their full-blown websites. These mobile websiteshave beendesigned for Windows and Symbian mobile phones and render these services in a more text-based, less cluttered fashion. Users of desktop computers may open their browsers and substitute "m" in place of "www" to visit these alternative sites. Most of the functionality of these networks ispresent within the mobile sites, and this may provide a less intimidating means of getting use to both Twitter and Facebook. The LinkedIn mobile website is not usable for screen readers on desktop computers.

The advantage as well as disadvantage to the full Facebook and Twitter sites is that they refresh information in real-time, which gives you the most up-to-date status of your friends and followers, but it also may create some confusion when you are trying to access specific portions of information. Also, posting photos and videos housed on your computer's hard driveis much more difficult to do via the mobile sites. Facebook does provide an e-mail address to which you may send photos as attachments which will automatically be posted to your Timeline.

You may be reading a news story that appears on your Timeline or was shared with you, and you wish to share the information with others. If there is not a "Share" button present through your social network service or if you are independently surfing the web and don't wish to locate a "Share" button somewhere amongst all the clutter on a particular page, simply navigate to the address bar, copy the URL of the article, and paste it in the edit field of the social network service you are using. You may also post commentary about the article before pasting the link, and let the social network do the rest when you select the "Share" button.

Unfortunately, virtual chatting on Facebook is not very accessible to screen reader users at this time. Facebook does provide a lackluster mobile chat experience using its messaging option on its mobile site, but it's more or less like sending e-mails back and forth.

Lastly, you may kill two birds with one stone by linking your Facebook account with Twitter and/or your Twitter account with Facebook. This enables you to post a tweet that will be shared on your Facebook Timeline or post a status on Facebook that will be shared as a tweet. This decreases the time spent accessing multiple services while sharing information with friends and followers of Facebook and Twitter. In the next and final article in this series, we'll take a tour of how these services perform on today's accessible mobile devices.

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One of the joys of carrying a smartphone is the ability to take my various lists with me wherever I go. Withdraw some cash from the local ATM? Check. Walking the dogs when the sound of a sprinkler reminds me it's time to water my own lawn? It's a cinch to add it to my to-do list and maybe set a reminder for the early morning when it's best to water a lawn.

Grocery shopping is also more convenient when I can add items to our family shopping list as we run out of this or that, when my wife or I discover an interesting recipe, or when we catch an ad for a new product we'd like to try. You can use any text editor or list app to create such a list, but what about all those weekly supermarket in-store specials, loyalty card bonuses, and the smorgasbord of manufacturers' dollar-off coupons you can redeem at checkout? It's possible to save some real money. That is, if you're willing to put in the time and effort scouring supermarket homepages, various consumer product sites, and Facebook fan pages. Here's an easier, one stop solution: the Grocery Pal app from Twicular available for both iOS and Android.

A Quick Overview

The Grocery Pal app offers an easy-to-use interface for creating and managing shopping lists for supermarkets, pharmacies, and discount stores. The app is ad and affiliate marketing sponsored, so it's free both in the iOS App Store and in the Google Play Store. The iOS version works excellently with VoiceOver with only a very few unlabeled buttons that were easy to decipher and relabel. The Android version is also accessible, but on my Nexus 7 running the latest TalkBack beta, I was unable to swipe and double tap to every clickable object and frequently had to rely on Touch to Explore. The Android app is also newer than the iOS version, and one major feature, "Buy Now," is not yet available. Consequently, this review focuses on the iOS version though the Android version is quite similar in features and structure.

Getting Started

Allow location tracking or enter your zip code when you first open the app, and Grocery Pal will compile a fairly comprehensive list of stores in a radius of one to forty miles. For my 32720 Florida zip code, Grocery Pal pinpointed CVS Pharmacy, Dollar General, Family Dollar, Publics, Save-a-Lot, Wal-Mart, Walgreens, and Winn Dixie within a five-mile radius. Grocery Pal currently supports 130 grocery and pharmacy chains, covering over 40,000 individual locations. If your favorite store isn't on the list, use the app's feedback option to request that it be added.

Double tap the List tab at the bottom of the screen and then double tap "Add," and you're ready to create your first list with the help of a database of over one million products and brands. There are several methods to add items. The simplest way is to double tap the "Add" button just beneath the list name and begin typing an item name. Autocomplete begins to display results after only a few characters, which can help you to browse store aisles for items you didn't even know you wanted. Enter "Heinz" and Grocery Pal autocompletes a list of a number of Heinz products, including ketchup, gravy, and even a Heinz Picnic Pack. Typing "chee" calls up Cheer laundry detergent, cheese, and Cheetos, all three of which are going on my list.

Unfortunately, you are limited to adding a single item at a time, and here's why. After you add an item, a second screen appears with options to increase the quantity and attach a note if desired. Choose the store and aisle so your list will be properly sorted, double tap "Save," and you're ready to add another item to your list. Each of your lists will be sorted alphabetically by grocery aisle, and you can change the order of the aisle labels (Bakery, Beverages, Dairy, etc.) to follow the layout of each of your local stores.

As you shop, double tap the check box beneath each item as you add it to your basket for it to be removed from your list and placed in the app's virtual shopping cart. There's a "Shopping Cart" icon you can double tap to view everything you've purchased, and when you're done, double tap "Cash Register" for your entire list to be archived in "Shopping History," where you can add items to your favorites or re-add them to your next shopping list with a quick double tap.

Adding Weekly Specials and Manufacturer's Coupons

Double tap the Specials tab followed by the icon for your favorite store, and Grocery Pal summons the most recent list of weekly specials you can add directly to your shopping list with a running total of your savings. My local Publics offers at least a score of "Buy One, Get One Free" items every week, and it's the first place I go to start my shopping list.

However, just in case that price isn't the best in town, the confirmation screen also includes a "Compare Other Stores" button. Unfortunately, comparisons are rarely product for product. For example, this week my local Publics has a sale on Kashi Cereal (two for $5), but when I double tap the "Compare Other Stores" button, the results are Kellogg's Applejacks, Fruit Loops, and Corn Pops for $2 per box from Dollar General and a box of Pop Tarts for $1.99 from Walgreens. It's useful information but not quite what I had in mind.

The Coupons tab allows you to browse printable brand coupons and "Save to Card" coupons. The latter automatically adds your selections to your store's loyalty card, but at this writing, the list of supported merchants is still pretty lean.

The printable brand coupons come by way of an affiliation with Coupons.com. You can browse and select as many as you like via Grocery Pal, add them to your shopping list, and then e-mail the coupons themselves to a computer for printing. Be advised, however, that this will require the installation of a Coupons.com browser plugin for your PC or Mac.

Sharing Your List

You can create and manage shopping lists anonymously without a Grocery Pal account. You can also text your list via SMS or e-mail your list with or without your notes. To share your list directly with another Grocery Pal user, however, you will need to set up an account log-in and password. Do this directly from within the app or on the Twicular website.

You can create and manage any number of shopping lists from either your iOS or Android device or, if you'd rather, at Twicular.com. Whichever method you choose, your lists will automatically be synched and updated on any device that uses the same log-in and password. Even more useful, share your list with another Grocery Pal user with the "Read/Write" option that allows each user to add and delete items. This is particularly handy in my household, where I usually create the grocery lists and my wife or stepdaughter adds an item or two and does the actual shopping. I've even added that "one last thing I almost forgot" to the list while my wife was in route to the store. When she opened the app, Grocery Pal reported the list had been updated remotely and re-synched. On another occasion, however, when she had the app running with the list already on-screen, Grocery Pal failed to notify her of my additions, so it's a good idea for the shopper to perform a manual update at least once before reaching the register.

Shopping Online

The iOS app offers a "Buy Now" tab that scans the most recently opened lists for potential matches available at online stores with free shipping. Current options include Amazon and Walmart. Results were mixed. Fresh and frozen foods are generally unavailable, but the results for canned and package goods are often on the mark.

My search for Ziploc gallon storage bags returned a generic alternative as the default option, but when I tapped the "See More Choices" button, Grocery Pal provided an exact match. I was presented with a number of choices for those Cheetos on my list, including Jumbo Puffs and Flamin? Hot Mix. Like most online grocery purchases, you'll need plenty of storage space. The Ziploc storage bags came in a 40-count box with three boxes per order. The Cheetos came in various sizes, ranging from a 30-count package of 100-calorie snack packs to a pantry stuffing collection of eight 9.75 ounce bags.

Log in to Amazon or Walmart to make your purchases without leaving the Grocery Pal app. Speed up the process with one-tap sign-in or one-tap checkout, but for security considerations, you cannot set up either unless your device has the passcode lock feature enabled.

Conclusions

Several of the larger chains are implementing online grocery shopping either for pickup or delivery. Google has also recently announced they are working on a same day delivery service that will include at least one major supermarket chain. This is a growing and welcome trend, but for economy of scale, services such as this are usually confined to large metropolitan areas, at least at first. Consequently, it may be several years before these options reach your town. In the meantime, Grocery Pal is a useful, access-friendly shopping assistant. Considering that it's free, it's definitely worth adding to your Apple App Store or Google Play Store shopping list.

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