Dear Access World Editor,

I read your article "The Braille Must Go Through: A Review of Two Lower-Cost Braille Printers," and I would like to see more reviews of embossers. I think it would be great to see a review of the Romeo Attaché Pro and the Index Basic D. Thanks and keep up the great work.

Cullen Gallagher

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

Thanks so much for Janet Ingber's article "Working with Text and VoiceOver on a Mac" in the July issue. I am considering going to the Mac, and this will help if I decide to do so. You are no doubt familiar with the great National Braille Press (NBP) book regarding the iPhone. Is there such a book for the Mac? I know NBP doesn't have one, though I have suggested it. The Apple material on VoiceOver is, in my opinion, for people with some sight, as the explanations of operations seem geared to looking at the screen. Thanks for any ideas you may have about a better solution for the totally blind.

Beth

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

Congratulations on a very well-written and informative article on some of the newer magnification features in Android 4.2.2

As a low vision smartphone user myself, I actually have a couple of other points you might be interested in as to why I think Android is actually a better large print platform than iOS currently.

The iPhone 5 has a four inch screen, and prior to that iPhones had a 3.5 inch screen while Android screen sizes range up to 6 inch. I read an article yesterday about a phone in the works with a 6.8 inch screen! For me, I actually find the magnification a bit clunky to use (more so on iOS where you need to swipe with three fingers rather than two to move except to flick it on and off as you note to be very handy), I think, because I'm used to moving the mouse on a computer to click on things and the magnification follows whereas on my phone, I need to put my fingers on the screen right where I'm trying to read. Because of the smaller screen, I need to physically move a lot more to read a page of text. Unfortunately, the larger font options aren't universal even within the built-in apps (which on Android are minimal at best anyway), so a larger screen will at least make everything just a little bit bigger.

The greater flexibility of Android means that options like Big Launcher can enlarge things like the desktop and phone dialer that iOS just can't do.

In any case it's great to see something written about using the phone with magnification and large print as most of the other articles I've come across concentrate solely on VoiceOver or Talkback.

Regards,

Quentin Christensen

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

In the April 2013 issue of AccessWorld, you reviewed the New Generation Victor Reader Stream. I am both pleased and somewhat disappointed with the Next Generation Stream.

I did not find the muffling in the speaker as annoying as I thought I would. The speaker on my model, at least, sounds fine when the volume is turned down slightly and only distorts at the highest volume. I own several battery-powered speakers that sound similar when volume is cranked up high.

The Ryan and Heather voices do sound better when not sped up, and they pause in strange places, which is perhaps at the end of lines. However, you can always prepare MP3 files of a text or Daisy-based book using a favorite voice. Kurzweil 1000, Open Book, Balabolka, and TextAloud are among the many accessible possibilities. For reading technical books (since the Stream ignores most punctuation), I still keep my old BookCourier around.

The smaller size is welcome in my overstuffed purse, but the silicon case is nothing more than a fashion accessory. My previous Stream failed because the keypad wore out or perhaps got dirty, and this new case, although it gives the Stream a non-slip grip, does nothing to protect the buttons on the front of the Stream. It has no carry strap, so I immediately knitted up a secure little carrying pouch with sturdy neck and belt straps and a secure flap in case it gets turned up-side-down.

My wireless access point uses a hexadecimal key. I tried entering it numerous times, first with the multi-tap texting method and later using the ability to create a network profile within the HumanWare companion. I tried both upper and lowercase. I tried separating the hex codes with colons and without. The Stream failed to connect, implying I'd entered the code incorrectly. As for using the companion software, I got a network configuration error. Because it was such a vague error, I couldn't figure out if the firmware couldn't cope with hexadecimal or if I was simply entering it wrong.

What worked was updating the firmware using the USB cable. When I updated at first using the companion, it switched me from the Heather voice to the Louise French voice, but the configuration I'd created previously on the SD card, which had previously given an error, now worked just fine. So, I was now connected to Wi-Fi but I had lost my English voice. Pressing and holding "Menu Key 7" after I'd exited the online bookshelf did let me toggle away from Louise and back to Heather.

I ended up having to finally update the firmware the manual way, downloading it from HumanWare's site and, then, moving it to the SD card. I had to use the Graham and Rachel British voices because the firmware version for Heather and Ryan was a lower number. (By the way, the USB cable which now comes with the Stream is non-standard. You no longer can substitute any old cable with a similar mini-connector because this one has extra pins, probably for charging.)

The metaphor of the online bookshelf seems clumsy now with its only ability being to update the device and install user authorization keys, but I'm sure HumanWare marketing intends it to do much more. No doubt HumanWare engineering is frantically trying to implement those features. I don't mind waiting patiently for the Wi-Fi feature to be expanded, but I do hope they won't be so busy adding features that they forget to fix the awkwardness I've documented above.

A final gripe about the New Generation Stream is worth noting for those who are less computer savvy. My old Stream came with an SD card and a CD chock-full of music, sample Daisy books, and tutorials. Later, when I assisted a new user, I found that her Stream came with updated tutorial material, including a raft of podcasts from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). I also later noted that for the older Stream a wealth of updated audio tutorials were available to download and transfer to the device.

By contrast, the SD card that came with my New Generation Stream was absolutely empty except for containing the requisite $VR folders for storing future content. Had I been a novice and unsure of how to transfer or navigate content, I would have had no tutorials or sample files to work with.

Also, if a user followed the directions in the "Frequently Asked Questions" page (FAQ) on the HumanWare site for obtaining a user authorization key from Learning Ally, they would have been confused. Learning Ally has completely changed its site, so a user authorization key is obtained from following a wizard on the "My Bookshelf" portion of the site and not "My Account" as the FAQ incorrectly documents.

I don't regret at all the money spent on my new Stream. It does a superb job playing books from Bookshare, the National Library Service (NLS), Learning Ally, and Daisy. It plays music and podcasts with the expected facility, including correctly reading file names and ID3 tags. The companion software also does a fine job of extracting ASCII from text-based PDF files, so I can peruse product documentation away from my PC.

Though I enjoyed the adventure of exercising my troubleshooting skills, I do hope HumanWare will fix some of its early glitches in the future.

Deborah Armstrong

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

Thank you so much for providing all the useful information to the vision impaired communities across the world. I truly enjoy reading AccessWorld, so please keep up the great job.

I have a question regarding a new device designed for the blind, the OrCam, a glasses-like sensor which sees what is in front of it, understands information, and reads it out through a bone-conduction earpiece.

I wish that AccessWorld could provide a review of this product, which I think will beyond doubt be a very valuable device for the blind.

Thank you,

Tess Tey

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I am enjoying the IOS AccessNote application. Is it possible for Voiceover on an IOS device to read the letters as you type them? I am using a Freedom Scientific Focus 14 wireless keyboard and braille display. I use both uncontracted and contracted typing, although I prefer contracted typing.

A second question is: Is the only way to enter numbers into AccessNote is by using the number sign? I believe using lower cell numbers, such as dot 2 for the number one, does not work.

Regards

Louis Maher

Response from AccessWorld author Darren Burton

Hello Louis,

Thank you for using AccessNote and for contacting us.

For hearing characters spoken as you type, you have to first make sure in your iPhone's Settings that it is set to do that. You need to go to Settings/General/Accessibility/VoiceOver/Typing Feedback to set that. There are settings in there for both software and hardware keyboards, so you will want to make sure to set hardware keyboard feedback to characters. You can then hear the letters as you type if you use uncontracted braille. You can also type numbers as lower cell numbers without the number sign; this is also only in uncontracted braille. You can hear what letters you are typing if you use contracted braille but you have to type extremely slowly. This is caused by the way iOS handles contractions. If you type normally, you won't hear what you are typing because it takes a second for iOS to decide what you typed, and by the time it finally appears, VoiceOver is already somewhere else as far as I can tell. The numbers do need a number sign when using contracted braille. If you use lower numbers it types symbols like Commas and the like. This even held true if I added a number sign first.

We're pushing Apple to open up the sandbox a bit for us developers, so we can do more with uncontracted braille, but for now, this is how it works.

Thanks again for using AccessNote.

Darren

Employment and Career Exploration Advice and More: AFB CareerConnect Launches the CareerConnect Blog

The American Foundation for the Blind's (AFB) CareerConnect Program launched its new CareerConnect Blog on July 1^st. AFB CareerConnect is a member of the AFB family of websites. The program provides career exploration, employment information, e-mentoring, and tips and advice on navigating the employment process as a person who is blind or visually impaired. The new blog will provide updates, tips, and advice in an informal and current format. Bloggers for the new CareerConnect Blog will include CareerConnect Program Manager, Joe Strechay, and Employment Specialist, Detra Bannister. There will also be many other contributors to the blog in the coming months.

The new CareerConnect Blog has recently included posts about the launch of the new "Lesson Plans for Teachers and Professionals" section. Mr. Strechay has provided some of his stories from the road, and he has created posts including useful tips and advice for job seekers. Ms. Bannister has posted about the launch of the newly reorganized "Our Stories" section, which is packed with success stories about people who are blind or visually impaired. Check out these posts and many others.

Visit the CareerConnect Blog now!

CEA Foundation Supports Lighthouse International

The CEA Foundation, a charitable organization affiliated with the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), announced its support of Lighthouse International with a grant to support its patient resource and communications center. This center assists thousands of people with visual impairments each year in New York and online across the country to maximize their use of technology.

"Having had an opportunity to visit Lighthouse International's building and meet with their staff, I am excited to announce the CEA Foundation's support of their center," said John Shalam, chairman of the CEA Foundation. "Regardless of age, this center helps those with visual impairments utilize the latest technology to assist with daily activities."

This grant will help equip the center with devices and staff necessary to assist the visually impaired. Lighthouse instructors, knowledgeable about the functional aspects of low vision, will assist low vision patients, particularly regarding daily activities and the nature and variety of optical devices available. Visitors will receive demonstrations, advice, and guidance on the latest technology, including e-readers, mobile phones, tablets, and mobile apps that are changing the lives of people with impaired vision.

"Technological advances afford people who are visually impaired greater access to information and resources, allowing them to be fully independent in their lives," said Mark G. Ackermann, president and CEO of Lighthouse International. "The CEA Foundation, a national leader in utilizing technology to help people with disabilities, is an ideal partner for Lighthouse International as we work to ensure a level playing field for people of all ages living with vision loss. The Lighthouse is grateful to the CEA Foundation for its generous philanthropic support and we look forward to working together to further our mutual missions of serving those most in need."

"We are excited to assist Lighthouse International in being able to identify technologies that can assist people with vision loss," said Steve Ewell, executive director of the CEA Foundation.

About the CEA Foundation

The CEA Foundation is a public, national foundation affiliated with the Consumer Electronics Association. It was established with the mission to link seniors and people with disabilities with technologies to enhance their lives. The Foundation is focused on strategic support of programs to impact these communities and has launched its first series of grants in 2012. It also serves to facilitate dialog among industry, consumers, government, advocacy groups, and other key stakeholders around important issues.

About Lighthouse International

Founded in 1905, Lighthouse International (800-829-0500) is a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting vision loss through prevention, treatment, and empowerment. It achieves this through clinical and rehabilitation services, education, research, and advocacy.

BrightFocus Foundation Announces $7.2 Million in New Grants for Alzheimer's and Vision Disease Research

BrightFocus Foundation, a nonprofit organization that funds innovative, early-stage research on Alzheimer's disease and the vision diseases of glaucoma and macular degeneration, recently announced grant awards totaling more than $7.2 million to 53 scientists in 16 states and four foreign countries.

The funded research projects reflect the full range of new tools and innovations in imaging technology, gene therapy, and cell regeneration that scientists are using to better understand how diseases of mind and sight develop. Study results could lead to new therapies to prevent or treat these diseases.

"Investment in research has advanced our understanding of Alzheimer's and vision diseases," said BrightFocus President and CEO, Stacy Pagos Haller. "Now, thanks to new developments in genetics, neurology, and imaging, the potential for scientists to make groundbreaking research discoveries is taking off. BrightFocus Foundation is more committed than ever to making this cutting-edge research possible, particularly at a time when government research funding levels are stagnant."

BrightFocus has provided $130 million to date in research funding, awarding more than $26 million for research on diseases of mind and sight in the last four years alone. This year's grantees include researchers from across the US as well as Australia, Great Britain, Ireland, and Israel.

Alzheimer's Disease Research

Alzheimer's is a devastating degenerative disease that irreversibly destroys memory and other brain function over time. BrightFocus-funded scientists are studying various ways in which the "memory pathways" in the brain (the systems by which brain cells communicate) can go awry in this disease.

Some researchers are investigating whether certain chemicals control the "switches" to these pathways. Others are using highly refined brain imaging or magnetic brain stimulation techniques to learn more about pathways, and some are using cell-based therapies to try to restore the brain circuits made during memory formation. Still others are studying how problems with brain blood flow contribute to Alzheimer's disease.

Glaucoma Research

For all three diseases, scientists want to know how inflammation and the body's immune response system may be involved, making the body turn against healthy cells in the brain or eyes. Several glaucoma researchers are examining the mind-eye connection and why changes in the brain may contribute to the development of glaucoma long before vision loss occurs. Early detection is particularly important for glaucoma. In the US an estimated half of the three million people with glaucoma may not know they have the disease.

Macular Degeneration Research

New cell-based and gene-based therapies may help stop the nerve damage and the loss of the eye's retinal cells involved in macular degeneration. The latest cell regeneration techniques may allow scientists to restore damaged eye cells or generate new healthy ones. Researchers are also investigating the mysterious presence of micro RNAs, a large group of small molecules that may affect the functioning of the retina in macular degeneration as well as brain functions in Alzheimer's disease.

About BrightFocus Foundation

BrightFocus Foundation, formerly the American Health Assistance Foundation, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing brain and eye health, by funding research worldwide on Alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. BrightFocus also provides the public with information about these diseases, including risk factors, current treatments, and coping strategies. Read more about the new grant projects. For more information, contact Alice Kirkman, BrightFocus marketing and communications manager.

American Council of the Blind Elects New President

In a historic unanimous vote, American Council of the Blind (ACB) elected Kim Charlson as its first-ever woman president. She has been a key player in efforts to make ATMs talk, has consulted with federal officials on quiet cars and accessible currency, and helped pioneer audio description for movies and television. Her election in Columbus, Ohio at ACB's annual conference makes Charlson the first woman president of a major national blindness consumer advocacy organization in the United States.

Dedicated to breaking down barriers and setting sights on new horizons, Charlson has been the director of the Perkins Library based in Watertown, Massachusetts since 2001. In that role, she led one of the first libraries to bring talking books into the digital age along with many other innovative programs. She joined Perkins as Service Management Librarian and Assistant Director in 1985.

Charlson has served as First Vice-President of the American Council of the Blind since 2007. She is an internationally renowned expert on library services for people with disabilities, information access, and literacy through braille. She has served on a number of committees for the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of Congress (NLS), represents ACB on the Braille Authority of North America, and serves as one of two ACB representatives to the World Blind Union North American/Caribbean Regional board.

In her home state, Charlson chairs the Massachusetts Department of Education's Braille Literacy Advisory Council, represents the concerns of voters who are blind, and has served on the Governor's Advisory Council on Disability Policy, the Braille Revival League, and as president of the Bay State Council of the Blind, Guide Dog Users Inc. Among numerous honors and awards, she was inducted into the Massachusetts Library Association Hall of Fame in 2004, and the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation named her a "Hero among Us" in 2013.

Charlson's writing credits include a number of articles and contributions to books and treatises on braille, library services, and rights and accessibility for people with visual impairments. In addition, Charlson's book, "Drawing with Your Perkins Brailler," provides directions in print and braille on how to make create pictures in braille. Recently, she was a prime mover in ushering in the new united English braille code and, with the NLS, organized the first ever international Braille Summit on the Perkins campus.

Please participate in the Survey of User Needs!

The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC) is conducting a survey on how people with all types of disabilities do or do not use wireless technologies. Their Survey of User Needs (SUN) is about wireless products like cell phones and tablets. The purpose of the survey is to learn about how people with disabilities use this technology. It's also to learn about why some people with disabilities don't use these products. This information helps designers and engineers learn about the needs of people of all ages and with all types of abilities in order to make wireless products easier to use. Since 2001 more than 5,000 people with disabilities have taken this survey.

The survey is available in English or Spanish at the following links:

SUN English

SUN Spanish

If you have questions or wish to complete the survey on paper, please contact John Morris at john_morris@shepherd.org or 404-367-1348.

Eyes on Success Radio Program Receives Award

The Eyes on Success radio program/podcast recently received the 2012 International Association of Audio Information Services (IAAIS) Program of the Year Award in the Consumer Information Category. The IAAIS represents over 140 services throughout the United States and in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Africa, distributing material to affiliated radio reading services.

In particular, the episode of Eyes on Success (then known as ViewPoints) that won the award was Show #1242: 10-17-12 Downloading and Reading Books on a Smartphone. As smartphones become more powerful and common, people have developed great apps for them. Hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey discuss and demonstrate how you can directly download books to, and read books on, a smartphone. Apps include Read2Go from Bookshare, Overdrive from public libraries, and an app from Learning Ally.

About Eyes on Success

This half-hour weekly radio program and podcast discusses products, services, and daily living tips for people with vision loss. It is available through radio reading services across the US and Canada, via three internet streaming services (ACB Radio, The Global Voice, and iBlink Radio), and to everybody else as a podcast. To date, the show has been downloaded in all 50 states in the US, eight Canadian provinces, and over 90 other countries on all the inhabited continents. Eyes on Success is hosted and produced by Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey and distributed by WXXI Reachout Radio in Rochester, NY.

Eyes on Success has been airing weekly since January 2011. Prior to January 2013, the name of the show was ViewPoints. Other than the name, nothing has changed.

You can subscribe to the podcast or download individual shows via links on the Eyes on Success website. There, you will also find a brief description of each show, plus links to show notes with contact information for the products and services discussed in each episode.

To contact the hosts with questions, comments, or suggestions for future shows, send an e-mail. If you'd like to connect with other listeners of Eyes on Success, you can join a listener e-mail forum on GoogleGroups. You can also follow Eyes on Success on Twitter, or "Like" the show on Facebook.

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."

My Blind Spot, Inc. to Enable Access to Intuit QuickBooks:

Blind and Print Disabled Individuals to Gain Access to Leading Small Business Accounting Software

My Blind Spot, a not-for-profit dedicated to advancing personal independence and societal inclusion for the blind and visually impaired, is working with Intuit to ensure that QuickBooks for Windows*, the leading small business accounting software, is usable by those with conditions that impede them from reading text on-screen. Albert J. Rizzi, founder of My Blind Spot, stated that "improving the accessibility of QuickBooks will lead to job opportunities, job retention, and greater financial independence for this historically underserved population."

The blind and visually impaired number an estimated 300 million worldwide. In the United States, there are approximately 25 million severely visually impaired individuals, of whom 18.7 million are of working age—between 18 and 64. Among this group, it is estimated that more than two-thirds are unemployed; 8.5 million are counted as "poor" or "near poor;" and 10.4 million have family income of less than $35,000. This is due in large part to inaccessible work environments and inadequate resources. A key way to foster financial well-being and overcome barriers to employment is to promote and advance screen reader technology, through which users can listen to text.

Mr. Rizzi noted, "Expanding employment and improving accessibility are two major goals of My Blind Spot. To work toward these goals with a product that over 4 million people already rely on is very exciting. My Blind Spot's team of educators and accessibility experts are thrilled to bring QuickBooks to the blind and visually impaired."

To learn more about this initiative or My Blind Spot, contact Albert Rizzi.

My Blind Spot is a 501 (c) (3) corporation based in New York City.

*Intuit, Inc.'s QuickBooks for Windows includes QuickBooks Pro, QuickBooks Premier, and QuickBooks Enterprise.

National Braille Press (NBP) in Boston has long been associated with unique and compelling approaches to promoting braille. Their publications target the needs of real people, from teaching users of iOS devices to use their products more efficiently, to teaching children who are blind that preparing food in the kitchen is loads of fun. One more step that NBP has taken with the generous assistance of the Gibney Family Foundation has been to award the annual Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation to a group or individual who has done something innovative to promote the use of braille and/or tactile graphics. The $20,000 prize was given to one individual this year, but entries were so stellar that NBP also named two competitors as Honorable Mentions. Awards were presented at the National Braille Press annual meeting on June 18, 2013.

Teaching Adults to Read

The 2012 Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation was awarded to Emily Wharton, a teacher for BLIND Inc., a National Federation of the Blind training center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Wharton has developed a system for teaching braille called Code Master Adult Braille Instruction System that separates the learning into two components: audio memorization of the contractions and short-form words combined with tactile recognition of the dot patterns.

Wharton knows first hand the value of learning braille as an adult since she wore those shoes just 17 years ago herself.

She has always had low vision, and managed to get her education (including a Masters of Fine Arts in Writing from Hamline) by using extremely large print. At age 20, she was giving a poetry reading in a Minnesota coffee house and had an epiphany that she says was long overdue.

"I had memorized some of what I was going to read but not entirely," she recalls. "I was reading from 16-point font, but it was dark in the coffee house, and suddenly, I just couldn't read anything. It was embarrassing, and I said to myself, 'This is ridiculous. I need to learn braille.'"

And learn braille she did.

When she began teaching at BLIND, Inc., she was first a cane travel instructor. She enjoyed the work but quips, "It's cold in Minnesota!" Therefore, when other opportunities arose at the center that allowed for teaching indoors, she stepped up to the plate.

A few years ago, one of those opportunities was to teach braille.

Wharton recognized that teaching braille to adults is a harder sell than teaching it to children. Adults, after all, already know how to read. They already have vocabulary and understand context. They deserve to maintain their dignity while learning, which, she reasoned, would also help maintain motivation.

To this awareness she added the knowledge that every individual comes to the classroom with a unique learning style. Some learners benefit most from audio input, others from visual-turned-tactile sources, and still others from a kinesthetic approach, combining all the senses as input channels of information.

Code Master

The system Emily Wharton devised incorporates tactile and audio learning and moves from the easiest braille concepts to more difficult ones. Each student is given a textbook and audio CD for independent study that supplements learning in the classroom. They learn the dot configuration of the braille cell, followed by the first ten letters of the alphabet. Because they are adults, the concept of adding dot 3 to those ten letters for the next ten is an easy enough concept. By the end of two weeks, students have usually mastered the alphabet and basic punctuation.

Short-form words are presented next, Wharton says, because they are easy to memorize. Writing practice is usually done on BrailleNote notetakers because the audio provides instant feedback to let the student know that he or she has entered the correct combination of symbols to create words.

The goal of the program is to complete the braille course in six weeks. Wharton says that she has taught people in their thirties, forties, and fifties using Code Master, and while the six-week goal isn't a standard, it has proven to be entirely possible when motivation is high.

The Honorable Mentions

The first 2012 Touch of Genius Honorable Mention was awarded to Michael Rosen, Michael Coleman, and Joshua Coffee of E.A.S.Y. LLC for their "inTACT System for Interactive Tactile Graphics." inTACT is a three-component system for interactive production, editing, digitizing, and reproduction of freehand raised-line graphics. The system combines a tablet, eraser, and printer, enabling a person who is blind or sighted to draw, erase, and produce a final hard copy of a raised drawing.

The second Honorable Mention was awarded to Cagatay Concu, Kim Marriott, and John Horst for their submission of "GraVITAS: Graphics Viewer Using Vibration, Interactive Touch, Audio, and Speech." GraVITAS is a multi-modal presentation device that uses touchscreen and haptic feedback to provide people who are blind with a means of viewing tactile graphics. A data glove equipped with vibrating motors provides haptic feedback when the finger is over a graphic element on the tablet computer. The device also provides audio feedback to assist the user with navigation.

Next Steps for the Prize Winner

Emily Wharton is thrilled that her system has gained considerable attention since winning the Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation. Other training centers and teachers around the country are interested in using it, and Wharton and BLIND Inc. are working on plans for best strategies to train others to use Code Master.

So, what did the 2012 Touch of Genius award winner do with that prize money?

The first thing she did, of course, was to purchase her own refreshable braille display, a 32-cell Brailliant BI from HumanWare, which will make reading braille from a computer, iPad, or iPhone a piece of cake.

And what about her poetry readings?

She still writes and reads poetry. These days, she stands before her audience with a three-ring binder containing hard copy braille versions of her work. She says that other poets have even pointed out her advantage, recognizing that she can read her poems fluently without ever looking down at the page.

She is currently working on a chapbook of poems, Zoomorphic, to be published soon. Is one of the poems about being named a Touch of Genius winner? We'll all have to wait and see!

Congratulations to all of the 2012 winners and to National Braille Press and the Gibney Family Foundation for promoting braille and tactile graphics in such a wonderful way.

For more information about National Braille Press and the Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation, visit the NBP website.

Comment on this article.

Some organizations have such reputations for longstanding excellence that we just assume that anything they set forth to accomplish will inevitably bear that stamp of excellence too. The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) and the Perkins School for the Blind are certainly two such organizations, and when the announcement of the first ever Braille Summit circulated, expectations were naturally high. As a seasoned attendee at, arguably, too many conferences, I was delighted by the invitation to participate in the Braille Summit and knew that the conference would be worthwhile. After attending, my assessment is that this one succeeded well above expectations and, more importantly, concluded on a note of significant hope for the future of braille and those who write and read it.

The Purpose

Most AccessWorld readers are at least somewhat familiar with the endangered status of braille in our community. Too many blind children are not taught to use braille, and only a small number of adults losing sight are exposed to braille as a literacy medium. Production costs are high, and personal braille devices are expensive.

Yet, everyone, blind or sighted, with an intimate knowledge of the tactile reading system developed by Frenchman Louis Braille recognizes it as the key to literacy for those unable to use print effectively. Its users have a proven track record of more education, more secure employment, and more confidence in all matters involving literacy.

Karen Keninger, NLS director since early last year and a fervent supporter and user of braille, wanted some direction beyond her own beliefs for the future of braille and the direction NLS should pursue. She threw the proverbial ball to key staff Judy Dixon and Steve Prine, who subsequently recruited Kim Charlson, director of the Perkins Talking Book and Braille Library, and the planning for the Braille Summit began. Mary Nelle McLennan of the American Printing House for the Blind was then recruited for the key role of planning strategies for facilitating the conference.

As Judy Dixon, NLS consumer relations officer, explained it, the coordinators knew they were assembling some of the best minds in the world of braille in one place, and they wanted more than a gathering in which every member present was a lover of braille. They wanted results, a list of recommendations that might serve as a guide for later strategizing.

While location of a conference might not be its most pivotal element, it certainly plays a role in successful planning, and in this case, the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts was exactly right. The 40-acre campus offered ample and comfortable spaces for sessions and meals, and walking the park-like grounds between sessions was a definite bonus.

The conference had a more global presence as well. All panel presentations were streamed live via the Perkins YouTube channel, and updates were issued via Twitter.

How It Worked

Over three days (June 19–21), panel presentations representing the views of various stakeholders within the braille community were heard. We heard from braille readers, librarians, technology specialists, braille producers, and educators. We heard about policies affecting the teaching of braille in schools and from a 16-year-old who uses braille in everything she does. We heard about technology past and present, and about the costs of braille production. All of these are exactly what you would expect to hear when gathering a hundred individuals who all believe in the importance of braille. What made the conference a real success was its interactive nature. You might say it "worked" because it was work!

Following each panel presentation, attendees were divided into four focus groups, which were assigned randomly beforehand by numbers on our name tags. For each follow-up breakout session, targeted questions were designed by facilitator Mary Nelle McLennan and the conference coordinators. With those questions and skilled leaders in every breakout room, participants drew up lists, lists, and more lists of ideas addressing those questions.

Issues addressed, of course, were such matters as the past, present, and future of braille readership, production, technology, what the National Library Service is doing well or not so well, and what it needs to do in the future.

The items above are a dramatic simplification of the actual questions, of course, but the resulting discussions were framed in such a way that truly wonderful and amazing ideas were often floating through the air, and there was never (at least in any of the sessions I attended) an instance of a lull where no one had a single thing to say.

Although every list containing each idea, magnificent or miniscule, traveled home to Washington DC with the NLS staff, there was also a component in the planning for compiling a more manageable "blueprint" for braille's future.

At the end of each session, each group voted for its top three priorities, and after all of the sessions at the summit were complete, more voting occurred. In other words, a shorter list of concerns, dreams, and priorities was the ultimate synthesis of three days' work.

Topics of Conversation

Without giving the full final list of priorities here, it may interest AccessWorld readers to know what sorts of ideas were on the minds of the Braille Summit participants. What the National Library Service or anyone else does with these ideas, of course, remains to be seen.

It should go without saying (but I'll say it anyway) that no one at the conference believed braille should go away. All considered it to be the premiere tactile reading system for those unable to use print effectively and believed braille to be an essential tool of education and employment for people who are blind.

The way in which braille is delivered to braille readers, however, was another matter. Every breakout session I attended included the notion of a refreshable braille display, one that could deliver both Grade 1 and Grade 2 braille and that included a dictionary. Obviously, if NLS were ever to distribute such a braille display to all braille reading patrons as it has done historically with machines capable of playing recorded books, a less expensive means of developing and producing such a display will need to be found.

Another topic that surfaced in a variety of ways in every discussion was the notion that braille is often not taught or used simply because it does not have a popular public image. When comparing it with American Sign Language, for example, which has been transformed from an odd set of mannerisms observed among people who are deaf to a trendy means of visual communication and understood to some degree by most in the general public, braille is still relegated to the realm of the odd or exceedingly difficult by those unfamiliar with it. Thus, we concluded that there needs to be a "Braille is Cool" campaign to give a facelift to the image of braille.

Many felt strongly that more materials of high interest to adults but with simpler vocabulary and shorter length need to be produced in braille and distributed by NLS, and that more affordable production methods need to be developed.

Kudos are in order to NLS and Perkins for coordinating a conference that had a definite focus and that netted results. That the work was accomplished in a comfortable and welcoming environment made the work for braille lovers an even more pleasant one.

In time, all of us will know what the brainstorming that occurred at the first ever Braille Summit will manifest, but there is reason for optimism.

If you would like to see and hear the panel presentations for yourself, they have been archived at the Perkins website in the News and Events archive. For tweets regarding the conference, search #nlsbraille or @BrailleSummit.

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For several decades people who are visually impaired have used text-to-speech (TTS) software to access electronic text documents. Synthesized speech has evolved and improved markedlyover the years, and its use has spread to the point that, these days, you'll hear it chattering away everywhere from flight announcements at the airport to a host of apps designed to give sighted tablet and smartphone users the ability to multitask or take a break from eye strain.

In this article we'll take an in-depth look at a self-voicing app foriOS devices the called Voice Dream Reader. This mainstream app has been aptly described as a Swiss Army knife for opening and reading aloud a wide variety of file formats, ranging from PDF files to PowerPoint presentations. It also does an excellent job organizing and voicing Microsoft WordDOC and DOCX files, web articles, and various e-book formats, including works from Project Gutenberg and Bookshare.

Overview

Voice Dream Reader costs $9.99 in the US App Store and comes standard with the Acapela Heather voice. It is compatible with the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and requires iOS 5 or later. During the brief setup process, you're taken to the Voice Store where you can sample and purchase other Acapela and NeoSpeech voices for $1.99 and $2.99,respectively. There are 78 voices in 20 languages to choose from.

You can also try out the app before you buy it with the Voice Dream Reader Lite app. This free version is nearly complete with all of the features, but it will only read the first 300 characters of any book or document.

The app interface is extremely speech friendly. All of the buttons are labeled, and there are several features and controls specifically for VoiceOver users. Four features (full-screen reading mode, text highlighting, dictionary lookups, and the ability to create and embed notes) do not currently work with VoiceOver, but the developeris actively working on changing that.

Quick Start

The home screen contains the Documents list and comes preloaded with three files: Welcome, Help, and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Each title is followed by an approximate total listening time, which is updated whenever you change the voice or voice speed.

When you double tap any title, the reading pane will appear. Near the middle of this screen you'll find a text box containing the first few lines of text of the selected title. At thetop and bottom of the box are a number of button controls. The "Play" button is located at the center of the screen about three-quarters of the way down. Double tapping this button will begin to voice the document. To pause the document, tap the button again. You can use VoiceOver to find this or any other control without interrupting the reading, but once your document starts voicing, you can also use the familiar two-finger double tap to stop and restart listening.

Double tapping the "Home" button at the top left of the screen saves your place, closes the active document, and returns you to themain screen. The next time you open the document, reading will pick up right where you left off.

More Documents, Please

Voice Dream Reader can access a wide range of document types, including:

• Plain text (TXT)
• Rich Text Format (RTF)
• Microsoft Word (DOC and DOCX)
• Microsoft PowerPoint (PPT and PPTX)
• Portable Document Format (PDF)
• Apple Pages (PAGE)
• Apple Keynote (KEY)
• Web (HTM and HTML)
• eBook (ePUB)

Adding Files

To add files to Voice Dream Reader, use the "Add" button on the home screen. There you are presented with several options:

Cut and Paste

The "Clipboard" option in the Add menu turns the contents of your clipboard into a readable document. It will show up in your Documents list as "Untitled," but if you open the file and double tap the "Edit" button, you can name the file and even add text to it. The "Edit" button in the Add menu is a great way to build your own document via multiple cutand pastes and a bit of touch typing.

Share or "Open With"

Many iOS apps that create text offer the option to share a document with another app. Double tap the "Tools" button in Pages, and you'll be given the chance to send the current document to a number of other apps, including Voice Dream Reader. You can also use the double-tap-and-hold gesture onan attachment you receive in an e-mail and send the document directly to the app for voicing and file management.

Web Browser

Voice Dream Reader includes an embeddedbrowser that you can use to open webpages. The "Smart Save" option transforms the page into a Voice Dream Reader accessible document. The app tries to remove as many ads as possible. In my testing it did a fairly good job, but it takes several steps to save a page whereas Safari Reader will do the same (or better) with a single double-tap.

More Ways to Add Files

You can add files directly to Voice Dream Reader via the iTunes app folder. You can also import directly from DropBox, GoogleDrive, Pocket, Instapaper, and Evernote.

E-books

Use the home screen Settings menu to log into your Bookshare account and download books directly into Voice Dream reader. You'll get the same search, browse, and book summary information that's available in Bookshare's Read2Go app. The same is true for the Project Gutenberg option except that Gutenberg does not require a log-in name and password. Unfortunately, due to Digital Rights Management (DRM) protection, you cannot use Voice Dream Reader to open books from the iBook, Kindle, or Nook bookstores.

Reading Options

The reading pane offers a number of VoiceOver-friendly navigation controls. You can see how much reading time has elapsed and how much remains. You can also monitor percent completed and quickly navigate through the book with one-finger swipes upward on the percent slider or by entering a number in the adjacent edit box. Additionally, if your document has page markers, you can use the "Page" control to navigate directly to any page.

The "Fast Forward" and "Rewind" buttons are user-definable. Double tap the "Navigation Unit" control at the extreme lower right of the screen, and you can set these buttons to advance by sentence, paragraph, page, chapter, bookmark, highlighted text, or 15-, 30-, or 60-second intervals. You can also double-tap-and-hold either the "Fast Forward" or "Rewind" button to call up the same options.

Unfortunately, the two-finger swipe left and right gestures,which usually move you quickly through the text, are hijacked by VoiceOver, so you'll have to find and use the buttons. If you're using headphones, you can use the Settings control found on the home screen to set the double and triple press of the "Play/Stop" button to move back and forth by the designated unit. As is the case when you are playing music, you can use these controls even when the device is locked, which allowed me to easily listen to a large PDF file while walking my dogs. Setting the navigation to advance by paragraph also enabled me to quickly skip the annoying header information repeated at the top of each page. (Note: These remote controls are not enabled in the Voice Dream Reader Lite version.)

Along with creating a VoiceOver-friendly gesture to move forward and backward, my wish list for this app also includes the ability to set the "Fast Forward" and "Rewind" navigation units separately. When I want to skip ahead, it's usually by paragraph or page, when I want to rewind it's usually to replay the last sentence or two.

The "Previous" and "Next" buttons near the top of the reading pane move you from one file to the next. By default Voice Dream Reader moves one by one up and down the titles in your main list. However, you can add titles to the playlist folders and arrange them in any order you like.

Bookmarks and Searching

The "Add Bookmark" button does just that. Press the button labeled "Bookmarks" to call up a list of your place settings. The app presents each with a bit of identifying textand the percent marker along with a "Play" button to start reading at that point. If your document is structured with chapters, you can also navigate quickly ahead and back. Additionally, the Bookmarks pane also includes an option to navigate by highlighted text, but as mentioned, it is currently not possible to create highlights using VoiceOver.The "Search" button also presents results with text, a percent marker, and a "Play" button. The "Play/Pause" button also doubles as a sleep timer. Double tap and hold to call up the various settings.

Editing and Sharing

The "Editor" option allows you to add and remove text from documents small enough to fit in your device's memory. After you save your changes, they will appear in your document from then on. You can also translate a document via Google Translate, which is free on the Google website, but to do this from within the app, you need to purchase credits because Google charges developers for this service.

The "Action" button allows you to share the title of the e-book or other documents you are reading via Twitter or text message. The "Export" option lets you e-mail the text (subject to length restrictions) or send the text to an iDevice-ready printer, your clipboard, other apps on your device,or to an external source, such as your DropBox account.

With these features I was easily able to import a PDF file, make changes and additions, save my revisions, print the document, and e-mail it as a TXT attachment. This could be an excellent solution for students who want to take and turn in a test during class with a Word document or PDF file using their iPad or iPhone (with or without a Bluetooth keyboard).

Voice Settings

In Voice Settings you'll find the Voice Store where you can purchase additional TTS engines in English and other dialects and languages. I purchased a German voice, and when I opened a German language document, Voice Dream Reader began speaking with the correct voice. A mixed language document did not fare so well. When the text changed from English to German, I had to use the Voice Settings to switch voices manually.

You can change the language at any time along with the speed, pitch, and volume. Each document is automatically associated with the voice you use, so I was able to use an amped-up Acapela Heather voice to breeze through a light mystery novel and a slowed-down Acapela Will for some Excel documentation. I could flip back and forth between the two without having to fiddle with voice controls.

Each language also includes its own pronunciation dictionary into which you can enter exceptions and phonetic pronunciations. Technologically sophisticated users will be pleased to note that the app supports regex search strings.

Text Settings

Voice Dream Reader also offers several features of interest to partially sighted and reading disabled users. It works with Zoom, but after you learn the layout, you may wish to turn off magnification while using the app because the Text Settings menu offers eight font choices, including Open Dyslexic, in sizes from 10 to 40 points. You can select custom foreground, background, and highlighting colors. There are also options to have the current line and/or word highlighted in the color of your choice.

A single tap toggles the text window from partial to full screen mode with all controls hidden for undistracted reading. The tap-and-hold gesture calls up a context menu that allows you to highlight and copy a block of text, look up a word in the dictionary, create a bookmark or a note, or add a new pronunciation on the fly.

Zoom users who don't wish to have the app speak the text can still benefit from Voice Dream Reader. Do a two finger pinch inward from any direction, and the text window will shrink all the way down to a single line. Use the Voice Settings menu to slow the voice and set the volume to zero, and voilà, you get a document that displays one line at a time in your choice of font and font size and that scrolls automatically at an adjustable speed.

The Bottom Line

At half the price of Read2Go,Voice Dream Reader is an absolute must buy for new users of Bookshare who want to download and read books on their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Even seasoned Bookshare users will enjoy the larger set of features. For me, the ability to set different voices and reading speeds to start automatically with different books was a delightful surprise. I also enjoyed the ability to read Word, PDF, and PowerPoint files on the go, and to keep them stored in various folders.

Zoom users and the reading disabled will also find a lot to like about this app. I envy their ability to highlight text, use the dictionary, and create embedded notes. However, considering all the work the developer has done thus far to make the app accessible, my guess is it's just a short matter of time before these features make it into the Voice Dream Reader.

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Do you work from a home office or run a small business that requires you to send out a lot of mailers and packages? Or maybe you enjoy sending out a lot of gifts, or still prefer to pay your bills the old fashioned way by dropping a check in the mail. If so, you're going to need a lot of postage, which means a lot of trips to the US Post Office or your local mailbox store to buy stamps, weigh packages, and pick up mailing supplies.

Happily, the Internet offers a number of ways to accomplish these chores from the comfort of your own home office. All you need is a Mac or PC computer and a connected laser or inkjet printer with at least 300 DPI resolution. In this article we'll take a look at three remote postage services, each with only minor accessibility issues: the United States Postal Service (USPS) website, Stamps.com, and a slate of services from Dymo Endicia, available for both Mac and PC.

The US Postal Service

The US Postal Service website allows you to purchase stamps for home delivery, print package labels, arrange for package pickup, and order free mailing supplies.

First, you'll need to create an account. The site goes out of its way to be accessible. The forms are properly tagged, and every graphic is described in detail. Nevertheless, it took me nearly a half hour to set up an account because the form contained a great deal of dynamic content that kept refreshing the screen and changing my cursor position. I was using Window-Eyes 8.2 with Internet Explorer version 10. The page behaved slightly better when I tried the latest Firefox, and better still using Safari on a Mac running VoiceOver. One particularly tricky spot was entering two security questions and their answers. The form only offers fields to select and answer one question. You have to press the "Confirm Answer" button, which was difficult to locate, and then move your cursor back up to move to the second question/answer.

Once I was logged into the site, navigation became significantly easier.

Buying Stamps and Ordering Free Supplies

Whichever stamps you need, you can find them on the USPS site. You can purchase a single Express Mail stamp all the way up to a roll of 10,000 Forever stamps that would probably more than live up to their name. You can also pick up pre-stamped cards and envelopes. Shipping is $1.25 for orders $50 and under and $1.75 for orders over $50.

The site also allows you to order free envelopes, padded envelopes, and boxes for Express and Priority Flat Rate letters and packages.

Printing Labels with Postage

You can enter an address and have the site create a shipping label with the postage included. Enter the recipient's address manually or select it from an address book, which you create by adding entries as you go. Other options include adding a reference number and requesting alerts for both yourself and for the recipient.

Unlike the other services we will describe, USPS.com does not interface with a digital scale and add the weight automatically. Instead, you must enter it manually or select a Flat Rate option.

Fields, buttons, and combo boxes are tagged well and easy to complete. You can print a generic sample label before you check-out, which does not include your "To" and "From" addresses, and print your completed label, but Acrobat Reader is required both on PCs and Macs. The PDF view of the labels is not accessible to screenreaders, so you will need sighted help or an OCR program to check your post-paid label.

Scheduling a Pickup

These days the US Postal Service will come to your home and pick up your Priority, Flat Rate, and Express packages. You can arrange for a pickup date and location on the website or via the USPS Mobile app for iOS and Android. (You can also order free supplies using the app, but on my iOS version, at least, I was unable to find a way to order stamps or to create and print a label.)

Conclusions

For those who only occasionally send out mail and packages, USPS.com can definitely eliminate a lot of travel time and waiting in lines. Consider ordering their Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes Variety Pack, so you'll have a variety of sizes on hand. For home office workers and business owners with more extensive shipping needs, read on.

Stamps.com Desktop Application

Stamps.com is by far the largest provider of online postage services. If you're a podcast listener, you've probably heard several ads for this company with promotions that increase the amount of free postage and supplies you receive when you sign up for a 30-day trial membership. You also receive a free digital scale, which you can keep even if you cancel your account. The service costs $15.95 per month plus the cost of postage, which you can pay for directly via the Stamps.com software.

The Stamps.com desktop application, must be downloaded from the site after creating an account. The application runs on Windows only (Mac users can use certain services through Stamps.com Online, or try Endicia, reviewed below). The download and installation went smoothly with one exception. During setup the app offers you the opportunity to import your address book from a number of different e-mail and contacts applications. Unfortunately, the list of choices appears in a scroll window with no cursor controls, so I was unable to get to the Outlook 2010 option, which was not on the first page. I did discover a sort of workaround, however, which I will describe later.

The Stamps.com software uses a standard Windows interface, so you can use the "Alt" key to call up the Menu bar and the arrow keys to navigate the menus. The work area is not totally accessible right out of the box, however. I had to rely on my Window-Eyes mouse cursor to review the screen and orient myself, but I was pleased to discover that many of the features can be enabled by hot keys, such as Alt + Z to call up the "Zip Code" field and Alt + C for the "Mail Class" selector.

Printing NetStamps

The easiest task to perform with the Stamps.com software is to print a sheet of NetStamps. To get started, open the View menu and select the "Stamps" option under the "Postage Wizard" heading. You'll need the serial number of the NetStamps Label sheet that was included in your Welcome Kit. (Without sighted help you can get this number by scanning the label sheet with your OCR application.) Make sure you know which way your printer feeds, so you print on the correct side. If you have doubts, consider punching a small hole in the top right corner of a sheet of paper, printing a sample page, and, then, orienting yourself by comparing the hole to the direction your printer usually discharges printed pages.

Each NetStamp Label sheet contains 25 labels, and you can choose to print the entire sheet or as few as a single stamp. That's why you need to enter your sheet's serial number, so the app can keep track of where to pick up printing the next time you want to print postage.

I started by printing an entire sheet of First Class stamps. After entering the sheet's serial number, I pressed the Alt + C "Mail Class" hot key and selected "First Class." Then I pressed Alt + M for "Mail Piece" and selected the "Letters" option. The default weight listed was one ounce, but I could have changed this manually or installed the free digital scale via the Tools menu to add the weight automatically.

Next, I pressed Alt + Q and entered the quantity of stamps I wished to print. I entered "25," which is the number of stamp labels on a single sheet. You can choose to enter a cost code to help organize your expenses. Then, at the bottom of the screen, you'll find three print options: "Print Postage," "Print Sample," and "Reprint."

The first few times you print NetStamps it's a good idea to use a sheet of plain paper to print a sample with voided postage and either verify the job with sighted help or use your OCR software to ensure it printed correctly. If your printer jams or you have some other problem, you are allowed one free reprint.

You can also easily print one stamp at a time using a label printer and NetStamps labels. You can purchase an appropriate label printer from Stamps.com, but for this review I only tested with my HP LaserJet 1200.

Printing Envelopes and Package Labels

You can print envelopes and package labels with the postage already affixed. Start out by opening the View menu and selecting "Envelope," "Package," or "International." Your return address will populate the "Return" field, and you can either enter the destination address manually and save it to your address book or select an address that you have already saved or imported. As mentioned previously, the import options are mostly inaccessible, but the Import Wizard does include the option to import a comma or tab delimited text file, and most address books offer the option to export your data in one of these formats.

Unfortunately, I found that the application's Contacts list was impossible to scroll using hot keys. I was able to use the search box to narrow my results, place the address I wanted near the top of the list, and use my mouse click hot key. Additionally, on the data screen after I pressed Alt + D to activate the "Destination" address field, I discovered that, if I typed in part of the name (either first or last) and pressed the "Down Arrow" key, the correct address would pop up along with the contact's e-mail address, so I could choose to send an optional shipping notification. I could also attach a small graphic, such as a company logo, alongside the return address and change the font, its size, and the color of both the return and destination addresses.

Another easy way to print postage is via plugins for both Microsoft Word and Outlook. Highlight an address in an open Word file or select one or more contacts in Outlook's Contacts list, then access the Add-Ins menu where you'll find the option "Print Postage with Stamps.com." This add-in will take you directly to the Stamps.com software with your return address and the recipient's address pre-entered.

From here you have many of the same options as before. You can choose a mail class (First Class, Priority, etc.) and the mail piece (Large Envelope, Flat Rate Box, Large Package, and so on). You can have the weight up to five pounds entered automatically via your digital scale and add a signature request, an instructions page for Customs information, and optional insurance. There are 25 label choices, including plain paper, generic labels, and labels from Avery and from Stamps.com.

There is a preview option, but this creates a graphic image of your label, which is completely inaccessible. However, a "Print Sample" option is also available, and you can use your OCR if you need to confirm that the label will print correctly.

Additional Features

You can request package pickups directly from the app and order free USPS Flat Rate containers and other supplies from the Stamps.com online store.

One last feature that will be of particular interest to individuals who engage in e-commerce is the ability to import shipping information directly from Access, Excel, or delimited text files. The application will also interface directly with a number of popular e-commerce platforms, including eBay, PayPal, Etsy, Amazon, Yahoo, Bing Commerce, Google Checkout, Buy.com, and others. Since I do not sell online, I was not able to put this feature through a real stress test, but there are accessible wizards to walk you through the setup process.

Conclusions

I had to do a lot of mousing around to become comfortable with the Stamps.com software. At first you may need sighted help to confirm your print samples, especially if you do not have a scanner and OCR software. Also, if you print on plain paper, you will need help folding or cutting away the blank part of the page so you can tape the label to your package. However, as to the software interface itself, I didn't find any accessibility deal breakers.

Dymo Endicia

Dymo Endicia, a division of Newell Rubbermaid, offers a number of postage printing options, including plans with no monthly subscription fees. As is the case with Stamps.com, you'll need to install software to use any of Endicia's services, but unlike Stamps.com the software is available for both PC and Mac. Unfortunately, you cannot use both platforms on a single account. The PC and Mac software each require that they be associated with separate accounts, so the only way to switch between PC and Mac is to set up two different accounts. This might make sense if you're using Endicia's free services described later in this review, but you will still have to purchase postage for each account separately. The paid accounts offer 30 days free with sign up, but there is no welcome kit with sample labels. Also, if you want to weigh your packages, you'll have to purchase a scale.

Endicia for Mac

Endicia for Mac costs $15.95 per month plus postage, and it offers most of the same features as Stamps.com. Like most software for the Mac, installation was a breeze. All I had to do was download the disk image, open it, and copy the .APP file into my app folder.

Select the toolbar's "New Label" option to create and print postcards, envelopes, and shipping labels. There are also buttons to purchase additional postage for your account and print stamps by the sheet or individually, depending on your printer.

Integration with my Mac's address book was automatic, and the very first pop-up button offered me the choice to use my Mac address card, my Endicia account address, or a different address as my default return address.

When I clicked the "Addresses" toolbar icon, an element simply labeled "Drawer" appeared in my label-creating window. The element was not clickable, however, and it took me a while to discover that, if I interacted with the element using VoiceOver's Shift + Ctrl + Option + Down Arrow hot key, I was shown two tables, the first being a subset of all of the contacts for which I had addresses and the second containing every contact in my Mountain Lion Contacts list. Interacting with this table and double tapping a contact name added the information in the "To" field perfectly.

Endicia for Mac includes most of the same mailing and stamp printing options as Stamps.com. You can select your envelope or package type, choose the postage class, purchase insurance, validate addresses, add a reference number, and request delivery or signature confirmation. You can also print postage-paid customer return labels with the "To" and "From" addresses reversed.

The "Web Stores" option on the app's toolbar allows you to import sales and shipping information directly from your e-commerce platform. Oddly, to date eBay is the only supported platform, but the fact that they use the plural "Web Stores" suggests they will be adding more in the future.

None of the Endicia plans include a free scale. You can purchase one from Endicia or install one of several third-party scales. Unfortunately (but for obvious reasons), the Stamps.com scale is not installable. However, if you're like me and do most of your shipping using USPS Flat Rate shipping boxes and padded envelopes, the only reason you might need a scale would be to tell if that envelope you just stuffed is less or more than one ounce, and this is hardly worth the $50 or so a scale would cost.

All of the Endicia plans allow you to print a preview of your work, but unlike with Stamps.com, you do not get a do-over if your printer jams or you encounter another problem while printing. Refunds are available under certain circumstances, but you will have to complete a form and submit your request via mail. Endicia does not accept electronic refund filings.

You can print stamps one by one but only if you have a DYMO LabelWriter and a roll of stamp labels. To use a laser or inkjet printer, you'll need to purchase stamp label sheets from the Endicia store. Unfortunately, Endicia does not keep track of your label use, so it can't resume printing right where you left off. The only way to limit the number of stamps you print is to tick off the ones you don't want to print by clicking your mouse on an image of the stamp label sheet, which is completely inaccessible. If you plan to use any of the Endicia programs to print stamps, you'll either need a label printer or simply plan to only print stamps entire sheets at a time.

Conclusions

If you are a home worker or small business owner who relies on a Mac, Endicia for Mac may be just what you are looking for. The only accessibility issue I discovered was the inability to print single stamps on a label sheet, so if you are considering signing up, you should definitely also consider purchasing a label printer and perhaps a scale.

Endicia for Windows

Endicia offers several service plans for Windows users, including Endicia Standard ($9.95 per month), Endicia Premium ($15.95 per month), Endicia Professional (34.95 per month), and Endicia Platinum Shipper (99.95 per month). For this review I tested the Endicia Standard plan since it is the lowest cost option and also because it is designed to appeal to home users.

When you start the Endicia Standard software, you are placed in "Quick Print" mode with your cursor on the "To" address field. You can type in an address or paste in an address from your clipboard, but when I went looking for an address book option, I was stymied at first. I was unable to find a menu option or hot key. A screen read revealed an "Address Book" icon near the top, but when I used my mouse cursor to try to locate it, everything went silent. A "Find" command landed me on the icon, however, and when I performed a mouse click, the application called up my Outlook address book. However, I had to give permission every time I wanted to retrieve a new address. My screen reader's speech often stuttered at this point, and several times I was forced to reboot. I fared no better using System Access to Go, and even Microsoft Narrator acted unpredictably.

You can print DYMO Printable Postage (either full sheets or individual stamps) with a Dymo LabelWriter, but when I tried using the "Menu" command to switch between these modes, the option refused to toggle. After an hour speaking with tech support, including a LogMeIn session during which the tech took control of my PC, we discovered that the option worked fine with no screen reader, but with my screen reader running the toggle, it consistently failed to work. When I suggested this was something he might want to report as a bug, he responded, "I don't think this is something they would want to spend any time on."

Conclusions

Endicia Standard offers some interesting features. For example, you can create mailing templates with the destination address and package type saved for later use, and you can add graphics and digital rubber stamps, such as "Fragile" and "Do Not Open Till Christmas." You can also link your eBay account to download and process your sales. If you are a high volume eBay seller and cannot afford an extra $6 per month for a Stamps.com account, you can probably slog your way through the accessibility issues. Otherwise, I don't recommend the use of Endicia Standard.

DYMO Stamps for Mac and PC

One last home postage option we'll discuss here is Endicia's DYMO Stamps for Mac and PC. These options are both free, and the software is accessible except for the "Sheets/Rolls" toggle in the PC version.

Basically, DYMO Stamps lets you pick a mail class (First Class, Priority Mail, etc.) and print a single stamp using a DYMO LabelWriter or a laser or inkjet printer using their proprietary labels. The labels add approximately $0.20 to the cost of each stamp, however, so I would advise readers to consider this platform only if they already own a DYMO LabelWriter and enjoy the convenience of printing single stamps of various denominations.

The Bottom Line

If you are a small business owner or home office worker and you send out frequent mailings and packages, you may want to give serious consideration to opening an account with Stamps.com or Endicia for the Mac. Each offers a 30-day trial, though you will have to enter payment information to take advantage of either offer. Both services offer discounts for certain Express and Priority Mail services, so if your mail volume is high enough, both services could wind up paying for themselves.

For the rest of us, USPS.com will likely meet all of our postage needs. Consider placing an order for a collection of stamps of various denominations and adding a free Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes Variety Pack, so you don't have to worry about calculating size and weight.

Postage Services Information

United States Postal Service, 800-ASK-USPS (800-275-8777)
Stamps.com, 888-434-0055
DYMO Endicia, 800-576-3279

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When people with vision loss first learn to use the computer, they must learn to use both the keyboard and the screen reader or screen magnifier of their choice. There are several tutorials for learning keyboarding skills as well as for learning how to use a Windows screen reader. In this article I evaluate a program called TypeAbility, a typing tutorial that includes some training on using the Windows operating system with a screen reader or magnifier. TypeAbility interfaces with the Freedom Scientific products JAWS and MAGic for its output, but for this evaluation, I will be using TypeAbility with JAWS. I will first describe the program in detail before discussing why I believe that it is a phenomenal product.

Installation

The TypeAbility installer is a standard Windows installer with properly labeled buttons and options. The install process is described well on each screen, and installation is very fast. As the program uses JAWS for many of its components, the install package is rather small (around 10 megabytes). The installation asks you for your product code for activation, but you can leave this field blank to install the program as a demonstration version. The demonstration version of the program is fully featured, but it can only be launched 15 times before it must be purchased.

Documentation

The TypeAbility program is easy to use for a student user without documentation as everything that the student needs to know to open the lessons and complete them is described in the program itself. If you would like to learn more about the program before using it, the documentation is very thorough. The documentation can be downloaded as an accessible RTF file from the Yes Accessible website. The documentation is also packaged in the TypeAbility installer. The "Quick Reference" section at the very beginning of the document, gives you the option of starting to use the program without reading through the entire, very detailed document. Yes Accessible has done a fantastic job on the user manual, making it an exemplary form of accessible documentation.

Overview of TypeAbility and Initial Startup

TypeAbility consists of guided lessons, games, dictation tasks, and academic quizzes that are designed to teach the use of the keyboard, basic editing, and computer operation. The Eloquence Synthesizer packaged with JAWS is used for speech output, but the program causes the inflection to vary wildly. For example, many sentences, phrases, and words sound as if there is a question mark after them when the punctuation would usually be a comma or period. The program uses the function keys for controls to simplify the interface for those who are new to the computer. You must press the desired key twice quickly to activate its function in the program. This keeps new users from accidentally activating a function when they are learning the layout of the keyboard.

When you run TypeAbility for the first time, it will ask you or an assistant to type your first name and the first letter of your last name. Afterwards, the program will ask you to have an assistant press the F2 key twice quickly to begin the first lesson. It seems as if the program could simply ask the user to press the F2 key as it is taught in the first lesson, so its position is not difficult to describe to someone who is unfamiliar with the keyboard. Other than the omission of the position of the F2 key, the introduction is easy to understand, and a new user should have no issues with beginning the lessons.

Keyboarding Lessons

The majority of the TypeAbility program is composed of keyboarding lessons. There are 99 lessons in all. (The Yes Accessible site states that there are 98, but there are actually 99 in the program.) Lessons teach the user the keyboard as well as provide additional practice on what the user has been taught. Each lesson is divided into tasks that consist of a typing exercise that is repeated between two and four times. The program explains how to complete the task in detail. For example, if the task includes the F key, the program explains, "The F key is located in the home row, and it has a tiny bump on it." The program also explains which finger should be used to type the key. These instructions are somewhat helpful, but it would be useful to explain to users how to place their fingers on the home row as, currently, each key and the associated finger are described separately. A user may be able to discover how they are to rest their fingers on the keys based on the fingers they are using, but it would be clearer if hand positioning on the home row were described in more detail.

The program assists users if they press the incorrect key. The program will chastise the user, sounding angrier the more times you get the key wrong, and explain where the correct key is located. If the user is only one key away from the correct key, the program will explain where the correct key is located in relation to the incorrect key that was just pressed. When you press the correct key, the program will say something affirmative, such as "Uh-huh" or "Yeah," to alert you that you have pressed the correct key. After you type the correct keys for a task, the program prompts you to type it again until you have completed the task.

When you complete the task, a sound plays, and you are congratulated. After all of the tasks are completed, the program congratulates you on successfully completing the lesson and announces your statistics (typing accuracy, words per minute, and the time it took to complete the lesson). As a reward, the program will tell you a joke that you can listen to by pressing the F1 key twice quickly. (During a lesson, pressing this same key reminds you what you are to type.) After listening to the joke, you can have it repeated by pressing the F1 key twice quickly, or you can advance to the next lesson by pressing the F2 key twice quickly. Alternatively, you can select a lesson of your choice from a dialogue box by pressing F3 twice quickly.

Games

Games are intermixed with keyboarding lessons and test you on what you have learned in the lessons before the game. They require you to complete ten tasks for up to 100 points each. The program the task to you, but does not alert you to any mistakes until you have submitted the task. If you make a mistake, you have to attempt the entire task again from the beginning. Making a mistake will subtract twenty points from your total for that task. For example, if you did not correctly complete a task once but did so the next time, you would be awarded eighty points for that task. You can incorrectly finish a task five times before you will be automatically taken to the next question. Your goal for the games is to receive one thousand points. At the end of a game, your score will be read with the time it took you to finish the game. You will be given a joke as a reward as in other lessons.

Racing during a Task

During a task that consists of a series of letters, a word, or a very short phrase, you are able to "race" using that task. Pressing the F5 key twice quickly during a task will begin the race. During the race you are instructed to type the text of the task over and over as fast as possible whereupon TypeAbility will report your typing speed and accuracy. After your statistics are announced, you have the option of attempting the race again or ending the race and moving to the next task in the lesson.

Dictation Tasks

Pressing F4 twice quickly will allow you to choose a dictation task. These are broken into categories that contain several tasks that are to be completed sequentially. The computer will first read the passage to you in its entirety. If there are any special capitalization or punctuation marks in the passage, it will be read completely again; if not, the program will begin the dictation. The program dictates a few words at a time for you to type. During the dictation the program does not alert you to mistakes, but you are able to choose to have the words that you type spoken when you complete a word in "User Preferences." At the end of the dictation, your words-per-minute and spelling accuracy are announced. You are also given an example of a typing mistake that you made. The program then allows you to try the dictation again or to attempt the next dictation in the category. The dictation tasks are designed with the assumption that you have learned the entire keyboard, and they are meant as practice once you have finished the keyboarding lessons.

Academic Quizzes

Pressing F6 twice quickly launches the "Academic Quiz" dialogue box. Academic quizzes test your knowledge on various academic subjects, such as math and geography. The quizzes are mostly for younger users, but some are designed for those in high school. When selecting a quiz, you must first pick the subject on which you would like to be tested. Afterward, you must pick a quiz under that subject. Quizzes can be taken as a practice test where the program will give you multiple attempts at each question with hints to the correct answer. Otherwise, you are able to take the quiz as a true test in which the program does not tell you if you answered the question correctly but simply gives you an accuracy score after you have answered all of the ten questions. You can select which type of quiz you would like to take by selecting the appropriate radio button in the "Pick a Quiz" dialogue box.

For each type of quiz, the program reads the question, and you type the answer with correct spelling and capitalization. The quizzes assume that you have learned the entire keyboard and are another way of practicing your keyboarding skills after completing the keyboarding lessons.

User Preferences

TypeAbility allows you to set various options in its "User Preferences" dialogue box. You can access this dialogue box by pressing Ctrl + U. The "Preferences" dialogue behaves differently from standard "Options" dialogues in other Windows applications. All of the preferences are arranged in a single list box, without separations. For example, in standard Windows "Options" dialogue boxes, items such as speech rate and typing feedback have their respective settings in separate list boxes that you select, pressing "OK" when you are finished. In TypeAbility all of the options are listed together even though they do not change the same settings. You must select the setting for each option and press either the Enter key or the "OK" button before changing another. It's impossible to change multiple settings at the same time before exiting the dialogue box. This would not be an issue for someone who had not used a computer extensively, but for a more advanced user, this deviation from the standard could be confusing.

There are several options that can be changed within TypeAbility. You are able to select the type of joke that is told (children's or adult jokes), and you are also able to disable the jokes entirely. Changing the joke type from children's to adult did not seem to have any change on the content of the jokes and remained the style that would be told to children. TypeAbility contains a small number of verbosity settings. You are able to establish if the program will tell you the location of keyboard keys, and you are also able to decide if the program will place a word in context when it instructs you to type it during a lesson. For example, if you choose the option to put words in context, the program tells you which word you are to type and uses it in a sentence or phrase.

You are also able to determine the speed of the voice. These settings are labeled as "Very Slow," "Slow," "Normal," and "Fast." There are settings that govern the dictation tasks in particular. You are able to determine if you would like your typed words to be read once you press the space bar during dictation tasks, and you can decide if the echo of words will be high or low pitched.

The program also offers various settings relating to the keyboard. You can choose if you would like the program to chastise you for using the incorrect Shift, Alt, and Ctrl keys. If you have a braille power chord keyboard, you can use this instead of the computer keyboard. Aside from the strange option format, the dialogue is easy to use, and the options provided allow a great deal of customization.

Teacher's Mode

It is possible to create and run custom lessons from the Teacher's Mode. You can enter this mode by pressing F11 twice quickly. In Teacher's mode, the F3 and F4 keys take you to the "Teacher's Lessons" and "Teacher's Dictation Tasks" dialogues where you can either run previously created lessons and dictation tasks or create a new lesson or dictation task. The tasks and lessons appear in a list box. You can run the selected lesson or task by activating the "Run It" button or edit it by pressing the "Edit" button. You can create a new lesson or task by pressing the "Create New Lesson" button.

The lessons and tasks are structured similarly to the official TypeAbility lessons with the same structure and instruction style. The lesson creator simply allows you to add the text of each task as well as the introduction to the lesson. When you create a keyboarding lesson, you can decide how many times a student will need to type the text of a task as well as the key that ends each repetition of the task. The settings that you establish at the beginning of lesson creation will remain constant throughout the entire lesson. For example, you are not able to set the repetitions to four for one task and two for another. After you have established the rules for the lesson, you can then create the tasks. You can create as many or as few tasks as you would like. The "Dictation Tasks" dialogue is similar except that you do not establish the number of repetitions or the key that ends the task. Overall, the creation of a lesson or dictation task and the running of teacher-created tasks are simple and straightforward. Even with a rather simple interface, a teacher can create a wide variety of tasks.

Atmosphere

An aspect of TypeAbility that sets it apart from other typing tutorials is the program's distinctive character. The voice is very boisterous, and it sounds quite excitable, which would be quite engaging for children simply because of the silliness of its voice. Even when the computer chastises you for making a mistake, the chastisement is rather cartoonish, and corrections would not discourage students as it is quite amusing. The character of the tutorial provides entertainment for tasks that could be incredibly dull. The sounds of success after completing tasks and the awarding of points during games also lends to the enjoyment factor. The games involve similar tasks to the lessons, but their presentation makes them seem engaging and enjoyable.

TypeAbility is also extremely helpful for the user. Everything is very well explained in the program itself. Every action provides detailed instructions on what the user must do even in the more advanced areas, such as the "Create a Lesson" dialogue box. The positive atmosphere and excellent instructions are the key aspects that make TypeAbility a great product.

The Bottom Line

TypeAbility is a fantastic program. It is very thorough in teaching keyboarding and computer manipulation. It is also very enjoyable to use and would be engaging for most computer novices, no matter their age. The program is very stable without any major bugs while the documentation is thorough, and instructions in the program itself are extremely detailed and helpful. TypeAbility would be an excellent choice for anyone wishing to learn the computer with a screen reader and for any teachers who need to teach typing to their students.

Product Information

Product: TypeAbility
Price: $150
Available From: Yes Accessible
Phone: (626) 358-5750

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Over the past two years, I've been fortunate enough to write about the advent of cloud computing and how such technologies served as the launching pad for social networks to build virtual online vehicles for us to communicate and share information with each other. Almost 10 years ago, a small software development company called Serotek began to develop a screen reader and accompanying lifestyle tools for people who are visually impaired. Serotek has spent the last decade serving as a beacon for how to create effective software and deploy and support it by means of cloud-based know-how. Led by its founder and pioneer Mike Calvo, a totally blind user of access technology himself, Serotek's staff is predominately visually impaired, and its staff lives and breathes the technology it creates, sells, and supports.

For those unfamiliar with the Serotek product offering, the System Access screen reader is the driving force behind many of its access tools. This screen reader can be purchased and installed on a Windows PC and launched and used from a U3 smart drive. System Access can also be used via an Internet connection. By following the onscreen instructions (verbalized for users who are blind), it's pretty straightforward to get up and running with this web-based screen reader. Users may log into their accounts by means of a user ID and password and install the necessary products on their hard drive.

The System Access Mobile Network (SAMNet), a subscription-based product that costs between $16.95–$21.99 per month, provides Serotek customers with a variety of lifestyle tools and utilities designed to facilitate communication amongst other SAMNet users while also serving as a rich source of information for its subscribers. SAMNet truly is its own social network.

Socializer: The Latest Addition to SAMNet

Socializer allows users of SAMNet and other mainstream social networks to access these networks from within SAMNet. Once SAMNet has been installed on your PC, you simply select and open it from the desktop, then launch Socializer by navigating to it using the arrow keys or by pressing the 8 key.

Product Philosophy: A Single Point of Entry

The product philosophy behind Socializer is quite simple: provide one point of entry coupled with an intuitive, consistent user interface to access all of your social networks. No more launching various social networks with differing page layouts and command structures to accomplish different tasks within each network. By using the Socializer interface, you can:

• Connect to other SAMNet users for real-time virtual chats
• Add existing Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Google, Jabber, Windows Live, AOL Instant Messaging, and Yahoo accounts to Socializer
• Chat in real-time with all contacts from chosen networks from within one Contacts list
• Make audio calls to contacts when using Skype and Google
• Read and post to Facebook walls
• Create and respond to posts and tweets.
• Review web content associated with a post or tweet by opening the desired link.

This unified approach to accessing social networks saves time and offers increased ease of use. Socialize also shortens the learning curve for those who have difficulty switching among various user interfaces presented by very different social networks.

Setup and Usage

For this article, I limited the Socializer to Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and Google Social Networks. After launching Socializer, navigate to the "Manage Social Network Accounts" link, which displays your SAMNet account automatically.. By pressing the Tab key, you may change your social network status among "Online," "Away," "Free to Chat," and "Do not Disturb." You may also sign out of a particular social network. Select a social network from the combo box and you'll be prompted to enter your user name and password to login to the social network. Once you've logged on, the network shows up in the "Accounts" list. All contacts from that network will now be displayed in your Contacts list.

Facebook, Twitter, and Skype are extremely easy to set up. Google requires an additional step because Google's security settings reject the process of signing into its accounts via a third party application like Socializer. Prior to logging into Google, visit this link and follow the onscreen instructions to successfully sign in to a Google account. Once you complete this process, all subsequent sign-ins to Google should occur without a hitch. I was quite impressed with technical support's responsiveness when assisting with this minor inconvenience.

Once you've added all of your accounts, you can close the window and return to the Socializer main screen. All contacts from all of your networks should now be organized alphabetically in a vertical list. Each contact name is spoken along with its affiliated network and network status. New contacts can be added by selecting the "Add Contact" button.

Once you navigate to a specific contact, you can easily initiate a live text chat with them. In the case of Facebook, you can view and post to the contact's Wall.

Chatting with Socializer is truly an amazing experience. Regardless of which social network is in use, Socializer provides an effortless way to initiate chats, and provides a keystroke (Control+ Shift+ M) to open waiting chat messages. Socializer alerts you when new chat messages arrive. Simply type your chat, press "Enter," listen to messages being written, and use the arrow keys to review missed messages.

Other Features

Aside from its world-class chatting capability, Socializer's "Preference" option, found on the main screen, allows you to determine when a contact has signed on to or off of a particular network. By default, Socializer speaks when someone has signed into an account. This can be a bit verbose for the advanced user, but is easily disabled within "Preferences." You may also elect to sign in automatically to Socializer when you open SAMNet. By default, this option is enabled.

As mentioned, you may initiate and respond to online chats, post on users' Facebook Walls, post a new status update or tweet, and initiate audio calls. You may also open either Facebook to review news feeds and status updates or Twitter to browse tweets. Facebook updates and tweets are arranged vertically (much like the contacts list), and the "Tab" key lets you navigate to the desired functionality. Press "Enter" to execute a specific function. Links to both Facebook and Twitter are displayed prominently from the Socializer screen, clicking on the links will open a new window that displays the contents of the desired network.

Socializer's command structure takes advantage of standard Windows hotkeys as well as a few hotkeys specific to System Access and SAMNet. If you have another screen reader running on your system when you launch SAMNet, the screen reader is temporarily disabled while SAMNet and Socializer are running in the foreground. Simply Alt+ Tab to another Windows application, and the functionality of your preferred screen reader is instantaneously restored, allowing for seamless auditory multi-tasking between Socializer and other PC tasks.

Areas for Growth

It's important to note that this is the initial version of Socializer. The issues below have been reported to representatives at Serotek. They believe that the issues raised are all reasonable expectations that are worth considering and they are fairly confident that solutions can be implemented in subsequent updates. The following concerns primarily relate to the usage of Facebook and Twitter:

• Currently, you can't share another Facebook user's status update.
• If you include a link to a video, news story, or website within a status update or tweet, only the URL is displayed. Socializer does not extract and post the contents of the webpage.
• A status or new feed can be "Liked" or "Unliked," but comments posted about a particular status cannot be "Liked" or "Unliked."
• It's not always clear when status updates are responded to by other Facebook users.
• Facebook and Twitter apps that allow users to simultaneously post/tweet the same information to Facebook and Twitter accounts are not recognized when using Socializer. Users must manually share information to each network separately.
• Socializer assumes that users have established social network accounts. It would be great if you could easily set up an account through Socializer and customize your profile from within Socializer.
• Serotek understands the value of video calls for both Skype and Google, and it stands to reason that screen sharing functionality is also desired for a virtual collaborative experience between and among users who are sighted and visually impaired.

Overall Impressions

Socializer is a giant step forward for streamlined access to multiple social networks from one location in an extremely efficient, easy-to-use environment. Its strengths are multi-network contact management and text chatting in real-time with other logged-in users. It provides a comfortable means of reviewing Facebook and Twitter content on a Windows PC. You can customize it to provide as much or as little verbosity as you like. As with other Serotek products, updates are developed, deployed, and supported via cloud-based ingenuity transparent to its users. Technical support for Socializer is exceptional and is spearheaded by other users who are visually impaired and understand the value of concise, effective, and timely follow-up.

Serotek's willingness to listen and engage in dialog about current issues warranting attention gives me confidence that this product will continue to take significant strides forward in simultaneously accessing multiple social networks. While Serotek representatives would not give any specifics for when this application might be available on other platforms besides the Windows PC and a Safari web browser utilizing VoiceOver, they were adamant about being committed to offering Socializer on as many platforms as possible. Therefore, we definitely have no reason to doubt that, as the market demands, Serotek will respond. If you're a current SAMNet subscriber, why not try Socializer? If you're not currently using SAMNet, you may want to consider a monthly subscription to a product that gives a wealth of information to its users and now provides them with a means of interacting with other commercially available mainstream social networks. In either case, it's money and time well spent!

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