Dear AccessWorld Readers,

With AFB's focus on employment, two years ago, former editor Lee Huffman and I decided to add a new focused AccessWorld issue to our usual lineup. This would be come the August entrepreneurship and personal finance issue. Even with the focus on employment in general in the October issue, we felt that this avenue to employment deserved its own focus as the topics important to such a career path fell outside the usual discussions surrounding employment. For this month, we will specifically be focusing on personal finance. The articles in this issue deal with technological solutions to personal finance tasks that often required face to face interaction. With the pandemic still going strong, it felt very timely to bring you this content.

Regarding entrepreneurship, I wished to bring you a few resources that you may find helpful if you had a particular interest in this career path. In 1936, Congress passed the Randolph-Sheppard Act, which aimed to improve the employment options for people with vision loss. The act did this by making provisions for people with visual impairments to operate vending facilities on federal properties. In short, this means that people with visual impairments can operate facilities from vending machines to snack bars at federal locations. If you want to own your own business but don't know where to start, this may be a great option for many. You can learn more about the Randolph-Sheppard Act here. In addition, the National Federation of the Blind hosts the National Association of Blind Merchants, a group focused specifically on entrepreneurship and the Randolph-Sheppard Act. On their website you can learn more about the act and connect with others who have chosen a similar career path to your own.

I wanted to also take this space to announce a new feature, AccessWorld premium content. If you are signed up for AccessWorld alerts, you may have noticed a special article delivered to your inbox earlier this month. Starting in August, we have begun to send out special premium articles to our subscribers. These articles either are specific tips, tricks, or pieces of information that wouldn't fit in a traditional article, or an article topic that we wish to cover but that wouldn't work as a full article. These pieces will be sent no more than once a month, and after a period of time, these items will be compiled and published in AccessWorld proper for everyone to read. If this sounds interesting to you, you can sign up for the AccessWorld mailing list here.

As usual, we would love to hear your feedback on the new AccessWorld premium content as well as any other questions or comments you would have for us. You can always send me an email using the "Comment on this Article" link at the bottom of every article or send me an email directly.

Sincerely,

Aaron Preece

AccessWorld editor and Chief

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Judy Dixon

You can use a smartphone to take pictures of your paper checks and send those images to your bank for deposit into your account. It's all done within the bank's app that you install on your smartphone. The phone's camera is used directly from the app. You can also use a tablet to do this, but if you have a phone, its smaller size will generally make the task easier.

Since the bank requires fairly precise placement of the check, taking photos of a check within the bank's app does require some precision. With a bit of planning and some simple equipment, it's possible for a blind person to do this quickly, reliably, and independently.

Most banks allow mobile depositing of personal checks, business checks, cashier's checks, and government-issued checks. This includes tax refunds and stimulus checks. Usually, foreign checks, third-party checks, money orders, and traveler's checks are not allowed, but this varies slightly from bank to bank.

Depending on the bank, funds deposited via mobile check deposit may be available as soon as the next day. Some banks will make part of the check available right away, with the rest available the next business day. Most banks have a limit on the amount of funds you can deposit via their app in a day, in a week, and in a month.

Your bank probably has apps for both Android and iOS. For this article, I have used an iPhone 12 Pro and an iPhone SE 2020 running the banking apps for Wells Fargo, Suntrust, and a Federal credit union.

Although there are many different sizes of checks, for the purposes of this article we will discuss two sizes, the smaller personal check size which is 6 inches by 2.75 inches and the larger business check size which is 8.5 inches by 3.5 inches.

Preparing the Check

Before you start the depositing process with your phone, you first have some orientation to do. You need to know which side of the check is the front, and you need to know that the print on the front is oriented for reading.

Of course, there are many ways that you might know the orientation of the check. You could keep track of which way it comes out of the envelope; you could use the perforation line along one edge; and if you receive a check from the same person regularly, you could ask them to make a tactile mark on the check in a strategic location. I am sure there are other ways as well. If none of these work, determining the orientation of the check can be done fairly easily with a scanning app.

Most scanning apps are trying to be helpful and they read text whether it's right-side up or not. I found a few popular scanning apps on my iPhone that will give you orientation information. Prizmo Go, a very simple scanning app whose developer has taken accessibility very seriously, has an Orientation Detection button at the top of the main screen. When this is set to off, the app will only read text when it is right-side up. The stand-alone version of KNFB Reader announces "The page is upside down" while the version now included as part of the free NFB Newsline app just doesn't read anything when the document is upside down.

You also need to know the amount of the check. If the check was printed by a machine, this isn't too difficult to read with a scanning app. If the check was handwritten, this certainly presents more of a challenge. I have had good results with Seeing AI's handwriting feature.

All of the bank apps I have used have required that the back of the check be signed and not just stamped "for deposit only." So, once you have located the front of the check and you know it is right side up, turn the check over, flipping it on its long edge. Many checks, especially the smaller personal checks, have a printed line "Do not write, stamp, or sign below this line." This is usually about 1.5 inches from the left end of the back of the check.

Sign the check, parallel to its short side, as close to the left end as you can. I sign my checks on a slightly soft surface so I can feel the impression made by the pen. This enables me to easily keep track of which side of the check is which during the scanning process.

Most banks also want you to write "For deposit only at [name of bank]." I had a self-inking stamp made for this purpose so I stamp the check just below my signature.

Scanning the Check

I have used apps for depositing checks from three different banks and the process is almost exactly the same for each. There are six steps. For some banks, you may select the account first before you select mobile deposit. And some banks allow you to enter text in a memo field. Once you launch the bank's app, do the following:

1. Select mobile deposit.

2. Select the account you want the money to go into.

3. Enter the amount of the check.

4. Photograph the front.

5. Photograph the back.

6. Press the Deposit button.

That sounds reasonably straightforward and it is. The only steps that need a bit of extra attention are steps 4 and 5, the ones that require taking a photo of the check.

The Wells Fargo app offers three tips for photographing your check: - Place check on a dark-colored surface that is not reflective and is well lighted.

• Position camera directly over the check, not angled.

• Fit all four corners inside the guides.

All of these tips are important, but the third one is the most difficult for a blind person to do without assistance.

I have found that the dark surface needs to be very dark. In fact, a black surface works quite well. If you don't have a very dark surface such as a piece of black paper or cardboard, then try a dark tablecloth, placemat, or even a chair cushion.

Another important consideration is lighting. Be sure that your primary source of light is strong, and coming from a direction that is not going to cast any significant shadows, such as from above you. I scan my checks during the day on a table in front of a window. This way, I know that the surface of the check is getting a lot of good, strong light.

Most banking apps have evolved to include some sophisticated features. For our current purposes, a very helpful feature is autocapture. This is where the app keeps looking at the check and when all four corners are visible and the app thinks it is properly lighted, the app snaps the picture itself.

Now, let's photograph the check. This process can be done with or without the assistance of additional equipment. I will first describe the process of photographing the check with just a smartphone. Then I will describe the additional equipment that can help make the process a whole lot easier and more reliable.

Scanning the Check Using only the Smartphone

Select Scan Front of Check with the App. The app will almost certainly change to landscape orientation. Orient your phone so that its long axis is parallel with the long axis of the check.

Place the phone on the check with the phone's camera in the exact center. Then, using both hands, raise the phone very slowly, being careful to keep the phone level and raise it straight up. When the entire check is visible to the app, the app's autocapture feature will take the picture. In most cases, you will know that the picture has been snapped because you will hear VoiceOver say "Portrait" when your phone is returned to portrait orientation. I have been successful with this method but it usually takes quite a few tries.

If the app does timeout, there is usually a Retry Autocapture button and a Manual Capture button. Wells Fargo didn't seem to mind how many times I retried the autocapture. I found the Manual Capture considerably more difficult because I had to decide myself when to take the picture, and double tapping on the Take Picture button was not easy while holding the phone with two hands and trying not to move it very much.

Additional Equipment to Help with Scanning the Check

To increase the likelihood of success, there are several possibilities for tools that work well to make scanning the check more consistent.

To provide the necessary dark surface and to keep the check exactly where I want it, I purchased a black magnetic chalkboard. These come in a variety of sizes. The smaller versions are less than $10 from Amazon. The one I purchased, called "U Brands Square Magnetic Chalk Board, 14 x 14 Inches, Frameless, Black, Marker Included (468U00-04)," works great. I use a couple of magnets to provide a top and bottom border for the check just to keep it from moving around unexpectedly.

To hold the check at the correct height, I have used a scanning stand with a phone holder. The optimal height for a personal check is about 7.5 inches, and the optimal height for a business check is about 10 inches. Such stands help keep the phone at the proper height above the check but they don't help with the placement of the check relative to the phone.

Another really great option is a new device available from LV Tablet Stand. This company started by making a 3D-printed stand to assist low vision users by holding a tablet at a convenient viewing position. The tablet stand consists of two parts: a platform for holding the phone or tablet and a base. They offer two platform sizes, standard and large. Both sizes can accommodate any size phone but the larger platform is meant for larger tablets such as the iPad Pro 12.9.

The phone or tablet is held in the platform by a spring-loaded stop at one end with a sliding stop that is fixed into one of several slots to hold the device snugly in position. The platform can be locked in any position from fully vertical to fully horizontal.

There are two optional bases, the desk base and the portable base. The function of the base is to keep the tablet platform stable on a flat surface. The only difference between the two bases is that the portable base is a bit smaller so it can fit in a backpack for using the tablet stand on the go.

Now, they have a third option, the LV Tablet Stand with Check Scan Accessory. This is the large tablet platform with the additional parts needed for repeatable check alignment. � The Check Scan Accessory consists of two parts: a Check Holder and a Check Alignment Base. The holder and base shapes fit together for consistent and easily repeatable check placement.

The Check Holder is a 9.5-inch by 4.5-inch thin flat rectangular piece with 2.5-inch high uprights on both ends. With the rectangular part on the table, the focal distance from the camera is 10 inches, which is the auto-focus distance for large checks. The inner width matches the size of a large check and there is a top-edge bumper for consistent check placement. When the holder is flipped over onto its legs, the focal distance is 7.5 inches, which is the focal distance for small checks. There isn't a raised bumper on this side as placing the check nearly anywhere on the platform seems to work.

In the center of the stand base is a round, vertical post. This post has two protrusions extending from the top that fit together with protrusions on the underside of the tablet platform. This causes the platform to be precisely positioned horizontally and restricts it from rotating, essentially locking the platform in place 10 inches from the table's surface.

At the base of the central post, there are four flat feet that extend about 4 inches in each direction forming a "plus" shape. Two of the feet are narrower than the other two and form a 90-degree angle for the Check Holder to fit into. One of the feet has a series of 1, 2, and 3 raised dots along its length to align with a corresponding raised line on the Check Holder. The Check Holder can be moved along the length of this foot, as necessary, so the line on the Check Holder can be positioned next to one of the three different tactile marks.

To help with quick alignment, two corners of the rectangular portion of the check holder have a quarter circle cutout which fits against the post of the Check Alignment Base.

The first time you use the Check Alignment Accessory, you have to determine the optimal position for your phone and the check holder. These positions will vary somewhat depending on the size of the check. So, whenever you receive a check that is a different size from one of the sizes that you have previously used, you will almost certainly need to establish new optimal positions for your phone and the Check Holder. If you keep track of the phone and holder positions for each size check you receive, you will easily be able to repeat the process the next time you receive a check of that size.

After that, you simply run the bank's app, enter the necessary info, place your phone on the tablet platform, place your check in the Check Alignment Holder, and because there is consistent and repeatable placement, the app will take the photos in seconds.

Since it is a bit easier to use the app when the phone is in your hand and not in the phone holder, I find it works best to enter all the information on the mobile deposit screen before I place the phone in the phone holder. This way, I only have a few flicks to scan both sides of the check. Alternatively, you could use your phone with a Bluetooth keyboard or other input device to make this process easier.

The LV Tablet Stand with Check Scan Accessory costs $75.

Depositing the Check

After the requested information has been entered and both sides of the check have been photographed, activate the Deposit button. Most apps will respond in a few seconds to tell you that your deposit has been successful. Most banks also send you an e-mail giving details of your deposit. The banks recommend that after you deposit the check, you keep it for 10 days in case there are any questions. I have deposited more than 50 checks in the past couple of years and there has never been a problem with a mobile deposit.

This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.

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Deborah Kendrick

A friend of mine was recently waxing ecstatic about an old radio and his joy at having found a shop that could revitalize both its cabinetry and sound. It was an RCA Victor floor model, a radio this man recalls gathering around with his family as a child in the 1940s, and he was thrilled to have located an electronics and furniture guru who could restore the beauty of the wood and the circuitry inside as well.

Technology has grown phenomenally in the last century — particularly in the last generation— from the wonder of a radio that could broadcast over hundreds of miles to a telephone that enabled you to speak to your friend across the country and, finally, of course, to a variety of devices that fit in our pockets that can broadcast music and movies, hold whole libraries, and facilitate conversations with friends and colleagues around the world.

Access technology for blind and low vision consumers has had its own unique trajectory. Sometimes technology benefitting blind people has enjoyed a parallel journey, sometimes it has piggybacked onto a mainstream product, and, a few times, it has actually pioneered, leading the way for products that blossomed into tools for blind and sighted people alike.

Starting Somewhere

Of course, when talking about the history of technology for blind people, we could go back to the first typewriter or to braille itself, but this particular discussion begins around 1971.

That year, the invention by a father who wanted his blind daughter to be able to read print, came to market with the birth of a new company. That product was the Optacon (Optical to Tactile Converter), developed by Dr. John Linvill. The California company that was launched by Linvill and Dr. James Bliss was Telesensory. Over the next 25 years, some 14,000 Optacons were purchased by and for blind people and, although the product ceased manufacture in 1996, many of its dedicated and competent users consider it to this day to be the most valuable tool in their sophisticated technology toolbox.

One such devotee is Richard Oehm, a San Jose electrical engineer and entrepreneur, who says there is just simply no other way for him to see schematic drawings and diagrams and no more efficient way to read his daily mail. Oehm not only uses the Optacon, he is also one of only a very few individuals in the world who repairs them for others. "There are probably now only about seven or eight thousand Optacons in use around the world," Oehm estimates. And he has worked on well over 2,000 of them himself.

What is an Optacon anyway?

I'll leave the technical explanation of an Optacon for more sophisticated engineering minds, but here is a simple explanation of how it works and what it accomplishes. With the index finger of one hand placed in a groove that contains an array of potentially vibrating pins, you guide a small camera along or around a page with the other hand. The pins under your finger (for most people, this is the index finger of the left hand), vibrate. Pins vibrate to correspond with the image seen by the camera, as it's guided by your other hand. In other words, you are only restricted by your own level of expertise in examining the printed page and the quality of the print itself. A blind Optacon user can look at print of all styles and sizes, examine diagrams, illustrations, and more. Richard Oehm says, for instance, that he can probably check seven envelopes from his mailbox in a minute-and-a-half—a task that would take him much longer even with some of today's snappy text-to-speech apps that employ optical character recognition. Of course, learning to guide that camera and interpret that vibrating array requires a certain skill set, and plenty of blind people were trained accordingly in the 1970s, 80s, and even 90s. When the Optacon was being produced, training for it might be part of a traditional blind rehabilitation program, and consumers could reach at least a minimal level of proficiency before going back to home, school, or work to incorporate the device into daily life. Today, of course, if you acquire an Optacon and are a newcomer to the device, you would most likely be on your own for learning how to use it.

Repairing Optacons was never a career Richard Oehm thought to pursue. Rather, the work, as they say, chose him to do it.

In 1979, Telesensory hired Richard Oehm and brought him from Southern California to its Palo Alto facility in Northern California. He later built his own business building, selling, and repairing cable and industrial control equipment. He says he didn't have to look for work because the work just kept coming to him. And the same phenomenon occurred with his work in repairing technology for blind people.

Oehm's friend and mentor, Bill Gerry, called him to say that Telesensory was going bankrupt and someone needed to keep Optacons going. Gerry believed that someone was Richard Oehm, and he convinced Oehm to repair Gerry's own ailing Optacon. Word spread, first throughout northern California, and eventually nationwide, that if you had an Optacon and it needed repair, Richard Oehm could fix it for you.

Telesensory stopped producing and selling Optacons in 1996, and continued supporting them till about 2000. In 2005, the company abruptly closed its doors in a bankruptcy storm that kept access technology vendors, trainers, and consumers talking for quite some time all over the world. Fortunately, for those who had come to love and depend upon the company's products, there were those few gifted individuals who surfaced among us who could find replacement parts and keep units running.

The Optacon is by no means the only vintage access technology product that is still in use by dedicated blind customers, and it's also not the only product supported by Richard Oehm and a few others. His workshop (which is located in the two-car garage in his San Jose home, but also, he admits, spills into his dining room and even living room areas at times), includes a host of other products waiting attention. The other flagship product for Telesensory was the VersaBraille, a cassette tape-based braille machine with a 20-cell braille display. Designed initially for the National Library Service (which ultimately rejected its use), the VersaBraille was the first popular refreshable braille product used by blind Americans. Oehm has repaired VersaBrailles over the years as well, although currently his only hope regarding this particular product is to reconstruct one worthy of being added to a collection for historical value. Back burner projects for Oehm at present are to eventually assemble enough working parts from various machines to add up to one working VersaBraille and maybe one or two working TeleBrailles. The TeleBraille, as its names suggests, was a refreshable braille machine that enabled a braille-reading deaf person to make telephone calls. Using the TeleBraille, the caller contacted a relay service. A trained interpreter conveyed the typed conversation to the hearing person at the other end of the call, and conveyed that person's spoken responses to the user of the TeleBraille by typing words that appeared on the braille display.

What Oehm sees most in his business of repairing access technology products, however, are the popular Blazie products as well as early HumanWare and other braille displays.

In Part II of this series, we will look at the next wave of popular products, primarily from Blazie Engineering and HumanWare, that Richard Oehm and others are maintaining for blind customers around the world. We will also meet a few other talented individuals who are repairing these vintage products.

For now, Richard Oehm says he works from one crisis to another. His hope is to find eventually an interested younger person who can carry the work forward. If you want to talk to him about your own technological crisis for repair, you can email Oehm Electronics or call him at 408- 971-6250.

If you have a story of your own regarding vintage access technology that you would like to share, feel free to email me.

This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.

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Jamie Pauls

Among the many hats I wear as I go about my daily life is that of a professional musician. I currently don't work an 8 to 5 job where I am paid like clockwork on a regular basis. As much as I long for those days occasionally, it does not seem that that is my path in life right now. When I do get paid, I like to know that I will be able to have funds available to me in a timely manner. Likewise, I want to be able to pay others for their work efficiently. Cash works, but often an ATM is not handy, and larger amounts of money do not lend themselves well to that form of payment anyway. In this increasingly digital age, even writing checks is becoming increasingly rare. My wife, who is sighted, often is not able to lay her hand on the checkbook as easily as she once did. Many employers will directly deposit money into an employee's account, but what can make the process of transacting money as painless as possible when cash, checks, and direct deposit aren't convenient?

Over the last several years, various forms of online payment platforms have sprung up. We will take a look at several of these in a series of AccessWorld articles. This month, we will look at two related payment platforms: PayPal and Venmo.

A search for the differences between PayPal and Venmo brings up this article, which is quite informative.

PayPal

Since PayPal has been around since 1998, it's no surprise that the blind community has used the service for many years. Unfortunately, the PayPal Website has not always been as screen-reader friendly as it might be. To complicate matters further, the site changes its look frequently, so a process that you might be familiar with this month could be entirely different the next time you try to work through it.

I had a job several years ago that required that I invoice my employer monthly via PayPal. It seemed to me that I often spent more time trying to bill for my services than I did actually providing the services themselves—an over-exaggeration of course, but you get the point. Fortunately, the mobile apps provided by PayPal are much easier to use for many common tasks than the website itself. Once you set up a free PayPal account, it's actually possible to create a permanent link that you can send to people where they can more easily pay you for your work. If you are the one getting paid through the site, you can either transfer money to a linked bank account or use a PayPal business debit card—an option that I really like a lot. It's possible to spend money directly from your PayPal account and even have money applied from your linked bank account should your PayPal balance not cover the amount spent. Should you want to instantly transfer money from PayPal to your bank, the site will keep a little of the money for itself. If you are willing to wait three or four days for the process to be completed, you can keep all the money.

If you are providing a service or selling an item, PayPal also keeps a small amount of the money transacted, but gifts are transferred from one person to another in whole. PayPal also offers buyer protection in case you need a refund on something you purchased and the seller is not being cooperative.

It's possible to place a PayPal button on your website, which makes it easy for people to purchase a product through the site rather than needing to enter credit card information. Once they log into PayPal and confirm the transaction, they can return back to your site.

I have used PayPal on Windows, Mac, and my iPhone. I have not tried using the service on Android. I would hope that the Android experience is as good as that of iOS.

Venmo

As solid a platform as PayPal is, it doesn't seem to be as trendy as its younger sibling, Venmo. Owned by PayPal, Venmo is a site that is geared more toward social interaction than business. I first began using Venmo last Christmas. A good friend who helps me shop for my wife every year purchased an item for me and I needed to repay her for the gift. I never like to lock people into apps and services that I use unless it's absolutely necessary, so when she told me that Venmo was her preferred payment platform, I signed up. I found the process to be very straightforward and both the website and iOS app were a pleasure to use.

If you allow Venmo access to your contacts, you can easily see how many of your friends on social media use the service and connect with them easily. One interesting feature of Venmo is the ability to see what people are spending money on. You might see something like "Jim paid Sally for dog sitting." You can keep your transactions private if you wish. You can also choose to see transactions from only your friends or the entire Venmo community if you prefer.

Like PayPal, it's possible to link Venmo to your bank account. Also like PayPal, it's possible to obtain a Venmo debit card. If the amount you spend from your Venmo debit card exceeds your balance, the service "reloads" the card by taking the remainder of the amount from your bank account. Finally, you can immediately transfer money to your bank account for a fee, or you can allow the process to take several days without incurring a fee.

Benefits of Online Payment Platforms

Let me give you a practical example of why online payment platforms are of such value these days. My wife recently took care of two cats for someone in our community. One of them required twice daily seizure medication, so it was important for the owner to find a trustworthy caregiver for his animals. At the end of the cat-sitting week, my wife and I were getting ready for an anniversary weekend. Normally, we would have needed to touch base with the cat owner in order to get cash or a check for services rendered. I asked if the gentleman used any sort of payment platform, and it turned out that he used Venmo. Within minutes, money was deposited to our Venmo account. A few days later, she took care of the cats again, and we were paid for her services even before the pet parent got back home. No fuss, no hassle, and everyone was happy.

When you use either a PayPal or Venmo debit card, you see the transaction on your phone as a notification. It is also possible to receive emails of transactions, and of course you can browse the respective sites to view this information as well. This makes it especially easy to keep track of expenses.

On one occasion, my wife and I had breakfast at a local restaurant and I paid for the meal with my PayPal debit card. As we were driving to our next destination, I looked at my phone and realized that the restaurant had accidentally overcharged us a considerable amount for our meal. I wouldn't have noticed this until sometime later if I had used my bank debit card. We were able to immediately return to the eating establishment where the problem was quickly and professionally rectified.

The Bottom Line

If you find yourself needing to exchange money with friends, I definitely recommend setting up a free Venmo account. Venmo's iOS app also works well.

PayPal is here to stay, and the iPhone app is my preferred way to use the service.

Next time, we will take a look at Apple Pay. Happy spending until then.

This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.

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Janet Ingber

Hulu, launched in March 2008, is one of the older streaming services. When it started, the site was not accessible and I remember the frustration of trying to use it. Fortunately, accessibility has improved over the years Hulu began adding audio description in 2019.

Hulu has many TV shows and movies for people of all ages. It has some original content such as "The Handmaid's Tale," "Little Fires Everywhere," and "The United States vs. Billie Holiday."

The Hulu website is clearly labeled. You can watch Hulu via an app on your device or through the website.

Getting Help

Hulu's website does not provide information about how to get phone support. A Google search produced the phone number 888-265-6650. There is a Help heading on the home page. Choices there include: Account & Billing, Plans & Pricing, and Accessibility. The Accessibility link has information on audio description, screen readers, keyboard commands, and voice commands. According to the website, Hulu works with VoiceOver, JAWS, TalkBack, Audio Guide, and VoiceView. All major browsers are supported on the Hulu' website: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.

Supported Devices

Hulu supports many devices, including: iOS phones and tablets running iOS 12 or later, and Android phones and tablets, most running Android 5.0 and above, with a screen size of at least 800 x 480 pixels.

I will be describing how to use Hulu on an iOS device. If you have any other device, I highly recommend Judy Dixon's book "Audio Description: What It Is, Where to Find It, and How to Use It." The book is published by National Braille Press and provides information on several streaming services, including Hulu.

Getting Started

Before you get started, you likely will want to review the various plans available for the service. Hulu's home page contains a great deal of information. The two fastest ways to navigate the page are by form controls or using the Up and Down Arrow keys. There are links and headings, but not many.

There is information about free trials on the Hulu home page. Select the plan you want and follow the prompts to sign up. The sign-up form is labeled and asks for the standard information. If you explore the edit boxes without entering text, VoiceOver will say, "Invalid data." The message goes away once you type text into the edit box.

If you are asked to check an edit box to prove you are not a robot, you will then need to use an audio CAPTCHA. The CAPTCHA audio is relatively clear compared to some other websites.

Hulu with iOS Devices

Hulu's page elements are clearly labeled. As you navigate the pages, you will hear VoiceOver frequently use the word, "button." However, the "forms" option is not available in the VoiceOver rotor.

Profiles

User profiles allow Hulu the ability to recommend content to you based on your interests. The profile will appear on all devices for your account. I created my profile on an iPhone X.

On the iPhone, open the Hulu App. At the bottom right of the Home screen is a Profile tab. Select this tab. Flick down to "add a new profile" and select it. Be aware that while creating your profile, you may need to flick backwards to get to all the controls. The first edit box is for entering a name. Next is a switch to watch only kid-friendly programs. By default, it is not activated. Finally, there are picker items to select your birth date. Next, select the Done button in the lower right corner. This will bring you back to the main profile screen. The next control is an edit box for gender. At the very bottom of the screen is an option to use a picker to enter gender. Above the picker is a Done button; Select it. Lastly, select the Create Profile button at the bottom left of the screen.

Once the profile is created, a new screen loads with a "Choose Interests" button. Selecting it brings up a list of possible interests where you are asked to select three or more from. Each category has examples. VoiceOver does give instructions on how to add interests.

On the next screen, you are asked to choose five or more movies and shows. At the bottom of the screen is a Finish button.

The Hulu App

There are four tabs at the bottom of Hulu's home screen: Home, My Stuff, Search, and Profile.

Home Tab

At the top of this screen are several buttons including All, TV, Movies, and Hubs. The All button will bring up a list of movies and TV shows it is featuring or make suggestions based on your profile. There is also a Keep Watching and a For You heading within this screen. The Keep Watching section has content you have started watching and the For You section has recommendations.

The TV and Movie buttons bring up a list of categories from which to choose. Once a category is selected, a list of movies or TV shows will be displayed.

The final selection option is Hubs. There are several options including Kids, Entertainment News, and Audio Description. Directly under the heading is a button labeled, "View More Audio Description." Below that button is a list of programs. Select the "View More Audio Description" button to check out more described content.

While going through results in any category, you will frequently encounter a "View more options" button. Selecting it brings up a screen where you can like, dislike, add to My Stuff, or share.

My Stuff

This is where content you want to watch in the future can be kept. At the top of the screen are several sorting buttons. They are TV Shows, Movies, Expiring, and Network. In the More Options section for this tab, you can remove unwanted items.

Search

This section has an edit box for entering your query. Results are below the edit box. There are two additional buttons: Trending Searches and Recent Searches. Selecting either of these buttons brings up a list of content that meets the selection criteria.

Profile

At the top of the Profile tab is a list of all profiles for the Hulu account. Select the one you want. There are additional categories below the profiles including Auto Play and Settings. Next is a button to open the Help Center.

Activating Audio Description

Once audio description is activated on your device, you should not need to re-activate it. If you have additional devices linked to your profile, audio description should synchronize with your other devices.

Begin the process of activating audio description by playing a TV show or movie. Next, go to the top of the screen and select Player. VoiceOver will tell you to double tap to toggle controls. Double tap and VoiceOver says, "Controls Shown." Next, flick right until you reach Settings. Select this option. The first heading is Audio. Flick right until you hear "English-Audio Description." Select it. Go to the left top corner and dismiss the Options menu.

Player controls are past the settings option. The player must be opened to display them.

Finding more Audio Description

The American Council of the Blind's Audio description Project is an excellent resource for finding described content. There are many ways to search their database. There is a link on the homepage for Hulu.

Conclusion

Hulu's accessibility has improved significantly since its initial release. There are many subscription options starting at $5.99 per month. The iOS App's screens contain a lot of information, but they are not cluttered. I recommend getting a free trial before purchasing a subscription.

This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.

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Steve Kelley

Maybe the smartphone is really the mobile phone that's easy to learn, has buttons you can feel, and a spoken menu from the moment you turn the phone on? Or the phone with a couple handy applications, like a voice recorder, sending a text with voice dictation, or making a shopping list, instead of a bazillion apps and icons that clutter up the display and open when you're trying to find something else? If you think a phone with a bazillion apps and icons that clutter up the display and open when you're trying to find something else isn't exactly "smart." Then check out the Raz Mobility MiniVision2, a streamlined mobile phone with a couple handy applications, like a voice recorder, text messaging via voice dictation, and list making.

The Raz Mobility MiniVision2

The MiniVision2 is the size of a small smartphone, about 5 inches by 2.5 inches. At 2.3 inches, the display is slightly larger than what you'd find on a flip phone, with a sharp QVGA screen. Below the screen are five menu controls located above a push button number pad. The menu controls include two control keys on both sides of a navigation pad in the center. The keys are high contrast white-on-black, larger than what you'd find on a flip phone, and have strategic tactile labels. On the left, for example, the control key to answer a call has two vertical raised dots, and to the right the power on/off and end call key has three raised horizontal dots. Likewise, the navigational pad is made of four raised lines around a smaller square key. The raised lines provide directional navigation: left, right, up, and down. The center key is used to confirm or enter a choice.

A speaker is centered above the display and on the top edge, just above the speaker, is a small, very functional, LED flashlight. On the bottom edge of the phone, below the number pad, is a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack for earbuds (included), a mini-USB charging port, and contact pads for the docking station (included with the phone). On the opposite side of the display are the 2-megapixel camera, a centrally located SOS button, and an external speaker. The back cover is removable, allowing access to the rechargeable battery and SIM card. There is also a slot for a micro SD card, up to 32 GB, although the MiniVision2 comes with 4 GB of memory—plenty for photos, text messages, and voice memos.

Accessibility Features

The Raz MiniVision2 has accessibility features for both low vision and blind users. Turn on the phone and it starts up with text-to-speech enabled. All the menus and text on the phone are accessible with the built-in text-to-speech. In the Settings menu, there are a number of options for speech, including "Premium" voices of higher quality. By default, a female, non -premium voice is installed, which can be quickly upgraded to a premium male or female voice with a free download. Users can select from 28 languages and adjust the rate of speed for the text-to-speech from one of nine settings from Very Slow to Fastest.

For users who rely on the display, text-to-speech can be turned off from the Settings > Vocalization menu, and the display can be customized for greater visual access. The menu for Settings > Display contains ten options including Brightness, Font, Font Size, Bold, Text and Background Colors, Display Mode, Text Scrolling Speed, Text Scrolling Delay, and Screen Off. Font size includes four settings from Small to Very Large. With the text set to Very Large and Bold turned on, two lines of text appear on the screen in the menus, with eight characters visible. The font appears somewhat smaller in the Notes and Messages apps, with about 13 characters per line. Text that doesn't fit on a line scrolls from right to left at a speed that can be adjusted by the user.

The Text and Background Colors menu option includes six high-contrast color options: black on white, white on black, yellow on blue, blue on yellow, yellow on black, and black on yellow. This writer found that using the very large text size with bold and yellow text on a black background provided a crisp, high-contrast display with two lines of text showing while moving through the various menus.

Applications

The MiniVision2 is an unlocked phone that can be used on the GSM cellular networks like AT&T, T-Mobile, MINT Mobile, etc. It's a 4G network phone, so data speeds are quick if you have a data plan, and it's also Wi-Fi enabled, so it has a number of great features, like dictation, weather, and a GPS feature called "Where Am I?" that rely on a network connection. Also included as a menu option is FM Radio, which interestingly requires the use of earbuds as an antenna for reception.

In total, there are 19 applications, or menu items. These include: Phone, Contacts, Messages, Alarm, Calendar, Camera, Gallery, FM Radio, Light Detector, Color Detector, Bank Note Recognizer, Calculator, Voice Recorder, Notes, Flashlight, Weather, Emergency, Where am I, and Settings.

Voice Navigation

To move between menu items, the Up and Down keys on the navigation pad are used and then entered or confirmed using the center part of the pad. To get to the beginning or end of the menu options, just press and hold the Up or Down key to skip over the other menu items. The Left and Right keys on the navigation pad decrease and increase the volume.

Navigating through the menu and performing a task like making a call or sending a text can also be done using voice commands from the Home screen. Just press and hold the center navigation pad button, wait for the beep, and speak the menu item or command. For example, "Call [any name listed in Contacts]" to make a phone call to that contact. For a text message,  "Send a message to [any name listed in Contacts]". Also, just speaking the menu item after the beep will open the application. To quickly turn on the flashlight, for example, just press and hold the center of the navigation pad, wait for the beep, then say, "Flashlight," to turn it on.

This same great dictation feature can be used in any edit box on the phone. For example, in the Notes application, if you press the Menu button (located just above the call button), then select "New Note," then press and hold the center navigation pad button you can dictate the note following the beep.

Best Apps

Several apps included on the MiniVision2 are worth highlighting, including Where Am I?, Bank Note Recognizer, and Light Detector. The camera on the MiniVision2 is an acceptable 2-megapixel camera. It takes and saves a picture to the Gallery. It works great with the Bank Note Recognizer app, which identified a bill quickly when placed about 10 inches above the bill, regardless of the orientation of the bill. In the Light Indicator app, as the phone is moved around, a tone, like a high-pitched flute, indicates the light level in the direction the camera is pointed. The higher the pitch, the more light is detected.

Both the Voice Recorder and Notes apps are easy to use, and really add to the utility of the MiniVision2 for creating shopping and to-do lists, making personal notes, and recording all kinds of information. Both are quite easy to use.

The one app I really wanted to love was the Where Am I? app, because of its simplicity. On the Home screen, open the app using the voice command, "Where am I?" Within a second, a location was provided. The first several times, the address provided was several blocks away, but more recent tries have been spot on. It's unclear what has enabled the greater accuracy—access to a Wi-Fi network, or a better view of the sky for GPS tracking. It is such a simple and potentially useful tool for someone unfamiliar with more sophisticated GPS apps or devices.

What's Missing?

The MiniVision2 is an easy-to-use phone, largely due to its simple navigation, and a menu structure that really embraces less-as-more, and focusing on the most used utilities for apps. That said, a useful addition to the Voice Recorder app might be the ability to transfer audio files to the phone. The adventuresome user may find that it's possible to add to the Voice Recorder's library via the micro SD card, but this was not possible with the USB cable. The micro SD card is located inside the back cover of the MiniVision2, beneath the battery, so it is easily accessed to add files, but not nearly as convenient as an external slot or using the USB cord for swapping out files.

The voice commands and dictation on the MiniVision2 make it easy to use, and the dictation is quite accurate. In the age of Siri, Alexa, and the Google Assistant, adding access to one of these assistants or something similar would really be a great touch.

Wrap Up

For anyone looking for an accessible, easy-to-use cell phone with a tactile keypad and some really handy features, the Raz MiniVision2 is definitely worth checking into. The MiniVision2 provides access to text-to-speech and large print menus, voice commands and dictation, and simple GPS and voice notes. If you're looking for an alternative to your antique flip phone and don't need the learning curve of a smart phone, the MiniVision2 may be just the ticket. You can buy the MiniVision2 from Raz Mobility for $309. Many video tutorials are available if you'd like to learn more about how the phone works.

This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.

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M-Enabling Summit to be Held October 4-6, 2021, Registration Now Available

The M-Enabling Summit Conference and Showcase, dedicated to promoting innovation in accessible and assistive technology for senior citizens and users of all abilities, will host its signature industry networking event October 4-6, 2021 in Washington, DC. The M-Enabling Summit is fully committed to providing a safe and powerful platform in-person this fall with virtual participation options for those still unable to travel or participate in public events by October. Industry leaders, influencers and advocates will be addressing the current issues and strategies surrounding digital accessibility in light of the significant evolutions that occurred since the 2019 M-Enabling Summit.

With participants’ health security as the top priority, conference logistics will reflect official health guidelines and best practices for conferences and public events and their updated details will be published on the M-Enabling Summit website. With the theme of “Digital Accessibility, a Driver for Inclusion Strategies,” key topics that will be explored at this year’s hybrid M-Enabling Summit include:

• The acceleration of the adoption of virtual environments during COVID-19: What’s durable evolution, what’s not, perspective from Industry and Persons with Disabilities.
• Spotlight on most impactful newest accessibility features and their benefits for users.
• Multi-modal gaming and virtual entertainment experiences for accessibility.
• Balancing privacy and security with accessibility and assistive services requirements: The need for users’ choice options.
• The era of voice as a new platform for digital interaction: Challenges and opportunities.
• The emergence of neurotechnologies for advanced assistive solutions: Risks and opportunities.
• State of Accessibility among business, government, and academia.
• The emergence of Strategic Leaders in Accessibility (SLiA) among large organizations
• Workplace accommodations success stories in a virtual environment
• The best of education accommodations strategies in a virtual environment
• The rise of the accessibility profession: Global footprint, professional development resources and benefits for organizations

For additional information on participating in the event and to register, please visit the M-Enabling website.

Peter Papano – APH STEM Scholarship Deadline Extended

APH is excited to announce an extended deadline for their new scholarship for students who are blind or visually impaired. The application process for the [Peter Papano-APH]( Scholarship is open through September 17, 2021 (applications submitted after the designated timeframe will not be considered). If you live in California, plan to attend college in California, and will major in a STEM or Fine Arts subject, you may be eligible. To learn more and to apply, please read the scholarship guidelines.

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