AFB Blog

January is Braille Literacy Month, celebrated in honor of Louis Braille’s birthday on January 4, 1809. Each year, we take this opportunity to reflect on subjects related to braille, either on our blog or, previously, in the January issue of AccessWorld magazine. Since the spring quarterly issue now comes out in February, this content has moved to the blog, allowing us to continue the tradition of highlighting braille during this special month. This year, I wanted to focus on the history of…

Janet Ingber This fall, Apple released its new operating system for the Mac. Staying true to its California-inspired naming convention, the system is called macOS 15.0, Sequoia. Since then, two updates have been released, with the latest version being macOS 15.2. An M1 chip or higher is required to utilize the new Apple AI features. For this article, an M1 Mac running macOS 15.2 Sequoia was used. Here are some of the new features: iPhone Mirroring iPhone Mirroring allows users to access…

Janet Ingber This fall, Apple released its latest operating system for the Apple Watch. Among its many features, WatchOS 11 introduces new health options, the ability to play content through the Watch speakers, and support for multiple VoiceOver voices. WatchOS 11 is compatible with Apple Watch Series 6 and newer. For this article, I tested WatchOS 11 on an Apple Watch Series 10. Multiple VoiceOver Voices WatchOS 11 allows users to add multiple VoiceOver voices via the new Voice Rotor. By…

Cerebral visual impairment (CVI), also referred to as cortical or brain-based visual impairment, occurs when damage to the brain’s visual pathways or networks affects visual processing. It can result from premature birth, genetic disorders, brain malformations, or trauma. Importantly, children with CVI grow into adults with CVI, requiring lifelong tailored interventions and services. The need for practical information on this condition is so critical it was the focus of the Journal of Visual…

Deborah Kendrick Editor's Note: As a companion to this gift guide, Deborah Kendrick joined us on the latest episode of the accessWorld podcast to discuss the history of accessWorld as well as holiday gift giving. You can find the episode on the AFB website or through your favorite podcast platform. In a group of blind and low-vision technology fans, I recently asked people to name a gift from personal history that came to mind as unusual. Of course, one person said a car (while driving was…

In fall of 2024, Apple launched iOS 18, the latest version of its operating system for iPhones and iPads. This article highlights some of the new mainstream features introduced with iOS 18, tested using an iPhone 16 running iOS 18.1. Settings In iOS 18, the Settings app has been streamlined. Instead of displaying a complete list of every app installed on your device, there is now a dedicated Apps section, located as the final item on the main Settings screen. At the top of the Apps page, you’…

Earlier this fall, Apple released iOS 18 for all iPhones, with updates being available to devices back to the iPhone Xr, Xs, and the iPhone SE (2nd generation). The Apple Intelligence feature, released on October 28th, will only work on the iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max, and the full range of iPhone 16 devices. There are many new and updated features this year. Most of these will also work on iPads running iPadOS 18. This article focuses on the new accessibility features added this year. In Settings…

Members of AFB’s Public Policy team joined leaders in the technology and workforce space to share how AI could affect workers with disabilities at the first AI Skilling Fair held by the AI Workforce and Skills Roundtable and House Taskforce on AI. AFB’s Senior Advisor of Public Policy & Research, Sarah Malaier, spoke during the briefing and shared her thoughts after the event. New technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) is exciting when they open up greater opportunities and make…

A picture is said to be worth a thousand words. But did you know you could create a totally accessible picture using a thousand stainless steel ball bearings? Well, to be precise, you have access to 1,033 stainless steel ball bearings on the drawing side of the new BrailleDoodle. Veteran teacher of blind and visually impaired students, and self-proclaimed artist, Daniel Lubiner, began experimenting with an idea during the pandemic. That idea has evolved into a fully realized product that is…