In this podcast, James Oates takes a look at the new accessibility settings in iOS 11 Beta. Join us as he uncovers some exciting new features for VoiceOver and braille users.
Accessibility
How To Enable Smart Invert in iOS 11
Smart Invert is a new setting to be added to the Invert Colors section of Accessibility in iOS 11. Smart Invert inverts only the areas where necessary which is helpful for a low vision user. Images are not affected by this feature.
Android O: New Accessibility Features in TalkBack 6.0.0.
The over the air update for the Android O developer preview has arrived, and there are some very interesting new features for those of us who use TalkBack.
Listen to this podcast to find out what accessibility improvements are on the way.
If you are considering installing the developer preview of Android O, make sure that you backup your device before enrolling in the Android Beta program, and downloading the update. Listen to this podcast on how too backup and enroll an Android device in the Beta program, if you need a step by step guide on how to do it.
Apple Updates YouTube with a Series of Accessibility Videos
The videos highlight the various ways the Accessibility features built into the iPhone, Mac and iPad are used to help people accomplish a range of tasks.
The Google Play Award Nominees for Best Accessibility Experience at Google I/O 2017.
The Google Play awards are back again at this year’s Google I/O, and we are happy to announce the apps that have been selected for the Best Accessibility Experience.
TalkBack 5.2 Gets Major Changes in Beta Release
Version numbers are not always what they are cracked to be. Windows 10, for example, has kept the version at 10.0, with only incremental build numbers which are prefixed by the month and year.
TalkBack 5.2 Public Beta is Now Available for Download.
The Google accessibility team released a public beta version of TalkBack 5.2 for people running Android Lollypop or higher. The interesting features now are a new verbosity setting that lets you control the amount of spoken feedback your device relays, and new earcons that are much more pleasant than the extremely annoying sounds in the previous version for some. I might be able to run TalkBack with the sounds on.
If you would like to try out the beta version of TalkBack 5.2, first join the Eyes-Free Google Group, receiving posts from this group is not a requirement. Sign up to become a Talkback beta tester.
Hey Siri: Welcome to macOS Sierra.
In this demo, James Oates shows us how to setup and configure Siri on the Mac. He shows us how to enable Siri, choose a language, select a voice for Siri, enable voice feedback, select which microphone Siri will use, determine which keyboard shortcut will activate Siri, leave or remove Siri from your menu bar, enable location services, and how to allow Siri and dictation permission to access location services,
Low vision viewers are encouraged to give feedback on our YouTube video so that We can determine if We are using the appropriate visual settings in the comment section blow.
Developer Makes Website Inaccessible To Sighted For Awareness
Comics Empower is an audio comic store for the blind and or the visually impaired. The idea behind the Comics Empower store is to provide audio versions of comic books, much like Graphic Audio. The main difference is that Graphic Audio adapts and dramatizes comic books whereas Comics Empower provides a panel by panel description so the listener knows what’s in every comic. Comics Empower puts the blind first, and this has been illustrated, yet again, in a recent site update that puts the sighted in a dependent situation, requiring the aid of a blind person using a screen reader.
Amazon Adds Accssibility Upgrades To Some Kindle Hardware
For years, blind and visually impaired people who wanted to use a Kindle were left with a lot of frustration and even hassle. Amazon released their Kindle readers with only the barest of text to speech. Amazon did make their apps on iOS and Android accessible but only after significant push back from the visually impaired community. That, however, looks like it’s going to change. Recently, Amazon has announced, publically, that they are bringing VoiceView to their Kindle e-readers, starting with Kindle Paperwhite, so that visually impaired customers can enjoy reading on Kindle devices.
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