Category: AT News

Coming soon: A world of perspective from the global blind community. The World Blind Herald.

Published September 12, 2022 by L. Legendary

Chris Hofstader has been a fixture in the blind community for decades. While the bulk of his career was spent as an executive Vice President at Freedom Scientific, now known as Vispero, he is probably most well-known for his writing. His web site, “Blind Confidential,” offered candid, and anonymous, commentary on assistive technology products, service agencies and organizations, and legislation relevant to the blind community. His unique, journalistic writing style, often biting, sometimes intellectual, and almost always controversial, won him a devoted readership.

Chris briefly attended Harvard University as an English major, and graduated from NYU with a degree in computer science. He is well traveled, well read, and has an abiding love of music, art, and baseball. He also has a new project underway, a venture that will enable Chris to share his skills and interest, while providing a platform for others to do the same.

On January 4th, 2023, a new digital publication, the World Blind Herald, will make its debut. As editor-in-chief, Chris plans to curate, create, and collaborate with other writers to publish a weekly digest of content relevant to a global blind community. Topics include sports and science, travel and technology, fashion and lifestyle, employment news, accessibility issues, and medical breakthroughs, just to name a few. Many of the articles will be published in a digest format, with links back to the original content. A global network of contributors will provide featured articles, and share their own experiences as a blind person living in a sighted society. The mission of World Blind Herald is to inform and entertain readers by publishing articles on a wide array of topics regarding blindness and blind people from the entire English speaking world.

“Our fundamental values are that the community of blind people is not homogeneous and that different blind people have different values, dreams and aspirations,” says Hofstader. “We intend to show this spectrum in all of its brilliant colors.”

You can visit the web site, WorldBlindHerald.com here, and subscribe to receive pre-launch versions of the digest, as the countdown to launch begins. Follow World Blind Herald @BlindHerald on Twitter, and look for a Facebook page, coming soon.

My role will be that of marketing and promotion, so I’ll be the one behind many of the social media posts and front-facing communications. I’ll also occasionally contribute articles in the fashion and lifestyle category, and edit those that are submitted by guest authors.

If you’d like to contribute articles for publication in World Blind Herald, contact Chris at chris.hofstader@gmail.com or find the contact form on the World Blind Herald website.

Comments closed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – An inclusive shopping event that highlights entrepreneurs with disabilities.

Published November 1, 2021 by L. Legendary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 1, 2021

An inclusive online shopping event that highlights entrepreneurs with disabilities.

Las Vegas, NV – Laura Legendary, owner of Elegant Insights Braille Creations, has organized an all-day, online, accessible, virtual experience for seniors and consumers with disabilities called “Let’s Go Shopping.” On Friday, November 5th, and Saturday, November 6th, from 9 AM to 5 PM Pacific time, shoppers will be able to call or connect to the Zoom platform to browse and purchase holiday gifts.

Anyone who is uncertain about vaccination status, seniors, people with disabilities, and those in rural areas with limited bandwidth or lack of access to help from their children, in-home health care provider, or personal assistant may find navigating web sites to shop online difficult.

“People with print or cognitive disabilities who would normally have access to assistive technology through their workplace, or a care worker who they rely on to accomplish shopping tasks may now find themselves cut off, thanks to the need for social distancing,remote work, or who are unable to be vaccinated. As a result, they may find online shopping to be cognitively burdensome,” says Legendary. “My goal with the Let’s Go Shopping event was two-fold: Not only to give small businesses a boost, but to bring a virtual shopping mall to isolated or vulnerable customers,” says Legendary, who is blind. “Besides, there’s no worries about long lines, empty shelves, navigating crowded public spaces, or mask mandates.”

Attendees will access the live online mall using the Zoom Video Conferencing platform. Zoom has been a lifesaver for students and parents who need to connect with teachers and colleagues, or who work remotely. Zoom enables users to sign in using a desktop, laptop, smartphone app, or even their landline telephone.

All of the small business owners participating in the “Let’s Go Shopping” event have a disability, or is inspired by someone who does. Shoppers can tune in to a scheduled program lineup, featuring tech gadgets, food, fashion, accessories, handcrafted gifts, jewelry, and aids for daily living. “Live presentations and customer interaction makes the shopping experience fun and accessible for consumers of all abilities,” says Legendary.

Contact: Laura Legendary, founder
702-605-1265
lgsvirtualevents@gmail.com
For more information about Let’s Go Shopping, go to:

Let’s Go Shopping

###

Comments closed

Press release: The Blinded Veterans Association Convention in Reno, NV begins August 13, 2018

Published August 11, 2018 by L. Legendary

It is my honor and privilege to have been invited to exhibit my braille jewelry at the upcoming BVA convention in Reno, Nevada, next week. I’m really excited to meet these esteemed attendees, and to share my products with them. It is a new audience for me, so I’m a little nervous, but I’m looking forward to an interesting trip. I’ll even be making a short presentation at one of the sessions, just to introduce myself and to raise awareness about my products, as well as the podcast I co-founded with Emily Davison, the Fashionability Channel.

Below is an edited version of the official press release, with some additional info at the bottom.

For Immediate Release

BVA’s Annual Convention Set For Reno/Sparks August 13-17

(Alexandria, Va.) – The Blinded Veteran’s Association’s 73rd Annual Convention will be hosted at the Nugget Casino Resort August 13-17, 2018 in Reno/Sparks, Nevada. The annual event is BVA’s premier event geared toward the education and development of its members. The gathering brings together the top leadership of the Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA) along with academics, industry leaders and government officials to discuss issues and challenges facing the disabled and the medical community today and in the future.

There will also be an exposition of assistive products and services open Tuesday and Wednesday, August 14-15. Laura Legendary of Las Vegas, Nevada, owner of Elegant Insights Braille Creations, will exhibit her handcrafted collection of jewelry embossed in braille. Legendary,, who is blind, is a long-time advocate for people with disabilities. “Jewelry is generally thought of as strictly visual. I wanted to combine visual and tactile elements to create beautiful jewelry that is inclusive of everyone.” Legendary says. “As a consumer who is blind, I find very few gifts suitable for a friend or loved one with vision loss that isn’t a tech gadget or daily living aid. I wanted to bring to market jewelry and accessories that are stylish and fun as well as meaningful.”

Please visit the event website for more information about the convention and exposition. Visit Elegant Insights Braille Creations at elegantinsightsjewelry.com/shop/ or call 702-605-1265.

The Blinded Veterans Association is the only official voice for America’s veterans who are blind or visually impaired, The organization has successfully advocated for their needs since WWII. For more information about BVA and its services, call toll-free 800-669-7079 or visit bva.org.

# # #

Additional info:
(1) On-site coverage of the convention is encouraged.
(2) Below is a more detailed convention agenda.

A training session on the ABC’s of Regional Group planning will be held on Monday, Aug. 13 from 9 a.m.– 10:15. For technology sessions, there will be skills training on the Victor Reader and Home Automation on Monday. At 10:30 a.m., life member Howard Myers will deliver a presentation about his book, “Blind Vision.”
Also on Monday, BVA members who wish to become a Volunteer Service Officer can obtain training by instructor Wade Davis. Part 1 will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. Part 2 will be Tuesday, Aug. 14, from 9 a,m,to11:45 a.m.

On Tuesday, Aug. 14, the Blindfold Games will hold an information session where members will be able to obtain a free game.

For female veterans, an exclusive pampering session will be facilitated by a lifestyle coach for the blind. Attendees can enjoy beauty tips and freshen up before the Tuesday evening reception and dinner.

I’ll be in booth number 404 with Elegant Insights Braille Creations on the Nugget Casino second floor exhibit hall. See you there!

Comments closed

For immediate release: California Council of the Blind state convention details

Published March 5, 2018 by L. Legendary

For Immediate Release

The California Council of the Blind will be holding its annual statewide convention at the Sacramento Marriott in Rancho Cordova located at 11211 Point East Way, Rancho Cordova, CA 95742 from Thursday, March 22-Sunday March 25, 2018. One of the many exciting events that we are bringing to the community is the “Dining in the Dark”.

Dining in the Dark will bring together community leaders, industry professionals and caring citizens for an evening of fine dining to raise awareness and resources for the California Council of the Blind. Guests will be invited to enjoy their meals wearing eye shades in low light conditions and utilize their other senses to maximize this unique culinary experience. The event will feature Christine Ha, Blind Chef, and winner of Master Chef season 3. There will also be an exclusive auction provided by Pacific Auction Company, local celebrity emcees Dan and Michelle from KYMX-FM Mix 96.1, and dance music provided by blind DJ’s from J & J FM.
For your convenience, tickets ($75 each) can be purchased directly through our website at www.ccbnet.org. There is limited seating available and there will not be any tickets at the door. Please buy tickets today before they sell out!
Christine Ha’s Master Chef Montage – www.dropbox.com/sh/m713dhcpa037623/AAB0OLjbysOygkbyMp2eqvl0a?dl=0

Where: Sacramento Marriott in Rancho Cordova located at 11211 Point East Way, Rancho Cordova, CA 95742 from
When: Thursday, March 22, 2018 5:45-10PM
Who: CA Council of the Blind featuring Christine Ha, Blind Chef and winner of MasterChef Season 3
Tickets: $75 per person. www.ccbnet.org
Inquiries: Paul Shane, CEO 916-441-2100 or by cell at 916-710-6308
Sponsors: City of Rancho Cordova; SMUD; Mints Euro-Asian Cuisine; KP International Market & American Array Solar

###

As a reminder, I will be in attendance, both at the Dinner in the Dark event as well as in the exhibit hall, to showcase my Elegant Insights Braille Creations (@ElegantInsights) jewelry and accessories. See you there!

Comments closed

Now, online shopping is as easy as chatting with a friend. Introducing Say Shopping.

Published June 26, 2015 by L. Legendary

If you are a screen reader or other assistive technology user, and have ever felt overwhelmed navigating an online shopping destination, then you may have turned to a smartphone app instead. Often, the main retail shopping sites are visually cluttered and can lack some useful markup that allows for screen reader users to quickly identify and navigate to necessary links and buttons. Many smartphone apps provided by retailers offer a user experience that is more streamlined, and therefore more efficient, due to the limited number of options available as compared to their huge web sites. Unfortunately, some of these same retailers have app’s that can be as confusing as their full site counterparts, since the limits imposed by app size and scope can leave little room for ubiquitous help, thereby reducing intuitive functionality.

Now, thanks to a new technology developed by Conversant Labs, using your smartphone to shop online is as easy as chatting with a friend. Say Shopping is an iOS app that enables users to interact with a retail establishment, in this case, Target Stores, by using natural language. Chris Maury, founder of Conversant Labs, sat down with me for a fascinating discussion of the Say Shopping app, algorithms, and natural language processing technology. Be sure to click on the link at the end of the article to listen to the audio interview with Chris that I posted for the Fashionability Channel.

LL: What is meant by “natural language processing,” and how have you furthered this technology in the Say Shopping app?
CM: Natural Language Processing or NLP allows a computer to understand the meaning behind the words people use. NLP has a wide range of uses from understanding whether someone is happy or sad or understanding that when they say “I ran out of toilet paper” they’re probably looking to buy more.
With Say Shopping we’ve taken NLP and applied it to the realm of shopping, and by doing so made it really easy for people to shop using their voice (something that’s never been possible before).

LL: Your technology will allow eyes-free, and eventually, hands-free interaction with other apps and devices. Where do you see the future of the technology headed?
CM: In the next year or so, we are finally going to see voice interaction move beyond simple virtual assistants like Siri and Google Now. With new products and services like Apple’s Carplay and the Amazon Echo, we are finally seeing devices where it is much easier to interact with them using voice than it is using touch. With these new products we’ll start to see more exciting features for voice-based services; Say Shopping and being able to shop online is just one example. Soon we’ll be able to read and follow recipes while we cook, order an Uber, and manage our email all from a voice client. And we’re building the tools that developers are going to need to create these new, voice-driven experiences.

LL: What can users expect from this first release of Say Shopping? Will there eventually be other retailers or use cases for your technology?
CM: You can search through Target’s entire product catalog, hear about product details and customer reviews, and order any products that Target will deliver to your house. We’re working to add the ability to order for in-store pickup as well which will open up shopping for groceries as well.
We want to make the best shopping experience possible for our users, so we want to make sure they have options in what they are shopping for and where they are buying from. We also want to bring Say Shopping to as many people as possible, so we are looking at supporting other platforms besides the iPhone such as Apple’s Carplay.

LL: How can other developers or potential licensees get involved in creating new platforms for the technology?
CM: We are finishing up work on our Say Kit Software Development Kit (SDK) which we used to build Say Shopping. We want as many people as possible building voice based experiences into their apps. We will be releasing the first version of the SDK in the coming months, but if developers are interested in getting early access they can reach me at chris@conversantlabs.com.

LL: Is Say Shopping available now? Where can readers find it?
CM: Say Shopping is available now from the Apple App Store. Download the app by following this link: itunes.apple.com/us/app/sayshopping/id969106932?ls=1&mt=8

You can learn more about the app at sayapps.com

LL: Anything else you’d like Accessible Insights readers to know?
CM: Say Shopping is still early in it’s development. We wanted to get it out there as soon as we could while providing something that people would find useful. There is still a lot we want to do with the app, and there is still a lot we can do to make it better. So if you have any ideas on how to make the app better, please let us know.

LL: I also want readers to know that Chris will be attending the National Federation of the Blind 75th annual convention the week of July 6th, 2015. You can find him bouncing between the booth for Target Stores, B43-44, and the Elegant Insights Braille Creations booth C6. You can try out the app, ask questions, and learn more about the technology. To hear a demo of the Say Shopping app, check out the interview I conducted with Chris for the Fashionability Channel podcast at fashionabilitychannel.wordpress.com/.

More about Chris Maury:
Chris was diagnosed with Stargardt’s Macular Degeneration in 2011 and has been working in the accessibility community ever since. He is also the
co-organizer of the Pittsburgh Accessibility Meetup a group with 200
members discusses how to make the world around us more accessible to people across disabilities. This group has met monthly since it’s founding in 2013 and covers topics from accessible sports to emerging accessibly technologies from universities and companies alike.

Get in touch with Chris:
Website: Sayapps.com
Twitter: twitter.com/@cmaury
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Conversant-Labs/438191096263041

See you in Orlando, everyone.

Comments closed

29th Annual CSUN Conference on Disability news and info

Published March 4, 2014 by L. Legendary

It’s time to roll out my annual series of posts pertaining to the CSUN Conference on Disability. Each year I post news and information about the conference, showcase a few of the conference presenters, provide notes about special events and write a post-conference wrap-up. If you would like to add your own information as to your presentation, exhibitor booth number, or other relevant info about the conference, feel free to add your comments.

Registration is open for the 29th Annual CSUN Conference on Disability. Go to the main conference web site page:

www.csun.edu/cod/conference/2014/sessions/index.php/public/website_pages/view/1

You can either register as an attendee for the educational sessions as well as the exhibit hall, or you can register for the exhibit hall only. Both links are available on the main registration page, above. There is no cost to be admitted into the exhibit hall if you register for the exhibit hall only. To see a directory of vendors who will be showing their latest products and services at the conference, go here:

www.csun.edu/cod/conference/2014/rebooking/index.php/public/exhibitors/

Check out the roster of presenters and topics that the Center on Disabilities at CSUN is offering this year. Add a Pre-Conference Workshop to your registration to enrich your knowledge and conference experience.

There are numerous special events to attend each year. I pulled this list right from the special events page on the conference web site:

The Fred Strache Leadership Award:
Location
Harbor Ballroom, 2nd Floor
Date
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Time
5:30 PM to 7:00 PM at Keynote Address.

Featured Presentations:

Kathleen Martinez, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy
Location
Harbor Ballroom C, 2nd Floor
Date
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Time
12:00 pm

Copyrights and Third Party Captioning: Challenges and Solutions
Location
Harbor Ballroom C, 2nd Floor
Date
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Time
4:20 pm
Presenter and Author of the Report:
Blake Reid, Assistant Clinical Professor, Samuelson-Glushko Technology Law & Policy Clinic, Colorado Law
Moderator:
Axel Leblois, President & Executive Director, Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs (G3ict)
The proliferation of inaccessible video contents of the Internet creates the need for third party captioning via automated or human processes, including via crowd sourced solutions. However, while those solutions provide the required accessibility to videos for deaf persons or those living with hearing loss, they can infringe on the copyrights of the owners of audio-visual contents, creating a conflict between disability and copyright laws. After conducting an in depth research on this topic with legal experts, industry and disability advocates, G3ict will publicly release at CSUN 2014 the report which will serve as the foundation for a global dialogue on solutions that could be adopted in the U.S. and internationally to solve those issues. The presentation will include perspectives from stakeholders. Audience participation (questions and answers) will be welcomed if time permits.

Exhibit Hall Opening & Reception:
Location
Grand Hall, 1st Floor
Date
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Time
12:00 PM to 7:00 PM
The Exhibit Hall in the Grand Hall will open on Wednesday, March 19, 2014 from 12:00 – 7:00 PM. There will be an opening reception at 12:30 pm. This will be your preview into the latest and greatest array of AT products and services that will keep you coming back over the next 3 days!

Sponsor News & Events:
Comcast
Location
Harbor Ballroom C, 2nd Floor
Date
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Time
6:00 PM
With your input, Comcast Accessibility is working hard to enable all customers to easily access and fully experience a range of products. Attend an evening of cocktails, light fare and demos of the latest accessible Comcast products, such as the talking TV interface. Discover the improved self-help and customer support resources and learn about their inclusive hiring practices and how to apply.

Amazon Kindle
Location
Cortez Hills A
Date
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Time
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Amazon Kindle invites you to “Play with Kindle Fire”. Come by the Cortez Hill A session room anytime between 8 am-5 pm on Thursday on March 20 to get hands-on with the all-new Kindle Fire tablets. Representatives from the Kindle Accessibility team will be on hand to listen to your feedback and answer questions about Kindle Fire’s new and improved accessibility tools. Short demonstrations will be given throughout the day and start times correspond with conference general sessions.

CSUN Cyber Café
Location
2nd floor, near Registration
The CSUN Cyber Café, sponsored by The Paciello Group, is located on the 2nd floor adjacent to Registration. It’s the perfect place to check your e-mail, follow conference sponsors and presenters on Facebook & Twitter, review the website for session changes or just surf to see what else is happening at the Conference.

CSUN Tweet-Up 2014
Location
Harbor Ballroom, 2nd Floor
Date
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Time
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
The 6th Annual CSUN Tweet-Up is taking place Thursday, March 20 from 6:30-8:30 pm in the Harbor Ballroom. Join the group and spread the word about your conference experience. Visit the web site, csuntweetup.com/ to RSVP and make sure you’re connected to the other plans and participation options the tweet-up sponsors have in store for you!

WebAble TV
WebAble TV is the official conference webcaster. The WebAble TV team will be conducting interviews with sponsors, exhibitors and featured presenters, as well as recording several general sessions. For more information please visit the WebAble TV website.
Student Poster Session
Several groups of graduate students will be presenting their work on assistive technology projects on Friday at noon in a student poster session outside the Exhibit Hall in the Grand Hall Foyer. This year the poster session will feature student projects from San Diego State University, St. Augustine University’s Occupational Therapy Program and Grossmont College’s Occupational Therapy Assistant Program.

SS12 Code for a Cause Finals – Project:Possibility
Location
Harbor Ballroom, 2nd Floor
Date
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Time
9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Once again the Final Competition for Project:Possibility’s SS12 Code for a Cause will be held at this year’s conference. This exciting event will host the innovative open source projects the top teams from CSUN, UCLA and USC have created. A continental breakfast will be served following the presentations and judging, prior to the announcement of the First Place Team. We encourage you to mark your calendars for this important occasion to support the student teams and the time and work they have invested. Saturday, March 2 from 9-11 am in the Harbor Ballroom.

Accommodations:

While the conference group rate has now expired, you can still reserve a room at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego. For more information, go to:

www.manchestergrand.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html

You can also follow the Manchester Grand Hyatt on twitter: @ManchGrandHyatt

There are a number of other hotels near the conference venue, many of which are easily accessible, as well as affordable. If you have stayed at one of the other nearby hotels, please feel free to add a comment as to the best way to navigate to the Manchester Grand Hyatt.

Transportation:

As I recall, cab fare from the airport to the Manchester Grand Hyatt was around $15. There is also a Super Shuttle Service you can reserve in advance for airport to hotel transit. Follow: @SuperShuttle on Twitter. They often tweet out discount codes and relevant info in advance of the conference.

Navigation:

Don’t let your concerns about ease of navigation keep you from participating in the events. The staff at the Manchester Grand Hyatt has been hosting the CSUN Conference for a few years now, and they are well staffed and trained to assist anyone who needs it. There are also many volunteers, some of whom lend their time to the CSUN conference every year, who will ensure your safe and comfortable travels from point A to B throughout the week. I have found that I am seldom able to wander too far afield before someone is at my side, asking if they may be of assistance. There is also an orientation and mobility lesson available for anyone who wishes to familiarize themselves with the vast hotel property. The lesson will be Wednesday morning, march 19th, and you will be asked to express your interest in attending the training during the registration process. You will be in good hands, thanks to the excellent customer service provided by the team at the Manchester Grand Hyatt.

Finally, follow @CSUNCOD on Twitter for the latest announcements, and use hashtag #CSUN14 when tweeting about the event. Please return here to the Accessible Insights Blog for more information about a few presenters I’ll be featuring in an effort to showcase their work. If you haven’t already, make plans now to attend the 29th annual CSUN conference on Disability.

I look forward to seeing you in San Diego!

One Comment

Hotkey help for NVDA 13 update

Published May 23, 2013 by L. Legendary

If you have already updated to the latest version of NVDA, there’s nothing in this post you don’t already know, so move along…move along. If you do not know what NVDA is, scroll to the bottom of this post, and click on the link for a video. NVDA is a free, open source screen reader for computer users who are blind or visually impaired. If you are about to update, be aware that some changes have been made to the NVDA hotkeys. Before you ask your new copy of NVDA to read the entire content of your document, and discover that Ins-down arrow results only in silence, know that the laptop layout has been completely redesigned for greater consistency and intuitive use. Your copy of NVDA is not broken. So, before you write to the developers and complain, check out the hotkeys list below.

First, here are the most important changes that will affect you right from launch, since they are the hotkeys you are most likely to need straightaway:

Name
Key
Say all
NVDA+a
Read current line
NVDA+l
Read current text selection
NVDA+shift+s
Report status bar
NVDA+shift+end

In addition, among other changes, all of the object navigation, text review, mouse click and synth settings ring commands have changed. Below is the list of hotkeys as presented in the NVDA 2013.1 Commands Quick Reference:

NVDA Touch Gestures
Touch Modes
To toggle touch modes, perform a 3-finger tap.
Basic NVDA commands
Name
Desktop key
Laptop key
Touch
Description
Stop speech
Control
control
2-finger tap
Instantly stops speaking
Pause Speech
shift
shift
none
Instantly pauses speech. Pressing it again will continue speaking where it left off (if pausing is supported by the current synthesizer)
NVDA Menu
NVDA+n
NVDA+n
2-finger double tap
Pops up the NVDA menu to allow you to access preferences, tools and help etc
Toggle Speech Mode
NVDA+s
NVDA+s
none
Toggles speech mode between speech, beeps and off.
Toggle Input Help Mode
NVDA+1
NVDA+1
none
Pressing any key in this mode will report the key, and the description of any NVDA command associated with it
Quit NVDA
NVDA+q
NVDA+q
none
Exits NVDA
Pass next key through
NVDA+f2
NVDA+f2
none
Tells NVDA to pass the next key press straight through to the active application, even if it is normally treeted as an NVDA key command
Toggle application sleep mode on and off
NVDA+shift+s
NVDA+shift+z
none
sleep mode disables all NVDA commands and speech/braille output for the current application. This is most useful in applications that provide their own speech or screen reading features. Press this command again to disable self voicing mode.
Reporting System Information
Name
key
Description
Report date/time
NVDA+f12
Pressing once reports the current time, pressing twice reports the date
Report battery status
NVDA+shift+b
Reports the battery status i.e. whether AC power is in use or the current charge percentage.
Report clipboard text
NVDA+c
Reports the Text in the clipboard if there is any.
Navigating with NVDA
Navigating with the System Focus
Name
Desktop key
Laptop key
Description
Report current focus
NVDA+tab
NVDA+tab
announces the current object or control that has the System focus. Pressing twice will spell the information
Report title
NVDA+t
NVDA+t
Reports the title of the currently active window. Pressing twice will spell the information. Pressing three times will copy it to the clipboard
Read active window
NVDA+b
NVDA+b
reads all the controls in the currently active window (useful for dialogs)
Report Status Bar
NVDA+end
NVDA+shift+end
Reports the Status Bar if NVDA finds one. It also moves the navigator object to this location
Navigating with the System Caret
Name
Desktop key
Laptop key
Description
Say all
NVDA+downArrow
NVDA+a
Starts reading from the current position of the system caret, moving it along as it goes
Read current line
NVDA+upArrow
NVDA+l
Reads the line where the system caret is currently situated. Pressing twice spells the line.
Read current text selection
NVDA+Shift+upArrow
NVDA+shift+s
Reads any currently selected text
When within a table, the following key commands are also available:
Name
Key
Description
Move to previous column
control+alt+leftArrow
Moves the system caret to the previous column (staying in the same row)
Move to next column
control+alt+rightArrow
Moves the system caret to the next column (staying in the same row)
Move to previous row
control+alt+upArrow
Moves the system caret to the previous row (staying in the same column)
Move to next row
control+alt+downArrow
Moves the system caret to the next row (staying in the same column)
Object Navigation
Name
Desktop key
Laptop key
Touch
Description
Report current object
NVDA+numpad5
NVDA+shift+o
none
Reports the current navigator object. Pressing twice spells the information, and pressing 3 times copies this object’s name and value to the clipboard.
Move to containing object
NVDA+numpad8
NVDA+shift+upArrow
flick up (object mode)
Moves to the object containing the current navigator object
Move to previous object
NVDA+numpad4
NVDA+shift+leftArrow
flick left (object mode)
Moves to the object before the current navigator object
Move to next object
NVDA+numpad6
NVDA+shift+rightArrow
flick right (object mode)
Moves to the object after the current navigator object
Move to first contained object
NVDA+numpad2
NVDA+shift+downArrow
flick down (object mode)
Moves to the first object contained by the current navigator object
Move to focus object
NVDA+numpadMinus
NVDA+backspace
none
Moves to the object that currently has the system focus, and also places the review cursor at the position of the System caret, if it is showing
Activate current navigator object
NVDA+numpadEnter
NVDA+enter
double tap
Activates the current navigator object (similar to clicking with the mouse or pressing space when it has the system focus)
Move System focus or caret to current review position
NVDA+shift+numpadMinus
NVDA+shift+backspace
none
pressed once Moves the System focus to the current navigator object, pressed twice moves the system caret to the position of the review cursor
Report navigator object dimensions
NVDA+numpadDelete
NVDA+delete
none
Reports the current navigator object’s dimensions on screen in per centages (including distance from left and top of screen, and its width and height)
Reviewing Text
Name
Desktop key
Laptop key
Touch
Description
Move to top line in review
shift+numpad7
NVDA+control+home
none
Moves the review cursor to the top line of the text
Move to previous line in review
numpad7
NVDA+upArrow
flick up (text mode)
Moves the review cursor to the previous line of text
Report current line in review
numpad8
NVDA+shift+.
none
Announces the current line of text where the review cursor is positioned. Pressing twice spells the line. Pressing three times spells the line using character descriptions.
Move to next line in review
numpad9
NVDA+downArrow
flick down (text mode)
Move the review cursor to the next line of text
Move to bottom line in review
shift+numpad9
NVDA+control+end
none
Moves the review cursor to the bottom line of text
Move to previous word in review
numpad4
NVDA+control+leftArrow
2-finger flick left (text mode)
Moves the review cursor to the previous word in the text
Report current word in review
numpad5
NVDA+control+.
none
Announces the current word in the text where the review cursor is positioned. Pressing twice spells the word. Pressing three times spells the word using character descriptions.
Move to next word in review
numpad6
NVDA+control+rightArrow
2-finger flick right (text mode)
Move the review cursor to the next word in the text
Move to start of line in review
shift+numpad1
NVDA+home
none
Moves the review cursor to the start of the current line in the text
Move to previous character in review
numpad1
NVDA+leftArrow
flick left (text mode)
Moves the review cursor to the previous character on the current line in the text
Report current character in review
numpad2
NVDA+.
none
Announces the current character on the line of text where the review cursor is positioned. Pressing twice reports a description or example of that character. Pressing three times reports the numeric value of the character in decimal and hexadecimal.
Move to next character in review
numpad3
NVDA+rightArrow
flick right (text mode)
Move the review cursor to the next character on the current line of text
Move to end of line in review
shift+numpad3
NVDA+end
none
Moves the review cursor to the end of the current line of text
Say all with review
numpadPlus
NVDA+shift+a
3-finger flick down (text mode)
Reads from the current position of the review cursor, moving it as it goes
Copy from review cursor
NVDA+f9
NVDA+f9
none
starts copying text from the current position of the review cursor. The actual copy is not performed until you tell NVDA where to copy to
Copy to review cursor
NVDA+f10
NVDA+f10
none
Copies from the position of the review cursor currently set with Copy from review cursor, to the review cursor’s current position. After pressing this key, the text will be copied to the Windows clipboard
Report text formatting
NVDA+f
NVDA+f
none
Reports the formatting of the text where the review cursor is currently situated
Flat Review
Name
Desktop key
Laptop key
Touch
Description
Move to flat review
NVDA+numpad7
NVDA+pageUp
2-finger flick up
Moves to flat review, placing you at the position of the current navigator object, allowing you to review the screen (or document if you are currently inside one) with the text review commands.
Move to object from flat review
NVDA+numpad1
NVDA+pageDown
2-finger flick down
navigates to the object represented by the text at the current position of the review cursor in flat review
Navigating with the Mouse
Name
Desktop key
Laptop key
Description
Left mouse button click
numpadDivide
NVDA+[
clicks the left mouse button once. The common double click can be performed by pressing this key twice in quick succession
Left mouse button lock
shift+numpadDivide
NVDA+control+[
Locks the left mouse button down. Press again to release it. To drag the mouse, press this key to lock the left button down and then move the mouse either physically or use one of the other mouse routing commands
Right mouse click
numpadMultiply
NVDA+]
Clicks the right mouse button once.
Right mouse button lock
shift+numpadMultiply
NVDA+control+]
Locks the right mouse button down. Press again to release it. To drag the mouse, press this key to lock the right button down and then move the mouse either physically or use one of the other mouse routing commands
Move mouse to current navigator object
NVDA+numpadDivide
NVDA+shift+m
Moves the mouse to the location of the current navigator object and review cursor
Navigate to the object under the mouse
NVDA+numpadMultiply
NVDA+shift+n
Set the navigator object to the object located at the position of the mouse
Browse Mode
Name
Key
Description
Toggle browse/focus modes
NVDA+space
Toggles between focus mode and browse mode
Exit focus mode
escape
switches back to browse mode if focus mode was previously switched to automatically
Refresh browse mode document
NVDA+f5
Reloads the current document content (useful if certain content seems to be missing from the document)
Find
NVDA+control+f
Pops up a dialog in which you can type some text to find in the current document
Find next
NVDA+f3
Finds the next occurrence of the text in the document that you previously searched for
Find previous
NVDA+shift+f3
Finds the previous occurrence of the text in the document you previously searched for
open long description
NVDA+d
Opens a new window containing a long description for the element you are on if it has one.
Single Letter Navigation
The following keys by themselves jump to the next available element, while adding the shift key causes them to jump to the previous element:
• h: heading
• l: list
• i: list item
• t: table
• k: link
• n: nonLinked text
• f: form field
• u: unvisited link
• v: visited link
• e: edit field
• b: button
• x: checkbox
• c: combo box
• r: radio button
• q: block quote
• s: separator
• m: frame
• g: graphic
• d: landmark
• o: embedded object
• 1 to 6: headings at levels 1 to 6 respectively
To move to the beginning or end of containing elements such as lists and tables:
Name
Key
Description
Move to start of container
shift+comma
Moves to the start of the container (list, table, etc.) where the caret is positioned
Move past end of container
comma
Moves past the end of the container (list, table, etc.) where the caret is positioned
The Elements List
Name
Key
Description
Browse mode elements list
NVDA+f7
Brings up the Elements list which contains links, headings and landmarks from the current document
Embedded Objects
Name
Key
Description
Move to containing browse mode document
NVDA+control+space
Moves the focus out of the current embedded object and into the document that contains it
Application Specific NVDA Commands
Microsoft Excel
Name
Key
Description
Set column headers
NVDA+shift+c
Pressing this once tells NVDA this is the row that contains column headers, which should be automatically announced when moving between columns below this row. Pressing twice will clear the setting.
Set row headers
NVDA+shift+r
Pressing this once tells NVDA this is the column that contains row headers, which should be automatically announced when moving between rows after this column. Pressing twice will clear the setting.
foobar2000
Name
Key
Description
Report remaining time
control+shift+r
Reports the remaining time of the currently playing track, if any.
Miranda IM
Name
Key
Description
Report recent message
NVDA+control+1-4
Reports one of the recent messages, depending on the number pressed; e.g. NVDA+control+2 reads the second most recent message.
Poedit
Name
Key
Description
Report Comments Window
control+shift+c
Reports any comments in the comments window.
Report automatic comments window
control+shift+a
Reports any comments in the automatic comments window.
Configuring NVDA
Preferences
Voice Settings (NVDA+control+v)
Name
Desktop key
Laptop key
Description
Punctuation/Symbol Level
NVDA+p
NVDA+p
This allows you to choose the amount of punctuation and other symbols that should be spoken as words.
Synth settings ring
Name
Desktop key
Laptop key
Description
Move to next synth setting
NVDA+control+rightArrow
NVDA+shift+control+rightArrow
Moves to the next available speech setting after the current, wrapping around to the first setting again after the last
Move to previous synth setting
NVDA+control+leftArrow
NVDA+shift+control+leftArrow
Moves to the next available speech setting before the current, wrapping around to the last setting after the first
Increment current synth setting
NVDA+control+upArrow
NVDA+shift+control+upArrow
increases the current speech setting you are on. E.g. increases the rate, chooses the next voice, increases the volume
Decrement current synth setting
NVDA+control+downArrow
NVDA+shift+control+downArrow
decreases the current speech setting you are on. E.g. decreases the rate, chooses the previous voice, decreases the volume
Braille Settings
Name
Desktop key
Laptop key
Description
Braille Tethered to
NVDA+control+t
NVDA+control+t
This option allows you to choose whether the braille display will follow the system focus, or whether it follows the navigator object / review cursor.
Keyboard Settings (NVDA+control+k)
Name
Desktop key
Laptop key
Description
Speak Typed Characters
NVDA+2
NVDA+2
When enabled, NVDA will announce all characters you type on the keyboard.
Speak Typed Words
NVDA+3
NVDA+3
When enabled, NVDA will announce all words you type on the keyboard.
Speak Command Keys
NVDA+4
NVDA+4
When enabled, NVDA will announce all non-character keys you type on the keyboard. This includes key combinations such as control plus another letter.
Mouse Settings (NVDA+control+m)
Name
Desktop key
Laptop key
Description
Enable mouse tracking
NVDA+m
NVDA+m
When enabled, NVDA will announce the text currently under the mouse pointer, as you move it around the screen. This allows you to find things on the screen, by physically moving the mouse, rather than trying to find them through object navigation.
Review Cursor Settings
Name
Desktop key
Laptop key
Description
Follow System Focus
NVDA+7
NVDA+7
When enabled, The review cursor will always be placed in the same object as the current system focus as it changes.
Follow System Caret
NVDA+6
NVDA+6
When enabled, the review cursor will automatically be moved to the position of the System caret each time it moves.
Object Presentation Settings (NVDA+control+o)
Name
Desktop key
Laptop key
Description
Progress bar output
NVDA+u
NVDA+u
This option controls how NVDA reports progress bar updates to you.
Report dynamic content changes
NVDA+5
NVDA+5
Toggles the announcement of new content in particular objects such as terminals and the history control in chat programs.
Browse Mode Settings (NVDA+control+b)
Name
Desktop key
Laptop key
Description
Use screen layout
NVDA+v
NVDA+v
This option allows you to specify whether content in browse mode should place content such as links and other fields on their own line, or if it should keep them in the flow of text as it is visually shown. If the option is enabled then things will stay as they are visually shown, but if it is disabled then fields will be placed on their own line.
Saving and Reloading the configuration
Name
Desktop key
Laptop key
Description
Save configuration
NVDA+control+c
NVDA+control+c
Saves your current configuration so that it is not lost when you exit NVDA
Revert configuration
NVDA+control+r
NVDA+control+r
Pressing once resets your configuration to when you last saved it. Pressing three times will reset it back to factory defaults.
Supported Braille Displays
Freedom Scientific Focus/PAC Mate Series
Name
Key
Scroll braille display back
topRouting1 (first cell on display)
Scroll braille display forward
topRouting20/40/80 (last cell on display)
Scroll braille display back
leftAdvanceBar
Scroll braille display forward
rightAdvanceBar
Toggle braille tethered to
leftGDFButton+rightGDFButton
Toggle left wiz wheel action
leftWizWheelPress
Move back using left wiz wheel action
leftWizWheelUp
Move forward using left wiz wheel action
leftWizWheelDown
Toggle right wiz wheel action
rightWizWheelPress
Move back using right wiz wheel action
rightWizWheelUp
Move forward using right wiz wheel action
rightWizWheelDown
Route to braille cell
routing
backspace key
dot7
enter key
dot8
shift+tab key
brailleSpaceBar+dot1+dot2
tab key
brailleSpaceBar+dot4+dot5
upArrow key
brailleSpaceBar+dot1
downArrow key
brailleSpaceBar+dot4
control+leftArrow key
brailleSpaceBar+dot2
control+rightArrow key
brailleSpaceBar+dot5
leftArrow
brailleSpaceBar+dot3
rightArrow key
brailleSpaceBar+dot6
home key
brailleSpaceBar+dot1+dot3
end key
brailleSpaceBar+dot4+dot6
control+home key
brailleSpaceBar+dot1+dot2+dot3
control+end key
brailleSpaceBar+dot4+dot5+dot6
alt key
brailleSpaceBar+dot1+dot3+dot4
alt+tab key
brailleSpaceBar+dot2+dot3+dot4+dot5
escape key
brailleSpaceBar+dot1+dot5
windows key
brailleSpaceBar+dot2+dot4+dot5+dot6
space key
brailleSpaceBar
windows+d key (minimize all applications)
brailleSpaceBar+dot1+dot2+dot3+dot4+dot5+dot6
Report Current Line
brailleSpaceBar+dot1+dot4
NVDA menu
brailleSpaceBar+dot1+dot3+dot4+dot5
For newer Focus models that contain rocker bar keys (focus 40, focus 80 and focus blue):
Name
Key
Move braille display to previous line
leftRockerBarUp, rightRockerBarUp
Move braille display to next line
leftRockerBarDown, rightRockerBarDown
For Focus 80 only:
Name
Key
Scroll braille display back
leftBumperBarUp, rightBumperBarUp
Scroll braille display forward
leftBumperBarDown, rightBumperBarDown
Optelec ALVA BC640/680
Name
Key
Scroll braille display back
t1
Move braille display to previous line
t2
Move braille display to next line
t4
Scroll braille display forward
t5
Route to braille cell
routing
shift+tab key
sp1
alt key
sp2
escape key
sp3
tab key
sp4
upArrow key
spUp
downArrow key
spDown
leftArrow key
spLeft
rightArrow key
spRight
enter key
spEnter
NVDA Menu
sp1+sp3
windows+d key (minimize all applications)
sp1+sp4
windows key
sp2+sp3
alt+tab key
sp2+sp4
Handy Tech Displays
Name
Key
Scroll braille display back
left, up
Scroll braille display forward
right, down
Move braille display to previous line
b4
Move braille display to next line
b5
Route to braille cell
routing
shift+tab key
esc
alt key
b2+b4+b5
escape key
b4+b6
tab key
enter
enter key
esc+enter
upArrow key
leftSpace
downArrow key
rightSpace
NVDA Menu
b2+b4+b5+b6
Handy Tech configuration
b4+b8
MDV Lilli
Name
Key
Scroll braille display backward
LF
Scroll braille display forward
RG
Move braille display to previous line
UP
Move braille display to next line
DN
Route to braille cell
route
shift+tab key
SLF
tab key
SRG
alt+tab key
SDN
alt+shift+tab key
SUP
Baum/Humanware/APH Braille Displays
Name
Key
Scroll braille display back
d2
Scroll braille display forward
d5
Move braille display to previous line
d1
Move braille display to next line
d3
Route to braille cell
routing
For displays which have a joystick:
Name
Key
upArrow key
up
downArrow key
down
leftArrow key
left
rightArrow key
right
enter key
select
hedo ProfiLine USB
Name
Key
Scroll braille display back
K1
Scroll braille display forward
K3
Move braille display to previous line
B2
Move braille display to next line
B5
Route to braille cell
routing
Toggle braille tethered to
K2
Say all
B6
hedo MobilLine USB
Name
Key
Scroll braille display back
K1
Scroll braille display forward
K3
Move braille display to previous line
B2
Move braille display to next line
B5
Route to braille cell
routing
Toggle braille tethered to
K2
Say all
B6
HumanWare Brailliant BI/B Series
Name
Key
Scroll braille display back
left
Scroll braille display forward
right
Move braille display to previous line
up
Move braille display to next line
down
Route to braille cell
routing
Toggle braille tethered to
up+down
upArrow key
space+dot1
downArrow key
space+dot4
leftArrow key
space+dot3
rightArrow key
space+dot6
NVDA Menu
c1+c3+c4+c5 (command n)
shift+tab key
space+dot1+dot3
tab key
space+dot4+dot6
alt key
space+dot1+dot3+dot4 (space+m)
escape key
space+dot1+dot5 (space+e)
enter key
dot8
windows+d key (minimize all applications)
c1+c4+c5 (command d)
windows key
space+dot3+dot4
alt+tab key
space+dot2+dot3+dot4+dot5 (space+t)
Say all
c1+c2+c3+c4+c5+c6
HIMS Braille Sense/Braille EDGE Series
Name
Key
Scroll braille display back
left side scroll down
Scroll braille display forward
right side scroll down
Move braille display to previous line
left side scroll up
Move braille display to next line
right side scroll up
Route to braille cell
routing
shift+tab key
dot1+dot2+space
alt key
dot1+dot3+dot4+Space
escape key
dot1+dot5+Space
tab key
dot4+dot5+Space
enter key
dot8
backspace key
dot7
upArrow key
dot1+Space
downArrow key
dot4+Space
capsLock
dot1+dot3+dot6+space
shift+alt+tab key
advance2+advance3+advance1
alt+tab key
advance2+advance3
end key
dot4+dot6+space
Control+end key
dot4+dot5+dot6+space
home key
dot1+dot3+space
control+home key
dot1+dot2+dot3+space
leftArrow key
dot3+space
control+shift+leftArrow key
dot2+dot8+space+advance1
control+leftArrow key
dot2+space
shift+alt+leftArrow key
dot2+dot7+advance1
alt+leftArrow key
dot2+dot7
rightArrow key
dot6+space
control+shift+rightArrow key
dot5+dot8+space+advance1
control+rightArrow key
dot5+space
shift+alt+rightArrow key
dot5+dot7+advance1
alt+rightArrow key
dot5+dot7
pageUp key
dot1+dot2+dot6+space
control+pageUp key
dot1+dot2+dot6+dot8+space
control+shift+upArrow key
dot2+dot3+dot8+space+advance1
control+upArrow key
dot2+dot3+space
shift+alt+upArrow key
dot2+dot3+dot7+advance1
alt+upArrow key
dot2+dot3+dot7
shift+upArrow key
left side scroll down + space
pageDown key
dot3+dot4+dot5+space
control+pagedown key
dot3+dot4+dot5+dot8+space
control+shift+downArrow key
dot5+dot6+dot8+space+advance1
control+downArrow key
dot5+dot6+space
shift+alt+downArrow key
dot5+dot6+dot7+advance1
alt+downArrow key
dot5+dot6+dot7
shift+downArrow key
right side scroll down + space
delete key
dot1+dot3+dot5+space
f1 key
dot1+dot2+dot5+space
f3 key
dot1+dot2+dot4+dot8
f4 key
dot7+advance3
windows+b key
dot1+dot2+advance1
windows+d key
dot1+dot4+dot5+advance1
HIMS SyncBraille
Name
Key
Scroll braille display back
left side scroll down
Scroll braille display forward
right side scroll down
Route to braille cell
routing
Seika Braille Displays
Name
Key
Scroll braille display back
left
Scroll braille display forward
right
Move braille display to previous line
b3
Move braille display to next line
b4
Toggle braille tethered to
b5
Say all
b6
tab
b1
shift+tab
b2
alt+tab
b1+b2
NVDA Menu
left+right
Route to braille cell
routing
Papenmeier BRAILLEX Newer Models
Name
Key
Scroll braille display back
left
Scroll braille display forward
right
Move braille display to previous line
up
Move braille display to next line
dn
Route to braille cell
routing
Report current character in review
l1
Activate current navigator object
l2
Move to flat review/focus
r1
Report title
l1+up
Report Status Bar
l2+down
Move to containing object
up2
Move to first contained object
dn2
Move to previous object
left2
Move to next object
right2
Report text formatting
upper routing row
Name
Key
backspace key
dot 7
enter key
dot 8
escape key
space with dot 7
upArrow key
space with dot 2
leftArrow key
space with dot 1
rightArrow key
space with dot 4
downArrow
space with dot 5
control key
lt+dot2
alt key
lt+dot3
control+escape key
space with dot 1 2 3 4 5 6
tab key
space with dot 3 7
Papenmeier Braille BRAILLEX Older Models
Devices with EAB:
Name
Key
Scroll braille display back
left
Scroll braille display forward
right
Move braille display to previous line
up
Move braille display to next line
dn
Route to braille cell
routing
Report current character in review
l1
Activate current navigator object
l2
Move to flat review / focus
r1
Report title
l1up
Report Status Bar
l2down
Move to containing object
up2
Move to first contained object
dn2
Move to next object
right2
Move to previous object
left2
Report text formatting
Upper routing strip
BRAILLEX Tiny:
Name
Key
Report current character in review
l1
Activate current navigator object
l2
Scroll braille display back
left
Scroll braille display forward
right
Move braille display to previous line
up
Move braille display to next line
dn
Toggle braille tethered to
r2
Move to flat review / focus
r1
Move to containing object
r1+up
Move to first contained object
r1+dn
Move to previous object
r1+left
Move to next object
r1+right
Report text formatting
reportf
BRAILLEX 2D Screen:
Name
Key
Report current character in review
l1
Activate current navigator object
l2
Toggle braille tethered to
r2
Report text formatting
reportf
Move braille display to previous line
up
Scroll braille display back
left
Move to flat review / focus
r1
Scroll braille display forward
right
Move braille display to next line
dn
Move to next object
left2
Move to containing object
up2
Move to first contained object
dn2
Move to previous object
right2
HumanWare BrailleNote
Name
Key
Scroll braille display back
back
Scroll braille display forward
advance
Move braille display to previous line
previous
Move braille display to next line
next
Route to braille cell
routing
Toggle braille tethered to
previous+next
Up arrow key
space+dot1
Down arrow key
space+dot4
Left Arrow key
space+dot3
Right arrow key
space+dot6
Page up key
space+dot1+dot3
Page down key
space+dot4+dot6
Home key
space+dot1+dot2
End key
space+dot4+dot5
Control+home keys
space+dot1+dot2+dot3
Control+end keys
space+dot4+dot5+dot6
Space key
space
Enter key
space+dot8
Backspace key
space+dot7
Tab key
space+dot2+dot3+dot4+dot5 (space+t)
Shift+tab keys
space+dot1+dot2+dot5+dot6
Windows key
space+dot2+dot4+dot5+dot6 (space+w)
Alt key
space+dot1+dot3+dot4 (space+m)
Toggle input help
space+dot2+dot3+dot6 (space+lower h)
BRLTTY
Name
BRLTTY command
Scroll braille display back
fwinlt (go left one window)
Scroll braille display forward
fwinrt (go right one window)
Move braille display to previous line
lnup (go up one line)
Move braille display to next line
lndn (go down one line)
Route to braille cell
route (bring cursor to character)

Also, watch this terrific video by our friends at NVAccess:

tinyurl.com/al8q4ec

Follow @NVaccess on Twitter, then go to NVaccess.org and donate!

Comments closed

Help build an inclusive Twittersphere with Easy Chirp 2

Published April 8, 2013 by L. Legendary

For those of you who follow these things, you already know that Twitter (www.twitter.com), the social media micro-blogging platform, is making changes to its Application Programming Interface (API). For those of you who have no idea what that means, or why it’s significant, allow me to get you up to speed.

According to Wikipedia, An application programming interface (API) is a “protocol intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other. An API is a library that may include specification for routines, data structures, object classes, and variables.” If you want to read more, go here:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_programming_interface

Twitter has only had a single version of the API in its entire history. Now, they want to make changes, and update to version 1.1. They have announced new developer “rules of the road,” and have outlined the proposed changes here:

dev.twitter.com/blog/changes-coming-to-twitter-api

The changes will affect all third-party applications that interact with Twitter, such as those you might use as an accessible alternative to the main Twitter web site. Some of these third-party Twitter clients have already completed the necessary adjustments, while others may not even bother, and may simply disappear. Time is running short, however, because Twitter has announced the “sunset” of version 1.0 of the API here:

dev.twitter.com/blog/api-v1-retirement-final-dates

Ever since I first discovered Twitter, I’ve been using the accessible alternative created by Dennis Lembree. Originally called Accessible Twitter, the web-based version now goes by the name Easy Chirp. Due to the changes made by Twitter to the API, Dennis has been forced to reinvent Easy Chirp, soon to be Easy Chirp 2. Dennis needs your help. He has started a kickstarter profile, and needs your pledges. The money raised will be used to compensate the experts Dennis has hired to assist with the project. As usual, when making a contribution to a Kickstarter project, you will receive a thank-you gift commensurate with the amount of your donation. See more info here:

Help build an inclusive Twittersphere: tinyurl.com/c9fsj5v

“I created Easy Chirp over four years ago and am touched by the support it’s received from the community. Now it must be rebuilt due to the Twitter API change, and I hope to collaborate this time with a few other developers.” Lembree says.

Dennis plans some new features and additional streamlining to make Easy Chirp 2 even faster and more accessible. It will continue to support keyboard-only users, will work without Javascript, and will be better optimized for mobile devices. Of course, it will still feature the user-friendly interface you’ve come to expect, useable by people who have a variety of disabilities, and who use a variety of assistive technologies.

Says Lembree: “To me, Easy Chirp exemplifies what a web app should be: platform agnostic, accessible, and simple. It provides a unique and necessary service in the social media space.”

There is no shortage of Twitter clients in the market, which can be used with different operating systems and device types. I use Easy Chirp for my own reasons, not the least of which is that I know Dennis, like him, trust him, and appreciate his work. If you have used Easy Chirp in the past, but have never clicked on that “donate” button just below the sign-in link on the Easy Chirp home page, then scrape a few coins out from between the sofa cushions and send them Dennis’s way. We’ll be tweeting at one another again before it’s time to fly south for the winter.

Pledge to the Easy Chirp 2 Kickstarter here:

www.kickstarter.com and perform a search, or go directly to the Easy Chirp 2 project page here: tinyurl.com/c9fsj5v

For all things Twitter API, go here:

dev.twitter.com/docs/api

You can follow Easy Chirp: @EasyChirp for updates, or you can follow me @Accessible_Info on Twitter as well.

One Comment

Optelec to announce new product launch at CSUN13

Published February 26, 2013 by L. Legendary

This just hit my desk, and I wanted to get it posted while you are still putting together your CSUN13 schedule.

Optelec invites you to attend this presentation:
Topic: Diagnostic Tool; Hope for Low Vision Patients

Description: There are many reasons low vision patients are turned away. What if there was a simple inexpensive diagnostic tool?

Track: Blind/Low Vision
Session ID: BLV-053

Date: Friday, Mar. 1 @ 1:50 PM PST

Location: Annie AB, 3rd Floor
Presenter:
Rebecca Kammer, OD
Assistant Director of Optometric Education, Associate Professor College of Optometry Western University of Health Sciences.

Check this out, while you’re walking the exhibit hall: Optelec Booth #205
28th Annual CSUN International Technology & Persons
with Disabilities Conference

Exhibit Hall: Feb. 27 – Mar. 1, 2013

This year is different. We have a NEW product release unlike any other. We listened. We tested. We pushed the limits. We set the standards yet again.

Be there to witness low vision industry history in the making for our official worldwide product launch of the NEW….
Special unveil on Wednesday, Feb. 27th at 3:00 PM!
Where: Optelec Booth #205

The product speaks for itself, don’t miss it…
Point & Read to Stay In Touch!

**Plus, visit our Optelec Booth to learn how you can WIN $100 towards your next purchase**

FREE to ATTEND!
Exhibit Hall Schedule
Wednesday, February 27: 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Thursday, February 28: 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM
Friday, March 1: 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM

Optelec U.S. Inc.
800.826.4200 (main), 800.368.4111 (fax)
E: info@optelec.com

www.Optelec.com
See you there!

One Comment

The 2013 Assistive Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference

Published February 4, 2013 by L. Legendary

If you are a person who has a disability, or if you know or love someone who does, you will soon have an opportunity to attend what could be a life-changing event. If you have never before attended the International Conference on Disability, presented by California State University, Northridge, I am going to work hard over the next few weeks to give you some compelling reasons to attend. This annual conference is the largest of its kind, and each year showcases the very latest assistive technologies, teaching techniques and best practices for web and mobile accessibility development, as well as the latest in disability-related policy news and legislation. You’ll hear inspiring words from thought leaders and educators, and you can experience the camaraderie and fellowship of others who may be living with a disability similar to your own. If you can only attend one event this year, this is the one to attend. There is truly something educational, fun and uplifting here for everyone.

Start with this link, below. It will take you to the main page, where you will find all the info you need. Attendee registration is now open, so make your plans soon.

www.csun.edu/cod/conference/2013/sessions/index.php

If you want to explore the full list of educational sessions, click this link:

www.csun.edu/cod/conference/2013/sessions/index.php/public/conf_sessions/

You will be amazed at the range of topics, and the depth to which they can be explored. If you are not a technology fanatic, don’t worry. There are sessions on just about every aspect of disability awareness, accessibility and advocacy. All levels of expertise are addressed at many sessions, so don’t let intimidation or feelings of technical illiteracy keep you away.

There are also some social events you can attend. For example, The Paciello Group, WebAIM, Infoaxia, PayPal, The Center on Disabilities at CSUN, EZFire, OpenDirective, and CA Technologies will coordinate and sponsor a tweetup at the CSUN Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference. The tweetup will be held Thursday, February 28th at 6:00pm at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego. Additional details will be coming soon. The tweetup is open to all Twitter users, but attendees are asked to RSVP.

csuntweetup.com/

Finally, be sure to use the hashtag #CSUN13 when tweeting about the conference. Check back here throughout February, as I will be showcasing a few of the presenters you can look forward to seeing at the conference. Make your travel arrangements early, and I look forward to seeing you there. You can follow me at @Accessible_Info on Twitter, so tweet me up so we can meet!

2 Comments