Accessible Insights Blog

Hotkey help for ZoomText and Windows Live Writer users

Published January 17, 2011 by L. Legendary

If you have recently upgraded to Windows Live Essentials 2011 version, you may be baffled by the new interface. Programs such as Windows Live mail and Windows Live Writer now feature the "ribbon" design menus, instead of the familiar pull-down style menus. If you use a screen reader such as Zoomtext, you may have already found the new design to be frustrating. Below is a list of hotkeys, taken directly from the WLW site, which will prove useful when you transition to the newest version.

I have already discovered a hotkey combination that directly conflicts with one of the Zoomtext hotkey combinations. It is the "set categories" shortcut, CTRL+SHFT+C. A half-dozen or so of my blog posts were published without appropriate categories, because I was unable to figure out how to add or set categories in the new Live Writer version. Each time I chose the hotkeys to do this, Zoomtext enabled the "color enhancements" feature. This conflict made it impossible to add categories to my posts, which disorganized my blog. To disable this particular hotkey group in Zoomtext, invoke the zoomtext user interface, select the settings menu, then select hotkeys. the default selection in the hotkeys menu is "all hotkeys." Simply scroll down to the color enhancements menu item and then tab to the "disable hotkey" button. If you wish to retain the color enhancements toggle, you can easily reassign a modifier key so as to avoid conflicts.

In the list that follows, I marked the hotkey conflict with an "*." If you find others, please submit a comment.

Windows Live Writer keyboard shortcuts:

Create a new post
Ctrl+N

Create new page
Ctrl+G

Open a post
Ctrl+O

Save a post
Ctrl+S

Publish a post
Ctrl+Shift+P

Post draft to blog
Ctrl+Shift+D

Insert hyperlink
Ctrl+K

Add picture from computer
Ctrl+J

Add picture from the web
Ctrl+Shift+J

See post properties
F2

Set categories*
Ctrl+Shift+C

Update blog theme
Ctrl+F11

Change to edit view
F11

Change to preview view
F12

Change to source view
Shift+F11

Text formatting shortcuts

Bold
Ctrl+B

Italicize
Ctrl+I

Strikethrough
Ctrl+H

Underline
Ctrl+U

Subscript
Ctrl+=

Superscript
Ctrl+Shift+=

Bullets
Ctrl+Shift+L

Clear formatting
Ctrl+Space

Center text
Ctrl+E

Align text left
Ctrl+L

Align text right
Ctrl+R

New paragraph
Ctrl+Shift+N

Heading 1
Ctrl+Left Alt+1

Heading 2
Ctrl+Left Alt+2

Heading 3
Ctrl+Left Alt+3

Heading 4
Ctrl+Left Alt+4

Heading 5
Ctrl+Left Alt+5

Heading 6
Ctrl+Left Alt+6

Set text direction from left to right
(Only available in RTL mode)

Ctrl+Left Shift

Set text direction from right to left
(Only available in RTL mode)
Ctrl+Right Shift

General shortcuts

Cut
Ctrl+X

Copy
Ctrl+C

Paste
Ctrl+V

Paste special
Ctrl+Left Alt+V

Select all
Ctrl+A

Find
Ctrl+F

Undo
Ctrl+Z

Redo
Ctrl+Y

Print
Ctrl+P

Show or hide ribbon
Ctrl+F1

Get Help for Writer
F1

Happy blogging…

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Improve your writing with an old gem made modern

Published January 15, 2011 by L. Legendary

For bloggers and amateur writers, especially those who are somewhat, um, removed from English Comp in middle or high school, crafting your message with surgical precision can be frustrating. I just finished reading a book that I cannot recommend highly enough. If you are a writer who wishes to improve your technique yet who cringes at the thought of returning to school, this is a great read. You may recall from the aforementioned school that a textbook called "The Elements of Style" was used in many English composition classes. If you want to take a quick refresher course on the subject, get this book and read it again. You will be amazed, as was I, at how much you will benefit. After finishing the book, I immediately returned to page one and began rereading. So inspiring is this little book that I have now embarked upon a reading binge consisting entirely of books about writing.

It is hard to find the time to join a writing club, take a college course through an extension or online program, or to find a teacher willing to regularly critique or correct your work. This short text is the next best thing. I bought my copy from Audible.com. Getting the book in audio format is advantageous for several reasons. One reason is the convenience for commuters and people with print disabilities. another reason this alternative format is useful is that the reader is encouraged to use his or her ears as a scalpel when editing. It is valuable to hear the provided examples, along with the rules for effective English usage. Further, the notion of listening to your composition as you revise your drafts makes use of my own writing secret weapon.

At first, you may believe it to be a tip benefiting only writers who are blind, but I assure you my secret will benefit anyone. give it a try. It is simply a twist on the old advice to read your work aloud. My secret is that I use a screen reader to read aloud everything that happens on the computer. A person who is blind and who uses a computer must do so with the aid of this assistive tool. Menus, icons, error messages, dialogue boxes, email, and word processing documents are read aloud by a text-to-speech reader. The screen readers specifically for people who are blind are in most cases prohibitively expensive, but you can find simpler and cheaper text-to-speech readers that are not necessarily meant to be accessible for blind PC users.

How will this improve your writing? If you do not have a friend at hand each time you complete a draft, or you have difficulty in reading aloud while maintaining aural objectivity, the synthesized voice will be a helpful means by which to hear your prose. Now I depend entirely on my hearing to revise my work, but I remember from earlier sighted days that there seemed to be a point at which I could no longer reliably look at my text and catch the mistakes. I would often overlook punctuation and grammar errors, simply because I had reviewed the work countless times with fatigued eyes, thus diminishing accuracy.

Here’s the link to the book in audio:

The Elements of Style, revised.

Do you have a favorite book on writing to suggest? I’ll be glad to post your recommendations below. For me, writing is a great pleasure in life, partly because unlike life, I can edit, revise or delete the unacceptable. Beautiful.

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President signs pedestrian safety enhancement act

Published January 6, 2011 by L. Legendary

Technorati Tags: Accessible travel,safety,press release,NFB

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Chris Danielsen

Director of Public Relations

National Federation of the Blind

(410) 659-9314, extension 2330

(410) 262-1281 (Cell)

cdanielsen@nfb.org

President Signs Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act
Washington, D.C. (January 5, 2011): The National Federation of the Blind today commended President Barrack Obama for signing into law the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act (S. 841), which will protect the blind and other pedestrians from injury as a result of silent vehicle technology.

“The National Federation of the Blind is pleased that this critical legislation has been signed into law, preserving the right to safe and independent travel for the blind,” said Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind. “The blind, like all pedestrians, must be able to travel to work, to school, to church, and to other places in our communities, and we must be able to hear vehicles in order to do so. This law, which is the result of collaboration among blind Americans, automobile manufacturers, and legislators, will benefit all pedestrians for generations to come as new vehicle technologies become more prevalent. We look forward to working with the Department of Transportation throughout the regulatory process.”

Because blind pedestrians cannot locate and evaluate traffic using their vision, they must listen to traffic to discern its speed, direction, and other attributes in order to travel safely and independently. Other people, including pedestrians who are not blind, bicyclists, runners, and small children, also benefit from hearing the sound of vehicle engines. New vehicles that employ hybrid or electric engine technology can be silent, rendering them extremely dangerous in situations where vehicles and pedestrians come into proximity with each other.

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On giving gifts of assistive tech or adaptive aids: Take this poll

Published December 15, 2010 by L. Legendary

As a follow up to the previous post on what to consider when giving gifts of assistive technology or adaptive aids, take this quick poll. If you have any of your own suggestions as to how to help a senior or person with a disability to overcome barriers associated with AT devices, feel free to share your thoughts.

[poll id=”5″]

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Tips for giving assistive technology gifts

Published December 13, 2010 by L. Legendary

For any of my readers who are not visually impaired, you may be wondering if giving a friend or loved one who has vision loss a gift of low vision equipment, (or "assistive technology" as it is called), is an appropriate gift. I can understand your concern. On the one hand, some of the best gifts are those that make someone’s life better or easier, on the other hand, you may be afraid that this type of gift might be received in much the same way as a book about dieting might be. In other words, you don’t want to insult someone, especially if the recipient is really struggling with the emotional aspects of their vision loss. You might be worried that giving this sort of gift would be acknowledging circumstances that the individual him or herself may not yet be ready or willing to acknowledge.

While you may be thinking that buying a friend this type of gift is about as exciting as giving a housewife a vacuum cleaner, consider your intention along with the particular needs of the recipient to make it a gift that keeps on giving. Here are a few tips that may help you to identify the right gift for your special recipient.

Educate yourself. When it comes to assistive products, there is no one size fits all solution. You may not realize, for example, that different types of vision loss manifests differently in different people. Someone who has retinopathy does not literally see the world in exactly the same way as does a person who has macular degeneration. Therefore, it might be a good idea to take the time to identify the specific needs of your gift recipient. Learning a bit about how their particular disability affects them in day-to-day, real-world ways can help you to choose the most practical solution that is most effective and beneficial for them, as opposed to the latest whiz-bang gadget or gizmo.

examine the packaging. If you are giving a gift to a senior or a person who has a physical disability which may make it difficult to manage the product packaging, the impact of your gift may be lost if the recipient can’t get to it. Look for "frustration free" packaging, or simply prepare the gift in advance if you will be unable to be present at the time it’s opened. remove plastic ties or shrink wrap, slice open the bubble plastic so that the container is easy to handle (you can secure it with easier to manage clear tape), and check out the included instructions. If the gift recipient has low or no vision, and the instructions are printed on paper, your recipient will not be able to enjoy the gift if they do not possess the technology to scan and read the directions. Take the time to record the instructions on tape, or provide them in some alternative format so that it is accessible to the recipient. This extra step is part of the gift, and will be most appreciated.

Add the value of you. If your friend or loved one is having a hard time coping with their changing circumstances, make the discovery of assistive technology a shared experience. Learn alongside your loved one. this will not only reduce the intimidation factor of what they perceive to be a complicated process, but the shared experience will benefit you both.

Ask someone who would know. Do you know someone else who has the same disability as your gift recipient? If so, ask their opinion. Is this the best version of this particular product? Is it compatible with their current technology or equipment? Is the product or gadget as effective as you believe it could be? Will it do what the manufacturer says it will do? Is there a more or less feature-rich version of this gift that would be more appropriate? If you do not know someone who shares your loved one’s disability, go online and seek accessibility consultants or experts who will be glad to help. there is far more information available than you may realize. If you’ve come this far, it’s easy to continue to seek help. Just type "assistive technology gifts" or "low vision aids" into your favorite search engine, and explore the results. You’ll be amazed at the choices. You might even discover that instead of buying an expensive gadget, there are innumerable ways to make existing items more accessible for people with disabilities. Sometimes, keeping things simple can be the best solution of all.

One word of caution. When it comes to the notion of improving a person’s quality of life, ask yourself if you are really the best judge of what that is. Sometimes, there can exist a very fine line between the desire to help and the desire to control. Consider, for example how you might feel if someone concluded that your life was inadequate, and imposed all sorts of solutions that you did not want or need? What if, say your real estate agent decided that you didn’t need such a big house, it is unnecessary, and therefore you will only be shown one bedroom houses? Keep in mind that there are still people out there who fail to see the necessity of a computer or a cell phone. As foreign an idea as that may be to you, they do not feel their life is any worse for the lack.

On the other hand, a person who has a disability might really appreciate your contribution to what would otherwise be a purchase that is financially prohibitive. The market for assistive tech gadgets is far smaller than that of the market for say, the latest hand-held device that has an "i" in front of the name. Consequently, assistive products specifically for people with disabilities can be far more expensive than the mass-market counterparts. If you are considering a gift certificate, check out the online retailers who specialize in these products. Most offer gift certificates, and will even accept phone orders, which may be preferable for someone who does not yet have an accessible PC.

Good communication and a little extra investigation will yield the best gifts that your friend or loved one will use and enjoy, and you may give the best gift of all…the gift of love of learning, new experiences and fresh insights as to the exciting possibilities that await.

”

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How to bring home the season to seniors

Published December 8, 2010 by L. Legendary

For many, the holiday season can be a difficult time under the best of circumstances. Stress, brought on by increased demands on your time, errands to run, packages to mail and a long list of loved ones you hope to make happy, can rob you of your feelings of peace and harmony. It’s easy to forget yourself, feel run down, catch that seasonal bug and feel frustrated that you cannot seem to get on top of your tasks. Then, melancholy can set in. Remembering those who should be with you but who are not, family traditions broken by distance or divorce can leave you feeling an inexplicable sense of emptiness or loss. While the holidays are billed as the "most wonderful time of the year," you might find yourself asking, "What’s so wonderful about it?"

First, know that you are not alone. If you look around, you’ll find company in many others who try to paste on a smile, grit their teeth and just hope to get through it. If you look even closer, you’ll find that a large group of individuals who share your feelings are seniors and people with disabilities.

Loneliness, borne out of isolation, can keep even the most optimistic among us from feeling as though we are connected to events and other people. It’s hard to enjoy the holidays when we feel as though we have no one to enjoy them with. Celebrating the holidays exclusively FOR the benefit of children, or solely to fulfill the expectations of others can be draining. We all need to feel a sense of belonging, to have people in our lives with whom we feel connected and by whom we are acknowledged. People with disabilities and the elderly are often marginalized in our culture, if not forgotten altogether. Here are just a few ways you can bring some of the delights of the season to someone who is alone and isolated. In doing so, you may discover that your own spirits lift; the gift you receive when you give of yourself.

Take a senior for a spin. Bring a blanket, a thermos of hot chocolate, some snacks, a few holiday CD’s and pile into the car. Go out for a while touring your community’s holiday light displays. This will get that senior out of the house without subjecting them to any strenuous walking or uncomfortable visiting.

Savor the sounds of the season. Whether you sing along or simply sit, bring a senior to a holiday concert. Programs performed by children may be especially charming for an older person, although they may prefer music performed by a church choir or favorite musical group.

Bring the holiday home. Help a senior to decorate their home, even if it’s just to place a tabletop tree near the television or on a side table so that it’s easily seen. Offer to help with tasks such as addressing and mailing holiday cards or gift wrapping. If an older person is too intimidated to work a stereo or CD player, or doesn’t own one, bring yours over for an evening of hot cider and sweet treats and music. Or, find their radio, set it to one of those radio stations that play only holiday music all season, and mark the ‘on" button so a senior with failing eyesight can find it.

Take them in shopping. Not OUT shopping, IN shopping. If a senior or person with a disability cannot go out to shop, or they just don’t have the stamina to fight the crowds, bring over your laptop or phone and help them shop online. Even if they cannot give gifts to their entire family, you can help them to purchase a gift basket or gourmet food item for a family gathering. This way, they will know that they have made a contribution that will be appreciated and enjoyed by everyone.

Make a love connection. Set up your webcam and Skype software so that they can visit "face to face" with loved ones across the country. If a senior is unable to travel, connecting them to their children or granchildren in this way brings the magic of technology home in a way that is real and practical for them. Fire up your laptop and let the love begin.

Party hearty. Well, within reason. Find out if a local senior center is hosting a holiday lunch or gift exchange, and bring a lonely senior to spend the afternoon among peers. The festive atmosphere can help them to connect with others, make friends and could even motivate them to get out a little more.

Strengthen spirit. Some municipalities do not offer public transportation services on weekends. Offer to take a home-bound friend or neighbor to their spiritual services of choice. Many religious organizations provide special events, meals and programs just for their elderly parishioners.

These are just a few tips to get you started. Keep in mind that for seniors living in a facility such as assisted living or a group home, the reason they are there may be because close relatives are unavailable. If a senior is in a nursing home for the first time, the unfamiliar surroundings may contribute to increased feelings of loneliness or homesickness. Perhaps they have lost siblings, friends of their own, or they have recently lost their spouse. Even if a senior is living at home, those first holidays alone can be extremely difficult. Consider how you can help a person who is disabled or elderly to connect with a shared event like a holiday. By reaching out, you can inspire in others a renewed interest in life and an increased desire to be a part of it. Bring home for a senior the sights, sounds and sentiments of the season and you’ll be giving a gift to yourself, too.

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Holiday tunes that will make you laugh. Let’s lighten up!

Published December 2, 2010 by L. Legendary

The holiday season seems to require a great deal of us. Sometimes it can be awfully hard to find the joy in any of it. For reasons of our own, the holiday time can be everything from slightly stressful to deeply depressing. Therefore, I say let’s enjoy a little levity. If you refuse to laugh, can we at least share a smile? A little irreverence is the spice of life.

This first Hanukkah tune is called “Candlelight,” performed by the Maccabeats. Got to love the creativity in the group’s name. this one was new to me, thanks to tweep Marcella (@Abadi_Access)..

Candlelight

Here’s the classic Adam Sandler tune. Still cracks me up.

The Hanukkah Song

Have you ever really listened to the lyrics in the song “Mr. Grinch,” from the Dr. Suess TV special “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”? Absolutely hilarious. The vocal inflection is priceless.

You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch

This next one isn’t for the faint of heart, but it’s the favorite of a friend of mine, who insisted it be included. You won’t be able to help yourself. You’ll laugh.

The Twelve Days of Kwanza

This last one is so vulgar, I have to flag it as a “for mature audiences only” entry. Still, I can’t get through it without laughing so hard I miss some of it. It’s the classic South Park video, “The Spirit of Christmas".” Don’t turn up the volume if you’re at work. Enjoy.

The Spirit of Christmas

Okay, now it’s time to take requests. Either submit a link to your own holiday parody, or write a title or lyrics of your own. I’ll start. How about a song about the hassles of the holidays, and all the things you must remember to do? I call it, “Oh, Holy Crap.”

Your turn!

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Great gifting ideas for your donation dollars

Published November 30, 2010 by L. Legendary

Each year at this time, we seem to be faced with an endless list of choices to make about everything imaginable. Where to spend the holiday? Which grandparents or parents do we visit this Thanksgiving? Do we fly? Drive? what gifts do we buy, and for whom? What’s our budget? What to fix for holiday dinner? Do we go to the office party? What to wear, whom to bring, when to leave? It goes on and on. Somehow we all volunteer for an annual overdose of adrenaline and stress hormones. One decision we may also be considering is where to make the donations that will make best use of the scant dollars we may have to give. I have a few suggestions for you to consider, perhaps just a bit out of the ordinary, but I hope you’ll give these ideas a look.

If you do not normally click on those “donate” boxes on the web sites you frequent, make this year a first. We all benefit from free apps, web sites, software downloads and all sorts of pro bono information, so why not send the developers a few dollars? I know it’s easy to just drop your pocket change into a bucket on your way into the store, but giving what you can to all those developers who work hard to produce a product that increases your productivity, makes your pages more interesting or interactive, or makes your life a little easier or just a bit more fun deserve some love, too. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but it all adds up, and I think sometimes we take all that free stuff for granted. the creative imagination required to craft and develop, market and maintain the high quality products we enjoy in such a competitive field is worthy of your few pesoss, isn’t it?

Another of my favorite ways to donate is anonymously. Have you ever wanted to help out a friend or family member, but didn’t want to insult them, damage your relationship or bruise their dignity by offering? Giving Anon is the best way to send money to someone you choose to be the recipient of a monetary gift, without ever having to reveal your identity. You still receive the pleasure of their gratitude by way of a recorded message, thanking you for your generosity and sharing how your gift will be used. Yet, they will not know you are their benefactor. I just love that. Go here: Giving anonymously.

Check out their new “Giving Widget” that allows you to add a button to your web site or blog to raise money for yourself or your favorite cause.

Help bring home the holidays to seniors or those who are isolated. Use your gifts as a tech-savvy Samaritan to set up a web cam and Skype center so that they can chat “face to face” with loved ones. You do all the work, they just sit down and let the love begin. That’s one way you can make a difference even if you don’t have a dime to spare. Use what you have at your disposal to bring joy to others.

Finally, teach someone to fish. You know, “better to teach a man to fish than to give a man a fish.” Or, words to that effect. Teach someone whom you may know to be technically intimidated how to use some gadget or gizmo that you just know will make their lives better or easier. Whether it’s a friend, a relative or a complete stranger, the knowledge you think of as just the ho-hum minutiae of your every day can unlock a new world of possibilities for someone who let tech pass them by.

These are just a few ideas to think about as you ruminate on the best way to use your donation dollars this year. Got other great ways to give? Share!

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Pride goeth before a profile: Examine behavior, not body parts

Published November 20, 2010 by L. Legendary

As our nation becomes increasingly aware of the new and extremely controversial "naked body scanners" and "enhanced pat-down" procedures at our airport security stations, it’s time to ask ourselves some hard questions and acknowledge the elephant in the room. In this case, the purple pachyderm is our apparent refusal, under any circumstances, to consider profiling as an effective means by which to enhance air travel security. To say that our attitude is one of political correctness doesn’t go far enough. To me, it is more accurate to describe the current invasive security measures as posing, posturing and some pretty good theater. Further, we seem to be unable to move past perception and pride. We seem more concerned about how we might be viewed by other nations than we are concerned about real safety. What would be the result if we accepted reality and instituted profiling?

The answer to that depends upon the type of profiling we use. Here’s why racial profiling would be no more effective than the "pat-down or peepshow," as I’ve been calling it. None of these methods work because they do not address the underlying cause of the problem. We must treat the disease, not just the symptoms. Our prescription pad mentality does not acknowledge that there is a person at the core of every act of terror. In the case of the body scanners, they do not detect all of the materials used to make explosives. Second, they do not detect what has been inserted or implanted or ingested. Finally, each new threat requires a retool of our system, dictating incrementally more invasive measures.

The same is true, however, of racial profiling. Right now, we know who our enemy is, but that may not always be the case. Desperation and isolation from the mainstream can leave any person from any walk of life vulnerable to criminality. Racial profiling fails to address the potential for recruitment of other nationalities, including Americans. What if the next bomber is a middle-aged, blonde, blue-eyed American woman? So much for the racial profile.

The problem with the racial profile is that it assumes a commonality: Race. That is why it will not work.

However, there IS a commonality that we can exploit through a different kind of profiling: Behavioral profiling.

Not all terrorists look Middle Eastern, but all terrorists are criminals, and criminals behave in very specific ways that a trained, skilled profiler can detect. We must seek to examine the behavior of the flying public rather than seek to examine our private parts. It is criminal behavior that is the common thread of criminals, and a behavioral profile along with other security measures will prove to be a more effective and less invasive solution.

Ultimately, though, we must accept reality. The reality is that at any time the technology of terror may be sufficiently advanced so as not to require human participation. I suppose it is that way now, if you consider the possibility of a shoulder launched missile, or the currently favored roadside devices used in Iraq and Afghanistan. Besides, there’s always our water supply.

We cannot allow ourselves to be ruled by fear. We are losing the psychological war here. We are also losing the perception war, which has other nations laughing at us for our ineptitude. We must overcome our pride and abandon political correctness, if we are going to truly be secure. Perhaps the widely-held sentiment that the events of September 11th, 2001, was a loss of our nation’s innocence was only the beginning of a rude awakening: We must stop living in a child-like dream world where our government protects us from all calamities. It is simply not possible, we must face our mortality, embrace our manifest destiny, and accept reality with our eyes wide open. Behavioral profiling is the proactive and effective approach we need. Terrorists have successfully managed to alter the behavior of the entire American flying public. Turnabout is fair play. Now, that would be something to be proud of.

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