Staying Connected in a Virtual World
Although there is a wealth of technology currently available, the experience of using online platforms may vary for visually impaired persons as some of these platforms are not yet designed for use by the widest possible audience. Many improvements are still yet to be made on major social media platforms and websites.
Technology & Talking Devices
- talkingmp3players.com – a website that sells talking mobile devices affordably
- blindbargains.com – a website that specializes in the latest deals, news, and reviews for the blind and visually impaired. It also features the latest news from technology and deals on useful products, audio content and an array of useful resources.
Apps
- MAVERICK – a local money recognition app developed through a partnership with PAVI and theUWI’s Faculty of Engineering
- Mobi Assist—a local project which when completed would help persons with visual impairment to safely navigate the streets
- TapTapSee (taptapseeapp.com) – a photography app for the visually impaired
- TapTapSee offers identification services using a combination of computer databases and paid, web workers, was developed from the ground up to be used by those with visual impairments. The app is available through the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. Snap a photo of anything from a piece of fruit to a swimming pool and if TapTapSee cannot identify it using its image database, the image will be passed along to a human worker, who will send back a succinct description, such as “an apple,” or “three people swimming near a diving board.”
- VizWiz (vizwiz.org) – an iPhone app that allows blind users to receive quick answers to questions about their surroundings
- Google Goggles
- Visually impaired persons can use the Google Goggles app for Android to not only scan and voice UPC barcodes and QR codes, but also identify most currencies. In addition to these helpful functions, Google Goggles can also identify much more, using a database that contains millions of product photos, along with images of landmarks, works of art,city skylines, etc. Snap a photo and the app will do its best to match it to one of these images, then present the results on screen, where users can review the results with the TalkBack screen reader.
- The Apple iOS version of Google Goggles has been discontinued, but if users have an iDevice, they can still take advantage of the extensive Google image database. A different app, Talking Goggles, available for bothAndroid and iOS, uses the same image database to identify items. Both Google Goggles and Talking Goggles do an excellent job of identifying pantry items, such as a jar of pasta sauce, or a box of Wheaties. They can even identify snippets of text, then use optical character recognition to convert the image into readable text. The apps will not be 100-percent accurate all the time, but, even so, they can be quite useful to identify a DVD jewel case, a book or magazine title, or to help sort the junk mail from bills and personal letters.
Skype
Assistive features help people with disabilities navigate and control their device as well as get better access to online content.
The following is a list of devices with supported accessibility features available for Skype:
- Skype for Windows desktop (Windows 8)
- Narrator screen reader enables visually impaired persons to use their computer or other device as its purpose is to read text on the screen aloud. Skype for Windows desktop and Skype for Windows 8 may also work well with third-party screen readers such as NVDA (free download) and JAWS.
- High-contrast settings benefit low vision users and users with little or no color perception as it makes text easier to read.
- Magnifier is a feature intended for low vision users as it enlarges the screen and makes text easier to read and images easier to see.
- Skype for Mac
- VoiceOver built-in screen reader enables blind people to use their computer or other device.
- Invert colors or increase/decrease contrast settings benefit low vision users and users with little or no color perception.
- Zoom content is intended for low vision users.
Websites and Social Media
- comicsempower.com – a website that showcases comic books for the visually impaired
- easychirp.com –a web-accessible alternative to the Twitter.com website. It is designed to be simple to use and is optimized for people who are disabled. It also works with keyboard-only, older browser such as IE8, lowband internet connection and without JavaScript.
- q-continuum.net/chicken_nugget/ – a fast and powerful Twitter Client for Windows. It works extremely well with screen readers, and makes all aspects of Twitter accessible to the blind