The abacus has had a rich history lasting over two thousand years. Ancient merchants needed a way to count things and make calculations. The Asian abaci are the most well known today, both Chinese and Japanese models still exist. The Japanese model has one row of beads with a separation bar and then four more … Continue reading How the abacus, though low tech, became and still remains a very useful tool for those who are blind doing math
Category: accessibility
My experiences observing lunar eclipses as a blind person, using the BrainPort artificial vision device
Since I was a kid I've heard people comment on the moon when it was full, and when in grade school my class would take a field trip to the high school I would later attend where the rest of them would be given a show in a planetarium. I thought it was pretty cool, … Continue reading My experiences observing lunar eclipses as a blind person, using the BrainPort artificial vision device
How hyper local weather forecasts are especially useful to me as a totally blind person
Walks before Dark Sky I like to go for walks for exercise, but back in the day before apps that had weather information telling-me when it would rain, i often skipped walks if i thought it would rain. I even would go out and ask several random people when it would rain and got answers … Continue reading How hyper local weather forecasts are especially useful to me as a totally blind person
How some features in Apple’s AirPods Max are a huge game changer and seamlessly fit into the workflows of VoiceOver users
Many articles have been written about how the AirPods max sound, good or bad, this post isn't at all about that. Some times there is a feature in a product that flies under most of our radars. For most of us, this feature is either never used or never thought about. For some though, it … Continue reading How some features in Apple’s AirPods Max are a huge game changer and seamlessly fit into the workflows of VoiceOver users
How micro automations attached to VoiceOver’s commanders save me lots of time and key presses
In the majority of cases, , technology exists to speed up a task one finds themselves doing often, thus improving one's life. Many of us now use computers, which do many things faster than we possibly could ever do by ourselves. Recently I wrote about adding keyboard shortcuts to macOS apps. In the podcast Automators … Continue reading How micro automations attached to VoiceOver’s commanders save me lots of time and key presses
Live Text, new in iOS 15 is amazing, but it took us 45 years of technical advancements to get there.
Live text is awesome, it just took us a long time, 45 years, to get there. Like many kids, my parents read a lot to me when I was young; but because I am totally blind, they probably read to me way later into my life than most. Even when I was in college, Mom … Continue reading Live Text, new in iOS 15 is amazing, but it took us 45 years of technical advancements to get there.
A conceptual introduction for sighted readers on how VoiceOver works
On January 9th, 2007, Steve Jobs first announced the iPhone. Many people including my friend Dr. Nathan Klapoetke were very excited about it and couldn't wait to buy one. That day, Nathan was reinstalling windows for me as there was no real practical way to do that yet with a screen reader. While Nathan ranted … Continue reading A conceptual introduction for sighted readers on how VoiceOver works
How to add, and quickly switch between what language VoiceOver is currently speaking on your iOS device
I remember hearing Deane Blazie once demo a Braille 'n Speak in Spanish, and thinking that was really cool. Later I bought a $100 add on, so my Braille Lite would speak Portuguese, but things then were way different than now. You had to completely reflash the firmware, there was no way to switch languages … Continue reading How to add, and quickly switch between what language VoiceOver is currently speaking on your iOS device
How along with quality sound, Apple’s AirPods Max are the most efficient BlueTooth headset for VoiceOver users
June 15 2021 When Apple released their AirPods Max headset last December, many complained they were way over priced. I can't disagree, even though I did buy a pair with the help of some birthday and Christmas money. Now after 6 months, I have to say I have never regretted buying them. No, they aren't … Continue reading How along with quality sound, Apple’s AirPods Max are the most efficient BlueTooth headset for VoiceOver users
My thoughts on how productivity is way more portable than in the past, but how annoyingly some non-visual features only appear on products with larger screens
Posted on December 13, 2019 Johan Sebastian Bach probably wished he'd had a better way to work on his "Musikalisches Opfer", "A Musical Offering" when he traveled back home to Leipzig from visiting King Frederick the great of Prussia near Berlin in 1747. Ok, he probably instead really wished for something faster and more comfortable than a … Continue reading My thoughts on how productivity is way more portable than in the past, but how annoyingly some non-visual features only appear on products with larger screens
Accessibility Insights 