Tech Tips
Best smart home systems for a connected domicile
Best smart home systems for a connected domicile by Christopher Null, Freelance Contributor, TechHive on May 1, 2018 Your home is only as smart as the hub that orchestrates everything behind the scenes. Whether you want a generalist automation kit or a security-savvy alarm system, these DIY tools are the best of the bunch. From smart light…
Read MoreHow to Use VoiceOver Image Descriptions With Your iPhone Photos
Follow this guide to add and listen to image descriptions for photos and other images on an iPhone. Apple introduced a new feature in iOS 15 that allows users to add image descriptions to their photos that can be read by VoiceOver. VoiceOver is an important accessibility feature that allows blind and low vision users…
Read MoreTop 20 Apps For People With Low Vision – From the Carroll Center Tech Fair
At the end of 2020, the Carroll Center Virtual Technology Fair took place. One of the many valuable pieces of information presented was the Must Have Apps of 2020, to help people with low vision. In case you missed it….. With a seemingly endless number of apps available in the App Store, it can…
Read MoreDoug’s …did you know… Favorite feature of ZoomText
Do you want to know one of my most favorite features of ZoomText? “Route Pointer over the Active Control” What does it do? It automatically moves the pointer to menu items and dialog controls when they receive focus. Why is this important? When you are using ZoomText and magnification is turned on, the entire screen…
Read MoreHumanWare Buddy App
A New Update Has Arrived! Bring in your buddies to complete lessons with the HumanWare Buddy App! The HumanWare Buddy App helps you find your way around each HumanWare product line with its comprehensive training and resource materials, all available in one place. The HumanWare Buddy App also pushes notifications to allow you to stay…
Read MoreHaving trouble reading restaurant menus?
When my father had advanced dry AMD (also called geographic atrophy) between 2005 and 2012, going out to eat was a problem for him, and as a result, a problem for those with him. He would have my mother put his reading glasses and a lighted magnifying glass in her purse. Much of the time,…
Read MoreMichelle Perkins Recommends this Talkback Guide
Michelle Perkins, Senior Assistive Technology Specialist & Trainer at New England Low Vision and Blindness recommends this quick reference guide when teaching the Android in an Apple world. Michelle suggests that if you are teaching someone who is visually impaired and or using TalkBack, this young lady has some very informative YouTube Videos. Live Accessible. …
Read MoreApple’s head of accessibility on the company’s determination to make gadgets that work for everyone
How Apple ensures its tech and services work for everyone, regardless of their needs As one of the world’s premier tech companies, Apple has a whole lot of people using its products around the world. Earlier this year, CEO Tim Cook confirmed there were in fact 1.4 billion active Apple devices, including iPhones, iPods, Macs,…
Read MoreTips and tricks to start your new year right with Alexa
After a record-breaking holiday season for Amazon Devices, we’ve compiled a few tips and tricks from someone who knows how to make your homework harder for you. Customers worldwide purchased tens of millions Amazon Devices this holiday—and they’ll be getting set up heading into 2020. Customers love their devices for features like timers, weathers, music,…
Read MoreOther Tools for Accessible Identification
As we mentioned in the last section of this guide, you can use both UPCs and QR codes to help with identifying consumer products and any other items you might care to tag. But what if the item is not tagged with either a UPC or QR code? Happily, there are other mobile resources you…
Read MoreUsing UPC Bar Codes and Quick Response (QR) Codes for Accessible Identification
For several decades, the Universal Product Code (UPC)—a strip of vertical black bars with white spaces printed on product packages—has helped speed our way through checkout lines, where cashiers use special laser wands to scan the codes. Each UPC (also commonly referred to as a “bar code”) corresponds to a unique 12-digit number that is…
Read MoreIdentifying US Currency For People Who Are Visually Impaired
The United States is the only country that prints all denominations of currency in the same size. The US and Switzerland are the only two countries that use the same colors for all of their various bills. Needless to say, this sameness of size and color make it impossible for a blind person to locate…
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