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All the exciting news from the programs and personalities of the Canadian Council of the Blind
Episodes
Friday Oct 11, 2019
Friday Oct 11, 2019
Get Together with Technology (GTT)
Sponsored by the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB)
GTT is an exciting initiative of the Canadian Council of the Blind, founded in Ottawa in 2011 by Kim Kilpatrick and Ellen Goodman. GTT aims to help people who are blind or have low vision in their exploration of low vision and blindness related access technology. Through involvement with GTT participants can learn from and discuss assistive technology with others walking the same path of discovery.
GTT is made up of blindness related assistive technology users, and those who have an interest in using assistive technology designed to help blind and vision impaired people level the playing field. GTT groups interact through social media, and periodically meet in-person or by teleconference to share their passions for assistive technology and to learn what others can offer from their individual perspectives.
Show Notes:
On June 25, 2019 Albert Ruel demonstrated the use of the Rotor with Voice Over for effectively and efficiently accessing information from websites using iOS devices. A discussion of the Reader View available in the Safari Browser was also undertaken with a view to accessing just the text of articles rather than pages of advertising, links and other navigation controls.
Additional Resources:
Bluetooth Keyboard Commands are listed here:
Logitech Bluetooth Keyboard K380:
Web Browsing using the Rotor with Safari:
- Using both touch gestures on the iOS screen and the Logitech Bluetooth keyboard K380.
- Voice Over and Safari on iOS, iPod iPad and iPhone with the latest version of iOS 12.
- The rotor was used when web browsing to access Headings, Links, Form Fields, Edit Options, Text Selection, Characters, Words, Lines, Buttons and Tables.
- To turn the Rotor to the above movement units move two fingers across the screen in opposite directions, or use the thumb and forefinger to mimic the turning of a knob. To do this on a Bluetooth keyboard press both the left and up arrow buttons to turn the Rotor to the left and use the right and up arrow buttons to move it to the right.
- Once a movement unit is selected, a one-finger flick up will move to the previous item and a one-finger flick down will move to the next item. To do that with a Bluetooth keyboard press the up and down arrow buttons respectively.
Reader View Button in the Safari Browser:
- The Reader View button is located at the very top of Safari on the left-hand side of the page and looks like a button with squiggly lines.
To access it perform a four-finger single tap near the top of the screen to bring focus to the top, or hold down the Control key and press the up arrow button.
- To activate and de-activate the Reader View button one-finger double tap it, or press the up and down arrow buttons together. When the Reader View button is activated it strips out most links, advertisements and other junk from a webpage.
- Voice Over will announce that Reader View is available once a web page is loaded.
- Reader View in Safari can be activated when accessing any website where it is available, or it can be programmed to automatically activate when all web pages are accessed, or just specific websites. To access the Automatic Reader View Menu, from the Reader View button perform a one-finger swipe up or press the up arrow, then one-finger double tap or press the up and down arrow buttons to activate the Menu. Use a one-finger swipe to the right or the right arrow button to examine the menu and one-finger double tap or press the up and down arrow buttons together to activate your desired option.
- Low vision configuration is available once Reader View is activated by one-finger double tapping or pressing the up and down arrow buttons on the keyboard on the Reader Appearance Options button to the right of the Address Bar. Swipe to the right or use the right arrow button to examine the list of options and one-finger double tap or press the up and down arrow buttons together to select desired items.
General Touch Screen Gestures:
- On all web pages, a one-finger swipe to the right, or pressing the Write arrow button will move focus to the next item, and a swipe to the left, or pressing the left arrow button will move to the previous item.
- To have Voice Over read from the top of the page perform a two-finger swipe up, or hold down the VO key and press the letter A. To have Voice Over read from the current position perform a two-finger swipe down or hold down the VO key and press the letter B.
- To pause and resume Voice Over’s reading of any document, email or web page perform a 2-finger single tap, or press and release the Control key. Both of the above gestures will toggle the reading functions on and off.
- Access Heading Navigation by turning to it with the Rotor, or holding down the VO key on a Bluetooth keyboard and typing the letter Q. VO + the letter Q will toggle it off again.
- Navigating by headings is the most important means of examining a web page, and once the desired section is found swiping to the right or pressing the right arrow buttons will move focus to the next item. Using Heading Navigation will avoid much of the junk at the top of web pages.
- Headings are like the chapter markers in a book. They are organized in a hierarchical numbering system with Level 1 Headings above Level 2 and so on. With VO + Q turned on pressing numbers 1 through 6 will move to those respective Level Headings.
- Every time a Google search is conducted in Safari there should be a Level 1 Heading titled: Search Results. Turn the Rotor to Headings then use a one-finger swipe down or press the down arrow button to locate the Search Results area, and eventually each of the results listed on the page.
- forefinger double tap on the iPhone screen will turn on keyboard help, this will enable you to test out key commands on the keyboard or swipes on the phone to hear descriptions of what that action will do when outside of keyboard help.
- To access the Status Bar at the top of the screen in any iOS device using a Bluetooth Keyboard hold down the Control key and the CapsLock key plus the letter M, then perform the same key command again to get out of the status bar.
Quick Navigation Keys:
- to turn quick navigation keys on/off use left and right arrow Keys at the same time.
- when typing into an edit field quick navigation keys are off.
- Having quick navigation keys On enables one to use the Rotor to access headings, Characters, Words, Lines and many other navigation elements.
- when the focus is on the address bar and it is clicked on you can assume that the text is selected and if using quick navigation it will turn off automatically so you can begin to type. Typing will replace the highlighted text.
- The Rotor elements called Vertical Navigation and Rows will allow you to move up and down columns when in a table rather than swiping right and left to go horizontally across the screen then wrapping around to the next line or row. This is useful on bank statements as an example.
For more information please contact your GTT Coordinators:
Albert Ruel or Kim Kilpatrick
1-877-304-0968,550 1-877-304-0968,513
albert.GTT@CCBNational.net GTTProgram@Gmail.com
CCB Backgrounder:
The CCB was founded in 1944 by a coalition of blind war veterans, schools of the blind and local chapters to create a national self-governing organization. The CCB was incorporated by Letters Patent on May 10, 1950 and is a registered charity under the provisions of the Income Tax Act (Canada).
The purpose of the CCB is to give people with vision loss a distinctive and unique perspective before governments. CCB deals with the ongoing effects of vision loss by encouraging active living and rehabilitation through peer support and social and recreational activities.
CCB promotes measures to conserve sight, create a close relationship with the sighted community and provide employment opportunities.
The CCB recognizes that vision loss has no boundaries with respect to gender, income, ethnicity, culture, other disabilities or age.
The CCB understands in many instances vision loss is preventable and sometimes is symptomatic of other health issues. For the 21st century, the CCB is committed to an integrated proactive health approach for early detection to improve the quality of life for all Canadians.
As the largest membership organization of the blind and partially sighted in Canada the CCB is the "Voice of the Blind™".
CCB National Office
100-20 James Street Ottawa ON K2P 0T6
Toll Free: 1-877-304-0968 Email: info@ccbnational.net URL: www.ccbnational.net
Sunday Oct 06, 2019
Sunday Oct 06, 2019
Get Together with Technology (GTT)
Sponsored by the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB)
GTT is an exciting initiative of the Canadian Council of the Blind, founded in Ottawa in 2011 by Kim Kilpatrick and Ellen Goodman. GTT aims to help people who are blind or have low vision in their exploration of low vision and blindness related access technology. Through involvement with GTT participants can learn from and discuss assistive technology with others walking the same path of discovery.
GTT is made up of blindness related assistive technology users, and those who have an interest in using assistive technology designed to help blind and vision impaired people level the playing field. GTT groups interact through social media, and periodically meet in-person or by teleconference to share their passions for assistive technology and to learn what others can offer from their individual perspectives.
Show Notes: June 12, 2019
Robert Felgar, CEO, Raz Mobility attended the GTT National Conference Call to tell us all about the Lucia talking cell phone that is now available for sale to Canadians.
- Lucia is an Accessible mobile phone for individuals who are visually impaired, blind, hard of hearing or seniors.
- Lucia is a user-friendly cell phone that allows persons who are disabled to remain independent.
- Advanced features such as accessible buttons in different colors and shapes, voice guide to transform the phone into a talking companion, ergonomic design, combined with long battery life, make this high-quality, Swiss-made phone the perfect mobile phone for users who are disabled.
- Lucia has a powerful battery and can operate for more than one week before requiring a charge (up to 7 days standby time and 10 hours of talking time).
- Lucia allows users who are blind to enter their own contacts and move through the contact list to hear the contact names read out loud.
- Low vision users benefit from extra large characters and can choose between various color schemes such as white on black or black on white display.
- For emergencies, the phone has a dedicated SOS button on its back.
- Easy to navigate menus with large and highly tactile buttons. The control buttons are different colors and shapes so that the user always presses the correct button.
- Speech interface guides the user while using the phone. It speaks everything that is on the screen, speaks the keys that are pressed and even prompts the user to perform certain functions. Caller ID, amount of remaining battery power, contacts, list of missed calls and text messages are read out loud by Lucia. The user can select between more than 10 different voices.
- Lucia is 100 percent accessible to individuals who are blind. Its features make it the perfect phone for individuals who are visually impaired, blind, hard of hearing or seniors.
- To assist people who are hard of hearing, the phone has a “sound boost” function that provides additional volume during phine calls with the press of a button. Lucia has premium speakers to maximize clarity and sound experience.
For more information please contact your GTT Coordinators:
Albert Ruel or Kim Kilpatrick
1-877-304-0968,550 1-877-304-0968,513
albert.GTT@CCBNational.net GTTProgram@Gmail.com
CCB Backgrounder:
The CCB was founded in 1944 by a coalition of blind war veterans, schools of the blind and local chapters to create a national self-governing organization. The CCB was incorporated by Letters Patent on May 10, 1950 and is a registered charity under the provisions of the Income Tax Act (Canada).
The purpose of the CCB is to give people with vision loss a distinctive and unique perspective before governments. CCB deals with the ongoing effects of vision loss by encouraging active living and rehabilitation through peer support and social and recreational activities.
CCB promotes measures to conserve sight, create a close relationship with the sighted community and provide employment opportunities.
The CCB recognizes that vision loss has no boundaries with respect to gender, income, ethnicity, culture, other disabilities or age.
The CCB understands in many instances vision loss is preventable and sometimes is symptomatic of other health issues. For the 21st century, the CCB is committed to an integrated proactive health approach for early detection to improve the quality of life for all Canadians.
As the largest membership organization of the blind and partially sighted in Canada the CCB is the "Voice of the Blind™".
CCB National Office
100-20 James Street Ottawa ON K2P 0T6
Toll Free: 1-877-304-0968 Email: info@ccbnational.net URL: www.ccbnational.net
Sunday Oct 06, 2019
Sunday Oct 06, 2019
Get Together with Technology (GTT)
Sponsored by the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB)
GTT is an exciting initiative of the Canadian Council of the Blind, founded in Ottawa in 2011 by Kim Kilpatrick and Ellen Goodman. GTT aims to help people who are blind or have low vision in their exploration of low vision and blindness related access technology. Through involvement with GTT participants can learn from and discuss assistive technology with others walking the same path of discovery.
GTT is made up of blindness related assistive technology users, and those who have an interest in using assistive technology designed to help blind and vision impaired people level the playing field. GTT groups interact through social media, and periodically meet in-person or by teleconference to share their passions for assistive technology and to learn what others can offer from their individual perspectives.
Show Notes: May 28, 2019
GTT Beginners National Conference Call
Navigating Websites Using Screen Readers with a PC
Kim Kilpatrick, Brian Bibeault and Albert Ruel demonstrated the use of Navigation Quick Keys and other strategies for effectively and efficiently accessing information from the websites we visit using the screen readers available in the Windows environment.
The pages visited were the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Blog and CELA Library pages.
Navigation Quick Keys for JAWS
NVDA command key quick reference
Narrator keyboard commands and touch gestures
For more information please contact your GTT Coordinators:
Albert Ruel or Kim Kilpatrick
1-877-304-0968,550 1-877-304-0968,513
albert.GTT@CCBNational.net GTTProgram@Gmail.com
CCB Backgrounder:
The CCB was founded in 1944 by a coalition of blind war veterans, schools of the blind and local chapters to create a national self-governing organization. The CCB was incorporated by Letters Patent on May 10, 1950 and is a registered charity under the provisions of the Income Tax Act (Canada).
The purpose of the CCB is to give people with vision loss a distinctive and unique perspective before governments. CCB deals with the ongoing effects of vision loss by encouraging active living and rehabilitation through peer support and social and recreational activities.
CCB promotes measures to conserve sight, create a close relationship with the sighted community and provide employment opportunities.
The CCB recognizes that vision loss has no boundaries with respect to gender, income, ethnicity, culture, other disabilities or age.
The CCB understands in many instances vision loss is preventable and sometimes is symptomatic of other health issues. For the 21st century, the CCB is committed to an integrated proactive health approach for early detection to improve the quality of life for all Canadians.
As the largest membership organization of the blind and partially sighted in Canada the CCB is the "Voice of the Blind™".
CCB National Office
100-20 James Street Ottawa ON K2P 0T6
Toll Free: 1-877-304-0968 Email: info@ccbnational.net URL: www.ccbnational.net
Thursday Dec 13, 2018
Thursday Dec 13, 2018
Certainly it can be the "most wonderful time of the year", however Christmas can lead to a lot of stress.
Learn some tips on dealing with food, exercise, family stress.
Monday Nov 19, 2018
Monday Nov 19, 2018
Albert Ruel demonstrates the Aira Visual Interpreter for the Blind Service and the Be My Eyes App to the participants of the GTT New Westminster meeting in the fall of 2018. For price and other detailed information visit www.Aira.io and www.BeMyEyes.org.
Monday Nov 05, 2018
Monday Nov 05, 2018
A chat about fitness and tech, testing new apps, using low and high tech to achieve your goals... Also taking stock of current available fitness equipment and finding mental motivation.
Sunday Oct 28, 2018
Sunday Oct 28, 2018
This is a Podcast created out of a presentation by Russell Solowoniuk to the Get Together with Technology Group in Edmonton Alberta in the Fall of 2018. It demonstrates the use of Shaw's BlueSky TV service available in western Canada. For more information contact your local Shaw Communications sales office. https://www.shaw.ca/television/blueskytv/#150
Thursday Oct 11, 2018
Thursday Oct 11, 2018
A brief recap of the mindful eating challenge and a look at what is in store for the upcoming months.
Tech and Sweat...using technology of all types to create and maintain motivation for exercise.
What is your preference?
Friday Sep 21, 2018
Friday Sep 21, 2018
In this episode we examine trends in our eating habits...plus we have some “on air” mishaps and an overall good time!
Also some stories shared from our listeners Mike and Karine
Wednesday Sep 05, 2018
Wednesday Sep 05, 2018
In this part two of our Mindful eating episodes, we recap uor September Challene.