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Blind Access Journal
Category: Talk - Health
This blog and podcast is about the blind and our quest for the greatest possible access to all the information available in the world around us. A team of advocates, assistive technology instructors and reporters including Karen Shandrow, Darrell Shandrow
Previews of Blind Access Journal
(All Active Shows)
CSUN: It Won’t be Hard to Access BARD with the Upcoming iOS App from NLS
Wed, 27 Feb 2013 21:36:05 +0000 (25.2 Mb)
In this approximately 26-minute podcast, Allison Hilliker and Darrell Shandrow are honored to speak with Judy Dixon, Consumer Relations Officer with the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, all about the upcoming release of the agency’s BARD Mobile app for reading Braille and digital talking books on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.
Judy gives us a firsthand look at an alpha-test version of this exciting new app, so you won’t want to miss this show!
Listen or Pause – BARD Mobile
Download – BARD Mobile
We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?
If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).
We thank Jeff Bishop for doing the post-production work on our CSUN 2013 podcasts.
Wed, 20 Feb 2013 23:29:18 +0000 (19.9 Mb)
In this approximately 18-minute podcast, Allison Hilliker chats with Mike Tindell, blindness products specialist with HumanWare, all about the company’s refresh of the Victor Reader Stream digital talking book player.
Listen or Pause – Victor Reader Stream Interview
Download – Victor Reader Stream Interview
We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?
If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).
Tue, 19 Feb 2013 03:25:39 +0000 (17.0 Mb)
In this approximately 14-minute podcast from the 2013 Assistive Technology Industry Association conference in Orlando, Allison Hilliker talks with Leon Reznik, president of ABiSee, about his company’s Eye-Pal line of scanning and reading solutions for blind and low-vision people.
Listen or Pause – Eyepal Interview
Download – Eye-Pal Interview
If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).
Fri, 30 Nov 2012 06:31:08 +0000 (47.2 Mb)
In this approximately 36-minute podcast, Allison Hilliker and Darrell Shandrow demonstrate the accessible Barnes & Noble Nook e-book reading app for iOS. They add a book through the nook.com website, read it with VoiceOver and explore the use of the app with a Braille display.
Listen or Pause – Nook Demo
Download – Nook Demo
Additional Resources
Visit the Nook website to create your account to buy and add books to your iOS device.
Install the Nook app on your iOS device.
We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?
If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).
Thu, 29 Nov 2012 15:53:08 +0000 (15.4 Mb)
In this approximately 32-minute podcast, Allison Hilliker and Darrell Shandrow carol through the evening as they demonstrate the Christmas Songs iOS app.
Listen or Pause – Christmas Songs Demo
Download – Christmas Songs Demo
Whether you just want to listen to your favorite traditional Christmas songs or you need a convenient way to access song lyrics while caroling, this easy-to-use, fun app may just be the ticket.
We mentioned a number of additional ways to enjoy holiday music on your iOS device:
Check out the AccuHolidays genre on the AccuRadio app.
Install Christmas Radio on your iOS device to hear your favorite holiday tunes being played live on radio stations around the world.
Buy the accessible ooTunes app and browse the Christmas genre for even more Christmas radio listening enjoyment. If you are new to ooTunes, we invite you to listen to our podcast to explore and learn more about how to use the app.
We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?
If you use Twitter...
Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:58:39 +0000 (22.9 Mb)
In this approximately 16-minute podcast, Allison Hilliker and Darrell Shandrow demonstrate Droptext, a simple iOS app for creating and editing text files in Dropbox.
Listen or Pause – Droptext
Download – Droptext
We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?
If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).
Wed, 25 Jul 2012 03:23:43 +0000 (22.2 Mb)
In this approximately 46-minute podcast, Allison Hilliker and Darrell Shandrow talk with Ioannis Verdelis all about a new app that can improve the speed and accuracy of typing for blind people who use iOS devices. Verdelis, the chief operating officer of Syntellia, creators of Fleksy, joined us on Monday, July 23, for an exciting live question-and-answer session on the Out-Of-Sight chat community.
Listen or Pause – Fleksy Presentation
Download – Fleksy Presentation
Resources
Buy Fleksy, learn more about it and hear demonstrations of this flexible new technology.
Fleksy Sells for $14.99 in the U.S. App Store
Previewing Fleksy: A Revolutionary Text Input System for Blind and Low Vision Users of Touch Screen Phones and Tablets
Touch Screen Typing: Easier and Faster with Fleksy
We appreciate Ioannis Verdelis for taking the time to talk with us and answer all our questions. Thanks. We had a great time!
We thank Jeff Bishop for his tireless hours of post-production work editing this challenging audio recording.
Our thanks also go to Debi Black and the rest of the people at Out-Of-Sight for hosting and promoting our live Q...
Sun, 08 Jul 2012 06:57:13 +0000 (15.5 Mb)
In this approximately 11-minute podcast, Allison Hilliker and Emily Gibbs talk about a summer Braille learning program for blind children. The two-week Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning (BELL) program focuses on intensive Braille instruction for children with some residual sight who might not otherwise be granted the opportunity to learn this important skill.
Listen or Pause – BELL Program
Download – BELL Program
For more information about the BELL Program, please contact:
Emily Gibbs
Education Programs Specialist
National Federation of the Blind
EGibbs (at) nfb.org
(410) 659-9314, ext. 2407
We are excited to report that the BELL Program was the recipient of this year’s
Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award at the 2012 convention of the National Federation of the Blind in Dallas on July 5.
We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?
If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).
Thu, 28 Jun 2012 15:48:59 +0000 (36.7 Mb)
In this approximately 25-minute podcast, Allison Hilliker and Darrell Shandrow demonstrate the accessible and popular ooTunes app for listening to more than 30,000 radio stations on your iOS device.
Listen or Pause – ooTunes Demo
Download – ooTunes Demo
We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?
If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).
Thu, 28 Jun 2012 14:50:29 +0000 (92.0 Mb)
In this one-hour show, Allison Hilliker and Darrell Shandrow demonstrate the Digit-Eyes, LookTel Recognizer and VizWiz iOS object-recognition apps with six typical household products.
Listen or Pause – Recognition Apps
Download – Recognition Apps
This podcast was recorded on March 25. Since that time, Digit-Eyes has been updated to include product information from Directions For Me. We do not believe any other significant changes have taken place with object-recognition apps since we did the testing demonstrated in this episode of the show.
Additional Resources
AppleVis Forum: Tips and Tricks for Using the Camera?
I.D. Mate Summit
BC Scan: Scan It, Learn About It, Use It
We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?
If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).
Tue, 26 Jun 2012 04:19:32 +0000 (45.9 Mb)
It will soon be time for many blind Americans to travel to the summer convention of the National Federation of the Blind or the American Council of the Blind. In this approximately 30-minute podcast, let Allison Hilliker and Darrell Shandrow help you pack your virtual convention suitcase by sharing with you all about the iPhone apps they use during conferences.
Listen or Pause – Convention Tech
Download – Convention Tech
Convention Resources
NFB National Convention 2012 Website
NFB Convention 2012 Agenda Calendar (iCal) Subscription
NFB 2012 Dallas Convention Social Media Information & Instructions
Watch the #nfb12 Twitter Hashtag
ACB National Conference and Convention 2012 Website
ACB Radio Convention 2012 Live Broadcasting
Watch the #acb12 Twitter Hashtag
Apps
Kayak
FlightTrack
My TSA
Sendero GPS LookAround
Foursquare
Dropbox
DropVox
Nebulous Notes
HeyTell
TweetList
AudioBoo
VizWiz
Audible
Read2Go
NFB-Newsline
We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show bette...
Thu, 07 Jun 2012 19:48:39 +0000 (37.3 Mb)
In this approximately 26-minute podcast, Darrell Shandrow demonstrates some of the VoiceOver accessibility concerns found in the latest Foursquare 5.0 iOS app update.
Listen or Pause – Foursquare 5.0 Accessibility Report
Download – Foursquare 5.0 Accessibility Report
On the heels of its Wednesday update, Foursquare posted a brief article on its support website stating that accessibility is a “top priority,” inviting users to submit problem reports to accessibility@foursquare.com. We urge all blind Foursquare users who rely on VoiceOver to submit a clearly-written accessibility report to Foursquare as soon as possible.
The following accessibility report has been sent to Foursquare’s development team at accessibility@foursquare.com for their consideration.
Hello Foursquare Development Team,
I am writing to thank you for inviting the blind VoiceOver user community to be part of the Foursquare accessibility development process and to report my accessibility concerns with Foursquare 5.0.
There are two primary accessibility issues throughout the new app’s user interface: unlabeled buttons and elements that pro...
Tue, 05 Jun 2012 07:12:59 +0000 (53.2 Mb)
In this approximately 37-minute show, Allison Hilliker and Darrell Shandrow demonstrate the NFB-NEWSLINE Mobile app, which opens the world of accessible magazines, newspapers and TV listings to blind people who use iOS devices.
Listen or Pause – NFB-Newsline Demo
Download – NFB-Newsline Demo
NFB-Newsline provides more than 340 magazines and newspapers, as well as accessible TV listings, to eligible people with print-reading disabilities through a telephone-based speech-output reading system, Bookshare, an accessible website and, now, a fully VoiceOver-accessible app for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch users.
If you would like to sign up, call your state’s talking book library, dial NFB-NEWSLINE directly at 1-866-504-7300 or visit the NFB-NEWSLINE website.
We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?
If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).
Fri, 06 Apr 2012 06:08:28 +0000 (47.7 Mb)
In this approximately 33-minute show, Allison Hilliker and Darrell Shandrow demonstrate the new Blind Bargains app for iOS, which provides a simplified way of accessing the deals and news available on the popular blind-community website.
Listen or Pause – Blind Bargains Demo
Download – Blind Bargains Demo
Follow Blind Bargains (@BlindBargains) and A T Guys (@atguys) on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest news about the Blind Bargains website and the assistive technology sales company that operates the service.
We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?
If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).
Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:21:16 +0000 (18.8 Mb)
In this approximately 13-minute podcast, Darrell Shandrow demonstrates and teaches the over-the-air (OTA) Software Update process as he makes the jump to iOS 5.1 on his iPhone 4 without the need to connect the device to a computer running iTunes.
Listen or Pause – iOS 5.1 Software Update
Download – iOS 5.1 Software Update
iOS 5.1 is a minor update containing a number of bug fixes and new features, including a fix for dropped audio on some outgoing calls, improved battery life, playback speed controls for podcasts and enhanced camera face detection. Read this article on the changelog and direct download links for more information.
Before updating iOS, it is strongly recommended that you thoroughly back up your iOS device in iCloud and iTunes. Follow these instructions to complete both backup tasks.
The gestures indicated in all instructions assume VoiceOver is enabled and are performed from a blind person’s perspective.
iCloud Backup
Flick to and double tap Settings.
Right flick to and double tap iCloud.
Right flick to and double tap Storage & Backup.
Right flick to and double tap Back Up Now to start the ...
Wed, 07 Mar 2012 03:52:30 +0000 (23.5 Mb)
Allison Hilliker and Darrell Shandrow talk with Joe Soderquist and explore the new LookTel Recognizer object identification app for blind users of iOS devices. Follow LookTel (@LookTel) on Twitter for the latest news on Money Reader, Recognizer and the company’s upcoming products.
Listen or Pause – LookTel Recognizer
Download – LookTel Recognizer
We thank Jeff Bishop (@jeffbishop) for his tireless hours of dedicated work on the audio editing of our CSUN podcasts. These efforts made it possible for us to share our CSUN experience with all of you and expand our knowledge of the assistive technology field.
We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?
If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).
Tue, 06 Mar 2012 22:34:41 +0000 (41.6 Mb)
In this approximately 29-minute podcast, Allison Hilliker and Darrell Shandrow talk with Nancy Miracle about the Digit-Eyes bar code scanning and labeling app for iOS. Nancy assures us the product is alive and well and lets us know that an update will be released in the near future. Follow Digit-eyes (@digit_eyes) on Twitter for the latest news.
Listen or Pause – Nancy Miracle
Download – Nancy Miracle
We thank Jeff Bishop (@jeffbishop) for his tireless hours of dedicated work on the audio editing of our CSUN podcasts. These efforts made it possible for us to share our CSUN experience with all of you and expand our knowledge of the assistive technology field.
We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?
If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).
Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:47:45 +0000 (19.3 Mb)
In this approximately 13-minute podcast, Allison Hilliker, Darrell Shandrow and Peter Cantisani demonstrate a Bluetooth scale and a dockable blood pressure monitor for iOS devices from iHealth Labs.
Listen or Pause – iHealth Scale and Blood Pressure Monitor
Download – iHealth Scale and Blood Pressure Monitor
iHealth HS-309 Digital Scale
The scale’s maximum weight capacity is 330 pounds. Pricing is $69.95 directly from iHealth Labs. Check sources like Amazon for lower pricing. Review these specifications for more product information. Email support@iHealth99.com to ask about improved app accessibility and the ability to keep the scale paired with the iOS device when it is not in use.
iHealth iPhone, iPad BP3 Blood Pressure Monitor
The blood pressure monitor docks with the iOS device. Pricing is $99.95 directly from iHealth. Check Amazon and other sources for lower pricing. Review these specifications for more product information. Email support@iHealth99.com to ask about improved app accessibility.
We thank Jeff Bishop (@jeffbishop) for his tireless hours of dedicated work on the audio editing of our CSUN podcasts. These effor...
Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:24:56 +0000 (47.9 Mb)
In this approximately 33-minute show, Darrell Shandrow chats with Kevin Chao about advocacy, Android, electronic books, iOS, podcasting, product testing and the rest of his work to move the accessibility industry forward. We congratulate Kevin (@kevinchao89) on his new position with the Alternative Media Access Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Listen or Pause – Kevin Chao
Download – Kevin Chao
Check out these interesting resources Kevin mentions during our interview.
VoiceOverOn Podcast
iGrill app-enabled wireless Bluetooth® meat thermometer
Tanita BC-590BT Bluetooth Radio Wireless Body Composition Scale
Withings Wi-Fi Body Scale
Withings Blood Pressure Monitor
Nest Learning Thermostat
BrailleTouch
Alternative Media Access Center (AMAC)
STEPP: The Student E-rent Pilot Project
CourseSmart
Bookshare – Accessible Books and Periodicals for Individuals with Print Disabilities
Learning Ally – Accessible materials for individuals with visual and learning disabilities
AccessText Network – Accessible Textbook Finder
Paul J. Adam (@pauljadam) joins us near the end of th...
Mon, 05 Mar 2012 21:26:04 +0000 (21.1 Mb)
Bones Inc. founder Stephan Knecht talks with Darrell Shandrow and demonstrates the company’s Milestone 312 multipurpose MP3 player. This product supports fascinating add-ons including a color detector and an RFID tag reader, both of which are featured in this podcast.
Listen or Pause – Milestone 312
Download – Milestone 312
We thank Jeff Bishop (@jeffbishop) for his tireless hours of dedicated work on the audio editing of our CSUN podcasts. These efforts made it possible for us to share our CSUN experience with all of you and expand our knowledge of the assistive technology field.
We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?
If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).
Mon, 05 Mar 2012 20:21:55 +0000 (6.5 Mb)
Darrell Shandrow interviews Anna McClure from En-Vision America about the company’s talking prescription labeling system.
Listen or Pause – ScripTalk
Download – ScripTalk
We thank Jeff Bishop (@jeffbishop) for his tireless hours of dedicated work on the audio editing of our CSUN podcasts. These efforts made it possible for us to share our CSUN experience with all of you and expand our knowledge of the assistive technology field.
We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?
If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).
Mon, 05 Mar 2012 01:39:28 +0000 (40.0 Mb)
In this approximately 28-minute show, Allison Hilliker and Darrell Shandrow chat with accessibility evangelist, engineer, tech geek extraordinaire and all-around amazing Allison Sheridan all about her adventures with computer technology in general and accessibility in particular.
Listen or Pause – Allison Sheridan
Download – Allison Sheridan
Allison Sheridan (@podfeet) hosts a weekly show called the Nosillacast Podcast, “A technology geek podcast with an ever-so-slight Macintosh bias.”
We thank Jeff Bishop (@jeffbishop) for his tireless hours of dedicated work on the audio editing of our CSUN podcasts. These efforts made it possible for us to share our CSUN experience with all of you and expand our knowledge of the assistive technology field.
We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?
If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).
Mon, 05 Mar 2012 00:34:42 +0000 (4.4 Mb)
Allison Hilliker and Darrell Shandrow chat with Gayle Yarnall and learn all about the Perkins Products Mini Braille display.
Listen or Pause – Perkins Products Mini Braille Display
Download – Perkins Products Mini Braille Display
We thank Jeff Bishop (@jeffbishop) for his tireless hours of dedicated work on the audio editing of our CSUN podcasts. These efforts made it possible for us to share our CSUN experience with all of you and expand our knowledge of the assistive technology field.
We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?
If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).
Sun, 04 Mar 2012 23:35:57 +0000 (6.1 Mb)
Allison Hilliker and Darrell Shandrow talk with Ryan Jones all about Freedom Scientific’s soon-to-be-released Focus 14 Blue Braille display.
Listen or Pause – Freedom Scientific Focus 14 Blue Braille Display
Download – Freedom Scientific Focus 14 Blue Braille Display
We thank Jeff Bishop (@jeffbishop) for his tireless hours of dedicated work on the audio editing of our CSUN podcasts. These efforts made it possible for us to share our CSUN experience with all of you and expand our knowledge of the assistive technology field.
We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?
If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).
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