#AssistiveTechnology

Lanie Molinar CarmeloRareBird15@allovertheplace.ca
2025-06-10

Really wishing there was a good textbook reading app for someone with both visual and cognitive #disabilities.

I just started a new course at Colorado Christian University, and this week's reading is 7 chapters from a book called Introducing Christian Doctrine—which is pretty heavy stuff. I've been struggling just to get through the first chapter.

I tried reading in Word with JAWS, but quick navigation keys keep getting disabled, and adding comments isn’t very accessible. So I switched to the ePub version in Bookworm, which lets me add bookmarks, named bookmarks, and comments. That’s been a huge help.

For notes, I’m using Joplin, which works well for organizing thoughts in Markdown. And when I hit a sentence I don’t understand—like “propounded dogmatically” (what even is that?)—I just open Copilot in the browser and ask for a plain-language explanation.

It’s not perfect, but it’s working. I just wish there were tools designed with both cognitive load and screen reader accessibility in mind. Reading theology is hard enough without fighting the tech too.

(My degree is in computer science, but theology is part of the core curriculum.)

#disability #multipleDisabilities #Accessibility #JAWS #ScreenReader #CognitiveDisability #ActuallyAutistic #Autism #Blind #Neurodivergent #NeurodivergentBlind #BookwormReader #JoplinNotes #Joplin #Markdown #TheologyStudent #Christian #ChristianUniversity #InclusiveTech #EdTech #AccessibleReading #DisabilityInEducation #StudyTools #ePub #AssistiveTechnology #MastodonEdu

@mastoblind @main @actuallyautistic @neurodivergentblind

Alfonso Sicilianoalfonsosiciliano@bsd.cafe
2025-06-09

FreeBSD offers a wide range of accessibility features for users with low vision. Some of these features are built directly into the system, while others are available as installable packages, including:
Window scaling, Visual feedback to locate the mouse cursor, Highly legible fonts tailored for low vision, High-contrast themes, Magnification tools, and much more.

I'd love to hear from you: Do you use any accessibility features? Which assistive technologies for low vision make the biggest difference in your daily computing?

Together, we can make FreeBSD more accessible for everyone. #ThePowerForEveryone

#FreeBSD #Accessibility #LowVision #AssistiveTechnology #OpenSource #TechForGood #Inclusion #VisualAccessibility #Community #UNIX

A desktop screenshot shows a web browser open to the FreeBSD project website, displaying information about the operating system and a cartoon red devil mascot. A separate image viewer application is open, showing a zoomed-in view of the red devil mascotXFCE desktop environment running on FreeBSD 15.0-CURRENT with a high-contrast dark theme. The Settings Manager is open, highlighting the Accessibility option. Multiple windows are visible, including “About the Xfce Desktop Environment” and “Settings,” showing various configuration icons. Desktop folders and Thunar file manager use black and white icons.FreeBSD desktop running XFCE with a simplified and large-scale user interface. The Applications menu is open with the Web Browser option highlighted. The desktop background features blueberries, and the panel at the bottom includes large application icons such as terminal, editor, calculator, and file manager.A screenshot of the XFCE desktop environment on FreeBSD. The mouse cursor is highlighted by a red concentric circle effect.
Alfonso Sicilianoalfonsosiciliano@bsd.cafe
2025-06-06

About a month ago, I had the privilege of presenting #FreeBSD at the Institute for the Blind in Milan, during an event held in connection with #GAAD (Global Accessibility Awareness Day). It was a profoundly meaningful experience that deepened my commitment to digital accessibility and the development of assistive technologies.

I'm excited to share that the #Accessibility Handbook, focused on vision-related assistive technologies in FreeBSD, is nearly complete. This task has been made possible thanks to the tireless dedication of FreeBSD community volunteers and the support of the @FreeBSDFoundation for new projects and documentation centered on visual accessibility.

#UNIX #OpenSource #A11Y #Inclusion #VisionImpairment #ColorBlindness #LowVision #Blindness #ScreenReader #Braille #Documentation #AssistiveTechnology

A workspace setup featuring a laptop displaying the FreeBSD boot menu screen. In front of the laptop are several accessibility-related materials: a large braille printout, a color-coded accessibility reference chart, and a yellow conference badge labeled “Accessibility Days 2025 ” with the speaker’s name “Alfonso Sabato Siciliano.”
Rob Whiting 📓whitingx@mastodon.cloud
2025-06-05

Adapt or Design, a twelve-part project of 99% Invisible in three acts.

1. Single Handed dives into assistive designs for people with one functional hand.

2. Broken Plexus explores design hacks and mods that can help with long-term recoveries.

3. Left to Write is a three-piece set about adaptive writing technologies, including single-handed keyboards and typing systems.

99percentinvisible.org/adapt/

#Accessibility
#AssistiveTechnology

2025-06-04

Calling anyone with ears, England or Wales. There's a clinical trial of assistive technology, EarSwitch, that's running out of time to recruit enough volunteers.
(An ad was running today in my local surgery.)
You've got voluntary control of your ear muscles? Maybe take a look at helping out.
[EDIT they're looking for people with motor-neurological disability. H/t @kestral ]

1/2
#AssistiveTechnology #rumbling

Screenshot of a recruitment poster from University of Bath (UK).
Headline "Can you make a rumbling sound with your ears?"
Further info ends with a contact URL - see following post.
SensAbleSensable
2025-05-27

Innovating Today 💡
-
Inspiring Change
-
Shaping Tomorrow

2025-05-16

Good vs Bad AI (or ML vs AI): I have decades of experience in creating artisanally hand-crafted typos and errors and have no interest in statistically generating my mistakes! michaelhans.com/eclecticism/20

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #AssistiveTechnology #ChatGPT #MachineLearning #ML #Geekery #Tech

Envisionletsenvision
2025-05-09

Nog 7 dagen te gaan!
Op vrijdag 16 mei van 13:30 tot 16:00 uur vindt de 9e editie van Envisioners Day plaats op ons kantoor in Rotterdam.
Kom langs, test de nieuwste functies van de Envision app, de Envision Glasses en de ally app, deel je mening en ontmoet andere mensen die technologie voor mensen die blind of slechtziend zijn belangrijk vinden.
Meld je aan via envisionersday@letsenvision.com en doe mee!

 A group of people gathered around a round table at the Envision office, chatting and sharing snacks. A small sign on the table reads “Envisioners Day.”A man in an Envision-branded black sweater sets up a smartphone on a tripod, while another man in a striped sweater sits and smiles. A woman demonstrates a device to a woman in a yellow sweater, while another man watches. They are seated in a glass-walled conference room labeled “Rectangle Conference Room.”A man wearing smart glasses sits by the window with a view of a cityscape, holding a Fanta can. Various gadgets and snacks are on the table in front of him.
Envisionletsenvision
2025-05-08

vanessa has low vision & ally helps her pick the best coat for the day in Leiden! on the go? experience hands-free ai assistance on the Envision Glasses. book your demo free today.

2025-05-02

Celebrate the anniversary of Apple's VoiceOver! Join us as we reflect on its impact, from its debut on the iPhone 3GS to its current ubiquity. Discover how VoiceOver revolutionized accessibility and continues to empower users across all devices. #AppleVoiceOver #Accessibility #AppleVoiceOver #Accessibility #iPhone3GS #TechAnniversary #InclusiveTech #AssistiveTechnology #BlindCommunity #TechForGood #Innovation #Apple

Bi SasquatchBiSasquatch@c.im
2025-05-01

Source: 3playmedia.com
From the article: "The online gaming community is one of vibrance and diversity. It is also enormous: More than 216 million people in the U.S. play video games regularly, and the booming industry is expected to grow to $321 billion by 2026 globally.

"Of the Americans that play video games, 46 million have one or more disabilities. For all consumers to enjoy their favorite video games, the games must be accessible to them. This need creates a large demand for accessibility in the gaming space."

#Disabled #Gamers #Disability #Accessibility #AssistiveTechnology

3playmedia.com/blog/the-rise-o

Rob Whiting 📓whitingx@mastodon.cloud
2025-04-30

An interesting look at the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development's ‘Sound Sites’.

“… an initiative to replace the #AltText on the state’s official tourism website with lyrical verse from one of Tennessee’s best natural resources: songwriters.”

fastcompany.com/91318940/tenne

#Accessibility
#AssistiveTechnology

Bi SasquatchBiSasquatch@c.im
2025-04-27

Stumbed across this older article on Microsoft's Xbox Adaptive Controller and decided to share it

Source: @THR - March 8, 2019

“There is a large variety of hardware partners who create accessories that are compatible with the Xbox Adaptive Controller, and we have also waived the Xbox licensing fee for peripheral devices that meet accessibility and quality guidelines,” says Johnson.

#Disabled #Gamers #Microsoft #Xbox #AssistiveTechnology #Accesibility

hollywoodreporter.com/news/gen

Bi SasquatchBiSasquatch@c.im
2025-04-20

Source: @motherjonesmag

“It’s really the most vulnerable of the most vulnerable…who need technologies to live.”

#Tariffs are affecting access for #Disabled people to #DME and other #MedicalSupplies

#Accessibility #AssistiveTechnology

motherjones.com/politics/2025/

Chris Smart, ve3rwjVE3RWJ@mastodon.radio
2025-04-18

Free #Webinar: The #Windows #ScreenReader Primer, 4th Edition Launch

Join us on May 6 at 7:00 PM EST for the virtual launch of the fourth edition of The Windows Screen Reader Primer, a free digital book written by David Kingsbury, #AssistiveTechnology Instructor at The Carroll Center for the #Blind. Register at:
carroll.org/davids-book-launch
#AT #A11Y #Jaws #NVDA

SensAbleSensable
2025-04-17

My parents don’t trust me as a guide dog. woof woof!

But that’s okay, because I AM kind of lazy.

I helped them design a wearable device called Vizion 1 that does a great job for aiding mobility, minus the customary barks for treats every five minutes!

Innosearch AIInnosearchAI
2025-04-11

We’re curious—how do you usually manage your grocery shopping independently? What tools, apps, or tricks do you use to make the process easier? Drop your thoughts in the comments below! We’d love to hear from you! 🍏🍞🛒

"

Illustration on a pink background asking "HOW DO YOU SHOP GROCERIES INDEPENDENTLY?". A red reusable shopping bag overflowing with a tomato, lettuce, pears, and an apple is shown on the top left. A white string bag containing leafy greens, tomatoes, and onions is depicted on the bottom right. Text below the bags reads "LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS!".
skuaskua
2025-04-02

Anyone tried an hdmi industrial camera on a lever-arm stand with a suitable lens as an - and the image displayed on a suitable tv / monitor?

I can see everything I want on aliexpress - except for the lens.

Which lens is going to let me view around a A4 / foolscap area?

Most of these setups are being used as microscopes with lenses giving around 150X magnification. Far too much for reading a book.

aliexpress.com/item/1005005217

2025-03-31

Jenine Stanley, Aira’s Director of Customer Communications, and Everette Bacon, Chief of Blindness Initiatives, were featured on the latest episode of @hadley Presents: A Conversation with the Experts!

🌟 Episode 129: The Aira App – On-Demand, Expert Assistance
In this episode, Jenine and Everette dive into how the Aira app empowers people with vision loss by providing real-time, professional assistance—anytime, anywhere. Using just your smartphone camera, Aira connects users to live agents ready to help navigate daily tasks with confidence.

🎙️ Hadley is an incredible resource offering accessible training for people who are blind or have low vision—especially those in rural areas—through virtual and mail-based programs.

🔗 Tune in now: hadleyhelps.org/podcasts/hadle

#BlindTech #AccessibilityMatters #OnDemandAssistance #InclusionInAction #BlindCommunity #LowVisionSupport #AssistiveTechnology #DisabilityAdvocacy

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