[Akron-Talk] Braille and tech report for 7-18-2026

Sat Jul 18 17:00:01 UTC 2026

7-18-2026 Braille And Tech report

This month's report is jam-packed with various resources and updates. But, before we get into it, the braille and tech committee hopes you all had a great convention, and were either able to have some good Texas BBQ. or order some BBQ. if you attended virtually.

First, the June presentation for NLS's All May eRead program may be of interest. It discusses entering special characters using your ereader.

You can find the presentation at the following links:

That All May E Read

https://www.loc.gov/nls/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/June-2026-That-All-May-eRead-Typing-Special-Characters-Using-Your-NLS-eReader.mp3

Alt link

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zztzf9h0rkawx93kty4wh/June-2026-That-All-May-eRead-Typing-Special-Characters-Using-Your-NLS-eReader.mp3?rlkey=9tqu23v7lzt1ho98havbn0gaf&dl=1

Second, a book was recently released called No Sight Required and, it's by Tony Gebhard. This book talks about how blind people can take advantage of AI.

Here's the synopsis from Bookshare:

For the first time, the computer can meet us halfway. Hand it a photo and ask what's in it. Hand it an inaccessible PDF and get clean text back. Point your camera down a grocery aisle and ask what's on the shelf. No hunting for the unlabeled button. You talk, it answers.

No Sight Required is the practical, no-gatekeeping guide to making that real, written by Tony Gebhard: a totally blind musician, assistive technology professional, and advocate who uses these tools every single day, without sight. This is not a textbook written by a sighted consultant who spent twenty minutes with a screen reader. It is one of us, walking you through the most powerful technology to reach our community since the screen reader itself.

From your very first keystroke to building your own accessible software, every page is screen-reader-first. Major topics are headings, steps are numbered, and keystrokes are spelled out in plain words, never "just click the icon in the corner."

What you'll learn: • Navigate ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini confidently across Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android • Exact, working commands for NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver, and TalkBack, on the desktop and in your pocket • Live video: point your camera and get real-time descriptions while reading mail, identifying products, or out in the world • A prompt library you can steal from on day one, with placeholders that make every prompt your own • Describe photos, rescue inaccessible PDFs, decode screenshots, and query the visual world on demand • Use AI as a patient coding partner. Yes, you can ship real software, and the author shows you how • Win at work: meetings, charts, inaccessible attachments, accommodation requests, and the job hunt • Troubleshoot the moments when your screen reader and the AI stop playing nice • Stay safe and current: hallucinations, privacy, scams, and the next wave of AI built into your assistive tech

Plus quick-reference command cards, a plain-English glossary, and a directory of trusted, hand-picked resources to keep you learning long after the last page. This is a book about partnering with AI, so it is honest about being one: helped by AI, finished by a human, and checked by more humans, with every keystroke and resource verified against official documentation and current community sources. Perfect for newly blind and lifelong screen reader users alike, and for the family members, teachers, and rehabilitation professionals who support them. You are not too old. You are not too late. You are not behind. Whether you picked this up excited or scared, brand new or a seasoned power user, there is a place for you here, and a guide who refuses to leave you stranded. You belong here. Let's get your hands on the keyboard.

If you aren't a member of Bookshare, you can get a free membership if you're a student with Hadley, or through OLBPD.

If you're interested in getting a membership through Hadley, or becoming a student with Hadley, you can call them at:

1800 323 4238

If you're interested in a Bookshare membership through OLBPD. you can contact them at:

1800 362 1262

Third, NLS's July presentation for Many Faces Of BARD. covered more features that will be available in the upcoming version 2.0 DA2 software update. The release date has not been announced, but, it will be available sometime this Summer.

Some of the features covered include the ability to change how the bookshelf is sorted, and some changes to how music, magazines, and books are sorted on BARD.

A recording of this presentation is available on the NLS. web site:

July's Many Faces of Bard DA.2 updates

https://www.loc.gov/nls/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/July-2026-Many-Faces-of-Bard-Introducing-New-Features-in-the-DA2-Software-Version-2.0-Part-2.mp3

Alt link

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/iw0iwuw3kpe8kijfeauz0/July-2026-Many-Faces-of-Bard-Introducing-New-Features-in-the-DA2-Software-Version-2.0-Part-2.mp3?rlkey=mynyasdhh36a7ozoc4nby8o0o&dl=1

If you need a refresher on what was covered in part 1, you can use the following links:

Many Faces of Bard DA.2 updates pt1

https://www.loc.gov/nls/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/June-2026-Many-Faces-of-Bard-Introducing-New-Features-in-the-DA2-Software-Version-2.0-Part-1.mp3

Alt link

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/q9rsnlzs5do1zn9uejrr6/June-2026-Many-Faces-of-Bard-Introducing-New-Features-in-the-DA2-Software-Version-2.0-Part-1.mp3?rlkey=pj4fgq5ha8ky3ejwtyyi46u1y&dl=1

We're also making some DA2 resources available, including presentations on an introduction to the DA2, typing using the DA2, and more.

Introducing the DA.2 from Many Faces of Bard

https://www.loc.gov/nls/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/March-2025-Many-Faces-of-Bard-Introducing-the-DA2.mp3

Alt Link

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/tb0cjn2ugmr7t8pqudrlt/March-2025-Many-Faces-of-Bard-Introducing-the-DA2.mp3?rlkey=ieyo1p85zuxkgxljgbnbfbl6a&dl=1

Advance Searching on the DA.2

https://www.loc.gov/nls/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/February-2026-Many-Faces-of-BARD-Advanced-Searching-on-the-DA2.mp3

Alt Link

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/c33v7ofo444eh94ecax1b/February-2026-Many-Faces-of-BARD-Advanced-Searching-on-the-DA2.mp3?rlkey=x3y4q8eu3q64j0nsospc926wf&dl=1

NLS Digital Advanced Player 2 How-To Series

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpAGnumt6iV71W4bf63K6JhV8vISRAAWT

Alt link to download

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/3m5wsupzl1iawa9o71v10/NLS-Digital-Advanced-Player-2-How-To-Series.zip?rlkey=yadlb7r7qzovjeb8b1ppl6fws&dl=1

Third, The Summer addition of the OLBPD. Dimensions newsletter is now available, and was sent to both OhioTalk and AkronTalk. One item of importance is that the location of the Talking Book program through the State Library Of Ohio, and is not open to the public. This means that equipment can only be received by mail. 

Fourth, the July That All May eRead presentation has been cancelled. They will resume in August.

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