[Nfbktad] Helpful Hints on Optimising iOS7 for Persons with LowVision, Dan's Tip for November 12 2013

Thu Nov 14 02:15:36 UTC 2013

Thanks so much, Tonia. Valuable information, indeed!

Todd

-----Original Message-----
From: Nfbktad [mailto:nfbktad-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Gatton, Tonia
(OFB-LV)
Sent: Wednesday, November 13, 2013 12:35 PM
To: 'nfbktad at nfbnet.org'
Subject: [Nfbktad] Helpful Hints on Optimising iOS7 for Persons with
LowVision, Dan's Tip for November 12 2013

Helpful Hints on Optimising iOS7 for Persons with LowVision

Since the launch of the iOS7 operating system for the iPhone, iPad and iPod
touch, many low vision persons have expressed concern about the new visual
design of the OS. Particular concerns include the overall paleness of the
system, the colouring of certain fonts and the reduced level of tonal
contrast throughout when compared with the previous version of iOS. 

Many individuals and the agencies representing them have fed back to Apple
the widespread dissatisfaction with iOS7 among the low vision community. It
is hoped that Apple will address these concerns and issue some fixes in a
forthcoming software update. 

This short guide is intended to help low vision persons optimise the
operating system and to maximise the level of tonal contrast by using built
in features and also by employing a number of workarounds.We've also created
a short video demonstrating how to make some of the changes outlined below
on our Tablet devices
<http://www.rnib.org.uk/livingwithsightloss/computersphones/pc/tablets/Pages
/tablet_devices.aspx>  page  found here:

http://www.rnib.org.uk/livingwithsightloss/computersphones/pc/tablets/Pages/
tablet_devices.aspx

Accessibility Settings 

There are many features which will help a low vision person get the most out
of their device just by configuring the accessibility settings
appropriately. You can get to the Accessibility settings by going into
Settings then General then Accessibility. 

Voiceover is an in-built gesture-based screen reader which speaks items on
the screen and is controlled by the user gesturing on the screen. 

Zoom is Apple's in-built full screen magnifier which allows a person to
magnify everything on the screen of the device. Zoom is controllable by
gestures and the user can easily increase or decrease the level of
magnification with a simple three finger gesture. 

Invert Colours is a control which allows you to switch the display from dark
on light to light on dark, to suit your visual preference. It is worth
noting that this function can make apps look rather different to the way
that they normally appear in terms of colouring and shading. 

Speak Selection is a control which allows the user to select a specific
piece of text on screen and have that text spoken aloud. This can be really
helpful if you need to read just a short paragraph or a message but don't
require the complete experience of VoiceOver 

Speak Auto-text is a feature which when turned on automatically speaks
auto-corrections and auto-captialization. 

Larger Type is a feature which allows you to select your desired font size
and then have all apps which support Larger Type displayed in your preferred
font size. This feature existed in earlier versions of iOS although it was
called Large Text and it only applied to Apple's own apps. 

Bold Text is a new control in iOS7 and when it is turned on, the device will
restart and once restarted, all menus and text will be displayed in bold. It
is worth noting that at the time of writing this guide, the Bold Text
control did not enable bold text on all keyboards. This is something which
we hope to see addressed in a software update. 

Increase Contrast is a new control in iOS7 which allows you to improve
contrast on some backgrounds to improve legibility. At the time of writing,
this feature did not significantly improve the colour contrast on certain
areas of the system. We would again expect this to be addressed with a
software upgrade. 

Reduce Motion is a new control within iOS7 which when turned on reduces the
motion of the user interface, including the parallax effect of icons and
alerts 

On/Off Labels is a control which allows you to maximise the visibility of
the On/Off buttons making them easier to see. 

Accessibility Shortcut (previously known as Triple Click Home) is at the
bottom of the list of accessibility options but it is possibly one of the
most helpful features This control allows you to assign the home button to
an accessibility feature, enabling you to quickly toggle that feature. For
low vision users, it may be very helpful to assign Accessibility Shortcut to
Invert Colours, enabling you to quickly toggle Invert Colours on and off as
required. When using the notes app for example, this feature allowed us to
significantly enhance the colour contrast. 

Other settings 

Outside of the accessibility features per se, there are several other
settings which may help you to optimise your iOS device. Within the
Wallpapers and Brightness menu in Settings, it may be worth selecting a
black or very dark background or alternatively going into the apps store and
downloading one of the many free wallpaper apps which allow you to choose
from a wide variety of wallpapers. 

When using the Safari web browser, there is a feature called Reader which
you can turn on and off from inside the URL window, the space where you
would type a search query or URL. To the left hand side of the URL window,
you will see a small square made up of four short horizontal lines. If you
touch this square, the web page you are viewing will be reformatted into a
simple plain text version without any images or graphics. It will also be
displayed in your preferred font size as per your Larger Type setting.
Please note this feature only works on pages which support Safari Reader. 

There is also a free app available from the App Store called Big Browser
<https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/big-browser/id306776692?mt=8> . It can be
found here:

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/big-browser/id306776692?mt=8

This alternative web browser allows you to view any web page with larger
buttons and clearer contrast. 

Author: Robin Spink

1 Thessalonians 2:4

but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so
we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. (ESV)
<http://christianity.about.com/od/faqhelpdesk/p/English-Standard-Version.htm
>  

Thought: Pleasing God - The Key to Success

He may not be a Bible scholar, but Bill Cosby has spoken many words of
wisdom
<http://christianity.about.com/od/prayersverses/qt/wisdombiblevers.htm>  in
his lifetime. This quote of his lines up with spiritual wisdom from
Scripture: "I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is
trying to please everybody." 

In my sixty+ years, I've learned that it's virtually impossible to please
everybody. Discovering true freedom and personal success begins with ceasing
our quest to please other people, and turning our focus to God. Pleasing him
alone is the key. 

If close enough, You are invited to a time of praise and prayer from 5:00 to
6:00 every Tuesday held in the lounge at First Presbyterian Church 870 W.
College Jacksonville, Il.   Come in the double glass doors by day care off
of West Minster.  Turn right at the first set of double doors across from
the coat closets.  Go up these stairs and turn left at the top.  

The lounge door will be opened and welcoming you in to God's open house of
praise and prayer!

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Devotional, send an email to dthompson5 at mchsi.com with "subscribe Dan's
Tips" or "subscribe Hotspot Devotional" in the subjectline.   

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