[Nfbmt] Apple Software and Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Sat May 23 02:19:31 UTC 2015

Some of you may find this to be interesting and/or enlightening.

Dave Andrews

I'm Ilkka Pirttimaa, developer of an iOS app called BlindSquare
<http://itunes.apple.com/app/blindsquare/id500557255> . Uniquely it uses
Open Street Map and Foursquare data to help people who are blind to navigate
in new and familiar environments and provide them with a world of choices,
otherwise veiled. I write this in the spirit of the intent of the Global
Accessibility Awareness Day, to raise awareness across the globe of the
benefits and know-how on making products accessible. This needs to be done;
and is the right thing to do, it doesn't need to be difficult. 

For people who are blind or partially sighted, travelling independently has
always been one of the challenges. While some have managed to become very
confident travellers regardless, others, especially if they have lost sight
only recently, need more time or assistance to learn how to navigate new
environments. Although technology can never substitute for Orientation &
Mobility and cane travelling skills, the right app installed on your iPhone
can help blind and partially sighted users who have mastered the necessary
skills to be safer and more independent when out and about. Having been
localized to 25 languages, it is now used by thousands of people in more
than 130 countries. 

I started developing BlindSquare by chance. When I read what Wikipedia had
to say a few years ago about augmented reality, I wanted to prove that
augmented reality should not only include visual, but also auditory
perception. It seemed only logical to me that the traveler who is blind
would benefit the most from that. I managed to find my first blind tester
and when I saw how enthusiastic she was about the prototype of BlindSquare I
had created and about its future potential. I decided to continue with the
project. When I released BlindSquare 3 years ago, it did not yet include
many of the important features available today. But still, I received very
positive feedback and saw how it improved people's quality of life. I
received a message from someone who had used BlindSquare at a water park and
had been able to find all of the attractions there using my app. BlindSquare
users enjoy being able to explore their environment on their own and also to
be able to help their sighted friends to locate places in unfamiliar areas.
After all, the friends cannot look around corners, but thanks to GPS,
BlindSquare can. Although BlindSquare is optimized for VoiceOver, it is
perfectly usable for everyone. I have sighted customers who enjoy hearing
popular Foursquare places announced to them while they are riding their
bicycles. 

My app is geared towards customers who are blind or partially sighted, but I
think that every developer should consider if their product could be made
accessible and whenever possible walk the extra mile. It is just like app
localization, it increases your user base. Let us just take an example and
assume that you develop an app that gives access to public transport
schedules of different companies and in many cities around the world.
Sighted users may have many apps they can choose from, but your app might be
the only one that is VoiceOver accessible. Sighted users can also just read
the schedule at the station, an option not available to blind or partially
sighted users. While your app can be nice to have for many users, it can be
a life-changer for people who are blind or partially sighted, as it may be
the only means to access information independently. The same is true for
many other apps that come to mind. 

Examples: 
If a parcel-tracking app is accessible, Blind users do no longer need help
reading the note left by the postman when they return home, because they can
just go and pick up their parcel from the neighbor whose name they read in
the push message on their phone.

Accessible banking apps can help blind clients to monitor their accounts and
make transfers without sighted help, enhancing their privacy and allowing
them to be more independent.

The World Health Organization estimates that worldwide 285 million people
are visually impaired, and 39 million of them are blind. 82% of the visually
impaired are 50 years and older. Developing accessible apps is an important
contribution to creating a society where everyone can live as long as
possible independently and in dignity. The screen reader and the zoom
feature integrated into each Apple product make it accessible to every
visually impaired user. The iPhone gives users who are blind or partially
sighted access to information that would not be available to them otherwise.

Apple provides excellent documentation
<https://developer.apple.com/accessibility/ios/>  about iOS' accessibility
features. To learn more about VoiceOver really quickly, configure your
iOS-device so that VoiceOver turns on when you press the Home button three
times, so you can switch it on and off quickly. If your language is
supported by Siri, you can even tell her to turn VoiceOver on and off. Now
you can start to learn how it works. If you want to make a game of it, you
can play through the VoiceOver tutorial by LookTel. Once you know the basics
of VoiceOver, look at your app and see if it works with VoiceOver. 

Accessibility is not just an additional feature, but a best-practice. After
all, web developers test for compatibility with different web browsers, too.
When you start developing an app and use standard elements, accessibility
labels and label images, it is most likely that your app will be accessible
as iOS has built accessibility right in. However, as soon as you want to
make it more appealing visually, you should know how to develop accessibly
and make sure that your app's facelift does not make it unusable for blind
people. 

Connect with your users and find out how they use your app. Ask them for
examples of apps that work well for them, look at these apps and learn how
and why they are accessible. AppleVis, a site run by blind and partially
sighted iOS users, is an excellent place to get feedback and find eager beta
testers. 

My wish: I hope many developers will embrace accessibility. It will not just
increase their user base, but it will make a difference in the quality of
life of many people. 

AppleVis resources for developers:
http://applevis.com/information-app-developers
LookTel VoiceOver Tutorial:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/looktel-voiceover-tutorial/id598788231?mt=8 
Apple Accessibility for Developers:
https://developer.apple.com/accessibility/
BlindSquare app: http://itunes.apple.com/app/blindsquare/id500557255

Gary Wunder, Editor
The Braille Monitor

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