[NJTechDiv] List of Resources: Links and Explanations

Mon Nov 23 00:27:28 UTC 2020

Sounds good!  Share with whoever you think would benefit.

> On Nov 22, 2020, at 7:23 PM, PLipovsky <plipovsky at cfl.rr.com> wrote:
> 
> I also think this list of resources are great.  May I share with the Florida affiliate?
>  
> Thanks, Trish
>  
>  
>  
> From: NJTechDiv <njtechdiv-bounces at nfbnet.org <mailto:njtechdiv-bounces at nfbnet.org>> On Behalf Of Andy via NJTechDiv
> Sent: Sunday, November 22, 2020 6:50 PM
> To: New Jersey Technology Division List <njtechdiv at nfbnet.org <mailto:njtechdiv at nfbnet.org>>
> Cc: Andy <guitarwizandy at optonline.net <mailto:guitarwizandy at optonline.net>>
> Subject: Re: [NJTechDiv] List of Resources: Links and Explanations
>  
> Sounds good!  I hope you find these resources useful.
>  
>  
> 
> 
>> On Nov 22, 2020, at 6:41 PM, Steve Cook via NJTechDiv <njtechdiv at nfbnet.org <mailto:njtechdiv at nfbnet.org>> wrote:
>>  
>> Hi Andy, 
>>  
>> Great job! Do you mind if I share here in SC? 
>>  
>> From: NJTechDiv <njtechdiv-bounces at nfbnet.org <mailto:njtechdiv-bounces at nfbnet.org>> On Behalf Of Andy via NJTechDiv
>> Sent: Sunday, November 22, 2020 2:47 PM
>> To: New Jersey Technology Division List <njtechdiv at nfbnet.org <mailto:njtechdiv at nfbnet.org>>; Jane Degenshein <jdegen16 at comcast.net <mailto:jdegen16 at comcast.net>>; joe ruffalo <nfbnj1 at verizon.net <mailto:nfbnj1 at verizon.net>>; Linda Melendez <lindamelendez220 at gmail.com <mailto:lindamelendez220 at gmail.com>>
>> Cc: Andy <guitarwizandy at optonline.net <mailto:guitarwizandy at optonline.net>>
>> Subject: [NJTechDiv] List of Resources: Links and Explanations
>>  
>> Hi all!  Below, I feature a list of resources.  Joe or Linda, if you could forward this to the distribution list, I'd greatly appreciate it.  We had a great convention!  I look forward to next year.
>>  
>> On Thursday, 19 November, I gave a presentation on a list of resources that are useful for all things technology.  Below you will find links and explanations to these resources.  This list includes email lists, websites, and podcasts.
>>  
>> Email Lists
>>  
>> There are many vibrant, active email lists/communities that are useful for assistive technology.  The PhonesForTheBlind <https://groups.io/g/PhonesForTheBlind> group discusses all things phone-related.  This group discusses smartphones, useful apps, and phone accessibility.
>>  
>> Similarly, the VIPhone <https://groups.google.com/g/viphone> group also focuses on these topics.  Note that this list in particular receives a great deal of traffic.  People ask and answer questions about iOS devices, Android devices, and apps for both platforms.  Feature phones occasionally also get discussed here.
>>  
>> Android users in particular might be interested in the Eyes-free Programming and development <https://groups.google.com/g/eyes-free-dev> group.  It's focused on Android developers wanting to make apps accessible is sometimes gets technical, but Google also posts announcements to this list.
>>  
>> The NFBNet network of email lists offers several technology-related lists.  Among these is Electronics Talk, <https://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/electronics-talk_nfbnet.org> which mainly focuses on home appliances and "Internet of things" devices, such as smart microwaves, ovens, speakers, etc.  People post questions, comments, and accessibility issues/impressions concerning these types of devices.
>>  
>> NFBNet also offers an email list called NFBCS, <https://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbcs_nfbnet.org> which focuses on computer science and computer programming-related topics.  List subscribers post questions and comments about programming languages, accessibility of code editors, etc.
>>  
>> NFBNet also offers NFB-Science, <https://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-science_nfbnet.org> which focuses on science and engineering.  Discussions focus on accessibility and education of all things science.  During this convention, we had a presentation from Independence Science; their products have been brought up before.
>>  
>> The NFB's structured discovery method produces very positive results in all areas of blindness skills training.  For assistive technology trainers looking to implement this method of instruction, you might want to look into NFBNet's Trainer-Talk <https://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/trainer-talk_nfbnet.org> email list.  Instructors ask questions and generally communicate with each other about how they implement and instruct assistive technology topics.  It's a valuable resource for instructors.
>>  
>> For anyone wishing to buy and sell items, you should check out the BlindAds <https://groups.io/g/BlindAds> group.  List subscribers post items that they are wishing to sell.  Products posted include Braille displays, note-taking devices, and many others.  Note that, although this list is focused on blindness-specific items, people also post Braille books, games, and other devices.
>>  
>> For anyone using a Mac, you might be interested in the Mac4TheBlind <https://www.freelists.org/list/mac4theblind> email list.  Questions about VoiceOver, Zoom, and other Mac accessibility features get asked and answered by a knowledgeable user base of blind Mac users.
>>  
>> If you're interested in gaming, the BlindGamers <https://groups.io/g/blind-gamers> list is worth subscribing to.  Audio games and video games get discussed for all platforms.  If you have questions, comments, tips, tricks, cheats, etc about gaming, then this is the place to go.
>>  
>> For general Windows 10 questions, the Win10 <https://win10.groups.io/g/win10> email list is a great community.  A knowledgeable group of Windows users can answer all questions about Windows 10, regardless of the screen reader you're using.
>>  
>> To wrap up the section on email lists, check out the Tech Talk <https://techtalk.groups.io/g/main> group.  This is useful for general technology questions.
>>  
>> Websites
>>  
>> There are a ton of active websites that are useful for assistive technology users.  Some of these contain information, others are updated very frequently.
>>  
>> The AppleVis <http://applevis.com/> website is very useful for everything Apple and blindness.  Whether you have an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Watch, there is valuable information here.  The editors post articles about mainstream Apple topics, but users of the site can ask questions, post their accessibility impressions of apps, and much more.
>>  
>> Similarly, Inclusive Android <https://www.inclusiveandroid.com/> is a similar resource for Android users.
>>  
>> There is a terrific magazine called AccessWorld. <https://www.afb.org/aw>  Here, articles are posted about all things assistive technology.  Reviews of hardware, software and accessibility are popular topics.
>>  
>> Hadley <http://hadley.edu/> is a fantastic resource for blindness skills learning.  Their assistive technology courses are top-notch, and go into great detail about Office, Android, iOS, and many other topics.  Similarly, they also offer podcasts and other resources.
>>  
>> If you're looking for reviews and technology news, Cool Blind Tech <https://coolblindtech.com/> is a great place to go.  They interview people about assistive technology, post detailed product reviews, and have lengthy discussions about assistive technology.
>>  
>> Another resource worth looking at is BlindBargains. <http://blindbargains.com/>  Operated by the ATGuys, <http://atguys.com/> they post detailed articles about technology, deals, and other items of interest to the blind community.  BlindBargains also maintains a very informative podcast.  ATGuys is a small business offering assistive technology at great prices.  They sell the Orbit Writer, the Orbit Reader, various types of headphones, USB hubs, and other awesome products.
>>  
>> Another small business offering electronics at great prices is Talking MP3 Players <https://talkingmp3players-com.3dcartstores.com/> (also known as Accessible Electronics).  Their focus is on easy-to-use electronics.  They offer the Victor Stream, talking tablets, headsets, speakers, and other items.
>>  
>> A website known as Live Accessible <https://liveaccessible.com/> maintains many articles of usefulness to blind people.  They have a list of resources, and short explanations on how to use built-in Windows accessibility features.
>>  
>> A small business from the UK, known as Hartgen Consultancy, <http://www.hartgen.org/> offers many training courses and JAWS scripts for sale.  Brian Hartgen is the maintainer of Leasey, J-Say, and J-Dictate.  He also maintains scripts for Zoom.  If you're looking for JAWS training, Brian might be worth a look.
>>  
>> To round out this section, I want to bring to your attention a great resource to Mac users known as Maccessibility. <http://maccessibility.net/>  Maintained by expert blind Mac users, they post lengthy, detailed articles on how to use Mac functions.  If you're a Mac user, you'll find this very useful.
>>  
>> Podcasts
>>  
>> I want to bring to your attention some great podcasts about both assistive and mainstream technology.  Podcasts are usually delivered as audio (though they can be video), and are updated regularly.  Content is automatically delivered to you.  You need a podcast client such as Apple Podcasts, Downcast, Overcast, Juice, or Winamp to get episodes delivered to you.  The Victor Stream Second Generation and the Victor Trek can also do this.  It's possible to manually check for episodes if you aren't interested in using a podcast client.
>>  
>> A podcast known as Blind Tech Guys <https://www.buzzsprout.com/1163732> mainly focuses on mobile phone topics.  Nimer Jaber, Warren Carr, and Marco Curralejo discuss Android and iOS-related assistive technology news, apps, and accessibility.
>>  
>> ACB Radio maintains a podcast called Main Menu. <https://mainmenu.pinecast.co/>  Started in 1999, it's a monthly podcast about technology from a blindness perspective.  Highly-regarded, this podcast is a must-listen to if you're interested in blindness.  This past month, for example, they talked all about the new features of JAWS 2021.
>>  
>> Jonathan Mosen was the founder of ACB Radio.  He then went onto work at HumanWare and Freedom Scientific.  He's now the CEO of Workbridge, an organization in New Zealand.  He operates a weekly podcast called Mosen At Large. <https://mosen.org/mosenatlarge/>  Because he worked in assistive technology for so long, the podcast is skewed towards technology, but that's by no means the only topic focus on.  Recent episodes have featured guide dogs, the 2020 Election, voting systems, a review of the MANTIS Q40 Braille display, and smart canes.
>>  
>> Blind Abilities offers a podcast called TechAbilities. <https://blindabilities.com/?p=6200>  Though it's only updated occasionally, it can be useful for iOS users.
>>  
>> Freedom Scientific offers FSCast, <https://blog.freedomscientific.com/fscast/> a podcast focusing exclusively on their products.  They talk about tips on effectively using JAWS, webinars, interviews, and demonstrations.
>>  
>> To round this out, I want to mention TWiT. <http://twit.tv/>  TWiT is a network of mainstream podcasts that doesn't focus at all on assistive technology; rather, they focus on everything mainstream.  They offer a podcast on computer security, they have podcasts on Android, Mac, iPads, iPhones, Macs, Windows, and many other topics.
>>  
>> I hope you find these resources useful.  There's a lot of great info here, so check out these valuable resources and learn!
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