[Tabs] Fwd: The BLind, the BOld, and the Beautiful Volume 1 Issue 8
Blind Students
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Mon Jul 16 18:05:51 UTC 2018
Shannon Hansen
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: James Boehm <jboehm at nfb-tn.org>
Date: Sat, Jul 14, 2018 at 4:35 PM
Subject: The BLind, the BOld, and the Beautiful Volume 1 Issue 8
To:
Cc: eye-opening-news-and-tech at googlegroups.com, "nashvillechapter at nfb-tn.org"
<nashvillechapter at nfb-tn.org>
The Blind, the Bold, the Beautiful
Volume 1
Issue 8
Inspirational Quote:
“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to
myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by
really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the
belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even
if I may not have it at the beginning.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
Contents
1. Uber and Lyft- How Are They Doing After 1 Year of of Monitoring?
(Braille Monitor, October 2017)
2. Online Banking news
3. Students Dream Up Assistive Devices For Kids With Disabilities
4. How to make group FaceTime calls on iPhone, iPad, and Mac
5. Article About Blind Artist-NY Times
6. NFB 2017 Annual Report
7. New Apple Products
8. Never lose your glasses again with the Orbit tracker
9. The Cadillac of Smoke detectors!
10. AIRA Update
1. Uber Lyft- How Are They Doing After 1 Year of of Monitoring? The NFB
has monitored the two ride share companies to reduce the number of service
animals users from being discriminated against. Read the report here:
https://nfb.org/rideshare-testing-after-one-year-how-are-uber-and-lyft-doing
2. Online Banking News
The Blind Will Soon Be Able to Bank with BECU Through Mobile and Online
Banking
National Federation of the Blind and Boeing Employees’ Credit Union Reach
Accessibility Agreement
SEATTLE (June 6, 2018): The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), its
Washington affiliate, and three blind individuals have reached an agreement
with the Boeing Employees’ Credit Union (BECU). As a part of this
agreement, BECU will work in collaboration with NFB and its members to make
its website and mobile banking app fully accessible to blind customers.
The work to achieve full accessibility of the website is expected to be
completed by March 31, 2019. Improvements to the mobile app will begin this
summer and will be completed by May 31, 2019. BECU has also committed to
long term policies and procedures (such as an employee training program) to
ensure that accessibility is maintained, and pay an undisclosed settlement
amount without any associated admission of liability.
Blind people access websites and mobile apps with what is known as screen
reader software, which speaks text aloud or outputs it to a refreshable
Braille display and will be used for BECU’s website and mobile app.
However, websites and mobile applications that are not coded according to
the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.0, or other
accessibility guidelines, do not interact well with screen reader
technology, making it difficult or impossible for blind users to access
some or all of a website or app’s information or functions.
“Blind people must budget, keep track of our accounts, pay our bills, make
deposits, and transfer funds just like everyone else,” said Mark Riccobono,
President of the National Federation of the Blind. “Since these functions
are now increasingly and sometimes exclusively performed via web or mobile
applications, the blind must have full and equal access to these modern
financial tools. We commend Boeing Employees’ Credit Union for agreeing in
good faith to aggressive steps that will ensure access to its website and
mobile applications now and into the future. We particularly appreciate
that BECU has agreed to the testing of these services by blind people
throughout the process, and we look forward to working with this
institution to achieve the goal of equal access. We urge other banks across
the country to meet the same standard of access for their customers and
invite them to work closely with us in doing so.”
3. Students Dream Up Assistive Devices For Kids With Disabilities
Disability Scoop / Liz Sawyer, Star Tribune/TNS
Through an introductory engineering program, junior high and high school
students are developing real-life solutions for kids with disabilities, all
on a budget of just $35.
Original Article: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2018/06/06/students-dream-
assistive-devices/25158/
4. How to make group FaceTime calls on iPhone, iPad, and Mac
iMore - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch blog / Joseph Keller
Group FaceTime calls are coming in iOS 12 and macOS Mojave. Here's how to
make and join them.
In iOS 12 and macOS Mojave, FaceTime is getting it's first major update in
years. And while cool effects like live Animoji, filters, and stickers are
fun, the real star of the show is group FaceTime calls. Supporting both
audio and video, group FaceTime calls will allow up to 32 participants at
once. In addition to starting them through the FaceTime app, you'll also be
able to begin a group call through group conversation in Messages on your
iPhone or iPad, as well as join one already in progress.
Apple occasionally offers updates to iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS as
closed developer previews or public betas for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and
Mac (sadly, no public beta for the Apple Watch). While the betas contain
new features, they also contain pre-release bugs that can prevent the
normal use of your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, or Mac, and are not
intended for everyday use on a primary device. That's why we strongly
recommend staying away from developer previews unless you need them for
software development, and using the public betas with caution. If you
depend on your devices, wait for the final release.
Here's how to make group FaceTime calls on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
• How to place a group FaceTime call using FaceTime
• How to place a group FaceTime call using FaceTime
on Mac
• How to place a group FaceTime call using Messages
• How to join a group FaceTime call in Messages
How to place a group FaceTime call using FaceTime on iPhone and iPad
Using the FaceTime way is the most obvious way to place a FaceTime group
call, and there are some changes to the way you place calls in iOS 12.
1 Open FaceTime on your iPhone or iPad.
2 Tap the + button in the upper-right corner.
3 Enter the name or number of a person you want to
call.
4 Enter up to 30 additional contacts.
5 Tap Video or Audio to place your FaceTime call.
How to place a group FaceTime call using FaceTime on Mac
1 Open FaceTime on your iPhone or iPad.
2 Enter the name or number of a person you want to
call.
3 Enter up to 30 additional contacts.
4 Click Video or Audio to place your FaceTime call.
How to place a group FaceTime call using Messages on iPhone and iPad
FaceTime is also being better integrated into the Messages app. You can use
that integration to place a group FaceTime call to members of a group
iMessage thread.
1 Open Messages on your iPhone or iPad.
2 Tap on a group conversation or start a new one.
3 Tap the avatars of the conversation participants in
the top-center of the screen.
4 Tap FaceTime.
How to join a group FaceTime call in Messages on iPhone and iPad
You can also join an in-progress group FaceTime call from a group iMessage
thread if it's between people in that thread. Here's how.
1 Open Messages on your iPhone or iPad.
2 Tap on a group conversation with an open FaceTime
call.
3 Tap the green Join button in the FaceTime message
bubble.
5. Article About Blind Artist-NY Times
A Blind Artist Finds New Ways of Seeing
NYT > Home Page / MICHAEL SNYDER and BARBARA ANASTACIO
After Manuel Solano’s vision deteriorated due to an HIV-related infection,
the painter had to rethink everything.
Original Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/12/t-magazine/manuel-
solano-blind-artist.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
6. NFB Annual Report
We’re excited to announce that our 2017 annual report has been released. In
it, you'll find important highlights from our work in 2017, as well as
powerful stories that show the impact your support has had in helping our
blind brothers and sisters live the lives they want. Please read and share.
You can also find the 2017 report on our annual reports webpage.
-Communications Team
Alyssa Vetro
Web Content Coordinator
200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
<https://maps.google.com/?q=200+East+Wells+Street,+Baltimore,+MD+21230&entry=gmail&source=g>
(410) 659-9314, extension 2245 | AVetro at nfb.org
7. New Apple Products
https://www.applevis.com/blog/apple-ipad-news/apple-unveils-
new-97-inch-ipad-apple-pencil-support-along-new-and-updated-tools
Apple Unveils New 9.7-Inch iPad with Apple Pencil Support; Along with New
and Updated Tools for Schools and Teachers
27 March, 2018
Submitted by AppleVis on
Apple today held an education-focused ‘Lets take a Field Trip’ event in
Chicago, during which it announced a new iPad and a range of new and
updated tools for schools, teachers and students.
The main feature of the new 9.7-inch iPad is the fact that it's compatible
with Apple Pencil, something that's previously only been available on the
iPad Pro range, and is intended to enable students to ditch their notepad
in favor of an iPad.
In an early hands-on review of the new iPad, TechRadar calls it “a really
impressive tablet for the general user who wants to get a great experience”:
If you just picked up the new iPad 2018 and didn't know anything about it,
you'd be relatively unimpressed. It's just an iPad, with the same thick
bezels and metal chassis. Sure, it looks fine, but it's nothing new.
But this tablet is designed to be two things: accessible for the consumer
that doesn't want to pay loads for a tablet, and ready for the classroom.
To that end, Apple has largely succeeded, although it's hard to know
whether educators will be more willing to buy into the Apple classroom
ideal at this price point.
Given that Chromebooks from Google can be had for under $100 / £100 /
AU$150, that's a tough price point to match. But Apple has made a
premium-feeling device, with a decent camera and Apple Pencil support,
which could really offer a point of differentiation from the rest of the
competition – this is a powerhouse for not a lot of money, and it'll be
interesting to see if that's attractive to educators.
The new iPad brings with it a raft of new software for the classroom too –
combined with the new Pencil and innards, it's hitting the right marks, but
it remains to be seen whether that price point gets a passing grade from
schools.
The new iPad comes in silver, space gray and a new gold finish and starts
at a price of US$329 for the 32GB with Wi-Fi model and US$459 for the 32GB
Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The pricing for schools starts at US$299. It is
available to order today and starts delivering to customers and arriving in
stores later this week in more than 25 countries and regions. Availability
will expand to other countries and regions during April and May. Further
details of pricing and availability can be found on apple.com.
8. Never lose your glasses again with the Orbit tracker
The Gadgeteer / Janet Cloninger
I’m blind as a bat without my glasses, and I can’t find them if I’ve
forgotten where I left them. I actually had to call my husband home from
work one day to help me find them. With the Orbit sensor and app, I could
track them down all by myself. The Orbit tracker for glasses is small
enough to fit on the inside of one of the arms of your glasses, so it won’t
be visible while you are wearing them.
The tracker will fit a minimum 4mm arm width, and it’s not suitable for
aviator-style glasses. It adheres to your glasses with 3M double-sided
adhesive, and it measures 1.25″ x 0.2″. You won’t have to worry about
sweat or rain, because it is waterproof.
The USB-rechargeable battery lasts about a month between charges. The
Orbit app (iOS and Android) connects to the tracker via Bluetooth, with a
range of up to 100 feet. The tracker has a built-in 80dB speaker that
sounds a tone when you are leaving your glasses behind, or the app can have
it chime to help you locate them. You can also see their last know
location on a map in the app.
I found the Orbit Glasses Tracker at Levenger in black for $50.00. You can
also purchase a tracker at the Orbit website for $39.99, but it is
currently on backorder.
The post Never lose your glasses again with the Orbit tracker appeared
first on The Gadgeteer
9. The Cadillac of All Smoke Detectors!
https://iphone.appleinsider.com/articles/18/06/10/review-
homekit-compatible-first-alert-onelink-safe-sound-
smoke-detector-more-than-it-appears
10. AIRA Update
AIRA is planning to be available 24/7! Check out the below info from Blind
Bargains and AIRA:
>From Blind Bargains: AIRA Prepares for 24/7 Operation; Posts Job Listing
for Overnight Agents
https://www.blindbargains.com/b/19029
Note: This newsletter is not affiliated with any organization. BBB is a
newsletter put together to share information on news, technology, and
inspirational stories that you may enjoy.
Warmly,
James Boehm
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