[BlindMath] Voice activated screen reader graphic calculators?

Fri Feb 1 18:31:54 UTC 2019

Hi Kendra,

You might also be interested in the Desmos Graphing Calculator (disclosure:
I am a developer working on this product). It's a free online graphing
calculator that is designed to interoperate well with screen readers and
give audio representations of graphs. The calculator is also available as
an app on mobile devices.

Some links:
* Calculator: https://www.desmos.com/calculator
* Accessibility Intro: https://learn.desmos.com/accessibility
* Accessibility Reference Documentation:
https://www.desmos.com/accessibility

Finding points of interest like minima, maxima, and roots is fairly simple
in the Desmos calculator. Here are the steps:

1. Graph an equation, e.g. type y = sin(x)
2. Enter "Audio Trace" by typing option-t (Mac) or alt-t (Windows)
3. In "Audio Trace" mode, pressing "tab" and "shift tab" will move you
through points of interest like minima, maxima, and roots, and announce the
coordinates of each one through the screen reader.
4. While in "Audio Trace" mode, you can also press "H" to hear an audio
representation of the graph
5. To exit audio trace and edit your expression, press "alt-t" or
"option-t" again or press "escape".

If you give the calculator a try and have questions or feedback, you can
reach us at accessibility at desmos.com

Best,

Jason

Jason Merrill
Lead Calculator Engineer
Desmos, Inc.

On Fri, Feb 1, 2019 at 7:34 AM Kendra Schaber via BlindMath <
blindmath at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Hi all!
>  I wouldn’t want to use dictation for every single math problem out there,
> partly because I know what the battle is like, particularly when dictating
> something like a text message or am Email. I can’t count how many times
> when I would watch a friend try to dictate an Email or a text only for them
> to take five or ten tries before the software would get their message
> right. I have had more luck with typing in my commands to SIRI instead of
> dictating them. The only time I dictate with SIRI is when I have her make a
> phone call or get a word spelled. I would mainly use dictation when I
> needed to speed up a homework problem like finding the minamum or maximum
> on a graph for example because I have not found a very efficent way to find
> that information on the TI84 graphing calculator. Speaking of the TI84, my
> apponyon on them so far is that they are good but a bit too complicated for
> my innitial enjoyment. But they are not as simular to the normal ones as
> everyone wants you to believe. For example, every time I have gone and
> worked with a sited person to work my own TI84, yes, they’ve been able to
> work my TI84 just fine but almost every single time, accessability has come
> up and none of them have been able to figure that part out. Even my math
> teacher and I agreed that the way the TI84 allows you to find the minamum
> and maximum on a graph for example is very inefficient. I’m looking for
> tools out there that would or could work along side the calculator to cover
> the slow gaps. I have heard of those calculator software programs out
> there. Does anyone know if any of them, particularly the free ones can do
> things like finding maximum and minamum better than the TI84 can? The only
> one I know of that can is the one that View Plus offers. Is that the only
> one or are there others that are just as good? I usually take my laptop
> computer to school because I use it for my writing class anyway. I don’t
> mind giving it another excuse to help me in my school work. I have Windows
> ten, NVDA, and JAWS 2018 installed on it. I don’t currently have Math Tipe
> on it. Does that limit me with these accesible graphing calculator software?
>
>
> Thank you for taking the time to read this Email!
> Blessed be!!!
> Kendra Schaber
> Chemeketa Community College,
> 350 Org,
> Citizen’s Climate Lobby,
> National Federation of the Blind of Oregon,
> Capitol Chapter,
> Salem, Oregon.
> Home Email:
> Redwing731 at gmail.com
> Chemeketa Community College Email:
> Kschaber at my.Chemeketa.edu
> Phone:
> 971-599-9991 <(971)%20599-9991>
> “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear”, Author unknown.
> Sent from my iPhone SE.
> Sent from my Gmail Email
> Get Outlook<https://aka.ms/qtex0l> for iOS
>
> ________________________________
> From: BlindMath <blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org> on behalf of Ken Perry via
> BlindMath <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2019 19:29
> To: 'Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics'
> Cc: kperry at blinksoft.com
> Subject: Re: [BlindMath] Voice activated screen reader graphic calculators?
>
> This will make doing work in a group very difficult. People always think
> voice is the future for blind people till they sit down and try to use it.
> Just think of how fun it is to fight with the best voice activated devices,
> Alexa, Siri, and Google. Now add the problem of math. I say good luck but I
> wouldn't do it. At least not with the current power of voice activation.
>
> Ken
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: BlindMath <blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Kendra
> Schaber via BlindMath
> Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2019 10:20 PM
> To: Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics <
> blindmath at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Kendra Schaber <redwing731 at gmail.com>
> Subject: [BlindMath] Voice activated screen reader graphic calculators?
>
> Hi all!
> Today, at the end of math class, my math teacher came up with a good idea.
> He recamended that I should hunt for a nice graphic calculator that can be
> activated by voice commands, much like SIRI is opperated. He suggested that
> I get my hands on one called I think it’s called Pentel or something like
> it. I have not used this calculator for an iphone. I don’t know if it’s
> screen reader accessible. Does anyone know of a graphic calculator that can
> be opperated by voice, that’s software on a computer or smart phone and is
> screen reader accessible? I think that it might help me out in addition to
> the TI84 graphic calculator.
>
>
> Thank you for taking the time to read this E Mail!
> Blessed be!!!
> Kendra Schaber,
> Chemeketa Community College,
> 350 Org,
> Citizen’s Climate Lobby,
> National Federation of the Blind of Oregon, Capitol Chapter, Salem, Oregon.
> Home email:
> Redwing731 at gmail.com
> Chemeketa Community College Email:
> Kschaber at my.Chemeketa.edu
> Phone:
> 971-599-9991 <(971)%20599-9991>
> "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear" Author Unknown.
> Sent From My iPhone SE.
> Sent from My Gmail Email.
> Get Outlook Express for IOS.
>
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