Looking forward to sharing my knowledge, skills, and experience at the roundtable conference on information access in Victoria next weekend, particularly with some interesting announcements. Please come by the HumanWare booth and say hello. #a11y #accessibility #braille #blind

I have a legally #blind friend that uses the #Meta #AI glasses to help describe the world around her and help her with #Accessibility

It was great attending last weeks ATA Expo in WA. A tip for folks visiting other ATSA Expose in Australia, HumanWare has the most extensive range of braille input and output devices for Australian customers. As we may not be able to attend all conferences, please check out https://www.humanware.com or contact me David Woodbridge Blindness Product Specialist for HumanWare Australia. #a11y #accessibility #assistive #blind #Braille #atsa

This doesn't include the 35 books I have on USB. I have a whole damn library of audio books, and its all free. At least blindness has its benefits. #Books, #Bookstodon, #Blind

I just got my cartrages, a good haul, 16 books, and 7 of them are from the wheel of time series. #Books, #Bookstodon, #Blind

#Blind people: are there any activities which, when you really think about them, you have no idea what they are or couldn't explain them to someone else because you've never been able to see them?

For me it would be juggling. I use the term as a verb, but I have no practical understanding of what a performer is actually doing when they juggle.

Note: not an invitation to tell me what juggling is, I'd look it up if I cared.

ChatGPT's thoughts on what empowerment should mean in assistive technology for the blind https://chatgpt.com/share/682881c7-9208-8004-9ef6-566b9fe4fcee on a Neuralink Blindsight brain implant, The vOICe "raw" sensory substitution, and AI-based smart glasses. I'm impressed by ChatGPT's lucidity, what about you @garymarcus? #blind #a11y #AI

A #blind student graduated cum laude at UKZN, with 14 (!) distinctions. It shows there's hope for us all. :-) https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-05-16-blind-student-graduates-cum-laude-with-14-distinctions/?utm_source=MastodonAfrica #VisuallyImpaired #SouthAfrica

Lol Microsoft is like: "Okay disabled people, we have to skill up! Learn about AI so we don't have to fix Windows! I mean, with AI blind people can develop scripts to have Gem... Um I mean Copilot! Use Copilot! To control your PC for you! And while you do that, I'll be playing Candy Crush and Doom! Oh, blind people can't play that? Meh, too bad. Go play some text game roflmao. Oh and take our course cause it's not like you don't have tons else to learn and do. I mean statistically, disabled people don't have jobs and blind people spend their time running radio stations. I mean, it's the data bro, data don't lie and data means everything right? Also happy #GAAD, here's a course! Get to work upskilling cause AI, particularly our AI, particularly our $20 per month best AI, waits for no one! And you'll want the best AI for the best image descriptions and help and a eleven y!"

Note: I know GAAD isn't just about blind people, but it should seriously include us. We kinda do exist after all.

https://blogs.microsoft.com/accessibility/ai-in-action-celebrating-global-accessibility-awareness-day/

So anyone who uses the Qidi Q1Pro, in order to access the EMMC module, do I have to remove the back pannel or the pannel at the bottom of the printer? I've been trying to get at it for days now so that I can flash the firmware again because the printer firmware got killed by my stupidity, but I just don't know what to do anymore. I really need help. #3DPrinting #Blind

Question for Mona users, if I wanted to make lists, how would I do it? #Blind

Also totally forgot to talk about this yesterday.
As a part of global accessibility awareness day, we put out a new update for the Be My Eyes app for Windows that is completely rebuild from the ground up. Along with giving us a better base to build amazing new features for desktop in the near future, this new app also fixes a lot of the accessibility issues that people have reported over the last 1.5 or so years.
In addition Chat History is now also available on Desktop, so you can start a conversation from mobile and continue it on desktop (and vice versa).

#a11y #bemyeyes #gaad #globalaccessibilityawarenessday
#blind #bme #tech
#disability #assistivetech

On our May 6 webinar, we announced our second competition for BT Speak customers. The theme for this competition is third party apps that you may have installed on your BT Speak.
While the BT Speak ships with many useful applications, it is possible to install additional apps to extend the device’s functionality, just as you can do on other devices.
Have you installed any applications on your BT Speak? Examples might include additional Web browsers, games, book readers, useful utilities, etc.
If you have, we invite you to submit an audio demo of how you use your favorite third party app. You might want to indicate the method that you used to install the app and a demo of how you use it, how it benefits you and why you might recommend it to other BT Speak owners.
This demo can be recorded using any device or any microphone, as long as it’s clear enough for us to hear.
We ask that the recording be no longer than 5-7 minutes in length. A video submission is not necessary; audio-only submissions are absolutely fine.
To send us a submission, pleased email the recording to
info@blazie.net
with the word
contest
in the subject field.
The recording can be sent to us as an attachment or as a shared link to the file, such as a Dropbox or OneDrive link.
The last day for sending submissions for this contest is Friday, June 6.
The winner will receive a Tozo headset, which can be paired with your favorite Bluetooth device, including your BT Speak. The winning submission will also be placed on our Web site as an audio download.

#BTSpeak #Blind
DG

Are planted cracks and gaps on sidewalks an issue for blind and visually impaired people?

Do you need perfect gap lines to follow them or would plants work without an issue?

Context is an image @streetartutopia posted earlier where a line of marigolds lines a sidewalk. The gap lines and a crack are planted.

(Link to the image with alt text: https://mastodon.social/@streetartutopia@mastodon.online/114516509133066429)

Sind bewachsene Fugen auf Gehwegen für Menschen, die Sehhilfen wie Blindystock nutzen ein Problem?

Also braucht ihr die perfekten Fugen oder würde eine Kante aus Moos oder anderen Pflanzen für euch funktionieren?

Konkret geht es um ein Bild auf dem Tageten in den seitlichen Randfugen eines Gehwegs wachsen. (Link zum Bild mit Alt-Text: https://mastodon.social/@streetartutopia@mastodon.online/114516509133066429)

My #iPhone15Pro keeps running hot! sometimes, it gets so hot I can't even put it to my ear. I have to talk to whoever I'm on the phone with on speaker because it's just to hot to hold. thankfully though, that last part hasn't occurred in a while. the strange part is that #Voiceover has never informed me that my phone is to hot to use. To that end, I called #Appleaccessibility last night & the advisor I spoke with was extremely kind & helpful. She advised that I restore it, which I haven't done in a few months & now may actually be a good time since #WWDC2025 is coming up on 6/9/2025 & I'm one of Apple's faithful #BetaTesters. I love doing it & it helps create better software for all, since it has less bugs than it otherwise would, if no one in the disability community, especially, those of us who are #Blind, #VisuallyImpaired or #deaf-blind beta tests & reports bugs, Apple won't know where to focus its #Accessibility efforts, which I firmly believe we should all strive to help with, on this #GlobalAccessibilityAwarenessDay! Everyone with any kind of disability should test this stuff. The more testers, the better the public release in the fall will be.

To that end, what's everyone's favorite cross-platform web browser? I'm seeking something which works across, #ApplePlatforms, #Android & #linux, speciffically, #Slackware, as I'm using #Slint which is a dirivitive of #Slackware, designed specifically for the #Blind & #VisuallyImpaired. You can learn more at:
https://slint.fr/en/HandBook.html

Well I just used #Innosearch in partnership with #BeMyEyes to buy some PLA filament for my 3DPrinter and it was a seemless and completely accessible experience. I even used Apple Pay to pay for my purchase with no problems whatsoever, and so I'll definitely be using Innosearch along with BME in the future to get my necessary shopping done for sure. #3DPrinting #Blind #AI #Shopping

Google just released their #GAAD update, and at least their images are described. And no, captions are not Alt-Text. Can't really say the same about Apple's thing from a few days ago. Kinda interesting since Google's is all about AI image descriptions, and Apple's... Well it's not.

https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/accessibility/android-gemini-ai-gaad-2025/

Be My Eyes and Innosearch Join Forces to Bring Seamless, AI-Powered eCommerce to Blind and Low Vision Users

‍Be My Eyes announced today – on Global Accessibility Awareness Day – a strategic alliance with Innosearch.ai, an AI-powered eCommerce portal. The alliance will provide super-accessible online shopping to the users of the Be My Eyes app,, without the clutter and noise present of many other websites.

Accessible Shopping in Be My Eyes with 2% Cashback
Be My Eyes users will benefit from an exclusive 2% cashback credit into their Innosearch account for use against future purchases made through the Be My Eyes app. The service is currently available in the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia, with more regions to follow.

The alliance represents a significant step and new direction for Be My Eyes, as it lays the foundations of the Be My Eyes app and the underlying technology platform becoming the de-facto access-tech of choice for people who are blind or have low vision, wherever they are – at home, at work or at play.

https://www.bemyeyes.com/news/be-my-eyes-to-provide-in-app-accessible-shopping/

#globalaccessibilityawearnessday
#gaad #a11y #bemyeyes #innosearchai #innosearch #blind #shopping #disability #assistivetech