ACB Focus: Technology

~~411 from the IAC - Part 1: Braille Notetaking Devices Versus Mainstream Products:  Can a blind person be as effective using a mainstream product like an iPhone or are braille notetakers still the way to go in this space? Peter Tucic from HumanWare and Greg Stilson, American Printing House for the Blind discussed the HumanWare BI line of products and the Mantis. This was a lively discussion with...

~~411 from the IAC – Part 2: Rehabilitation, providing remote services: Attendees heard from two rehabilitation professionals about what providing rehabilitation services virtually has been like. ♠ Megan Conway from the Helen Keller National Center  ♠David Kingsbury from the Carroll Center for the Blind Discussed providing rehabilitation services virtually, what accessibility challenges they faced...

The Sento Showdown Team Presented An overview of Console and Video Game Accessibility: Have you wondered what it would be like to experience video games using elements of assistive technology? Ever considered pursuing your own experience playing video games? Attendees joined the team of organizers that hosted The Showdown during the Summer 2020, the first ever Mortal Kombat 11 tournament exclusive...

~~BITS: Make Your House a Smart Home: Use Smart Plugs, Lights, Door Locks, and Other Smart Devices. Attendees learned about all of the things that you can do to make your house a smart home. Presenters: ♣ Peter Korn, Director of Accessibility, Amazon Lab 126, Seattle, WA ♣ Joshua Miele, Principal Accessibility Researcher, Amazon Lab126, Sunnyvale, CA ♣ Elodie Fichet, PhD, Sr. Accessibility Program...

~~BITS/SASI: Do You Hear What I Hear: Are you getting the most from your hearing devices? Have you ever wondered if any hearing aids will work with other technology such as your iPhone?  Attendees enjoyed an informative presentation during which two audiologists and a Hearing Care Professional served as panelists as they addressed the issues and answered questions. Presenters: • Dr. Carol Hamer, A...

~~BITS Virtual Technology Showcase Part One: The four major companies in the field of access technology, Vispero, Hims, HumanWare, and APH, updated attendees on their products. Facilitator: Earlene Hughes, President, Blind Information Technology Specialists, West Lafayette IN Panelist: ◘ Christopher Maae, Student, BITS Vice President, Santa Ana, CA ◘ Vispero: Presenter: Ron Miller, Blindness Techn...

~~BITS Virtual Technology Showcase Part Two: Presenter: Brian Hartgen, Director of Hartgen Consultancy, Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan, South Wales •  Brian Hartgen has 24 years experience training visually impaired people how to use adaptive technology, from Braille-based hardware, to screen-reading software delivered within education, companies, rehabilitation organizations, to individuals in their o...

~~BPI: Using Clubhouse, TikTok and WhatsApp: People are talking: what drives your voice? Facebook and Twitter were once the reigning social giants. The networking landscape has changed significantly. Newer applications like TikTok and clubhouse are clamoring with new forms of social expression and conversation. WhatsApp has also shaped the way we communicate with one another over the past few year...

~~An Evening With ACB: Panel on Increasing Financial Literacy: Financial issues touch every aspect of our lives. The more we can learn about successfully navigating this whole area of interest, the more successful we can become in handling various financial matters that contribute to our independence. Although we could never hope to fully handle this subject in one panel session, we presented a sa...

~~BRL Program Graphics and e-readers: •Part One: BEYOND Braille: Using the graphics capabilities of braille printers:  Attendees learned from a presenter from View Plus on how to print using a Braille printer. •Part Two: An update on the NLS e-reader Project. Speaker: Tamara Rorie, National Library Service, Washington, DC Recorded during the 2021 ACB National Convention on July 22~~

~~ACBS The Sento Showdown Presents: Live Demo of Accessible Video Games: Attendees joined the organizers of The Sento Showdown, a tournament held exclusively for blind and visually impaired players, in their quest to immerse you into the world of accessibility in gaming. They showcased advanced mastery levels of narrated gameplay across a variety of popular video game titles for your entertainment...

Microsoft Soundscape: Opening the Door to New Experiences   Recorded during the 2021 ACB National Convention on July 16

~~BITS What’s New at Amazon: Existing products, new products, updates, all things new at Amazon, how drones would deliver Amazon packages and more! Presenters: ♣ Peter Korn, Director of Accessibility, Amazon Lab 126, Seattle, WA ♣Joshua Miele, Principal Accessibility; Researcher, Amazon Lab126, Sunnyvale, CA ♣ Elodie Fichet, PhD, Sr. Accessibility Program Manager, Seattle, WA  Recorded during the...

~~CCLVI Vendor Showcase: Attendees saw the latest technology in low vision devices. What devices will help you stay independent and how much do they cost? Recorded during the 2021 ACB National Convention on July 18~~

~~Podcasting for Beginners: This session is for those who are interested in, and nervous about, creating podcasts. We discussed needed and basic techniques. Presenter: Derek Lane, Instructor, IC Music, LLC, Owner, Lane's Audio, Morganton, NC Co-sponsored by: ACB Next Generation, BPI, FIA and IVIE Recorded during the 2021 ACB National Convention on July 20~~

~~Google – What's New in Google Accessibility: Google is developing a tool that will substantially speed the development of audio description. This tool will use Google's new Neural Text-to-Speech technology to make speech sound more natural and human. Recorded during the 2021 ACB National Convention on July 22~~

~~Microsoft’s mission is to “empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more”:  Windows is used by hundreds of millions of people throughout the world and is a critical component of Microsoft’s strategy to achieve its mission. Windows includes features designed to empower every person to achieve their full potential, including people with vision, hearing, mobility, cognit...

Welcome to the Technology Track of the ACB Focus Podcast Series.