Illegally Sighted » accessibility

Accessible Credit Reports Are Here!

Amber — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 16:52:50 +0000

Today I received some great news in my email box. After negotiations between the ACB and the credit reporting agencies, we can receive our credit reports in a format that is accessible to us!

You can receive your 3 free annual credit reports by either by phone or online. If you choose to obtain your reports via the toll free phone number you will go through a short verification process. After this the automated system will ask you if you need your free annual credit report in an accessible format for the visually impaired. You then certify that you are visually impaired under the ADA. After that you pick which format you want the credit report in. You will do this process for all three credit reports.

If you choose to go online to obtain your credit reports you still don’t have to worry about a thing! The website https://www.annualcreditreport.com/ is designed to meet priorities 1 and 2 of the web accessibility standards. If you do choose to obtain your credit report online this is the official site and is the best way to obtain your credit reports.

Knowing what is on your credit report is very important. It can affect not only the obvious things like obtaining credit cards but it can also affect your ability to obtain employment in many states. It is a good idea to check your report once per year to make sure all information is accurate and correct. This is the best way to guard against identity theft.

I am going to find my phone and call for my large print credit reports today. If you are visually impaired make sure you do this. Not only is it good for you, it shows these agencies that accessible information will be used by those who need it.

You can read more about ACB’s
accessible credit report agreement at www.lflegal.com/2008/12/credit-announce/.

Apple Releases the iPad and it’s Accessible!

Amber — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:12:23 +0000

: Image by Farid Iqbal via Flickr

We were all waiting to hear about the new invention that Apple was going to come out with for the past month or so. Everyone was so excited about this super secret gadget.

“What could it be?”

“Is it a netbook?”

“Maybe it’s a new iPhone model!”

Well the wait is over as of yesterday morning! Apple has released it’s new tablet computer called the iPad!

The iPad has a 10 inch screen and is only 1/2 inch thick. It will come in a 16, 32 and 64 GB version with built in WiFi and the option to add 3G support. The iPad is not just meant to surf the web and do email. The best part of this device is the built in ability to use it as a book reader. This is great news for college students! Apple is working with textbook publishers to get school texts onto the bookstore.

Another great feature of the iPad is the fact that it has the same look and feel as the iPhone. Those people who have used the iPhone for any length of time will have no trouble getting used to the feel of this device. The iPad supports apps just like the iPhone does as well.

The great news about the iPad is that it will be accessible to those with vision impairments as well as those with hearing impairments. The iPad supports captioning for the hearing impaired and will come with Voice Over and ZOOM for those with vision impairments! As a ZOOM user this is truly exciting.

The only complaints I have heard so far is the absence of a webcam and support for Flash. These might be added in the next version but I can’t be sure.

For more information on the iPad please check out Apple’s website at www.apple.com

Disneyland Goes Accessible

Amber — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:17:30 +0000

: Image by Joe Penniston via Flickr

Well, Disneyland has always been accessible. They have always had a way for those with disabilities to navigate around the park and enjoy their attractions. But, this is another step in the right direction for them.

Disneyland has launched a device called “Audio Description” that lets blind visitors hear about many of the attractions at the park! The handheld device was initially launched at Disney World and also offers accessibility for those who are deaf and hard of hearing.

I haven’t personally tried the new technology yet but I plan to. Even being partially sighted there are things that I’m sure I miss while going through the park.

My first thought was “Well what about attractions such as Splash Mountain and even Pirates of the Caribbean? The Audio Description device is meant to withstand such things. It’s also sturdy enough to withstand being dropped. This is a good thing as sometimes a day at a theme park can be brutal on electronics.

The technology behind the Audio Description device is pretty cool. There are a number of infrared sensors that send the signal to the handheld device. My question would be could they possibly extend this technology to include restaurant menus in the parks? When I head to Disneyland my main issue is reading the signs and menus. If these could be included in this device it would really be accessible.

I think Disneyland is going in the right direction and could really do great things with this Audio Description device. The really cool thing is that they are leasing the technology to other tourist attractions. I know of a few places where this could REALLY come in handy.

New Must Have iPhone App: iMagnify

Amber — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:10:25 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

I was browsing through an iPhone forum the other day looking for cool new apps to try out when I found what I feel is the Holy Grail of iPhone apps for low vision users. Those of you who have low vision realize how hard it is to carry around so much stuff on a daily basis. You have your phone, wallet, glasses, magnifying glass, monoculer, and countless other gadgets that help you manage everyday life. Well I’ve found a way to knock at least one of those things off your list of bag essentials.

The program is called iMagnify. It uses the camera function to turn the iPhone into a magnifying glass. You can zoom in up to 4 times the original size.

I’ve been using the program for the past couple of days and I am truly amazed at the functionality of it. I’ve been in dark restaurants, bright bus stops and just at home and have had great results with the program.

The only issue I could possibly find is sometimes you need to have a steady hand while focusing in on what you want to magnify. I noticed that I had to up the magnification to the max to read some fine print as well. These are typical issues of magnification devices including portable CCTVs.

The app is pretty cheap too! It costs around .99 to $1.99. It can fit into anyone’s budget and is well worth paying for in my opinion.

Review – MSI u100 Wind Netbook

Amber — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:27:34 +0000

Is it possible to be in love with a computer? If so then I’m truly in love with my netbook! If it were a person (or if I were a computer) we’d make little netbook babies…I guess those would be like PDA’s then. *Sigh* who knows!

When I first started shopping for a netbook computer i was uber skeptical. Many of them came with some strange OS I’d never heard of, a 2GB hard drive and really were only able to surf the web. I’m guessing that’s why they’re caled netbooks in the first place. I needed something portable but able to leap small buildings in a single bound. OK not really but I did need to be able to edit MS Office files, get my email, listen to my podcasts and all those other things we like to do while we’re working.

I was so excited when I found the MSI u100 netbook over at Amazon. Since I use ZoomText I decided that the 8 inch screen Acer netbooks weren’t going to work. I needed a little bit bigger screen but still wanted that portability I desperately needed. The u100 has all of that and more!

This little baddy has a 160GB hard drive, Windows XP, 1GB ram (which is upgradable to 2GB.) and has a 10 inch screen! I purchaced the one with the 6 cell battery for a longer battery life. I am a lazy butt and procrastinator and hate to carry extra things with me. I didn’t want to have to lug around the cords!

The netbook is a little bulkier than some others. This is due to the 6 cell battery. It’s back heavy so if you’re trying to balance it on the arm of a chair or something you may want to make sure you have a good hold on it. I’ll gladly take the bulkier weight so that i can have better battery life though.

Once i got the u100 I immediately installed ZoomText on it. I had to do so off of a flash drive since the netbooks don’t have a CD drive. Why uses those things anymore anyway? This went rather smoothy. ZoomText runs wonderfully on the netbook. I’ve not had any slowness while running it.

I’ll be honest, the sound quality isn’t the greatest. The speakers sound a bit tinny but are we really looking for high sound quality in a teeny portable computer? Once you plug your headphones into it the sound is perfect. I prefer running it with headphones since i doubt the people at my local coffee shop want to hear Nine Inch Nails blasting out of the little speakers. Not all of us like my favorite band!

Of course the u100 also has a WiFi card in it. No matter where you’re at it’ll find you a signal. It was much better at doing so than even my old Toshiba laptop. I was very impressed by this. The speed of connection is great! m able to surf the web, download things, get my email and not have any slowness. I’ve even beek known to watch streaming video and listen to streaming audio on here while working without a problem!

Needless to say I am super impressed with my netbook. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. As a blogger and a student i have found that it has been the biggest help! At only around $380, it is a worthwile investment and will pay for itself a million times over.

Techno Tuesday – Good Things Come TO Those Who Wait!

Amber — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:51:00 +0000

I always hated it when my mom would tell me that as a kid. It meant that there would be a delay in getting or doing whatever it was that I wanted to do. But, in this case it was well worth the wait.
I purchased my IPhone 3gs yesterday from the Apple Store in Brea. It was an adventure from the get go.
I have had this phone for 24 hours and I am uber impressed! The accessibility features are amazing. I honestly feel that the accessibility of the IPhone 3gs is much better than other smartphones and smartphone software that I have tried.
I primarily use the ZOOM program. (Settings/general/accessibility/ZOOM.)This program is fully available in all of the apps. Everything I have used it with has worked great! The only issue I have is using the keyboard with the zoom on. I just turn it down and it works just fine though.
So far I have been able to sync my music and podcasts, download some apps that I have found very useful, add all my contacts and add calendar events.
So far my must have apps are
Bank of America
Twitteriffic
AroundMe (Finds nearest banks, restaurants, bars, and more near you)
Facebook
LoseIt! (Fitness/diet tracker)
OH and i cannot forget the Nine Inch Nails official IPhone app! This would be my guilty pleasure.
I’m still testing out the IPhone 3gs and will have more reviews throughout the week and I am thinking of devoting one day a week to IPhone specific blogging. I don’t want to leave out any of the other cool tech geekiness on Techno Tuesday!