Blind Access Journal Launches Community Effort to Improve WSJT-X Accessibility for Aging and Disabled Amateur Radio Operators

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Blind Access Journal Launches Community Effort to Improve WSJT-X Accessibility for Aging and Disabled Amateur Radio Operators

Peoria, Arizona — December 20, 2025 — Darrell Hilliker, NU7I, a totally blind Amateur Radio operator and accessibility professional, is spearheading a community initiative to improve the accessibility of WSJT-X (and WSJT-X Improved) for blind, low-vision, and mobility-impaired hams. The work is being organized and documented through Blind Access Journal, the blog Hilliker publishes to advance practical accessibility and inclusion in technology.

Digital weak-signal protocols like FT8 have become a core part of modern Amateur Radio. Yet many hams—especially those who are aging or who acquire disabilities—are finding it harder to participate fully when widely used software lacks accessible user interface foundations.

“A month doesn’t go by where I don’t hear at least one conversation on the bands where an older ham is contemplating giving up or curtailing their activities due to a physical disability like arthritis or a visual impairment,” said Hilliker. “We can do better as a community—and we can do it together.”

Recognizing Existing Innovation and Building an Inclusive Future

This initiative is not a critique of existing community solutions, nor is it intended to replace them. Blind Access Journal recognizes and commends the developers of alternative tools such as QLog, whose efforts have helped many operators. Instead, Hilliker’s project aims to broaden inclusion by improving accessibility in the widely adopted WSJT-X ecosystem so that more hams can participate using the tools their clubs, friends, and on-air communities already rely on.

“The entire Amateur Radio community benefits from all efforts to adapt,” Hilliker added, “especially in situations where disabled hams are not fully included from the beginning.”

Goal: Full and Equitable Access to Digital Operating

The initiative’s objective is nothing less than full and equitable access to Amateur Radio digital communication protocols and the software that enables them. Key accessibility goals include:

  • Expected keyboard navigation throughout the application
  • Strong compatibility with screen readers such as JAWS and NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access)
  • UI that can reflow and resize for operators using magnification
  • Support for dark mode, high contrast, and other visual accommodations that many aging hams depend on

Highest Priority Technical Need

The most critical improvement—especially for blind screen-reader users—centers on the Band Activity and Rx Frequency tables. Today, these areas are widely experienced as inaccessible because the data is effectively “painted” to the screen or presented as unstructured text, rather than implemented using the underlying Qt5 UI structures that expose information to accessibility interfaces.

The initiative seeks a redesign and implementation approach that ensures these tables are true, semantically structured UI components—so assistive technologies can reliably read, navigate, and interact with them.

Call for Volunteer Developers

Blind Access Journal is calling on a small group of experienced Amateur Radio software builders and tinkerers—especially those who:

  • Have deep experience with Qt5 user interfaces
  • Can build and compile WSJT-X or WSJT-X Improved from source with confidence
  • Are willing to collaborate with disabled hams in an open, test-driven, user-centered process

Familiarity with accessibility design and standards such as WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is welcome but not required. Disabled hams involved in the effort are prepared to lead the process, define needs, perform testing, write documentation, and support the work in every way outside of the core design and coding tasks.

Volunteers will gain the satisfaction of delivering long-sought, meaningful accessibility improvements to a widely used mainstream Amateur Radio application—work that can make a real difference for thousands of fellow hams.

Looking Toward 2026

Blind Access Journal thanks the Amateur Radio community for its time, creativity, and tradition of public service. The initiative’s organizers hope to make 2026 a year of digital accessibility and inclusion for all radio amateurs.

To volunteer or learn more:
Email editor@blindaccessjournal.com and follow updates via Blind Access Journal.

Media Contact

Darrell Hilliker, NU7I
Blind Access Journal
Email: editor@blindaccessjournal.com

Using Apple’s Built-In Accessibility Features to Reduce Screen Exposure During Severe Headaches

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Summary

Some people experience severe headaches or migraines that make screen use difficult—especially when light sensitivity (photophobia) and flicker or refresh effects are major triggers. While display adjustments can help, there are days when the most effective strategy is to reduce visual reliance as much as possible.

If you use an iPhone and Mac, Apple includes several built-in accessibility tools that can support a “low-screen” or even “no-screen” workflow—particularly for everyday tasks like reading and replying to email.

This article focuses on the built-in Mail app and outlines a practical approach using:
VoiceOver (screen reader),
Voice Control (hands-free voice operation),
and Dictation (speech-to-text composition).

Why VoiceOver and Voice Control can help when light and flicker are triggers

VoiceOver reads on-screen content aloud and provides a structured navigation model that does not require visually scanning the interface. Instead of looking for buttons or reading text, users move through content sequentially and receive spoken feedback.

Voice Control complements this by allowing users to operate their device through spoken commands. Actions such as opening Mail, scrolling, replying, and sending messages can often be completed without touching or looking closely at the screen.

For people whose primary headache triggers include light sensitivity and flicker, combining these tools can significantly reduce both the duration and intensity of screen exposure.

iPhone: Building a low-screen Mail workflow on iOS

Turn on VoiceOver

VoiceOver can be enabled from Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver. Apple provides a built-in practice experience that introduces the gesture model and basic navigation concepts.

Learn a minimal set of VoiceOver gestures

It is not necessary to learn every gesture. Starting with a small core set allows users to begin working quickly and add complexity later.

  • Swipe right: move to the next item.
  • Swipe left: move to the previous item.
  • Double-tap: activate the selected item.
  • Two-finger swipe up: read the entire screen from the top.
  • Two-finger tap: pause or resume speech.
  • Four-finger tap near the top: jump to the first item.
  • Four-finger tap near the bottom: jump to the last item.

Use Screen Curtain to eliminate display light

When VoiceOver is enabled, the screen itself can be turned off while the device remains fully usable. This feature, called Screen Curtain, allows users to rely entirely on audio output while avoiding light exposure.

  • Three-finger triple-tap: toggle Screen Curtain on or off.
  • If both Zoom and VoiceOver are enabled, a three-finger quadruple-tap may be required.

Adding Voice Control for hands-free interaction

Voice Control allows users to interact with on-screen elements using spoken commands. This can be particularly helpful when precise touch input or visual targeting is uncomfortable.

Common Voice Control commands

  • Open Mail
  • Scroll down / Scroll up
  • Go home
  • Show names (labels interface elements)
  • Show numbers (adds numbered overlays)

When an on-screen control is difficult to activate, VoiceOver can be used to identify the control’s name, and Voice Control can then activate it using that spoken label.

Reading and replying to Mail on iPhone using audio

  1. Open the Mail app using Voice Control or VoiceOver navigation.
  2. Move through the message list using swipe left and swipe right.
  3. Open a message with a double-tap.
  4. Listen to the message using a two-finger swipe up.
  5. Reply using Voice Control or VoiceOver navigation.
  6. Compose the reply using Dictation, speaking punctuation as needed.
  7. Send the message using a spoken command or VoiceOver activation.
  8. Enable Screen Curtain when light sensitivity is a concern.

Mac: Reducing visual load with VoiceOver

On macOS, VoiceOver enables spoken feedback and keyboard-based navigation across apps, including Mail. This allows users to work with less reliance on visual scanning.

Turn VoiceOver on or off

  • Command + F5: toggle VoiceOver.

Core VoiceOver navigation concepts

The VoiceOver cursor moves independently of the system focus and determines what is spoken. Navigation is performed using the VoiceOver modifier keys (often Control + Option).

  • VO + Arrow keys: move between items.

Quick Nav for streamlined navigation

Quick Nav can simplify navigation by allowing arrow keys or single keys to move through content without holding modifier keys. This can be especially useful once the basics feel comfortable.

  • VO + Q: toggle single-key Quick Nav.
  • VO + Shift + Q: toggle arrow-key Quick Nav.

Pacing and learning considerations

When screen exposure can trigger symptoms quickly, it helps to approach learning incrementally.

  • Practice in short sessions (5–10 minutes).
  • Focus first on listening and basic navigation.
  • Add Screen Curtain early if light sensitivity is significant.
  • Introduce Voice Control gradually for common actions.

Sources

When Download Links Aren’t Links: A Critical Accessibility Failure in AI Tools Blind People Depend On

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Introduction

Artificial intelligence has the potential to dramatically level the playing field for blind and visually impaired people. Every day, blind professionals use tools like ChatGPT to create and export documents needed for jobs, education, and community participation: resumes, legal forms, code, classroom materials, and more.

But a recent shift in how ChatGPT delivers generated files has created a new accessibility barrier — one that directly harms the very users who could benefit most from the technology.

Not a Feature Gap — a Civil Rights Issue

When sighted users see a clickable download link, blind users encounter only this:

sandbox:/mnt/data/filename.zip

JAWS or NVDA reads it aloud like text.
It doesn’t register as a link.
Pressing Enter does nothing.

The file — often essential content — becomes completely inaccessible.

And the consequences are not theoretical:

  • A blind job seeker can’t download the resume they just generated.
  • A blind accessibility engineer can’t retrieve screenshots or audit reports.
  • A blind student can’t access generated study materials.
  • A blind parent can’t obtain forms needed for family programs.

This is not a mere inconvenience. It is a functional blocker to employment, education, and independence.

A Growing Problem in the Tech Industry

Too often, companies “secure” content at the expense of accessibility — and assume the tradeoff is justified. But security and accessibility must coexist. When they don’t, developers have simply chosen the wrong priorities.

One blind accessibility tester put it directly:

“I’m locked out of my own work. The AI wrote me a document — but I can’t download it.”

Another blind user shared:

“If it’s not accessible from the start, it’s not innovation. It’s segregation.”

The Human Impact of a Missing <a> Tag

What looks like a minor UI oversight is actually a critical, task-blocking WCAG 2.2 conformance failure in at least four different success criteria, including keyboard accessibility and name/role/value semantics.

But beyond compliance…

If a blind user cannot access a file — it does not exist for them.

We should not have to rely on workarounds, Base64 hacks, sighted assistance, or manual extraction to download content we requested and created.

This Is Fixable — Today

The solution is simple: make sure every file intended for download is represented as a real hyperlink:

  • Keyboard-focusable using tab and shift+tab navigation
  • Screen-reader announceable
  • Actionable without a mouse
  • Secure and accessible

This is not a feature enhancement — it is a restoration of equal access.

Blind Users Belong in the Future of AI

OpenAI has expressed a strong commitment to accessibility — and I believe the company will resolve this issue. But this situation reminds us of something bigger:

Accessibility must be built into every step of development — not patched later.

When disabled people ask for accessibility, we are asking for inclusion, dignity, and independence.

We are asking to belong.

Call to Action

  • Developers: Test with JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver and other assistive technologies before shipping.
  • Accessibility leaders: Add file interaction to automated regression tests.
  • Companies building AI tools: Welcome us in — or risk leaving us behind.
  • Disabled people, friends, relatives and others who care about us: Please reach out to the OpenAI Help Center asking them to fix the current accessibility issue and to publicly recommit to at least WCAG 2.2 conformance as a definition of done that must be achieved before shipping new or updated products.

Blind users contribute, create, and advocate every day.
We deserve access to the results of our own work.

— Written by a blind accessibility professional, community advocate, and lifelong champion of equal access to information and technology.

About the Author

Darrell Hilliker, NU7I, CPWA, Salesforce Certified Platform User Experience Designer, is a Principal Accessibility Test Engineer and publisher of Blind Access Journal. He advocates for equal access to information and technology for blind and visually impaired people worldwide.

Demonstration: Guide Accessifies the Addition of Components to Salesforce Experience Cloud Site Pages

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At the intersection of the Salesforce ecosystem and the accessibility community, it has been long known that Experience Builder contains task-blocking accessibility issues that hold many disabled people back from being able to perform important job duties including site administration and content management. While the company continues efforts to improve the accessibility of Experience Builder, disabled administrators, content managers and site developers who rely on keyboard-only navigation and screen readers are finding ways to work around barriers thanks to new tools based on artificial intelligence (AI).

Read more

Uncovering the Accessibility of Tabs in Google Docs

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Starting all the way back in April of 2024, Google announced a new tabs feature for Google Docs, providing another way of organizing information in documents similar to that already found in spreadsheets. Soon after that, as the new feature rolled out over the next six months, a support article entitled Use document tabs in Google Docs was posted with all the descriptions and instructions necessary for sighted, non-disabled users to avail themselves of the new capabilities. As blind and other disabled people started to encounter documents containing tabs, we wondered how we would be afforded equitable consideration. It turns out that, in large part, we were considered, even if that fact was not documented. If you’re still reading, then, please stay tuned, as the rest of this article will weave together information from several sources to describe how keyboard-only and screen-reader users can choose, create and rename tabs using keyboard shortcuts and menu selections.

Let’s start with listing the useful keyboard shortcuts, then move in to specific, step-by-step instructions for each significant task.

Please Note: These commands assume that a Windows PC is being used with the latest publicly available version of the Google Chrome browser. They may be slightly different on other browsers and operating systems.

  • Choose the previous tab: control+shift+page up. Note: Though the contents of the newly chosen tab will be available, screen readers cannot announce its label.
  • Choose the next tab: control+shift+page down. Note: Though the contents of the newly chosen tab will be available, screen readers cannot announce its label.
  • Show all available document outlines and tabs in a list: control+alt+a immediately followed by control+alt+h. Note: It is absolutely critical that you either hold down both control and alt while typing a and h, or that you enter each separate command rapidly, as control+alt+h by itself enables and disables Braille support. If you hear “Braille support disabled,” simply press control+alt+h again to turn it back on.
  • Create a new tab: shift+f11. Note: Screen readers will announce “tab added.”

Now that we know the available keyboard shortcuts, let’s dive in to some of the most essential tab management tasks.

Choosing A Tab

There are two ways to choose an existing tab: directly using a single keyboard shortcut or selecting an option from a menu.

Choosing A Tab Using a Keyboard Shortcut

  1. Open a Google Doc that contains two or more tabs.
  2. Press control+shift+page down to move to the next tab after the one currently chosen. Note: Although the contents of the new tab will be available, its name is not provided for screen readers to announce.
  3. Press control+shift+page up to move to the previous tab. Note: Once again, its name is not provided for screen readers to announce.

Using Show Tabs & Outlines to Determine the Current Tab or Choose a Different Tab

Although there’s no way to determine the currently chosen tab using a single keyboard shortcut, there is a way to get this information through a menu, which also represents another way to choose tabs.

Determining the Currently Chosen Tab

  1. Open or create a Google Doc that includes two or more tabs.
  2. Press control+alt+a immediately followed by control+alt+h to open the Tabs & outlines menu. Note: Keep in mind that, if you hear “Braille support disabled,” you will want to press control+alt+h by itself to reenable Braille support.
  3. If the screen reader announces the “Show Tabs & Outlines” button followed by the number of tabs, press enter to open the menu. If this button does not appear first, then you will be immediately taken to the menu.
  4. Press Escape to leave everything alone and stay on the currently chosen tab, or see below for choosing another tab using this menu.

Choosing A Tab Using the Show Tabs & Outlines Menu

  1. Open or create a Google Doc that includes two or more tabs.
  2. Press control+alt+a immediately followed by control+alt+h to open the Tabs & outlines menu. Note: Keep in mind that, if you hear “Braille support disabled,” you will want to press control+alt+h by itself to reenable Braille support.
  3. If the screen reader announces the “Show Tabs & Outlines” button followed by the number of tabs, press enter to open the menu. If this button does not appear first, then you will be immediately taken to the menu.
  4. Press the up arrow and down arrow keys to focus and hear all the available tabs.
  5. Press enter on the tab you wish to choose.

Renaming A Tab

  1. Open or create a Google Doc that includes two or more tabs.
  2. Press control+alt+a immediately followed by control+alt+h to open the Tabs & outlines menu. Note: Keep in mind that, if you hear “Braille support disabled,” you will want to press control+alt+h by itself to reenable Braille support.
  3. If the screen reader announces the “Show Tabs & Outlines” button followed by the number of tabs, press enter to open the menu. If this button does not appear first, then you will be immediately taken to the menu.
  4. Press the up arrow and down arrow keys to focus and hear all the available tabs.
  5. Once you have found the tab you wish to rename, press the tab key to move to the “Tab options” button menu and press the space bar to open it.
  6. Press down arrow until Rename is selected, then press enter to choose this option.
  7. Enter or edit the tab’s name and press enter to make the change.
  8. Press Escape to close the Tab options menu.

Adding A New Tab

When adding a new tab to a document, it is created at the end of the existing tabs regardless of where you are editing. This means that, if a document already has four tabs, a new tab would be labeled “Tab5” which would be the last option in the Show tabs & outlines menu and the last tab visually displayed.

  1. Create or open a Google Doc that has at least one tab defined. In most cases, this will be true of all documents as of the June 2025 date this article was originally published.
  2. Press shift+f11 (as described on a Windows PC running Google Chrome). Observe that the screen reader will announce “tab added” and you will return to the place where you were editing.

There are other features in the Show tabs & outlines and Tab options menus, such as adding, duplicating and deleting tabs, which work in exactly the same way as everything that has already been documented, so they will not be covered in this article.

While there are accessible ways to manage tabs in Google Docs, it would be very nice to see Google documenting them as they have done many other capabilities, including docs and editors themselves. It would also be very nice if they enabled the screen-reader announcement of the currently chosen tab after the control+shift+page up or control+shift+page down commands were pressed. If you agree, please be sure to Contact the Google Disability Support Team to directly request these critical positive changes.

Citations

Please Note: While I am including the accessibility-specific citations for the sake of completeness, they do not document tabs functionality as of the writing of this article in June 2025.

Unlocking the Power of AI

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Unlocking the Power of AI

Presented by the National Federation of the Blind of Arizona

The future is here, and it’s smarter than ever. The National Federation of the Blind of Arizona is excited to host our first-ever AI webinar: a deep dive into the world of Artificial Intelligence and how it’s transforming accessibility for blind and low-vision users.

Date: Saturday, March 22nd

Time: 11 AM – 2 PM Pacific Time (2 PM – 5 PM Eastern Time)

What’s on the agenda?

Mobile Apps – Explore and compare top AI-powered apps, including Seeing AI, Be My Eyes, Aira Access AI, PiccyBot, SpeakaBoo, and Lookout for Android. Learn what sets them apart and how they can enhance daily life.

ChatGPT and Real-Time Assistance – AI is evolving beyond text-based interactions. We’ll discuss how ChatGPT’s voice mode can be used with the iPhone’s camera to provide real-time descriptions of the environment, giving users instant feedback about what’s around them. This technology is adding a new level of independence and awareness in everyday situations. Note: although Google AI studio is used on the computer, we will also include it here, as it provides real-time information about what is on screen.

AI on the Computer – Discover tools designed for PC users, such as Seeing AI for Windows, Google AI Studio, JAWS Picture Smart, and FS Companion (new in JAWS 2025!). These innovations are making it easier than ever to interact with digital content, from describing images to navigating complex documents.

AI-Powered Wearables – Smart glasses are certainly helping in the world of accessibility. We’ll explore the capabilities of Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses and Envision Glasses, which provide real-time AI-powered assistance for tasks like reading text, product labels, and navigating environments hands-free.

The Art of AI Prompting – Special guest Jonathan Mosen will guide us through the fundamentals of AI prompt engineering, teaching us how to structure questions effectively to get the best results. AI is powerful, but knowing how to communicate with it can make all the difference.

Bring your curiosity, your questions, and your excitement for what AI can do. Whether you’re a tech expert or just starting to explore AI, this seminar will give you the tools to unlock new possibilities. We hope to see you there. Below is all the zoom information to connect.

Topic: NFB of AZ AI Tech Seminar

Date: Saturday, March 22nd

Time: Mar 22, 2025 11:00 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

How a “Temporary Error” Encouraged Me to Meet the GMail Standard View Challenge

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It was one of those Mondays… No, wait. It was actually Tuesday morning. I opened my work GMail and pressed the button to switch to Basic HTML view only to encounter a temporary error that stopped me in my tracks!

I had dabbled in GMail’s Standard view from time to time, but I always returned to the old, faithful basic HTML to get work done. But, now it was time to take Standard view more seriously, at least until Google got around to fixing the problem. I reviewed Vispero’s Using JAWS with Gmail in Standard View webinar before diving right in and I was pleasantly surprised.

I discovered that Standard view had become quite accessible and actually works well with both the JAWS and NVDA screen readers! The list of emails can be easily navigated with the Virtual PC Cursor turned on or off (Vispero recommends keeping it off for this purpose), there is plenty of underlying structure for navigating the user interface and lots of keyboard shortcuts for accomplishing critical tasks such as deleting, replying to and sending emails.

Change can be challenging, especially when it involves something as fundamental as the way we access email. In this case, making the leap to Standard view is well worth the learning curve. Some settings, including the ability to schedule out-of-office responses, are only available in Standard view. Calendar and Chat integration also work only in the Standard view, along with other features such as autocompletion of email addresses, the spell checker and the ability to add or import contacts. Google’s article, See Gmail in standard or basic HTML version, outlines the differences between the two views and provides direct links for quickly switching back and forth.

As of Wednesday, Oct. 13, Google fixed the “temporary error” and it is, once again, possible to easily switch between Basic HTML and Standard views at will. But, will I go back? My answer is an unequivocal “no”, not for anything except an easier way to work with labels, which are GMail’s way of organizing email messages in to folders. Standard is the modern view, and it is the view where all new features will be developed, tested and implemented moving forward. If you are still in Basic HTML view, I hope I have encouraged you to try, and stick with, Standard view. Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Please tell us how you and your family are handling social distancing, feeding yourselves, vaccination and generally getting along, especially from a blind perspective, as we move out of the time of the Coronavirus. Please send an audio recording or a written message to darrell (at) blindaccessjournal (dot) com or tell us about it on our social media channels.

Blind Access Journal, and the Hilliker family, must frequently rely on sighted assistance in order to get important, inaccessible tasks done. In most cases, we have chosen Aira as our visual interpreter. If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, and you feel it in your heart to pass along a small gift to the journal or our family, we ask that you use our referral link. Your first month of Aira service will be free of charge, we will receive a discount on our bill and we will thank you for supporting the important work we do here at Blind Access Journal.

If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

F6 Is Your Friend

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From enterprise collaboration software to web browsers, the little-known F6 keyboard shortcut can do many things that make our lives as blind computer users much easier and more productive.

In Slack F6 moves between the major portions of the window, such as channel navigation and workspace selection. It is, in fact, virtually impossible to access critical functionality, such as channels and direct messages, without pressing F6. Please review the Use Slack with a Screen Reader article for additional documentation. J.J. Meddaugh’s fantastic AccessWorld article An Introduction to Slack, A Popular Chat App for Teams and Workplaces provides a great starting point for using Slack from a blind user’s perspective.

In the Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox web browsers, F6 jumps out of the address bar and moves focus directly into the currently loaded web page with the screen reader’s browse mode or virtual PC cursor active and ready for immediate action. It is not necessary to press tab several times to move through the browser’s toolbar.

In Microsoft Office apps, such as Excel, Outlook and Word, F6 moves focus between major elements of the window, such as the ribbon bar, list of messages, document area and the status bar.

Let’s discover together all the additional productivity boosts we can achieve through keyboard shortcuts like F6. What is your favorite keyboard shortcut? How does it increase your productivity?

Please tell us how you and your family are handling social distancing, feeding yourselves, vaccination and generally getting along, especially from a blind perspective, as we move out of the time of the Coronavirus. Please send an audio recording or a written message to darrell (at) blindaccessjournal (dot) com or tell us about it on our social media channels.

Blind Access Journal, and the Hilliker family, must frequently rely on sighted assistance in order to get important, inaccessible tasks done. In most cases, we have chosen Aira as our visual interpreter. If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, and you feel it in your heart to pass along a small gift to the journal or our family, we ask that you use our referral link. Your first month of Aira service will be free of charge, we will receive a discount on our bill and we will thank you for supporting the important work we do here at Blind Access Journal.

If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree

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In this approximately 13-minute podcast, take a short break from all the pandemic news and listen to us decorate our Christmas tree. We hope all of you are enjoying happy holidays this year!

Please tell us how you and your family are handling social distancing, feeding yourselves and generally getting along, especially from a blind perspective, in the time of the Coronavirus. Please send an audio recording or a written message to darrell (at) blindaccessjournal (dot) com or tell us about it on our social media channels.

Blind Access Journal, and the Hilliker family, must frequently rely on sighted assistance in order to get important, inaccessible tasks done. In most cases, we have chosen Aira as our visual interpreter. If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, and you feel it in your heart to pass along a small gift to the journal or our family, we ask that you use our referral link. Your first month of Aira service will be free of charge, we will receive a discount on our bill and we will thank you for supporting the important work we do here at Blind Access Journal.

We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?

If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

Voting the Almost Accessible Braille Ballot

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In this approximately 48-minute podcast, Allison Hilliker tries to avail herself of Maricopa County’s almost-but-not-quite-accessible Braille ballot.

We hope everyone had the opportunity to vote in this critical election and that accessibility barriers did not stand in your way.

Please tell us how you and your family are handling social distancing, feeding yourselves and generally getting along, especially from a blind perspective, in the time of the Coronavirus. Please send an audio recording or a written message to darrell (at) blindaccessjournal (dot) com or tell us about it on our social media channels.

Blind Access Journal, and the Hilliker family, must frequently rely on sighted assistance in order to get important, inaccessible tasks done. In most cases, we have chosen Aira as our visual interpreter. If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, and you feel it in your heart to pass along a small gift to the journal or our family, we ask that you use our referral link. Your first month of Aira service will be free of charge, we will receive a discount on our bill and we will thank you for supporting the important work we do here at Blind Access Journal.

We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?

If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).