Blind Access Journal

This important information is provided by Parker from VIP Conduit concerning the availability of an updated voice chat client that is compatible with Internet Explorer 7.0.

If you have installed Internet Explorer 7 and can’t access the chat rooms, you need to download and install the latest version of the client.  It was updated sometime back but the download was not forced. Just click on the download the Communicator link on the rooms page to obtain a version of the client that will function properly with Internet Explorer 7.0.

Microsoft has released Internet Explorer 7.0 this morning, but you may not want to jump on the banwagon yet. It is known to work well with Window-Eyes 5.5, but is not fully supported by other current screen readers such as Freedom Box System Access and JAWS 7.1. It will be necessary to await an upcoming release of an upgrade of these screen readers for Internet Explorer 7 support. In some cases, full screen reader support for Internet Explorer 7 is going to require payment of an upgrade fee if the user does not hold an active Software Maintenance Agreement with the vendor. Before downloading and installing Internet Explorer 7, please, do yourself a favor and ask your screen reader maker if they fully support the latest version of this web browser before plunging ahead. Taking this prudent step may prevent a lot of unnecessary grief.

GW Micro released the first public beta of Window-Eyes 6.0 today. It can be downloaded and used freely for a limited time. We strongly urge all of you to try this new version and provide GW Micro with all feedback needed to make the screen reader the best it can be.

We thank the developers of BlogLines for once again restoring access to the service to us. The following announcement now appears on the BlogLines home page.

We believe in providing the best service for each individual. To that end, we recently released some changes to the tree in the left pane to make things a bit easier on those with visual impairments.

The folder toggle icons now feature an alt tag which dynamically changes, letting a screen reader know the state of a folder. In addition, we changed the markup for folder labels, making it easier to navigate within the tree.

Last, a special thanks to Darrell Shandrow and Jeff Bishop for their help with the new tree.

– The Bloglines Team

Shownotes

We chat with all of you about all that has been going on with us as we enjoy a leisurely breakfast at Denny’s on a late Saturday morning. Please let us know if you all like these kinds of podcasts, or if you would rather we avoid doing them. Your feedback is very important to us.

Download and Listen

Shownotes

Listen as we chat during takeoff on our flight to Denver more than two weeks ago. Apologies for the delayed sound seeing podcasts from that trip. There will be a couple more podcasts from the trip in the near future.

Download and Listen

WHITE CANE SAFETY DAY, 2006

A PROCLAMATION

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Our Nation believes in the promise of all our citizens, and we must work to ensure that the opportunities of America are more accessible to every person.  Many Americans who are blind or visually impaired use white canes to enable them to enjoy greater mobility, engage in productive work, and participate fully in all aspects of life.  On White Cane Safety Day, we celebrate the many achievements of Americans who are blind or visually impaired, and we recognize the white cane as an important symbol of their determination and independence.

My Administration remains committed to removing barriers that confront Americans with disabilities.  Since we launched the New Freedom Initiative 5 years ago, we have worked to improve access to community life, expand educational opportunities, strengthen training and employment services, and promote the development of technology for people with disabilities.  We are building on the progress of the Americans with Disabilities Act and working to make America a place where all citizens have the opportunity to realize their full potential.

The Congress, by joint resolution (Public Law 88-628) approved on October 6, 1964, as amended, has designated October 15 of each year as “White Cane Safety Day.” NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 15, 2006, as White Cane Safety Day. I call upon public officials, business leaders, educators, librarians, and all the people of the United States to join as we work to ensure that the benefits and privileges of life in our great Nation are available to Americans who are blind or visually impaired, and to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this     twelfth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.

GEORGE W. BUSH

If you are a subscriber to NFB’s Newsline service, you can now receive newspapers in electronic text format right in your e-mail Inbox! Complete this form to get started.

As of Thursday evening, October 12, the programmers at BlogLines have pushed out changes that have once again restored accessibility of the service to blind and visually impaired Internet users. In fact, these changes serve to make a portion of the service even more accessible than it had been in the past. The following modifications have been made:

• The image icons used to collapse and expand the My Feeds tree view have once again been turned into links that may be selected by pressing enter.
• The collapse / expand icons now incorporate an alt tag that changes dynamically, announcing the name of the feed being expanded or collapsed.
• The headings on the collapse / expand icons have been changed to divisions, restoring our ability to practically navigate the list of articles for a selected feed using the heading navigation commands provided by screen readers.

We thank Ben Lowery and his team of developers for making these crucial changes, once again restoring BlogLines to us as the most accessible web-based RSS aggregator for the blind and visually impaired.

The following article is a modified version of a letter I wrote to someone in response to a recent unfortunate incident involving the demands we sometimes receive from others with respect to providing assistance. Though we all wish we could, we are just not able to do everything right now, on demand in exactly the time frames wanted by others in the blind community. I would be interested in any comments from the readership.

We have day jobs, family obligations and many other items on our plates that constrain our abilities to help everyone in the blind community
as much as we might like. Though we are certainly willing to do our best to help everyone who asks, we are not obligated. All our efforts in the blind community are voluntary. We are not paid to do accessibility advocacy, broadcast on ACB Radio, run our blogs and podcasts or provide anyone with technical support assistance. In fact, our volunteer participation in the blind community is a money loser for us. Audio production equipment, computers, Internet connectivity, software, web hosting and all the other things that go into our volunteer work cost money that is almost never recovered. Even more importantly, our volunteer efforts cost time we could otherwise be spending with our families or in paid consulting work. Though we are willing to help if we can, it is inappropriate and rude for anyone to demand that we do so in any particular case. Further, we are not the only resources at your disposal. Please feel free to subscribe to BlindTech and other relevant mailing lists to ask your questions in a more appropriate tone that will encourage your blind brothers and sisters to help you.