Blind Access Journal: Recent Episodes

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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.

• Keyboard Shortcuts for Google Docs
• Use Google Docs with a Screen Reader
• Google Docs Tabs: Ultimate Guide to Organising Your Documents (YouTube)
• How to Create an Outline in Google Docs: A Step-by-Step Guide

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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

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

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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… Finish Reading F6 Is Your Friend

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In this approximately 37-minute podcast, Allison and Darrell Hilliker learn all about their new iRobot Roomba E5 vacuum cleaner. We would like to learn about your cleaning experiences. Do you use a robot vacuum? What techniques or technologies do you use to keep your house clean from a blindness perspective. Please tell us how you… Finish Reading Cleaning Up Our Act: Setting Up the iRobot Roomba E5 Vacuum

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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).

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

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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 would like to learn about your voting experiences this year. If you haven't done so already, it is not too late! Please do everything you can to get out to the polls and vote on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3!

If you encounter any trouble voting as a blind person on Election Day, please contact the National Federation of the Blind's hotline at 1-877-NFB-1940 ( 1-877-632-1940) from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific standard time. Please check out the Federation's Voting Resources page for more information.

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).

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

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In this approximately 37-minute podcast, Allison and Darrell Hilliker learn all about their new iRobot Roomba E5 vacuum cleaner.

We would like to learn about your cleaning experiences. Do you use a robot vacuum? What techniques or technologies do you use to keep your house clean from a blindness perspective.

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).

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In this approximately 10-minute podcast, Darrell Hilliker demonstrates the use of the Teckin SP20 WiFi Smart Plug for managing the status of lights.

Download: Lighting the World with the Teckin Wifi Smart Plug

We hope the ability to turn lights on and off with our voices will draw attention, and toddler hands, away from cords and switches. This is, of course, our excuse for embracing the laziness that comes with smart home technology.

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.

AccessiLife Consulting, 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).

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In this approximately 24-minute podcast, Allison, Allyssa, Arabella and Darrell Hilliker celebrate Easter in the time of the Coronavirus while putting together the Alex Active Monkey Kids Toddler Balance Board.

Download: Finding Balance: Easter in the Time of the Coronavirus

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.

AccessiLife Consulting, 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).

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In this one-hour podcast, Darrell Hilliker unboxes and demonstrates the setup of a new Eero Whole Home WiFi system from a blind person’s perspective.

Download: Eero Setup Demo

Although not perfectly accessible in all respects, the Eero WiFi system represents a painless way to easily deploy wireless Internet connectivity throughout your home. If you decide to try one after listening to this podcast, we hope you will purchase it from our Amazon link, where a small commission goes toward supporting our work.

eero Home WiFi System (1 eero Pro + 2 eero Beacons) – Advanced Tri-Band Mesh WiFi System to Replace Traditional Routers and WiFi Range Extenders – Coverage: 2 to 4 Bedroom Home

AccessiLife Consulting, 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, letâ€s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

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In this approximately 32-minute eighth episode in the Aira in the Real World podcast series, Allison, Allyssa, Arabella and Darrell Hilliker work with Aira agent Connor to construct a paper airplane. While sighted people have enjoyed the privilege of learning from YouTube videos for many years now, we blind people have been largely locked out of this opportunity due to a lack of useful description. Thanks to Aira, we explore the creation of a paper airplane using instructions from an otherwise inaccessible YouTube video titled How To Fold A Paper Airplane That Flies Far.

• Listen or Pause: Aira in the Real World: Paper Airplanes
• Download: Aira in the Real World: Paper Airplanes

In addition to the verbal descriptions heard in this podcast, Connor also supplied the following written instructions upon our request.

1. Start with paper laying in landscape (hot dog style)
2. Fold bottom to top and crease in the middle.
3. Open paper back up.
4. Fold top left corner down into the middle and crease.
5. Repeat with bottom left corner.
6. Uncrease from the center fold and crease it on the reverse side while keeping the corners creased.
7. Fold only one flap so that the angle becomes more acute.
8. Fold a 2nd time making it even more acute.
9. Flip over and repeat steps 7 and 8 with the other flap.
10. Throw it and enjoy!

We invite you to listen to our previous podcast, Exploring the World with Aira: A Candid Discussion with Suman Kanuganti, especially if you are learning about this new service for the first time.

If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, 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).

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In this approximately 15-minute seventh episode in the Aira in the Real World podcast series, Allyssa and Darrell Hilliker work with Aira agent Jacob to read a print copy of The Little Red Sled. While we always prefer Braille books, some relatives give our children print books, and it is nice to be able to enjoy them together.

• Listen or Pause: The Little Red Sled
• Download: The Little Red Sled

We invite you to listen to our previous podcast, Exploring the World with Aira: A Candid Discussion with Suman Kanuganti, especially if you are learning about this new service for the first time.

If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, 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, letâ€s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

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In this approximately 6-minute podcast, Allison and Darrell Hilliker sing their take on the twelve days of Christmas.

• Listen or pause: The Twelve Inaccessibilities of Christmas
• Download: The Twelve Inaccessibilities of Christmas

The Twelve Inaccessibilities of Christmas

1. On the first day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: a mouse click only menu tree.
2. On the second day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: two unlabeled buttons and a mouse click only menu tree.
3. On the third day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: three image CAPTCHAs, two unlabeled buttons and a mouse click only menu tree.
4. On the fourth day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: four carousels, three image CAPTCHAs, two unlabeled buttons and a mouse click only menu tree.
5. On the fifth day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: five undescribed graphics, four carousels, three image CAPTCHAs, two unlabeled buttons and a mouse click only menu tree.
6. On the sixth day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: six focus issues, five undescribed graphics, four carousels, three image CAPTCHAs, two unlabeled buttons and a mouse click only menu tree.
7. On the seventh day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: seven JavaScript frameworks, six focus issues, five undescribed graphics, four carousels, three image CAPTCHAs, two unlabeled buttons and a mouse click only menu tree.
8. On the eighth day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: eight untagged documents, seven JavaScript frameworks, six focus issues, five undescribed graphics, four carousels, three image CAPTCHAs, two unlabeled buttons and a mouse click only menu tree.
9. On the ninth day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: nine map pins dancing, eight untagged documents, seven JavaScript frameworks, six focus issues, five undescribed graphics, four carousels, three image CAPTCHAs, two unlabeled buttons and a mouse click only menu tree.
10. On the tenth day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: ten misleading link names, nine map pins dancing, eight untagged documents, seven JavaScript frameworks, six focus issues, five undescribed graphics, four carousels, three image CAPTCHAs, two unlabeled buttons and a mouse click only menu tree.
11. On the eleventh day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: eleven custom elements, ten misleading link names, nine map pins dancing, eight untagged documents, seven JavaScript frameworks, six focus issues, five undescribed graphics, four carousels, three image CAPTCHAs, two unlabeled buttons and a mouse click only menu tree.
12. On the twelfth day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: twelve tangled tables, eleven custom elements, ten misleading link names, nine map pins dancing, eight untagged documents, seven JavaScript frameworks, six focus issues, five undescribed graphics, four carousels, three image CAPTCHAs, two unlabeled buttons and a mouse click only menu tree.

Happy holidays from Allyssa, Arabella, Allison and Darrell!

AccessiLife Consulting, 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, letâ€s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

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In this approximately 14-minute sixth episode in the Aira in the Real World podcast series, Allison, Darrell, Allyssa and Arabella Hilliker work with Aira agent Jordan to identify letters and numbers on baby bottle nipples to insure the correct flow level is selected.

• Listen or Pause: Check Out My Nipples
• Download: Check Out My Nipples

For best success with breast feeding, we recommend use of preemie bottle nipples as long as possible. These typically have the letter “P” or the number “0” shown visually on the inside of the nipple. They are challenging to locate, but Aira agent Jordan was able to get it done easily.

If you use the Dr. Brown bottles, try Dr. Brown’s Original Nipple, Preemie (0m+), 6 count for best results.

As always, your mileage may vary and we disclaim everything. Please seek advice from your child’s pediatrician, a certified lactation consultant or other professional when deciding how to feed your baby.

We invite you to listen to our previous podcast, Exploring the World with Aira: A Candid Discussion with Suman Kanuganti, especially if you are learning about this new service for the first time.

If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, 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, letâ€s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

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In this approximately 35-minute fifth episode in the Aira in the Real World podcast series, Allison, Darrell, Allyssa and Arabella Hilliker unbox, describe and demonstrate the basic operation of Aira’s new Horizon system.

• Listen or Pause: Aira Horizon Unboxing
• Download: Aira Horizon Unboxing

We realized soon after the recording of this podcast that, since the included Samsung J7 is placed in an Otterbox case before shipment, the phone is not as bulky as we reported.

We invite you to listen to our previous podcast, Exploring the World with Aira: A Candid Discussion with Suman Kanuganti, especially if you are learning about this new service for the first time.

If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, 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, letâ€s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

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In this approximately 15-minute fourth episode in the Aira in the Real World podcast series, Allison, Darrell and Arabella Hilliker work with Aira agent Tai to review and label the sizes of several sets of bed sheets.

• Listen or Pause: Aira Bed Sheet Size Demo
• Download: Aira Bed Sheet Size Demo

We invite you to listen to our previous podcast, Exploring the World with Aira: A Candid Discussion with Suman Kanuganti, especially if you are learning about this new service for the first time.

If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, 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, letâ€s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

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In this approximately 39-minute podcast, Allison, Darrell and Arabella Hilliker explore and demonstrate some of the accessibility features of the Element ELEFW195 19″ 720p 60Hz LED HDTV.

• Listen or pause: Element ELEFW195 Talking TV Demo

• Download: Element ELEFW195 Talking TV Demo We thank Aira agent David for the descriptive labels and mapping of the accompanying remote below:

• Power, USB

• Picture Mode, Screen Mode, Sleep Timer, Aspect
• 1, 2, 3
• 4, 5, 6
• 7, 8, 9
• – (minus), 0, Previous Channel
• Volume up, Mute, Channel Up
• Volume down, source, Channel Down
• MTS (STEREO/MONO/SAP), Menu, Freeze
• Info, up arrow on circle pad, Previous Menu
• Left Arrow on Circle Pad, Ok Button, Right Arrow on Circle Pad
• Channel List, Down Arrow on Circle Pad, Exit
• Play/Pause, Stop, Previous Chapter, Next Chapter
• Repeat, Closed Captioning, V-Chip
• Auto, Add/Erase, FAV

Would you like to have the capability and independence only an on-demand sighted assistant can provide? If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, we ask that you use our referral link. Your second month of Aira service will be free of charge, our next month will be free 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, letâ€s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

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When I was 13 years old, all the way back in 1986, I learned exactly how horrible some people were when I found out the principal of my local high school was not going to let me enroll because of my blindness. She wondered things like, “how would he use the bathroom” and thought I… Finish Reading Random Accessibility Thoughts: We Blind People Need to Change the Path of Least Resistance

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In this 12-minute third episode in the Aira in the Real World podcast series, Darrell Hilliker tours a potential new assisted living home for his mother with the help of an Aira agent who provides descriptions of the home’s appearance and cleanliness.

• Listen or Pause: Assisted Living Home Tour
• Download: Assisted Living Home Tour

We invite you to listen to our previous podcast, Exploring the World with Aira: A Candid Discussion with Suman Kanuganti, especially if you are learning about this new service for the first time.

If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, we ask that you use our referral link. Your second month of Aira service will be free of charge, our next month will be free 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, letâ€s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

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Overview There is an area of assistive technology that has recently been gaining momentum, and I would like to explore what that means for us as blind people. We are seeing an emergence of platforms that allow individuals to virtually connect with sighted assistants. Users refer to this category of technology by different terms such… Finish Reading Redefining Access: Questions to Ponder in the Age of Remote Assistance

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In this 27-minute second episode in their Aira in the Real World podcast series, Allison, Allyssa and Darrell Hilliker demonstrate working with an Aira agent to locate Allyssa’s cane and the restroom in their local public library.

• Listen or Pause: Finding Baby Canes and Bathrooms
• Download: Finding Baby Canes and Bathrooms

We invite you to listen to our previous podcast, Exploring the World with Aira: A Candid Discussion with Suman Kanuganti, especially if you are learning about this new service for the first time.

If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, we ask that you use our referral link. Your second month of Aira service will be free of charge, our next month will be free 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, letâ€s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

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In this approximately 17-minute first episode in their Aira in the Real World podcast series, Allison and Darrell Hilliker share a recording of the fetal anatomy ultrasound of their upcoming baby with the help of description from an Aira agent.

• Listen or Pause: Ultrasound Description Demo
• Download: Ultrasound Description Demo

We invite you to listen to our previous podcast, Exploring the World with Aira: A Candid Discussion with Suman Kanuganti, especially if you are learning about this new service for the first time.

If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, we ask that you use our referral link. Your second month of Aira service will be free of charge, our next month will be free 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, letâ€s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

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When Apple released iOS 11 on Sept. 19, it dealt a nasty surprise in the email inboxes of those of us whom happen to be blind. A change in VoiceOver meant that, everytime we used a feature intended to help us increase our productivity, we ran the risk of deleting emails we wanted to keep.… Finish Reading Apple Listens, Sometimes, and Advocacy Can Be Worth Doing

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Michael Hingson, Aira’s Director of Strategic Sales, has asked us to distribute the following announcement regarding a conference call for blind people who may be interested in expanding their independence using Aira. If you are looking for ways to deal with the inaccessible, real world, we hope you will take some time to attend the… Finish Reading Expand Your Independence and Work Around Inaccessibility: Join Aira for a Sept. 12 Conference Call

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In this approximately 45-minute podcast, Allison, Allyssa and Darrell Hilliker talk with Dr. Denise Robinson all about her company, TechVision and her thoughts about the education of blind children and adults.

• Listen or Pause: Denise Robinson
• Download: Denise Robinson

TechVisionLow-cost technology lessons for blind children and adults from a certified teacher of the visually impaired (TVI).YouTube ChannelWatch videos showcasing the educational possibilities for blind children and adults. 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, letâ€s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

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In this approximately 50-minute informal podcast, Allison, Allyssa and Darrell Hilliker talk with Aira CEO Suman Kanuganti at the 2017 National Federation of the Blind Convention about this promising, new disruptive service that aims to give blind people “instant access to information” through the use of augmented reality and wearable technology.

• Listen or Pause: Suman Kanuganti
• Download: Suman Kanuganti

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, letâ€s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

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In this approximately 10-minute podcast, Darrell Hilliker demonstrates high-frequency (HF) amateur radio operation and thanks Gary (AC7R) and his crew for the chance to spend some time on the air during Field Day weekend.

• Listen or Pause: Field Day
• Download: Field Day

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, letâ€s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

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This approximately one-hour podcast is an audio recording of a real-world demonstration for following a systematic plan that explores, evaluates and tests iOS apps for accessibility with Apple’s built-in VoiceOver screen reader for blind and low-vision users. The August 3, 2016 webinar was presented by Darrell Hilliker and hosted by the Arizona Technology Access Program. A video, including closed captioning, is also available.

• Listen or Pause: Teaching and Testing iOS App VoiceOver Accessibility Webinar
• Download: Teaching and Testing iOS App VoiceOver Accessibility Webinar

Teaching and Testing iOS App VoiceOver Accessibility Webinar NotesIntroduction Webinar Purpose: introduce and demonstrate a step-by-step plan that provides a straightforward way for advocates, developers, educators and others to quickly explore, learn and improve the accessibility of all apps in Apple’s iOS ecosystem.

What is a Screen Reader?

• A form of assistive technology
• A Software program that turns information shown on a screen of a computer or mobile device into Braille or speech
• Screen readers and accessibility enable blind people to learn, work and live in a technology-based world alongside sighted people.

VoiceOver

• One type of screen reader that was created by Apple
• Has been a built-in feature on all iOS devices since 2010
• Enables Braille and speech access for users who are unable to see the screen
• Speaks screen elements aloud or enables them to be displayed in braille

Accessibility

• True accessibility means that all parts of a platform’s features, benefits, information, policies, procedures, products, responsibilities, rights, services and technologies are developed and implemented in ways that are usable by people with disabilities.
• VoiceOver and other screen readers work best when apps are deliberately developed in ways that ensure compatibility.
• Important for blind/VI individuals to be considered during development and included in the testing process.
• Apple provides developers guidelines for making apps work with VoiceOver.

The Benefits of a Plan for Evaluating and Testing AppAccessibility* Advocates may use the plan to identify the accessibility issues they report to developers. * Developers may follow the plan to test their apps. * Decision makers may incorporate the plan into their user-acceptance testing and other procedures. * Educators may use the plan as a framework for evaluating the non-visual accessibility of iOS apps.

Starting VoiceOver1. Press the Home button on the iOS device. (round button located on the bottom middle of the screen) 2. Tap Settings. 3. Tap General. 4. Tap Accessibility. 5. Tap VoiceOver. 6. Hold the VoiceOver switch and swipe to the right to turn it on. 7. (Recommended) Hold the Speak Hints switch and swipe to the right to turn it on. 8. (Optional) Triple tap the screen with three fingers to enable the Screen Curtain. This feature blanks out the screen, resulting in a more realistic environment for nonvisual accessibility testing.

Use Any of These Techniques To Activate VoiceOver Without Sight.

• Press the Home button three times quickly. (Works if the Triple Click Home option in the iOS device’s accessibility settings is configured to use VoiceOver)
• Hold down the Home button and ask Siri to “turn on VoiceOver”
• Connect the iOS device to a computer running iTunes and turn on VoiceOver under the accessibility configuration screen.

The Plan1. Open the app to be tested. 2. Tap the top of the screen with four fingers. 3. Flick to the right through all elements on the app’s home screen. 1. Are all controls labeled in a way that makes sense when you listen to VoiceOver without looking at the screen? 2. Are you able to choose all buttons and other controls by double tapping them as you hear them spoken by VoiceOver? 3. Does VoiceOver stay focused throughout use or does it become jumpy and read items out of order? 4. When one or more items in a list is highlighted or selected, does VoiceOver say “selected” or provide any other indication of its status? 5. If a list typically enables a sighted user to pull down with one finger, is a VoiceOver user able to update the list by swiping down with three fingers? 6. Are all elements available to VoiceOver or are some items not spoken? 7. Are there features that require the use of custom gestures that are not available to VoiceOver users? 8. If visual cues, such as color, are important, does VoiceOver speak this information? 9. Are all elements presented in a logical order as you move around the screen? If the relationship between elements is important, is it clearly conveyed nonvisually? 10. Listen for special hints, such as “double tap to play,” spoken after the name of each element. If these hints are never heard, make sure hints are enabled in VoiceOver settings. 11. If audio is playing, does its volume decrease, or duck down, while VoiceOver is speaking? 12. Does a two-finger scrub (Z-shaped gesture) activate the escape function of the arrow in the upper-lefthand corner of the screen? 13. Does the app offer accessibility enhancements such as direct touch, keyboard shortcuts, magic tap or specific support for Braille displays, switches or other forms of assistive technology?

1. Flick to the left through the same home screen. Make detailed notes of anything that does not seem to function as expected with VoiceOver enabled.
2. Tap the top of the screen with four fingers.
3. Flick to the right, one element at a time, and double tap the first item where choosing it should lead to another screen.
4. Repeat steps 3 through 5 on every screen the app contains, testing and noting any issues found with all elements.

Reporting and Resolving Accessibility Bugs If you are a developer, using the notes obtained from testing, make all bug fixes necessary to deliver a fully accessible experience for users who rely on VoiceOver. Consider prioritizing the correction of accessibility bugs according to the order suggested in the plan. See the resources at the end of this presentation for details.

If you are reporting accessibility bugs to a developer, consider using the following format:

• Description: A few concise words explaining the accessibility issue.
• Steps to reproduce: Write down the exact steps you followed to cause the accessibility bug to happen.
• Current behavior: Summarize the incorrect or unexpected behavior you are observing.
• Expected behavior: Summarize the behavior you expect to observe once the accessibility issue has been resolved.
• App and hardware information: Include a statement concisely providing as much information as possible about the version of the app being tested and the iOS device on which it is running.

Example Bug Report The following accessibility bug was recently filed with Facebook against an important feature in the company’s iOS app.

Description: The details of event invitations are inaccessible to VoiceOver.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Make sure VoiceOver is turned on in Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver on the iOS device.
2. Open the Facebook app.
3. Open any event invitation.
4. Tap the top of the screen with four fingers.
5. Repeatedly flick to the right through the event invitation, pausing after each flick to listen to the information provided by VoiceOver.
6. Note that important information, such as the event’s date, location, time and other details, are not spoken.

Current behavior: In its current implementation, event invitations are inaccessible and virtually useless to blind people using Facebook’s iOS app.

Expected behavior: Blind Facebook users should be able to access event invitations on terms of equality with their sighted friends.

Facebook version 60.0.0.37.141 is running on an iPhone 6 with iOS version 9.3.3.

Accessibility Testing* If you are a developer, check your work using blind alpha testers, followed by a select group of beta testers from the blind community. * If you are an advocate, thoroughly test the app according to the plan,then provide detailed feedback to its developer along with your accessibility request. * If you are an educator, test the app against this plan and any additional laws, policies or regulations your institution may have in place before recommending its use for your blind students. * If you are a decision maker, test the app against this plan and any additional laws, policies or regulations that apply to your agency, company, organization or personal conscience, then do not recommend or purchase the app if it is not accessible. Provide feedback about your decision to the company that owns the app.

Resources* VoiceOverEasy Introductory Tutorials * Accessibility Programming Guidelines for iOS * Learn VoiceOver gestures * Test Accessibility on Your Device with VoiceOver * View Controller Programming Guide for iOS: Supporting Accessibility * Tips For Accessibility Testing Of iOS Apps * Information For Developers On How to Build Accessible iOS and Mac Apps * Tips for Taking Full Advantage of VoiceOver in Your App

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, letâ€s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

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In this approximately one hour and 49 minute podcast, Allison, Darrell and baby daughter Allyssa go on an adventure through their photo library, experiencing fun and frustration with accessible and inaccessible iOS apps.

• Listen or Pause: Picture Imperfect
• Download: Picture Imperfect

We found Moments by Facebook completely inaccessible with VoiceOver. Please submit feedback to Facebook’s accessibility team.

We were looking for a good way to organize and store our family’s memories, photos and stories, not unlike sighted families the world over. We tried Keepy, on the recommendation of a parenting podcast we like, only to find it almost, but not quite, accessible enough to use. Please send customer feedback to the developer asking for improved VoiceOver accessibility.

On a positive accessibility note, we enjoyed adding descriptions to our photos using TapTapSee and BeSpecular. We appreciate the work the awesome BeSpecular volunteers do to help blind people see.

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, letâ€s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).