Accessibility Archives - Page 6 of 6 - Outlook

The retail industry is working overtime to meet the changes brought on by the 2020 holiday season. Three in 10 will start their shopping earlier, rather than the one in 10 who will procrastinate. Retailers prefer shoppers begin crossing items from their lists sooner rather than later. They wish to avoid logistical nightmares like higher shipping costs and keeping up with supply and demand. Many retailers even added call center staff and warehouse space to accommodate the wave of online shoppers.

With the resurgence of COVID-19, The National Retail Federation created an ad campaign called “Shop early, Shop safe.” They hope to encourage folks to stay out of retail stores and shop online. U.S. consumers spent $21.7 billion online for the first ten days of the holiday season, a 21 percent year-over-year jump. Retailers, too, are offering deals earlier this year for consumers to take advantage of.

At Outlook Enrichment, we seek to provide the best resources to make your life easier and less stressful. Here are some tips to help you successfully shop for holiday gifts on your list with vision loss.

Taking advantage of accessible websites

Amazon created an accessible, streamlined website for those with a vision impairment and who use a screen reader. It also established a department specifically to assist those with disabilities. If needed, employees will describe products and complete purchases. After reaching the page, select an issue. Depending on your need, you can speak with a representative by phone, email, or chat. For an added fee, Amazon will gift wrap certain items. Prompts during the checkout process will allow you to select this option if it’s available. If you’d rather someone else wrap your holiday gifts, reach out to your community or post an ad on Indeed or Simply Hired to find someone locally.

Instacart allows consumers to place orders through several stores. These orders can be delivered to your home or picked up at the store’s outdoor pickup location. Amazon and Instacart offer coupons to help shoppers save money on these orders.

Walmart, Target, and other retailers with online and physical locations also allow consumers to select delivery options. If you have a friend or family member to help you, they can retrieve your items curbside. Some retailers, such as Amazon, offer gift-wrapping services. Check the store’s customer service department if interested.

Some companies design their sites with a screen reader mode already incorporated. To make the site accessible to people with vision impairments, simply follow the instructions.

Utilizing voice search

Using the voice search feature on your mobile device or doing searches on your computer will offer different results. We speak naturally when conducting voice searches, whereas typing specific keywords or phrases into a computer search box can feel awkward and clunky. Voice searches offer the convenience of multitasking versus browsing several sites before deciding which is best. Though different, both search methods are accurate. Try each and see which you prefer. You might come across a website that’s new to you.

Online shopping can be stressful, but it should be an enjoyable experience. After all, gift-giving isn’t about the present but the thought behind it. Take the time necessary to work through your list, then get to shopping.

We spend a lot of time at home these days. For many, this means binging our favorite shows. With streaming services and network channels now offering mobile watching, it’s easier than ever to watch what we want when we want.

Like sighted people, blind and visually impaired viewers eagerly anticipate the latest episode of “This is Us,” binge straight through “Stranger Things,” or gossip about “Tiger King.” How do you comprehend what is happening in a show when you can’t see it? Many blind people consume visual content using audio descriptions.

What is an audio description?

Audio description allows blind and visually impaired people to access visual content at no extra charge. A narrator describes content that cannot be discerned without description, such as color, action, background, and expression. In films and TV shows, the recorded description is slipped in between scenes where there is no dialogue. The description happens in real-time with live performances, also in between dialogue and music.

Technology for the blind

More and more production companies, TV programmers, and artists are realizing the importance of providing audio description services for blind and visually impaired viewers. Just as closed captioning evolved in the industry more than 20 years ago, audio description also evolved.

The five main streaming services are Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video, Hulu, and Apple TV. Netflix and Disney Plus currently provide more audio-described content than any other platform. Especially if it’s content original to Netflix or Disney Plus. Prime closely follows with most of its original content audio described. With only four audio-described shows from last year, Hulu now offers many shows with this feature. Apple TV also provides many audio-described titles. Each of these platforms is from various TV networks. However, many of these titles are not described; it depends on whether the original programmer built it or not.

These services all have accessible interfaces for screen reader users. Technology for the blind, like JAWS NVDA or Apple Voiceover, can access the app/site itself in audio description to watch audio-described content.

How to access audio-described content on these platforms

The following is a list of directions for the specific services using an Apple device. You will need to turn on the audio description feature on your device, but once you do, it will remain on, and you will not have to turn it back on constantly.

First, you will need to turn the audio description on. Go to the Settings app, swipe until you find Accessibility, tap on this, and swipe again, looking for the audio description–make sure it is toggled on. Once you toggle this, it will automatically play if a film or show has an audio description.

Netflix

Once you toggle the audio description feature on your Apple device, you are set to watch audio-described content on Netflix. If an audio description with a title is available, it will automatically play from now on.

Disney Plus

Select a title, tap on the screen as it plays, and controls will be displayed. Look for the Audio and Subtitles Menu. If available, there will be an English Audio Description button to select. You will only have to set this up once.

Prime Video

Select a title. Once the program is playing, tap on Video Controls. Then, look for the Audio and Subtitles options and tap on them. If an audio description is available, you will see the option. Once you select this option, the audio description will automatically play when available.

Hulu

Once you find a title you want to watch on Hulu, play it. Swipe on the screen until you find Player, then tap on it to turn on player controls. Then swipe until you find Settings, and tap on it. If an audio description is available, there will be a button for English Audio Description; tap on it. You will only have to do this once. Any title with an audio description available will automatically play with an audio description.

Apple TV

Like Netflix, once you toggle the audio description feature on your device, titles with audio descriptions will automatically play.

Outlook Enrichment’s adaptive technology trainers can help you set up audio descriptions on your Apple TV, smartphone, or other device. Audio description services allow the visually impaired to enjoy film, TV, and theatre as their sighted peers. The more audio description is advocated for, the more visual content blind people can access.

March is National Reading Month, and it promotes the importance of reading every day, both for fun and to learn something new. The children’s book author Dr. Seuss was also born this month. We celebrate the importance of reading by providing several ways visually impaired people can enjoy books.

Existing technology makes reading more effortless than ever for people with limited vision. Because books are released digitally and in multiple formats, it is important to consider your preferences before selecting vision-impaired apps for reading. You might prefer a natural, human voice or one like Siri. Using the Apple or Android platform will provide varied results. Research the options below to find the vision-impaired apps that work for you.

Kindle eBooks

Amazon’s Kindle app allows users to read purchased Kindle eBooks. The app will enable users to create bookmarks, browse through books, and leave reviews. It can also sync with their Goodreads profile and other social media platforms, sharing their ratings and reviews of books with their followers. Users can also receive book recommendations based on their purchase history. This app is available on Apple and Android devices.

Apple Books

The Apple Books app allows you to access purchased Apple books easily. You can browse the bookstore, keep track of your preferences, and receive customized recommendations based on your interests. This app comes standard on Apple devices and can be used with accessible software like VoiceOver and Zoom.

Voice Dream Reader

Voice Dream Reader is a diverse app that allows you to read books in electronic braille or listen to them by downloading human-sounding voices. Choose from over 200 voices and 30 languages. This app can access texts from Google Drive, Dropbox, Project Gutenberg, and more. It is available for a one-time purchase.

Apple Vis

If you want to check out even more iOS reading apps, head to Apple Vis, whose user community reviews over three dozen apps. This is just one category; there are several more to browse.

QRead

The QRead app is only available for Windows users. Like Voice Dream Reader, QRead allows the user to read books published in multiple formats. It can benefit students because they can open several books simultaneously, copy and paste text, set bookmarks, and much more. This software, though not a mobile app, was created by Accessible Apps, a company where the blind create software and products for other blind users.

Android Access

Android Access is a site geared specifically for Android users searching for accessible apps from that platform.

Audible can be downloaded to your Apple or Android device. It requires a monthly subscription, but you can try it for free. This app makes it easy to listen to books anywhere and enhances the audio experience.

Two popular digital libraries –Bookshare and the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled – also known as NLS—provide books in electronic braille and audio formats for visually impaired and print-disabled users. Bookshare is a subscription service, and NLS requires proof of disability before granting access to its books.

Learn how to use these vision-impaired apps through Outlook’s Adaptive Technology Training program.

February is National Library Lovers Month, focusing on reading and the institutions providing books and other materials. We honor and recognize libraries’ important role in the community, but traditional neighborhood libraries are not always adequate for people with visual impairments.

However, these two resources specifically meet the needs of the blind: Bookshare and the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, also known as NLS. Both popular libraries provide a considerable volume of audio, braille, and large-print books.

Bookshare

One of the two resources for the blind is Bookshare. This resource is an eBook library with nearly 800,000 titles and is the most extensive collection of accessible eBooks worldwide. It includes books for educational pursuits, employment, professional development, reading pleasure, and titles in over 34 languages.

A good book player is essential for enjoying these thousands of books. The Victor Reader Stream, NLS Talking Book Player, and apps like Dolphin Easy Reader and Voice Dream Reader allow you to read Bookshare books easily. You can also access books using your PC, laptop, and tablet.

Your method to download a selected book will depend on your device or app. Nonetheless, any method requires an internet connection. Bookshare, a subscription service, requires a membership fee, but students can access this library for free.

National Library Service

A free library service enacted by Congress, NLS provides printed materials in audio and braille. Patrons can request books, magazines, and other materials by contacting NLS regional network libraries. The regional library then mails your requests as audio digital cartridges that play on a specialized NLS player.

Patrons can borrow the player from their regional library. A person with a vision impairment can also access a copy of a book’s Braille Audio and Reading Download (BARD). On a PC or laptop, you can access BARD Express, where books can download quickly and efficiently to multiple devices, just like Bookshare.

The BARD mobile app allows book access for those using smartphones or tablets. Unlike Bookshare, NLS books are not text-to-speech files. Each NLS book is read and recorded by a human being or is a commercial audiobook provided by the publisher. The collection has about 65 percent fiction and 35 percent nonfiction. Bestsellers, biographies, fiction, and how-to books are the most popular. Some books in Spanish and a limited number in other languages are also available for download.

Since these resources for the blind are designed for the disabled community, both Bookshare and NLS require proof of disability as part of their application process. They also have offerings for visually impaired young adults and children.

To get started, contact Outlook’s Adaptive Technology Training program for assistance. Our trainers can also show you how to use other reading apps for the blind, including Audible and Kindle eBooks.

How to Shop Smart with Vision Loss