Posts In: Access Technology

One of the most exciting items on the calendar for the access technology team is the AT seminar day at convention. Though it may seem like a long way off, we are locking in the sessions now. We would like to have your input on what topic completes the agenda, and we have set up a survey with the options.

Access Technology is often dominated by incremental changes; but every once in a while there are big jumps.

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, it is all too rare to see additions to the small clutch of talking feature phones on the market.

Pearson has made big strides in having students use the JAWS screen reader to access content in MyMathLab and related products—MyStatLab, MathXL, MyMathTest.  Students using JAWS can navigate, read, and interact with MyMathLab homework and assessments, as well as calendars, results, announcements, and study plans.

The Kindle Fire HDX is the latest tablet from Amazon, and it is again, claiming to include accessibility for blind users.  In the past, I have pretty freely lambasted Amazon’s accessibility efforts because in many cases they were downright insulting to blind users.  There has never been an eInk Kindle that allows for proper non-visual navigation of text, nor an acce

Basic talking phones are few and far between, though the news of them manifests itself on the NFB tech line every few days.

It's not too often that new and exciting devices appear in the realm of low vision, so it is not very surprising that the Prodigi talking digital magnifier is causing a stir. These talking magnifiers, as highlighted in an earlier blog post, have been making steady headway and are becoming more common.

Today, with the right resources and in the right circumstances, it is possible for a Braille reader to purchase a book the same day it is released by the publisher, at the same price paid by the print reader, and read it immediately on a mobile device in reasonably good quality Braille.

The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (http://www.loc.gov/nls/ ) has provided accessible materials to blind (and otherwise print-disabled) patrons for more than 80 years.  In keeping with trends of technology and the needs of its patrons, it has created and provided these materials in a number of formats over the years.

Nothing quite takes the place of direct interaction with customers.  I was reminded of this in July, when a group from Pearson Higher Education had the opportunity to attend the NFB’s annual convention.