Free Resources from the Net for EVERY Learner » accessibility

Chrome Vis – Chrome Browser Add-on for Internet Users with Low Vision

Paul Hamilton — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:27:33 +0000

Here’s more encouraging evidence of Google’s commitment to accessibility–a powerful add-on for the Chrome browser designed to make the Internet more accessible for individuals with low vision. This add-on has been created by Google, not by a third-party.

Chrome Vis is an add-on for Google’s Chrome browser that magnifies selected text and changes the contrast between the colours of text and background to a pre-set combination. Magnified text can be displayed in a floating lens immediately above the selected text, or in a lens at the top of the screen. The two modes are illustrated in the images below.

Customizable keyboard commands may be used to select and magnify text, to increase or decrease the magnification, as well as to adjust the contrast. Keyboard shortcuts are also available to move the curser either forward or backward by character, word, sentence or paragraph.

It’s easy to set up options. Just right-click on the Chrome Vis icon in the Add-on Bar and select ‘Options’. The image below shows the default keyboard shortcuts; and this is where you can change them. Note: A helpful Chrome Vis User Manual is available from google-axs-chrome, the home page for ‘Google Extensions for Accessibility’.

Android 4.0 Will Make Phones and Tablets More Accessible for Blind & Low Vision Users

Paul Hamilton — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 03:41:16 +0000

I’ve mentioned here that I have little experience with Android hand-held devices. I’ve also said I’m keen to change that. I’m keeping my eye on the Asus Transformer Prime Tablet. This tablet is set to be released next week in the US with Android 3.2, but it will be upgradeable to Android 4.0, aka ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’. The new Android operating system has grabbed my attention, almost as much as the new tablet itself.

The developers of Android 4.0 have clearly taken accessibility seriously, at least for individuals who are blind or who face the challenges of low vision. During the past week, Google Nexus has released two videos that demonstrate accessibility features that will be available on the Galaxy Nexus smartphone. It looks to me as though the developers of Android 4.0 have done well. Hopefully, we’ll soon have some authentic reviews by users who are blind and who have low vision.

Check out the videos I’ve embedded below and see what you think.

Readability Redux for Chrome — Browser Extension that Makes Web Pages Easier to Read

Paul Hamilton — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:02:08 +0000

This is another post about Google’s Chrome browser and accessibility features than can be added to it. I’ve already written about Speakit for text-to-speech HERE, about Voice Search for searching with Voice Recognition HERE, and about Speech Recognizer for general voice recognition HERE. I’ve written about running Chrome from a USB flash drive HERE. Today, I’m writing about a fourth add-in. This one can be extremely helpful for anyone who faces challenges with reading.

Readability Redux for Chrome is a variant of Readability that runs in Chrome and that is even more customizable than the original. With the click of a button, this add-in removes distracting clutter and customizes the presentation of text on a web page. For example, from the top page shown here to the one below it.

After going to the Chrome Web Store from within Chrome, searching for Readability Redux, and installing it, you will see the icon indicated below to the right of Chrome’s address bar.

Before using Readability Redux, you will want to customize the way you view pages. To do this, right-click on the icon and select ‘Options’, or click on the settings icon (wrench/spanner on the extreme right) and navigate to the Options screen (Tools–Extensions–Readability Redux–Options). The image below shows the options that may be adjusted.

Perhaps surprisingly, adjusting the width of the margins is the option I’ve found most useful. Limiting the number of words in a line of text can make a huge difference in terms of readability! Speakit works well to provide text-to-speech in pages that have been adjusted by Readability Redux.

‘Speak Selection’ – Convenient Text-to-Speech Built Into iOS5

Paul Hamilton — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 18:01:06 +0000

In terms of built in accessibility, Apple has raised the bar considerably in iOS5. The new feature that I believe will be most helpful to the greatest number of users is Speak Selection. This will read aloud any selected text — in a web article, a text editor, an email, in Twitter, in text messages, or just about anywhere. It isn’t perfect. For example, Speak Selection won’t read in Facebook. Still, I believe this feature of iOS5 will be incredibly helpful to countless people who struggle with text.

I can’t understand why this incredibly useful feature isn’t turned on by default. Unfortunately, you have to know that Speak Selection exists, and you then have to turn it on. Here’s how you do that on an iPhone 4 that is running iOS5. The process will be almost the same on other iDevices.

Open Settings, scroll down and select General

Scroll down and select Accessibility, then select Speak Selection

Turn Speak Selection on and set the Speaking Rate

Once Speak Selection has been turned on, simply hold your finger on whatever it is you wish to read until given the option of selecting, move the frame to enclose whatever you want read, and then click on ‘Speak’ to hear it read aloud.

It is worth noting that Define is another helpful feature that is new in iOS5. This is available whether Speak Selection is turned on or not. Both features, however, are made available in exactly the same way. When a single word is selected, you are offered a Define button. When Speak Selection is turned on, ‘Define’ is offered at the same time as ‘Speak’, as shown below. Clicking on the ‘Define’ button brings up a definition for the word, as is also shown below. Unfortunately, it is not possible to use Speak Selection to read the dictionary definitions.

Finally, here’s a video by iGuitardude2477 that shows much of what I’ve shown here in words and pictures.

Accessible Add-On Collections for Firefox

Paul Hamilton — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 17:01:00 +0000

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the challenges of add-on compatibility when upgrading to new versions of Firefox. My post elicited an extremely helpful response from Ira Socol about a resource he has facilitated with MITS (Michigan Integrated Technology Supports).

For anyone looking for add-ons that make web browsing more accessible with Firefox, most of the hard work has been done by Ira and MITS. Add-ons have been located and helpfully placed on a single page from which they can be downloaded and installed. All of the listed add-ons work with Firefox 3.613, and most work with the beta version of Firefox 4.

There are separate pages for the Mac and PC versions of Firefox. Clicking on the appropriate symbol below will take you to the option you want.

The collections include 21 options for the PC and 22 for the Mac. These add-ons support a wide range of needs, and I believe anyone who supports learners should check them out. All learners deserve to be given the opportunity to try as many supports as possible. Each individual learns uniquely, so it is dangerous and wrong to assume that any learner does not face learning challenges of some sort.

Among the listed add-ons, there are supports to help with physical and vision challenges, supports for reading, supports for doing maths, and much more. As time permits, I hope to highlight some of the specific add-ons. The images below offer at least a glimpse of what is available.

Accessibility on OS 3.0 for the iPhone

Paul Hamilton — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:15:48 +0000

The iPhone is anything but free, especially the part where you subscribe to a plan so you can use it. Here in Canada, the charges for data plans are particularly onerous, and that’s a big part of ther reason I don’t have an iPhone yet.

If you already have an iPhone, the upgrade to OS 3.0 is free. So, it’s worth being aware of, and spreading the word about, the accessibility features that are part of the new iPhone operating system. Ars Technica has put together a video that effectively highlights functions that support vision challenges and that offer text-to-speech. I’m embedding the video here to help spread the word.

iPhone OS 3.0 Accessibility Features from Ars Technica on Vimeo.

Access Firefox (Online Resource)

Paul Hamilton — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:55:32 +0000

Last week, Google released the shiny new web browser that they’ve aptly named “Chrome“. After taking it for a test drive, I have to admit that I rather like it. It’s incredibly fast, and I love the way it gives me almost my entire laptop screen for viewing web pages. Still, Chrome reminds me of just how very much more I appreciate Firefox.

I believe that Firefox should be available to every learner in every school. That’s because of the accessibility features that are built into Firefox and because of the available Firefox add-ons that further facilitate access for individuals with diverse learning needs.

In a blog post entitled “Learning to give up…“, Ira Socol convincingly makes the point that text-to-peech software is an essental tool that should be available to all learners, not just to those with designated “special” needs. I think every classroom teacher would do well to read Ira’s post!

With Firefox, text-to-speech software can indeed be available to all learners when reading online. That’s because there is a free Firefox add-on called CLiCk,Speak that conveniently offers text-to-speech. This is but one example of the countless add-ons for Firefox that enhance accessibility and that help to make learning possible for many who might otherwise give up.

Access Firefox is a website that I’ve written about before, but I believe it’s well worth another mention. Access Firefox is a tremendous resource for anyone interested in making the internet accessible to all learners. Access Firefox details the built-in accessibility features of Firefox. It also describes and links to numerous add-ons. The site is well organized and uncluttered. It has been designed with accessibility in mind, and demonstrates what an accessible website can look like.

If you are in a position to exert any influence at all, please advocate for the use of Firefox on the computers that are being used in schools. Alternative browsers available today don’t come close in terms of helping to meet the diverse range learning styles and learning needs that exist in every classroom.