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Posts with tag universal access

Apple updates Braille support in Leopard

Today, Apple released the Braille Display Update 1.0 for VoiceOver in Leopard. VoiceOver, part of the Universal Access family of accessibility tech, allows blind or visually impaired users to hear what's on the screen. Via the new update, when you connect a compatible Braille display, "VoiceOver automatically detects it and sends it information about what is displayed on the screen." This update adds new support for certain Braille displays, including the HandyTech Braille Star 8, GW Micro BrailleSense, and more.

This update is available for users of Mac OS X Leopard by using Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update) or by downloading the installer package from the Apple support downloads site. If you're currently using a Braille screenreader under Leopard -- or you were waiting for support for your screenreader via this update -- drop us a comment to let us know if the update makes a difference for you.

Does the iPhone shaft the blind?

I spent a good hour or so this morning without my glasses. The little plastic nosie-thing fell off and I had to wait while a new plastic nosie-thing got installed. During that time, I was pretty much blind as a bat--assuming that bats are legally blind, extremely myopic, astigmatic, and can only see the world as one huge blur.

So I got to thinking. The new iPhone, with its completely sleek surface, how useless will that thing be for the visually impaired? Me, I can usually stick my eye up reaaaaaally close to something (assuming I can get my nose out of the way) and see what's going on but for anyone with worse vision (or a less foldable nose), the iPhone is going to be really hard to use. (Contrast this with the 5G iPod, which I can operate by touch, often in my pocket.)

So I googled for blind and iPhone, but didn't find much out there on Web search, and just a few hits here and there on blog search. Surely, there must be some usability experts out there willing to weigh in on the Universal Access aspects of the iPhone and the lack thereof. Thoughts?

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