Krishna Brodigan (WLS): Alright, thank you, everybody for joining us this morning for a for a program from the vision labs project.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): what's just our library system for those of you who aren't aware vision labs is really just a little pilot test that we're doing to try to immerse ourselves in services related to people with visual impairment and trying to see how we can.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): You know leverage library resources to help them continue to be patrons of the library, regardless of any challenges that they face, especially if it's an emerging vision issue.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): We provide information and service referrals as well as some hands on access to assistive tech for people who want to try them out and.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): see if it might be something that's useful valuable in the home, and you know part of this is we we've also done quite a few of these.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): professional development programs we haven't done one recently, but in the past, we had done some that were kind of service reviews of.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): You know the services available to people with visual impairment in westchester county and around the sister county and then we'd also done some programs just about.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): You know, learning how to work with patrons who might have a visual impairment and today is one of those programs we're going to be we're joined by Mike sieminski the.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): Title the technology services coordinator at visions and Carmen lauren who's the public relations and marketing coordinator and they're going to walk us through first of all, some of the services that visions offers.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): And then they're going to show us a little bit about phone accessibility and how those things kind of interface with library resources like libby and the bard APP from the New York state talking book in Braille library.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): So there's a lot that we're going to be covering in this training it's going to be recorded, so you can always come back to it.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): And in terms of questions feel free to put questions into the chat and at certain points throughout the presentation, as we kind of shift from one thing to another will take a minute, and we can ask Mike some of our questions so.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): I hope that you find someone's information valuable we've got a couple of people who signed up from the surrounding library system so welcome Thank you so much for joining us and.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): Visions i'm sure they'll cover this but visions really serves such a huge portion of southern New York state that encompasses all of westchester county.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): So much of the surrounding counties New York City long island and parts of New Jersey as well, so without further ado i'm going to let the experts explain the services that they offer so like Carmen take it away.
Carmen Thorne: hi everybody i'm Carmen dornan, as I mentioned i'm from vision services for a wider vision that and we actually.
Carmen Thorne: have been around for 95 years Michelle and waiting five years of service this year and we actually serve depending on the program and.
Carmen Thorne: What you need to our research we actively serve people of all ages, who are blind or visually impaired, this would be somebody that was diagnosed by and optimizes.
Carmen Thorne: Legally blind and we specialize in rehabilitation social services are not for profit organization and our purpose is to develop and implement.
Carmen Thorne: individualized programs to assist people who are blind and visually impaired and of all ages, so we do we serve some babies.
Carmen Thorne: Up to seniors over 100 years of age and we actively serve the entire state but we're here to talk about the lower Hudson valley region and where we serve.
Carmen Thorne: In home services and community based services, and this would be civilized civilized teachers me our teams which are legends rehabilitation therapist.
Carmen Thorne: Who will teach you independent skills, this is would be an area and where you're struggling now that you're dealing with severe vision loss you're struggling you're struggling with daily living.
Carmen Thorne: Skills and areas that we specialize in those teachers will teach you in areas of financial management meal management personnel management areas like to.
Carmen Thorne: Where you would, for instance, if you're someone struggling now where you used to not to but you can't see you can't read your mail.
Carmen Thorne: or you're not able to read a dial you can't tell the time any longer you're struggling with identifying close to match your clothes on a daily basis.
Carmen Thorne: And it goes on its own, and so these specialized teachers will come to your home and and train with you and give you certain techniques and maybe.
Carmen Thorne: recommend a specific equipment that you will use at home to help you identify and money and so forth, maybe you're you're struggling now to fill out a check.
Carmen Thorne: To pay your bill, so all these areas are areas that they touch on, we also have teachers that don't do orientation and mobility instruction.
Carmen Thorne: And this is a teacher who specializes in cage skill travel so i'm sure, many people have noticed a blind person walking in the street with a straight cane that's.
Carmen Thorne: Primarily white with a bottom tip to thread, and so that orientation and mobility instructor would give you lessons if that's something that you need to each.
Carmen Thorne: Each our training is individualized because vision impairment is very different per person, so these services are free, coming from visions.
Carmen Thorne: free to anyone who qualifies and have legal blindness diagnosis so monthly equipment and stuff are are supported with us through the Commission for the white the state office for the blind and will assist someone who's new to that.
Carmen Thorne: To apply to the state the governing state office that has.
Carmen Thorne: That provides some equipment and some assistance and certain training for somebody who's visually impaired.
Carmen Thorne: Okay, and so yeah we provide these services actively and will come to your home will also do things in the Community page we want.
Carmen Thorne: individuals to lead active independent lives and to get back to that if it's something that you used to do, or perhaps.
Carmen Thorne: help you at work let's say you're not struggling to to do your work, because you're no longer able to see a computer screen or something like that so that's training that we can provide.
Carmen Thorne: And Mike symons he knows a lot about a job same as what we call it a job, save and we got somebody that now.
Carmen Thorne: need some certain equipment, maybe to a system to see a computer screen better or to use the computer 30 so that's our services, and now we can be reached.
Carmen Thorne: At an 800 number and i'm sure Christian could share in regards to any services that you need, and even if you're not sure just give us a call we'll help you understand that better okay.
Carmen Thorne: And so now, I want to introduce to you Mike cement, who is our chief technology services coordinator and he's going to provide some information in regards to technology.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Right, thank you very much for that introduction Carmen on yes, my name is megan and ski i'm new technology services coordinator for visions, a little bit about me i've been with the Agency for about four years now, I started as the technology services specialist.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): and worked my way up to the coordinator position on my primary role at missions is to provide technology instruction for those that are looking for work on so one of one of the services division also provides a job placement services, but before.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): We can help those get a job we're visually impaired, they need to have their computer skills up to.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): What employers are looking for so that's when a participant will come to either myself or one of my other.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Co workers in the technology department will teach them about desktop navigation Internet research skills, how to use programs like Microsoft word Microsoft outlook on as well and do some mobile device training as well um.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And we also offer some technology classes at our senior Center location and i'm much of what i'm going to go over today has been covered pretty in depth in.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): These classes um so what i'm going to be going over today is going to be all of the accessibility features on the iPhone in terms of both.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): The low vision enhancements that you can make to the iPhone as well as the voiceover.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): When we talk about a set to technology for those that are visually impaired there's two main avenues that you can reach and it all depends on the level of it, and so, if a person.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): is considered low vision that means that they have a good amount of usable vision and they need, and they and they can still see, but they need enhancements on that we would use I would use features on the iPhone and such as zoom maybe large text bold colors.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Things like that, and then for those that have no usable vision, they use something called a screen reader the screen reader is a feature on pretty much every computer now where the device talks to you not to be confused with.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Things like the Amazon alexa and Google home where you talk to that device to get information notes the screen reader talks to you and that's how.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): The person with a visual impairment and get information that they need and i'm going to be demoing a lot of that today, as well as two Apps.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): That i've been asked to go over the board APP and the delivery APP um so i'm just going to get right into the demonstration of the low vision features of the iPhone so i'm just going to share my screen give me one second.
Okay.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Right, can I just get some audio confirmation never screen invisible.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): looks good.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): All right, thank you alright so on the first thing that i'm going to go over is the the the low vision accessibility features and those are found in settings.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So, right now, my my phone is set up for my work environment, so what i'm going to do is i'm going to use the spotlight feature on the iPhone.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And not just to swipe down from any of your home screens and i'm just going to find I can either type in settings here or I can just tap on that flipkart.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): going to do that and i'll get back up to the top of the list um so in this in this setting that you'll find all the settings that.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): that are used to set up the phone, but today we're concerned about the accessibility settings so i'm going to scroll down to accessibility to my phone in a minute to catch up with the screen recording.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Now we're in accessibility and we're today we're concerned with the vision section, the voiceover that's the screen here we're going to get into that in a little bit on zoom.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): display and text size so we're able to modify the screen to make it larger for those that need it i'm motion spoken content and audio description so i'm not going to go over those.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): in depth.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Because I we could spend three hours talking about accessibility features on the iPhone I don't want to overload anybody.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): But what i'm gonna do is i'm going to jump into the zoom section.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And here, it tells us how we can use the zoom feature it's already on and the way we would activate the zoom is by using three fingers on the screen and double tapping So if I take three fingers and double tap on my screen.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Give me a second to catch up.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): It now is very large and then to I can do from here, I can do a couple of things I can move around screen and get.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): To where I need to start reading.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So here, it says zoom, then the fire and I could read about it boy all let's just say I am a low vision user and I don't need a that big or.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): I needed even bigger than I thought I have it on it to do to zoom out or zoom in you would do a you still use the three fingers tab but, on the second tab you're going to drag up or down with both three fingers so i'm going to tap tap and drag down.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And now the screen got smaller and i'm still holding so I can continue to drag up or down to get to the desired level that I need.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And again, I can continue to scroll around the screen using the three finger.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): move gesture.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And to quickly disabled, the zoom i'm just going to again double tap with three fingers.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): arm in the zoom settings we do have a couple of settings I want to make note of.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): The follow focus will.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Follow the magnification if i'm typing in, say, the notes APP or something like that it'll follow the screen so that way I don't have to manually move it and there are different keyboard shortcuts if you have a.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Wireless keyboard connected to the phone.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): The zoom controller is a neat little.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): i'm going to call it a gadget.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): To neat little setting where if we turn it on.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): It now brings up a little joystick in my phone So if I do zoom in instead of using my fingers to move around the screen, I can just move the little joystick around and then it moves it for me.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): I don't know if you can see it, but as soon as I tap on the little controller.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): It brings up.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): A little box that shows the there's a little bit of lag in the in the screen share but it shows my relative position on the screen versus where the controller is.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): and
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So that's the zoom controller i'm going to turn that off for now, and there are also settings for the shoulder as well, if you have any question about that will be happy to answer them.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): But another feature of zoom or the zoom filters so right now my phone is using the built in dark mode that ios provides by it on it, I needed different if I if I saw different colors better.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): I could use some of the settings to make those adjustments in a second i'm going to go over the other color filters, aside from just these because these are very basic.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So inverted would actually turn my phone into more of a light load Gray scale would be a just be no color that would just be black and white.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Gray scale inverted would be the opposite of the Gray scale and then low light is great for those that need um that have trouble seeing.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): bright lights and I don't know if it comes clear on the screen recording but my brightness is very low, right now, so if I the backup to knowing it, then moves the brightness back to where it should be.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So that's the zoom function.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Of what i'm going to do now is i'm going to back out to the main accessibility settings and i'm going to go over the display in tech side.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So, as you can see, by I already have both text on that and we'll just make the text more bold so that it's easier for people to see personally I like it, I like doing that are bold.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): But if I turn that off it, you can see that it just know it's the default is infinity turn it back on and it no boulder um.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): There are other settings in here that can make the phone easier to see increase contrast is one that I always tell my students about by increase the contrast it now.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Just makes it a little bit more contrast it um when I come across come across well on the screen recording I apologize um.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): But that feature is there.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So, but then we have the color inversions they're smart.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): invert and classic invert.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So what sport invert does it reverses the colors of the display except for images so.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Personally i've i've seen when i've been teaching a student where they do it will be browsing the Internet and then it's in the reverse color mode.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And they come across a picture and all of a sudden, like an alien it's kind of kind of interesting to see that, but the smart invert will take the images into consideration and basically leave them alone on classic invert.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Does invert both the screen, the text, and also the images.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And then the colored filters that's what I was talking about before.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So if I turn on color filters, we have a couple of different options we have grayscale red and green filter red green and red.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Blue and yellow and color tint so right now it's set to Gray scale, but you guys can see that, because the color filter don't come across on the screen share.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): But if.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): I do select one of those I am able to then specify the intensity by moving a slider down at the bottom.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So, because it's not coming through on the screen share I do encourage if you do have an iPhone to try this later on, after the presentation and see how the different colored filter behave.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Because there are i'm sure we've all referred to we've all heard it it'd be referred to in some of being colorblind and what they call it filters do will filter out those colors so that the screening is easier to see and things can be made clear for those that need it.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And then the last thing i'm going to go over in the.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Low vision portion is going to be the large text so right now.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): I have it set to a little bit more than I guess the middle and I can just move the slider and then you can see, the text adapt to what it needs but.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Right now it's when I have it at the at the end of it, the regular text is this is the largest it can be, but for some of our participants that are.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): A little vision and they don't want to quite even screen your your yet the text can get even larger, so I turn on the toggle larger larger accessibility sizes, it then add about five more notches to the bar at the bottom, so if I.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): just go over and go one by one.
and
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Give me a second to refresh and now, that is the largest.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): tech side available, so if I back out of settings.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And I go to my home screen, for example, I have a widget on my home screen to shows my calendar that's larger the.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): APP names are larger on if I go into a.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Preventive if I go in cheaper presentation, for today didn't.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): See.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): go into some very benevolent I swipe down the series suggestions are a lot larger that text field to search is a lot larger um.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): It also adapt to things like the messages APP where when you get a text message it shows in that exact font size, where it had to siri suggestion than the search field so.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): This is all really great for those that have you know vision and they want to keep using the vision to the best that they can, but sometimes we're not able to do that, and they have to rely on a screen reader so let me just turn down the text size here.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): and get it back to them okay um so for those that don't have any visible vision, they have to rely on a screen reader and again that's a piece of software on the computer the iPhone.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): On the tablet where the device talks to you um what's great about the iPhone in particular is that voiceover in built in you don't have to download it um and even when you take the phone out of the box, it will work.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Without even setting a photo.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): On newer iphones that don't have a whole button, like the iPhone 10 or newer um when you take the phone out of the box, you could triple click the side button.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And voiceover would instantly turn on if you have an iPhone eight or older the phone with the home button or an iPad without the home button or withdrawal button sorry um.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): You would triple click that and that would activate voiceover from setting it out of the box, but, but just say the participant has their phone already set up.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And the accessibility shortcut that's what it's referred to as a is no longer available because deployment already been set up, there are a couple of ways to turn on voiceover mom my favorite way to turn on it just by using siri.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So if I were to pull down to the button on the right hand side of my phone it'll activate siri and all I have to say is turn on voiceover.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): voice is all, let me know if you want to turn it off, I guess it didn't hear you say on.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): turn on voiceover.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Okay voiceover is now on Okay, and now.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Dr which it stack search Dr Smith and minsky at visions of.org but i'm not sure if you can hear it, but actions available my voiceover is speaking on.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): But let's just say.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): you're in a crowded place you have headphones on and you don't want to have to talk to her, so there are there's another way that I recommend that everybody uses voiceover set this up.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): When the when when voiceover turned on, and it can be set up after the fact, and that is the accessibility shortcut.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So I am going to cheat forgive me i'm going to turn off voiceover just so I can get back into settings and then show you where that accessibility shortcuts setting is.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): turned off voiceover.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Okay, I turned voiceover on okay.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So i'm going to go back into settings.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And then, if I go down to accessibility, they go all the way down to the bottom, the second to catch up here.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): We have.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Accessibility shortcut in mind is already except the voiceover that's because I already said it up, but when the phone calm down in a box on the accessibility short code actually sends off, so we go to accessibility shortcut.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And then we.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): scroll down to voiceover.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And, of course, this can be done with voiceover, I just wanted to show this before I did a DEMO of voiceover.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So what I can do is I can triple click the button on the side of my phone and it will turn on voiceover for us so 123.
voiceover on settings accessibility features help you customize your iPhone.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): For your individual needs so now that voiceover is on it completely changes the way I use my phone i'm.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): For example, I can't just wipe up the screen with one finger to the idea that it's going to move what's called a voiceover cursor i'm so DEMO of that display voice is moving down it just moving down book and content.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And it landing on whatever my whatever my finger landline essentially, and that is called explore by touch and that's one of the main ways to for somebody to use a an iPhone or iPad with voiceover.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Especially if you're in an unfamiliar APP and you want to learn the layout of all the controls, what I tell my students is to start in the very.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Top my top left corner so, for example, the settings back button.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And was waiting for the screen recording to catch up here.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): It goes from from working really smoothly to just like freezing.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): working very slowly, but now it's okay there we go there, we go, so what I can do is I can continue moving my finger across the top of the screen and i'll end on the accessibility text and then.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): What I can do that, and continue to go over to the right and then i'm kind of do like a zigzag pattern.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): On now on the text that says accessibility features help you customize your iPhone.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And if I continue to move down the screen it'll say what's under my zoom off.
But it's like a text size but.
book and cut it what.
Are the.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): descriptions of though I agree it's a little bit choppy, but I think he has to get the picture with that i'm.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Sure, so.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Because voiceover.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): voiceover.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): It makes the iPhone usable to anybody who has a visual impairment, especially for those that have no usable didn't because once voiceover on the entire phone will speak to you it'll read out text messages it'll read out phone calls.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): You can just seen as a little bit you can use voiceover to download a book from the board APP on or if you wanted to use an e book or able to do that.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): as well, and just use the built in voiceover voice to read the book to you i'm with when voiceover the on the possibilities are endless.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And because there are so many great Apps on the APP store for those that are visually impaired on one can be nearly independent.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): When they have an iPhone which voiceover um you know with Apps like the food delivery Apps grocery store delivery Apps uber do that are all accessible.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And you know the when the APP is accessible with voiceover and some of using was a really know how to use it, it does promote that independence that everybody is looking for.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And so what i'm going to do now is i'm going to go over a demonstration of the bard APP and how to download a book um so i'm going to go to my home screen and then i'm going to open the bar.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): Like when you're doing that can I hit you with a question or two.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Absolutely yep.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): Okay well some drivers, we had talked about.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): This program about iPhone vs android access that one well a bit I was looking at my android phone.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): During this and trying to compare like the features that we have and things like that, and I know that iPhone is is really touted as like the go to for people with with low vision, and can you explain a little bit more about that.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Yes, so, because every iPhone in every iPad conflict accessibility, out of the box and it's a lot more user friendly than the android counterpart.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): that's I think that's one of the main reasons why is especially in the blends Community if somebody is looking for a new phone We always say oh get an iPhone get an iPhone um that's, not to say that android doesn't have accessibility, it does, but it's a lot more.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): there's there's some running around that you would have to do, for example, the main.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): The main screen here on android is called talkback some phones have a pre installed some phones don't well how do you know if it's pre installed or not that's all questions that on you really have to think about when when purchasing an android phone um.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): But in it, not installed, how do you how do you install it will you'd have to play store but there's no I haven't usable vision, how can I do that on my own.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Again that's that's because, on the iPhone the accessibility can be turned on without even setting up the phone burst just triple clicking the home button or the side button.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So that's.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Why, I hope that answered your question.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): yeah I will say it looks like they they do add a few more features here in there every time I checked, but it's still it doesn't seem like they have things like.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): Like explored by touch which seemed really interesting and that's actually my My second question is about explored by touch if somebody's looking at a website on their phone would they be using explorer I touch or like a top down screen reader.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Right, so they can use explored by touch on but usually for websites, I recommend using the swipe gestures and that's what I was going to get into when I got into the Bart APP.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): On another popular way to navigate the iPhone is using the swipe gesture arm a swipe.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Left will go to the previous item, and an item could be could be literally anything on the street, it can be a button, it can be a text paragraph, it could be an image can be a link um in a swiping right we'll go to the next item.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And then swiping up or down will activate on something in what's called the rotor and that's how you can choose.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): You can read by word character change speaking rate um I may I don't I don't know if i'll have time to do a DEMO or rotor today because that's more of an advanced topic.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): But the main gestures for moving to previous and next item are left and right and I get this a lot when i'm teaching voiceover for the first time.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): When I say a swipe left or swipe right i'm not talking about a very slow sway and what that's going to do is that's going to invoke explore by touch.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Though if I, for example, i'm in my Google drive widget on my home screen if I do a very if I take my time and swiping it's going to do right touch.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So, and it just moved to another item on my screen.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And that's not what I wanted to do, but instead I actually wanted it to go to the outline of the presentation text on so when i'm teaching voiceover for somebody who hasn't used it before I tell them.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): act like you're flicking a piece of dust off the screen so it's like a very quick flick in a way um So if I do the manual slick.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): Google calendar widget work vision presentations will do.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So that's how that works.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And there are Sunday may 30 there are some times when students will get on the first try and we just have to keep trying with them um i've had, I have had a couple of instances where.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Especially with seniors they've had some dexterity issues in their hands, and they have not been able to sleep.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So what we'll do is we'll recommend to get a very small compact keyboard because, like I said with with zoom their keyboard shortcuts but with voiceover as well, there are keyboard shortcuts that you could use.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): You could use like the right arrow key can move to the next slide left arrow to move to the previous site or things like that.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): This is a small keyboard for their phone.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): yeah oh.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): yeah they're they're actually his pocket sized.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): i've seen I can.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Possibly send out a link resources and it's really cool because also it folded in half, and you can put it in like a back pocket.
very nice.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Alright, so we're going to get into the the bard APP here so i'm with somebody with who's using voiceover.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): off the majority of the time when they're when they're opening Apps they're just going to use siri um so i'm just going to activate siri again by holding down the side button on my phone i'm going to say open bar and mobile.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): barred mobile get books having Okay, I can I.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): Can I just pause for a second and ask you for like the 10 second elevator pitch of what Bart is for for anyone here who might not be familiar yeah.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So what board is it's the APP that connects those with.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Legal blindness and totally blind individuals to the library of Congress Braille and talking book library on it has audio books audio magazines Braille books brill magazines.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And I think also newspapers, if I, if I remember correctly um when you're using an audio book it's using the publishers audio book version, rather than.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Using a more.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): I would say text to speech kind of voice um I know there's another service out there i'm not going to name names, where they do use.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): A Texas meet service and it's just not an enjoyable i'm with audiobooks you are getting the way the book was intended.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): For the publisher itself and that's usually either the author themselves or a professional voice actor.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Reading a book to you with Braille if you have a Braille device hooked up to the iPhone or even an android device gets part is also available on android.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): On the browser will be the Braille book will be presented to you in such a way, where, if you know how to read Braille you can read it on your Braille display.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): I know that was more than 10 seconds Krishna but.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): that's fine I said.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): I put the link to the talking book in Braille library website in the chat so you can check that out.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): it's you know they're really, really helpful and it's easy to get people signed up for the service if they have any vision impairment or physical like a motor impairments.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): or even a cognitive impairment that makes it hard to read a print book they can people can apply for that service for free, and that includes access to this bar and APP yes um.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And I just wanted to do a to give a shout out to New York City so in the city.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): There is the annual has still talking book library on I think it's 21st street um.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And if you have.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Several participants of your than the city, they can sign up there as well.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And in there, they also offer classes for division as well, I generally tend to keep is a good friend of mine she's brilliant she's learned a lot of things like the idea with visions.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Okay, so from the bar the APP it has four main tabs at the bottom, the bookshelf where all the books that you download our store to get books settings and now reading.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Now reading is currently didn't because I am not actively reading anything in in bard, but I am going to be downloading a sample book just to show what that like i'm so.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): In order for me to download the exact book that I want.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): i'm going to choose the board website so what i'm going to do is i'm going to swipe to the right until I reach the bard website.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And also, I just want to preface it by saying you don't have to have voiceover on what using the Bart APP it's just this is an exercise in showing what it's like for those who are screen reader users, how to use the APP so i'm going to swipe to the right until they reach our website.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): should be talking but not put.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Your cursor in moving down the screen.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): OK, so now that i'm on board web on board website I can't just tap it because, again it's going to use that explored by touch gesture.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And normally you would read to me part website so what I have to do instead is, I have to double tap with one finger and I can do that anywhere on the screen I don't have to know where I am nor know where the physical text board website is I can double tap anywhere on the screen.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): and progress most popular book.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And from here, I am heading Level three link i'm going to go down to the search the collection edit box so to do that, I am going to slip to the right.
semi-colon.
A list of the most downloaded pending level to.
search the collection text field.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And a double tap to use the road or to access miss and you heard it's a double words, so what I can do it again double tap.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And because i'm in an edit field insertion point that and that brings up the keyboard and and when you're searching the collection for bar on.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): it's best that you have the book number, you can always call the.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): library wherever you have been given a bard accent from whether that's washes their library near the library, or even the state library.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): and say Oh, I want this book by so, and so, and then they give you the what's called a db number or the BBC number and that's because.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): every book that you're downloading with bard has an ID number attached to it and it usually begins with either db or db see um you can also search by title and author um but because of the way the search works.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): you'll get a lot more results than needed so sometimes I recommend just doing it with the with the db number itself, so I did some research ahead of time and I got a GB number for a book that I would like to read um so db.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): or 5155 so i'm going to type that in using my keyboard, but I can also use the dictation feature.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): On the iPhone and that's what a lot of a lot of screen readers prefer to do, especially if they're going to quite an environment, because as you'll see in a minute the keyboard can be a little annoying to us, but again, it is better than not being able to use a keyboard at all.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So the first thing that I have to you have to find the first letter that I want to use that I want to type and that's going to be the D.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So i'm just going to take my finger we're going to police it i'm in this what what I think is going to be the Center of the keyboard and just to prove to you i'm looking up at the camera i'm not looking down at my phone, so you can attach the where I think the keyboard is.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And it is in the the suggested text field so i'm going to move down.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And I should be happy, the tea and i'm going to go down one more row tango.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And that said S, so what i'm going to do is i'm going to move one letter to the left and i'm going to do that just by moving my finger over a little bit.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And my phone gave me audio feedback, as well as a vibration feedback to let me know that I have moved one item.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): in a certain direction, whether that's left or right um and what I can do now is have a letter that I want i'm going to tap on the letter, when a double tap on my screen that's going to input, the letter D into the screen.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): D and then i'm going to place missing her back on the keyboard and we're going to our to the Z X zero we'll see.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And i'm going to find be V.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): be a kind of going to double tap.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And that put the, be it now, I have to put in the numbers and let me just get that up on my screen.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): That is 451 okay just going to speed this lawyers, for the sake of time i'm going to go down into the numbers section double tap on that.
numbers.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): 441511155 and then i'm going to tap on the search button in the bottom right corner on that can use it can easily be found if you tell the student to go to the bottom right corner so i'm just gonna move my finger they're fine and.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): delete and search and then i'm going to double tap on it, it.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): search or search.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): area and no start businesses the keyboard and now.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): If I was using voiceover.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): I would hear of moving from left to right, I would just swipe to the right, it would say borrow books containing keyword at GB 45155 and have a good read me what's.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): what's down the screen and eventually I would land, on the one book one in the book number and then that would allow me to go to that particular book so i'm just going to quickly swipe there.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So you play theater chance to catch up here.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): It is it's a book by David paterson cat and mouse part of the outer crust series.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So what i'm going to do is.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): i'm going to swipe and hopefully it'll catch up in time, it will it gives a description of the book.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): The genre.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): To the to the bestseller.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): and
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Then here's a summary of it and then.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): I am able to add this to my wish list are that's a very important part, especially when you're using the bar at be close on this page, there is no download button we kind of have to do it around about kind of weight on So if I double tap on and to wish lists.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): it's now been added to my wish list what i'm going to do is or a report i'm going to turn on voiceover hopefully that will bring.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): You get this screen to catch up a little bit quicker um so now, I would have to now, I have to go to the get books back button at the top of the screen so i'm just going to tap that.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And now, if I go to wish list, and you have one book here, and if I tap on it, I get a confirmation, are you sure you want to download this title and say okay.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And then it's now downloading.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): You give it a second.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): That you want to show the player and the significance of it because it's a cool graphic.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): When one thing I love about telling people about the talking book in Braille library and the bard services that there's no there's no borrow limits there's no fines.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): Right so many so many items that they have.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): In their collection that it's just like obscene.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): It was.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): torso we are yeah.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): With on the libby APP i'm going to go over a little bit because i'm part of the New York public library, one of my library partners with them, they only give me three items limit.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And sometimes i'm reading when we're listening to three books, at a time, so I have to find another way of getting the title that I want to read.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): About have we do you have.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): Any questions from the.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Any questions on the ship the.
Do you see six items in a nutshell.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): that's just giving a conclusion will be sending all these links off to keep those for the site and the email after.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): appreciate you guys sticking with me, I know it's been a lot of information, so far, but a lot of good information.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): yeah and i'm sure you see you have people coming to you for training from all walks of life, all different levels of tech familiarity.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): How long do you think, do you think it really takes for people to become you know proficient with using a screen reader like this.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): On the iPhone I give a like a six week class on it so each each day is a different topic.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): But my goal is to get them not to be an expert with by any means, but really to teach them the basics I start out by teaching them how to use siri because somebody either somebody.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): uses a brand new to the iPhone anyway um so i'll start off with showing them how to use siri that way they can go home and you'll make phone calls send text messages with their shiny new iPhone.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): But then they come back the next class and I introduced them to do voiceover gestures so slightly less slipping right double tapping.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Answering phone calls with shipping or double tap things like that.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Right, so now that the book has been downloaded i'm going to tap on it, and that brings the book up into the now reading section give it a second to catch up here.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): And then we had a question in the chat about what the audio but sounds like is it human voice, or is it like the electronic text to speech I think we're about to find out.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): yeah well I don't I know this is being recorded, so I don't want to.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Do any copyright infringement, but it is a, it is a human voice when it starts to say before the audio book that lls has for the majority, I think I would say 90% of their books on.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): is going to be the audio book.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): That the publisher puts out intended for purchase so, for example, if you go to Amazon and buy the audible version of the book.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): it's going to be the exact same version that's put out for audible that embark on the only difference is that the it does get modified in a way, where in the beginning, I think it said Oh, this is part of the.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): National Library of Congress on the library service, because it had, I think I didn't really put an effort to legally put that in but other than that it's completely untouched.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): From that i'm going to do a minute stop the screen share and then restart it that seemed to work earlier this morning when i'm doing some demos, give me one second.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): Carmen I think this one might be for you, if the patron wants to attend a class or learn how to use voiceover do they just call the DVD number.
Yes.
Carmen Thorne: Yes, absolutely just call the 800 number and just express what your needs are what you want to learn and we'll get you set up.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So.
Carmen Thorne: here's a small intake process, you know, an application some questions, but once you get past that point DEMO connect you with the right specialist and start.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): You so okay so did finally catch up so on the player, what I would refer to as the mini player arm, it is it exact replica.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Of the actual talking about players that the Tongue book library provides as a physical device i'm part of the Braille and talking about library you're able to get cartridges and a machine to borrow if you don't want to deal with.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Something like board mobile on the iPhone or maybe the participant is not technology savvy enough to use something like this right now the services available for them to borrow a physical player.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And the the buttons are laid out exactly as in and what's really cool about the physical player is that i'm.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): i'm sure you can tell by that by the picture, there are special markings on the buttons, for example, the play button is indented on the physical player that button would actually be invented.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): The.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): forward and back buttons have a little Ridge on the corners of them, and they would get translated, they would they would feel the way you expect to feel.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): A little bit of home.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): shopping network to action.
ahouston: Here actually have one here.
ahouston: see that it's you know it's pretty much replicates the actual physical player, this is the part that you would.
ahouston: insert the cartridge so they give you but yeah, this is it it's pretty.
ahouston: Pretty compact right yeah.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And again with those with, even with the cartridges the books actually get downloaded onto the onto the cartridge and it's the same book and.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): The one that would be downloaded report mobile.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): um, so I will play.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): It for 5155 cat and mouse by James Patterson copyright 1997 by James Patterson read by chuck Benson this book was originally created for audio cassette playback any announcements concerning cassettes do not apply to this recording.
This version contains a marker allowing direct access to the beginning of the book library of.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Congress annotation Washington DC detective Alex Cross is again faced with his nemesis so that is just a short description of.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): That initial message that would be played for those that are downloadable from board, but if you're using another service like audible or libby that would not be.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): prevalent in there.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Now, with That being said, I think we should probably switch gears and talk about the libby at um so what i'm going to do i'm just gonna actually because I usually live the APP on a daily basis, actually have it as an icon in my Doc on my home screen.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): This open that up.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): Is appreciate a library user.
Yes.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): I love audio books is the sidebar I love audio books, I used to be an audible user and now saving myself almost $15 a month just by going with.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): The Libya and it's it's great so lily APP is not just for audio books like you see on my screen here but also getting books on and why.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): This APP is also accessible arm for those that are using voiceover, but I think, for the sake of frustration i'm not going to turn on voiceover again.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): we'll just go through a demonstration of the APP so at the bottom, you have four different tabs you have to search which we're going to visit a little bit.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): The library menu button your shelf and then like a timeline feature, so if I go to search and we have some search bars, here are some.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): suggestions that the leave you out things I might want to search for books that are available now skipping the line kindle.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): audio books magazines and then some recent searches that I have done myself i'm below the search bar is what I like to call the library card, and if you have more than one library card like I do you're able to see those there, please don't kill my library card number.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So if I wanted to, for example, search the New York public library I can't go into your public library, and then I can enter.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): A search term but tap on search I can then enter will say will do different alternatives, and will you join aggression shown so as I start typing it immediately starts suggesting to me what I might want So if I tap on john grisham.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): It then shows me 44 audiobooks that's because I have filter in the living APP to only show me.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): What I want to show that the preferences ages, so I only wanted audio books in English and items that are available now.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): If I.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): If I change any one of these purposes or, so to say, I choose any.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And then I choose apply preferences at now going to show me anything that's available now in English so.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): um so it seems we have a cup we have we have a book here.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And then we keep.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): going down i'm trying to see so when it says read sample that's going to be a regular book.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): i'm looking for an audio book.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So if it says.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): We missed one up there.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): yep so.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): For county on.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): If there's an audio book it'll say, please simple but it's also indicative of a national like air pods on the little headphone emoji and the time it takes to have the book reggie on So if I wanted to borrow this book.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): he's tackling the borrow button and then we have a couple of options.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Whether how long you want to book to be burned for.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): I usually.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Because of my workload it usually takes me about two weeks to finish an audiobook sometimes shorter, if I have more time my schedule, but if I tap on the 14 days.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): I get options for seven days 14 days or 21 days and if I count on borrow.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): it's going to complete that request with the library of my choice and then it's going once That completes it to start downloading the audiobook automatically.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): On and I have a couple choices here, I can either open the audiobook and start listening right now I can keep rattling or I could go to my shelf, but they go to my show.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): What catches up I now have.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): A top I have my loans, so I have two loans out right now holds and tags, I have not played around with the tags that much but it basically allows you to organize both books that you're reading and books that you've read maybe read in the past that you may want to get back in.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): So Mike when we were looking at the bar data, I think we could tell that that thing was designed, you know to be super accessible and very simple and easy to navigate looking at something like libby.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): You know it's got a much more snazzy layout user interface and there's things like pop ups and things like that does that make it like frustratingly hard to navigate or is it just something you kind of adjust to.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So it all depends on so an APP can look great and I will say that will be available agree it all depends on whether the developer of the APP.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): spend their time that making the APP accessible when I first discovered libby about two years ago.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): It wasn't accessible it actually told me when I return on voiceover it actually said this hackathon accessible, please use the overdrive at.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): on time and by and the developer libby to spend the time to make the APP accessible and I was playing around with it, the other day preparing for the presentation and it is very accessible.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And when you are in a pop up and tells you you're now in a pop up to close this pop up do X, Y Z um and it's the little things like that that make the.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): athlete is joining us, because if the APP is it couldn't, be it couldn't be what I would call headache accessible where.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): All the controls work, but if you're in a pop up you're not going to know that you're in a pop up beneath you need to edit that pop up and you're sleeping in here ding ding ding your boss that's very frustrating for the user so.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): um I do give props to the makers of liberty for making the APP accessible so library patrons now have multiple option of downloading.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Books they could use board if they are a member of that or say they don't meet the requirements of bar, but they really want to use audio books for free, they can use something like the Libya as long as they have a library card.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): i'm so are there, are there any any other questions in the chat anything that you want, maybe I glossed over a little bit too quickly that you might want to see an action again.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): I have a question also about you know just regular textbooks ebooks in libby.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): Would anybody use a you know text to speech reader with a book in libby or is that, just like is that not going to play well.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So it does work on me see we go back to and i'll actually over another book will say the judges list will borrow it.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And I had my ebooks set to 21 days on my shelf and I open it in Libya what's cool about.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): ebooks is that I can either read them inside the libby APP or I have a kindle at home, and I have the ability to go into settings inside olivia and choose kindle that can be done on the kindle or.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): Do you find that kindle is better for something like a screen reader or is it just having it as a larger market.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): that's just personal preference per day, not even talking about.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Accessibility on boy the.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): If somebody was reading an e book, I would recommend that they actually use something like voiceover only because I haven't really tested the distributor on the kindle a while so.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): If you go to the wiki page.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): let's go to.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Chapter one then i'm going to try to voiceover.
voiceover on libby.
X.
field as turn pages, just like to turn pages or activate.
A rope and navigation swipe up or down with one thing I just.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): was a little choppy, but it would be reading this woman on.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): It.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): But it would be reading it in the in the voiceover voice on and sometimes it's not as pleasant as an audiobook but sometimes you'll come across a book.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): That not made into an audiobook for some reason.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): So in that case you really want to read a book but it's not available an audio book see you have no choice but to use the.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): The text to speech voice with voiceover, but one thing I should add, about voiceover is that you have many different voices to choose from so right now I was using the siri male who is three, but there are there's about a dozen or should we said that you could use.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): Nice, and I know libby just recently added.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): The ability to change, like the added some more accessibility options for the text like changing the size and also contrast, I think.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): You absolutely.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): Love follow suit.
soon.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): You say actually going to that.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): It had, I had the option at the top, so I could have turned on give me a second to adjust.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): We could include the accessible tech sizes.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): toggle that on and do.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): I can go all the way up.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): is now.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): pick.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): up a second to catch up here and now on this is as big as the accessibility large tech side that I showed earlier.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And then you could also change the font as well.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): You know, some custom fonts some fun stuff would be recommended or even just stick with the publishers do.
Nice.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): So we did have a question that was already answered in the chat but i'll read it out to the rest of the people are the classes in person virtual or both to which Carmen said, depending on what classes needed some are available virtually.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): guess that's true um so the classes are primarily held that are a part of our senior Center.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): One they have to be over 60.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): or 60 or over on Twitter account um, but we do have.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Anybody not over 60 can also join those classes, if they wish, they just have to get registered on what this the classes are more focused for seniors more specifically born seniors on so a lot of our classes are still virtual so they're held over Google meet.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And those and get registered get a calendar.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And the phone number and the pin is advertised for you could also call us at the number and then we can provide you with that information we are bringing a bunch of classes back in person.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): And that's always good to get back to the way things used to be, and then we also have hybrid options as well, so if someone's not able to get in but the class is held in person, we do fold it over the phone, at the same time device and being held in person.
Carmen Thorne: that's that's there in the city, but we also haven't i'm technology Center at our site in rockland county.
Carmen Thorne: And we also provide in terms of computer training there, but that would be that's a program that's approved by the State office, the Commission for the wine.
Carmen Thorne: And the individual has to have a vocational goal set to to reach employment, maybe plan to go to college or finished up college or maybe as what I mentioned earlier about jobs, save and maybe having to get.
Carmen Thorne: More intensive adaptive training and computers and that Mike has also done to he's he's at decide right now, as well as I am in rockland county and.
Carmen Thorne: Then you would have once that process is approved, you would be lined up for classes, maybe, am I can talk about what how how long the classes are what questions they're.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Great so the technology classes at vision Center minus bcb the B or C, building on those are Commission based so there's two options two avenues that.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): that people can do they have to either be looking for work or going to school um, and that is covered by htc training.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): On and basically what happens is you meet with your permission counselor you tell the person meets the technician counselor there for conversation that they need computer training because xyz I just got a new job or i'm going to be going to college and I need to learn.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): How to use the you know the the Internet or and you can only use Microsoft excel they then.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): issue a documentation for visions and then we start the process, so the process with a band is evaluation to see.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): If they're ready for training that usually consist of things like if they can type about 20 words per minute and a couple of other academic related things like spelling and logical sequencing then we move on to the assessment that's to see what the participant knows.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): In terms of the computer so whether they can open the start menu correctly or us they have some elementary draws trading.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): jaws is the screen reader for windows, I should add on the based on the results of the assessment, we held a training plan meeting with the condition counselor and the participant and go over the training plan and then training usually would start.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Usually start at the beginning of a quarter so that's either for us at either October 1.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): gen where every second if it falls within the range on March or interview.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): July um and the training usually last an entire quarter because there's a lot of material that can be covered.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): In that timeframe.
Carmen Thorne: And that's in person.
Carmen Thorne: For the most part, my does offer certain courses virtually.
Carmen Thorne: But it's in person and through not to confuse everyone, but what to support the Commission for wine, the state office, and we can help that person.
Carmen Thorne: can read your students started it's not like you have to go and reach out to them as a second step just go through us will help you get that process you'll be assigned a vocational state counselor who will then.
Carmen Thorne: speak to you about your vocational goal and then that person would approve it, and probably you know the service, and then we started, now we take over from there.
Carmen Thorne: And, and we work with the person there is for the for the individuals that qualify for this and live in lower Hudson Valley, there is transportation, that is provided.
Carmen Thorne: support because it is in person and and so distance, it could be somebody from poughkeepsie let's say or you are just right here in westchester or it could be any or rocklin anywhere and within the lower Hudson Valley.
Carmen Thorne: We can assist with transportation if they don't have transportation, to get them to do to come in for the classes and then give them back home.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): yep and.
Carmen Thorne: We have to thank state office for that.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Yes, i'm actively working with a participant now and i'm meeting her today at 1pm and she lives in new books on so i'm actually that's one of us, you know what this kindle her right on so that she can come down to our facility and new, more training with me.
Carmen Thorne: So we even worry about my cabinets in the brc that's our vocational rehabilitation Center and the Center is used for a number of different specialized programs for for our clients.
Carmen Thorne: And it has a residence attached to it so where we have had individuals who are white who.
Carmen Thorne: Had a need to do, intensive computer training and that's an option that's available for that usually it's been related to someone in a job same situation where they recently lost.
Carmen Thorne: A lot of vision and they're dealing with severe vision loss and they've had an active job for so many years, and now they need to have training related to computer.
Carmen Thorne: They can have that option, where they live with us and stay with us for like two weeks and get real intensive computer tree that's also available, we have a beautiful.
Carmen Thorne: room setup it's really nice it has its private wrong with a private bathroom you know the building is Brian How was it was designed specifically for these programs to me tell me i'm almost five years around beautiful building.
Carmen Thorne: So.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): It is visited a few years back, and you guys you guys send me your cafeteria it was it was amazing.
Carmen Thorne: And really a wonderful place and visions offer so many wonderful and incredible programs for people of all ages, we provide transition programs youth programs like pre vocational programs college radio programs.
Carmen Thorne: We do preamp we're the only organization in New York, that has a residential vocational program for pre employment so students will come to us, who are not.
Carmen Thorne: who are not in a track of going to college once they graduate from high school and want to look at a vocational aptitude and.
Carmen Thorne: An occupation and get a certification of the state for that occupation and successfully good job place right after it.
Carmen Thorne: And they also live at that Center and get the specific training.
Carmen Thorne: For that and we've had graduates who have gotten it goes across the board to teachers assistance someone in H back with you, I hope, you're familiar with H back to.
Carmen Thorne: Certification it's it's learning to be a barrier for heating and ventilation systems and coaches and we've had so many graduates we just.
Carmen Thorne: were just talking, we had a graduation last Thursday, and we were just announcing that we since the building a started, we have 70 graduates that are.
Carmen Thorne: Out there working and doing well, so So yes, we have a really big and i'm offering of different types of programs for any age to some.
Carmen Thorne: We have a lot to do, check out our website it's a great place to check to see what what's available or you can drop a line to me, I did include that.
Carmen Thorne: In the chat as well and and we'll get you directed to the right place Okay, and again, our services are free we're talking about everything we offered.
Carmen Thorne: it's free it's just about just registering and going through the intake process but they're offering.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): you're talking to the right crowd we love we love free.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): I, and I really appreciate the services that you offer for people who are not working or in school, because otherwise I think there really isn't as much of a support network.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): Out there for people like seniors or older adults who are experiencing vision loss, so I really appreciate that as well.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): So we had homework.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): yeah I was gonna say we have a few more minutes, so if anybody has any more questions this is this is your last chance, unless you reach out to visions, I guess, after the presentation, but Carmen did you have something else to.
Carmen Thorne: It was one thing I forgot i'm sure after rocklin site we even offer because we organization truly believes in socialization as more as a beginning, because for someone who has who is dealing with vision loss later in life, this is a really big.
Carmen Thorne: big thing to go through you know and accepting the fact that you are going to be dealing with severe vision was for the rest of your life.
Carmen Thorne: So socialization is a big piece in that, and we do offer because it's a 37 acre.
Carmen Thorne: campus and it has, and when we first started, we used to do like a camping program and we still do that it since the early 1950s.
Carmen Thorne: And it's huge campus and it's just so we offer these free getaway retreat weekends, so that people can have an opportunity to meet others and socialize can out even.
Carmen Thorne: get to know a mentor to and also, we also offer some short classes during those retreats as well, in spring Valley, so that is also free.
Carmen Thorne: Just to take advantage we're here just want to share that because that's really a great piece to people have an opportunity to meet somebody else who's going through what they're going through right now.
Carmen Thorne: Thank you, thank you.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Thank you very much.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): yeah, thank you for joining us and and filled in our questions and giving us a peek into this into the world of.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): Accessibility but uh yeah I will be sending out the recording for this meeting after this you know after we conclude and along with that i'll send contact information links to the websites and places that were mentioned and.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): As part of the vision web stuff Alan Alan house down at the the will library in yonkers we have a little bit of a partnership, so I think this summer we're going to be maybe putting together some some programs and things so keep an eye out for that and.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): And will you'll be hearing from us.
Carmen Thorne: Keep your keep your mind, in theory, if you know of any event is going on in Laura to Valley.
Carmen Thorne: That I could take advantage of and spread the word of these free services i'm happy to appear, you know if you have any knowledge of any kind of community, there are something that you might be involved in as well just i'll come in and just let me know.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): Okay, and if anybody at your libraries, if you want to circulate any of the pamphlets or you know just the introductory brochures and things from visions, then carbon they can reach out to you.
Carmen Thorne: absolutely cannot get you all the literature, you need to know.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): Alright, thank you, everybody so much for taking the time.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): Out of your day to join us, no, no problem.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): Perfect alright and.
Krishna Brodigan (WLS): that's it alright everybody have a great rest of your day and talk to you soon.
Michael Ziminski (VISIONS): Thank you, thank you.