After making the nearly four-hour journey from Kuala Lumpur to Penang in Malaysia, Mr Raj Kumar Selvaraj was looking forward to a well-earned outdoor break from his job as a communications development specialist. Read more at straitstimes.com.
— Read on www.straitstimes.com/tech/making-the-job-marketinclusive-for-people-with-disabilities
A Beginner’s Guide to Accessibility Tools on Windows
The Windows Accessibility tools help people with a variety of disabilities every day. Here’s a quick overview of all the tools.
Microsoft has been at the forefront of accessibility and first took steps to address it in 1990 with Windows 3.0. Now with Windows 11, they’ve ramped up their Windows Accessibility tools with new features and tools.
So, let’s dive in and peek through all the different accessibility tools on Windows.
You can access all Accessibility tools straight from your Settings on Windows. Launch the Windows Settings by pressing the Windows Key + I, and head to the Accessibility section.
Microsoft has divided its tools into three major sections that aim to cover different types of accessibility issues. They are: Vision, Hearing, and Interaction.
Let’s first start with Vision.
It’s no secret that individuals with vision impairments can face significant problems performing tasks such as typing, using a mouse, and navigating menus and explorers. In fact, according to a 2022 report from WHO, approximately 2 billion people worldwide suffer from a visual impairment of one kind or another.
It’s safe to assume some of them likely use tech to make their lives easier; even if one percent of them use Windows, that’s a massive amount of people possibly struggling with their tech.
The Vision Accessibility tool on Windows serves the needs and abilities of many such Windows users who’d otherwise fail to make the best use of Windows.
To that end, Windows has provided a plethora of tools under the Vision section. Let’s cover all of them individually.
1. Text Size
Text size does what it says on the tin. It helps you tweak the size of your text all over your PC and apps with a simple adjustment through the slider.
After you’ve made the changes, make sure you click on Apply to save them.
2. Visual Effects
It’s sometimes quipped that visual effects are not just eye candy; they are, in fact, an integral part of the user interface, giving you critical context and clarity.
Moreover, the visual effects on Windows can make or break the user experience for many users with partial visual impairments. With the tools in Visual effects, you can manage these visual effects to some degree, and get the most out of them.
Scrollbar
By default, the scrollbar next to your search results will disappear whenever you search for something from the Start menu. You can change this, though.
Simply toggle on the button for Always show scrollbars, and you will be good to go from there.
Transparency Effects
Transparency effects improve your PC’s aesthetics, and Windows keeps them enabled by default. But if you face any visual impairments, they can unnecessarily make your eyes work hard.
Toggle off the switch in front of Transparency effects, and the tool will turn off all the shiny effects on your PC.
Animation Effects
Windows packs a ton of cool animations that briefly appear on your screen throughout transitions of one sort or the other, usually as an enhancement.
However, they are not everyone’s cup of tea. If you find them distracting, you can easily disable them by toggling off the button for Animation effects.
Notifications
Every notification on your Windows stays for a specific amount of time. With Dismiss notification after this time, you can tweak the time to increase or decrease it with ease, anywhere from 5 seconds up to 5 minutes.
3. Mouse Pointer and Touch
This tool lets you easily change your mouse cursor’s size and style. For instance, you can tweak the pointer character from four different shapes. Alternatively, you can increase or decrease its size as well.
Touch Indicator
You can toggle on the switch for the Touch indicator, and wherever you touch the screen, you will see an enlarged circle. You can also check the Make the circle darker and larger radio box to get things set up.
4. Text Cursor
Windows also lets you change the appearance and thickness of the text cursor, which will help you improve the visibility of your text.
First, toggle on the Text cursor indicator to turn on the tools. From there, you can also tweak the size of the cursor by sliding it sideways.
On top of this, you also have many different colors to pick from below; choose one, and your Text cursor’s indicator will be tweaked.
Text Color Thickness
Alternatively, you can also tweak the cursor’s thickness by moving the slider as shown below:
5. Magnifier
As you can probably guess from the name, Magnifier is a handy tool for users with bad eyesight. Even if your eyesight is fine, you can use them to read any hidden text on the internet or any document you otherwise wouldn’t be able to read. To turn on Magnifier, toggle on the switch for Magnifier.
Alternatively, you can use the shortcut by pressing the Windows logo key + the Plus sign. After you have the Magnifier on, you can zoom in and out by holding the Ctrl + Alt and rotating your mouse wheel. You can also choose to increase the increment simply by picking from a variety of values.
You can learn how to use Magnifier from one of our previous guides.
6. Color Filters
Next up on the list is Color filters. If you face any trouble in seeing and differentiating between the colors on your PC, then this is the tool for you.
After you’ve toggled on the switch for Color filter, you have the following shades to pick from:
Red-green (green weak, deuteranopia)
Red-green (red weak, protanopia)
Blue-yellow (tritanopia)
Grayscale
Grayscale inverted
Inverted
Alternatively, you can use simple shortcuts like Windows key logo + Ctrl + C to turn color filters on or off.7. Contrast Themes
If you have trouble figuring out what’s what on an app or document, then Contrast Themes is for you.
With Contrast themes, you can pick a theme using a combination of colors and effects to make reading easier for yourself. In total, you have four different Contrast themes to pick from:
Aquatic
Desert
Dusk
Night sky
To pick a specific theme, click on the toggle menu and select one of the themes from there.8. Narrator
In brief, the Narrator helps you navigate web pages and documents by reading your screen text on your screen aloud. We have a detailed guide that covers everything about Narrator on your PC. You can learn all things about Narrator from the linked guide.
The second section of Accessibility tools, Hearing, helps you use your device easily even if you face hearing impairments. First, let’s look at the first tool, that covers audio of your PC.
1. Audio
When you click on Audio, you will find two different options: Mono Audio and a feature to flash your screen.
By toggling on the switch for Mono Audio, you get the ability to the right and left channels into a single one. Don’t take our word for it; do it, and you will notice an instant difference in sound quality. This feature will be handy if you’re facing any hearing troubles.
On the other hand, if you turn on the switch for Flash my screen during audio notifications, you will get an option to pick from various settings like:
Flash the title bar of the active windows
Flash the active window
Flash the entire screen
2. CaptionsCaptions is another boon for users with hearing impairments. But even if you have perfect hearing, using subtitles can enhance your user experience; this will be particularly true if you’re trying to learn a new language through watching movies or other videos, where watching subtitled videos can boost your learning process.
To turn on live captions, simply toggle on the Live caption switch, and you will be good to go. Alternatively, you can use the Windows logo key + Ctrl + L.
You will also get to choose how your caption style looks. Simply select the caption style from White on black, Small caps, Large text, Yellow on blue. If you’d like to add more variation, click on Edit to choose the new settings for Text, Background, or Window.
Interaction
The last feature of Accessibility tools on Windows, unsurprisingly as its name suggests, covers all things that help you interact with your PC. This includes everything from Speech, Keyboard, Mouse, or Eye Control.
1. Speech
Toggle on the Voice access tool to do things on your PC—all with your voice. And while you’re at it, you can toggle on the Start voice access after you sign in to your PC switch.
2. Keyboard
The keyboard accessibility section is about making it easier to make the most out of your keyboard on Windows.
From turning on specific keys and shortcuts for various keys to other valuable settings like the On-screen keyboard, Underline access keys, etc.—the Keyboard section is what you’re looking for if you want to make the most out of your keyboard.
3. Mouse
Like the keyboard above, the Mouse tool is about improving your mouse’s accessibility to all users. Toggle on the Mouse keys switch, and you will find a host of settings such as Mouse key speed, Mouse keys acceleration, etc.
The Accessibility tools from Microsoft make Windows more inclusive and is part of a growing approach to design known as Universal Design. This makes Windows useful for as many people as possible, regardless of their age, disability, or place in life.
While we’ve covered almost all accessibility tools available on Windows, we’ll also encourage you to go through individual tools.
https://www.makeuseof.com/guide-to-accessibility-tools-windows/
DoorDash charges iPhone users more than Android users, lawsuit alleges
DoorDash charges iPhone users more than it charges Android users, at least according to a class-action lawsuit filed against the company. In the lawsuit, customers allege that DoorDash uses vague fees “delivery charges” fees as a way to mask the higher prices being paid by iPhone users.
According to the lawsuit, DoorDash engages in a “fraudulent scheme to charge and collect misleading, premium, and hidden fees from consumers for deliveries that DoorDash does not perform and for food that DoorDash does not sell.”
DoorDash pricing on iPhone vs Android
The DoorDash customers behind the lawsuit say that the company uses an “Expanded Range Fee” as one way to target iPhone users. The fee, which isn’t listed on DoorDash’s website, has never been directly addressed by DoorDash. While the obvious assumption would be that the fee applies when a customer is far from the restaurant they’re ordering from, the lawsuit alleges that’s not the case. According to the complaint, there is no rhyme or reason as to when DoorDash charges this fee.
The lawsuit also alleges that DoorDash uses the Expanded Range Fee as a way to charge fees to DashPass users. One of the perks that DoorDash advertises for the $9.99 per month DashPass subscription, however, is $0.00 delivery fees.
“In a test on the DoorDash Platform, DoorDash applied the Expanded Range Fee to a DashPass account, but not to a standard account when each account placed the same order at the same time to the same restaurant for delivery to the same home,” the lawsuit says.
On the other hand, however, the lawsuit also says that the Expanded Range Fee is more often charged to iPhone users than Android users regardless of whether or not they subscribe to DashPass. On average, iPhone users also pay higher standard delivery fees than Android users, based on tests cited by the plaintiffs.
“DoorDash charges the expanded range fee on iPhone users more often than Android users and charges iPhone users more for ‘delivering’ (likely because studies reveal iPhone users earn more),” the lawsuit continues. “These tactics are simply money grabs.”
The lawsuit includes multiple screenshots that claim to show iPhone users and DashPass subscribers paying higher fees than Android users and non-subscribers.
As the above tests demonstrate, and upon information and belief and subject to further investigation and discovery, DoorDash routinely charges iPhone users more than Android users for reasons wholly unrelated to delivery and service costs. DoorDash likely charges iPhone users more because studies suggest that iPhone users make more money than Android users.
Under its predatory pricing scheme, DoorDash engineers its fees to reach certain revenue goals without regard to the nature of the fee that DoorDash charges consumers or how they are represented to consumers. These charging practices are abhorrent.
The lawsuit was filed by Ross Hecox and Reid Hecox in the United States District Court of Maryland last month, with the plaintiffs seeking class-action status for the lawsuit. An amended version of the lawsuit was filed in May, adding additional details about the discrepancy between what iPhone users and Android users are charged.
Over the last several weeks, the lawsuit has gone viral on TikTok, putting pressure on DoorDash to respond. In a statement to Insider, the company said the claims in the lawsuit “are baseless and simply without merit” and that fees are always fully disclosed and explained to customers.
“The claims put forward in the amended complaint are baseless and simply without merit. We ensure fees are disclosed throughout the customer experience, including on each restaurant storepage and before checkout. Building this trust is essential, and it’s why the majority of delivery orders on our platform are placed by return customers. We will continue to strive to make our platform work even better for customers, and will vigorously fight these allegations.”
The lawsuit includes a myriad of other claims, including that DoorDash’s “Express” delivery option, which costs an extra $3, has no bearing on the actual delivery time of your order. “DoorDash has no ability to provide the express service it sells for priority deliveries,” the lawsuit alleges.
Despite denying the claims, DoorDash has not yet offered any explanation for the discrepancies in pricing for iPhone and Android users revealed in the lawsuit. It also did not clarify what exactly the “Expanded Delivery Range” fee refers to.
Follow Chance: Twitter, Instagram, and Mastodon
A descriptive rich visual perspective of the Moon
For audio direct from the surface of Mars check out: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/multimedia/audio/
linkhttps://www.buzzsprout.com/1136756/8216732-episode-44-the-moon.mp3?blob_id=37160958
With the first of four monthly SuperMoons set to rise this weekend, we’re turning our attention to Earth’s little buddy. If you’ve ever wondered about the look of the moon, its phases, craters, or size, this is the episode for you! Plus, Christine poses questions asked by listeners about the Apollo moon landing, and of course, the famous Moonwalk by astronaut Michael “Buzz” Jackson. Wait, that doesn’t sound quite right…
And for Visual Descriptions from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, visit:https://chandra.harvard.edu/resources/podcasts/description_audio.html
https://groups.io/g/office-accessibility/topic/99025717
Getting back to Outlook Classic User Interface if you’re in the Inaccessible New Outlook User Interface (AKA Outlook Preview or Outlook PRE)
To change back to the Outlook Classic user interface from the New Outlook user interface:Note: The New Outlook interface is NOT accessible and most of the keyboard shortcuts you are accustomed to are not available.
1. Hit F6 until you hear, “Ribbon Region, Tab Control, Home Tab Selected, one of three.” (Or something very similar.)
2. Hit Tab once, and you should land on the control for toggling out of New Outlook. NVDA Announces the following when you land on the toggle, “Try the New Outlook, Toggle Switch, On. Press Enter to go back to the classic Outlook for Windows.” There is a bit more verbiage after this, but once you hear you’re on that toggle switch, activate it with Enter.
In the case of going back to Classic from New, prior to Outlook doing so you will be presented with a Feedback form that I’d encourage you to fill out, and blast Microsoft about the appalling lack of accessibility in this UI. If you choose to fill out the survey, at the end there are two buttons: Submit (active if and only if you have filled out the survey) and Skip Feedback. Whether you’ve filled out the survey or not, hit tab, slowly (this dialog is sluggish and it’s easy to circle around if you’re not patient between each hit of tab and listen for what you’ve landed on) until you land on the button that’s appropriate to what you’re doing, and activate it. If you happen to circle back to the close button for the survey dialog, just activate it.
In order to achieve the change of User Interface, Outlook must close and start up again to complete that transition.
After you’ve dealt with that dialog in whatever way you saw fit, that’s when Outlook will close and restart, and when it does you are back in Outlook classic. Be aware that if you are in the Classic view, ALT + T will activate the toggle that takes you back to New View.
—
Brian – Virginia, USA – Windows 11 Pro, 64-Bit, Version 22H2, Build 22621; Office 2016, (Version 2304, Build 16.0.16327.20200) 32-bit; Android 13 (MIUI 14)There are many people who can only make themselves feel better about themselves by making themselves feel better than others.
~ Commenter Looking_in on the Washington Post, 7/10/2014
Behind Apple’s new voice cloning feature ↦
Fast Company’s Harry McCracken talked to some of the team behind Apple’s new Personal Voice accessibility feature about its development as well as some more fine details:
When it came to enabling third-party apps to speak via Personal Voice, Apple put privacy measures in place similar to those it imposes for photos, location, and other bits of personal data in its care. Such apps can only hook into Personal Voice with the user’s permission, must be running in the foreground, and receive only enough access to read text in the voice, not to get at the data used to generate it.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the privacy implications, but the implementation of this feature certainly seems that it will be harder to abuse than something like ElevenLabs’s voice cloning tech. For example, just having to spend fifteen minutes training the model with a random set of words is going to make it a lot harder to create a model of someone else’s voice without their knowledge, even if it does give me shades of training the ViaVoice dictation software circa 2000 by reading Treasure Island to it.
—Linked by Dan Moren
https://www.charitycomms.org.uk/social-media-etiquette-for-accessibility
Social media etiquette for accessibility
Liking someone’s Instagram post from 2017? Posting TV spoilers? Backseat gaming? All big no-no’s when it comes to social media etiquette, but what about not making your posts accessible in the first place?Online accessibility means that everyone can join in the discourse, the memes, and much more. It’s a love note that says ‘we want you here, this is for you too’. Here’s our guide to accessible social media etiquette.
Use image descriptions correctly
The intended purpose for image descriptions is to make images accessible for blind and partially sighted people. They’re a written description of an image – not for extending your copy, adding photo credits, or solely for boosting Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
Check out these examples of good alt text on the Accessible Social website.
Add image descriptions to memes and gifs
When it comes to alt text, memes and gifs can often be forgotten. Add image descriptions to your memes and gifs in the same way you would with images. If you don’t, screen readers will simply read the filename; BeyonceHair.gif for example, which doesn’t describe what is happening in the gif.
Consider alternative formats for lots of text
There are character limits for alt text. So, those wordy graphics simply won’t fit into the box, no matter how hard you try. That’s why it’s crucial to provide the information in alternative ways. For example, link to the information on your website, or split the wordy graphic into two or three less wordy graphics to help split the alt text character counts.
Audio-led and audio described video
Audio-led videos are when the intended message is shared, both audibly and visually. Audio described videos include a narration of what’s happening in the video, giving details of the visual elements. You should always aim for audio-led, or audio described content. Videos with funky music and cool visuals might look good, but they’re not accessible.
Add open or closed captions
Always caption your videos. It’s not only people who are deaf or hard of hearing that benefit from captions – lots of people find captions useful. Closed captions can be turned on and off if the viewer chooses and can be resized. Open captions, on the other hand, are always visible and cannot be turned off by a viewer. Whether you’re using open or closed captions, there are lots of tools out there to help you. Take a look at this article on CharityComms by RNID on how to caption social media content and why you should.
Use inclusive language
Everyone has language preferences. It’s important to know how disabled people refer to themselves and their disabilities. For example, are we using the social model of disability, or using person-first/disability-first language? Take time to connect with your audience, as this will help you to gain a deeper understanding of them.
Don’t use fancy fonts
Fancy fonts on social media might make your posts stand out, but they’ll stand out for a lack of accessibility too. Not only can they be difficult to read, they’re also not accessible for screen reader users. Screen readers will either say “bold” or “italic” before each letter or skip the text altogether. This means that blind and partially sighted people will miss out on what you’re trying to say.
Use #CamelCase for hashtags
Camel Case, sometimes called Pascal Case, refers to capitalising the first letter of each word within hashtags. This ensures that they’re read out correctly by screen readers. It also makes them easier to read for everyone. For example, #SusanAlbumParty, and not #susanalbumparty… if you know, you know.
Don’t overuse emojis
Everyone loves an emoji, but screen readers will read out the name of every single emoji you include in your posts. So, it’s best to limit yourself to one or two per post.
Be mindful of emoji names. What you might think of as the ‘crying laughing emoji’, a screen reader will call the ‘face with tears of joy emoji’. Don’t rely on emojis to get your intended message across. If in doubt, check the emoji descriptions on EmojiPedia.
Ensure what you’re linking to is accessible
If you’re linking to external information or resources, take a moment to recognise whether they’re accessible or not. If you aren’t sure, let your followers know. Be honest and transparent.
Don’t get defensive if someone points out your post isn’t accessible
Rather than kicking yourself for missing the mark, take it as an opportunity to learn and improve.
Aim for progress, not perfection
If you aim for perfection, you’ll never make progress, but if you do your best and aim for progress, you’ll get a lot further.
Demand change
The best way to get lots of people to do anything is to make it easy and valuable. If it was easier to make social media posts accessible, more people would do it and see the value in it. If a social media platform doesn’t allow you to easily make your posts accessible, let the platform know! Change doesn’t happen unless enough people demand change. Disabled people shouldn’t need to demand change alone. We all must play our part.
Further reading:
Accessible Communication resource
Accessible communications doesn’t have to be complicated
Top tips for accessible communications
Making your social media accessible
Core principles for accessible design in print
Banner Image: Mariia Shalabaieva on Unsplashhttps://www.accessible-social.com/images-and-visuals/good-alt-text
https://www.charitycomms.org.uk/how-to-caption-your-social-media-content-and-why-you-should
Accessible communications: A starting point for fostering more inclusive comms
https://www.charitycomms.org.uk/accessible-communications-doesnt-have-to-be-complicated
https://www.charitycomms.org.uk/top-tips-for-accessible-communications
https://www.charitycomms.org.uk/making-your-social-media-accessible
https://www.charitycomms.org.uk/core-principles-for-accessible-design-in-print
Envision Glasses – Envision glasses guides and tutorials
Envision Glasses related articles.
— Read on support.letsenvision.com/hc/en-us/categories/4408122042513-Envision-Glasses
The Surprising Role of Blind Women in India’s Health Care System
With their heightened sense of touch, visually impaired women can detect breast cancer with a higher rate of success than doctors who can see.
— Read on reasonstobecheerful.world/blind-women-detect-breast-cancer-india/
The most realistic and versatile AI speech software, ever. Eleven brings the most compelling, rich and lifelike voices to creators and publishers seeking the ultimate tools for storytelling.
What are your opinions and views on voice cloning. Do you believe voice cloning could pose a security risk?Voice cloning and Ethical AI https://beta.elevenlabs.io/
CoolHappenings® 