Accessibility Made Simple

School Accessibility Series Part I

Question: How do we deliver alternative formats—accessible educational materials [AEM]—to students with disabilities in a timely manner?

As an educator working with students who are visually impaired, you’re on the forefront of technology, you’re probably what the world views as an “early adopter.” But do you remember your very first smartphone? Do you remember holding that beautiful, probably expensive, piece of technology in your hot little hands? You explored with amazement all of the things you could do—get your email, surf the net, load your music and go to a place you’ve never driven without printing pages and pages of Mapquest directions. It was ALL in there, everything you needed and things you didn’t even know you needed but as it turns out, you did. And if that wasn’t enough, you could walk around with that fantastic, tiny, all-around tech solution in your pocket or purse. It changed your life, and with each new inventive app that’s released, probably continues to do that today. That’s the kind of pivotal technology your students need, and that’s what they get with Connect & Learn.

Navigating a website with a screen reader can be an arduous task for a person who is blind or partially sighted. Every. Single. Element. on the page is read aloud — hidden code, weird characters, ads, and lots of other gobbledygook.

GuideConnect is different! Designed for people with sight loss who are new to technology, GuideConnect’s simple talking menus make everyday tasks super simple. In this blog we’re going to explore 5 ways that GuideConnect helps people with sight loss to avoid the “white noise” and get to the information they need on the web quickly. So if you’re working with a client or someone you love who is struggling to be successful surfing the web, GuideConnect might be just what you’re looking for.

We’re delighted to have GuideConnect featured in the June AND July issues of American Foundation for the Blind’s (AFB’s) wildly popular magazine, AccessWorld.

While AFB was originally formed to serve American Veterans who became blind as a result of World War 1, AFB is known globally for having led the development of standardized English Braille code, developing the first Talking Book and Talking Book Machine and so much more. So when AFB asked to feature GuideConnect in AccessWorld, we were not only honored, but also thrilled with their review.

As an assessor, trainer or professional working in assistive technology, how many times have you heard those words from your clients?

Especially your clients who are older, losing or have lost their vision, and weren’t terribly tech savvy to begin with. It’s frustrating to learn new skills, specifically computing skills. Then, pile on the fact that typically, in addition to learning basic computing skills, they have to learn to use assistive technology separately, as an add-on. It’s the perfect storm that keeps new users underneath the threshold of success. GuideConnect is a game-changer for those clients.

We spoke with Irene Sheffield, who told us about her father, Michael.

“Dad has macular degeneration and his eyesight has degenerated severely over the last 3 years, and he has been completely blind for the last 2 years. Life has been extremely hard for Dad as he used to be a black cab driver and very independent.

As the Owner Operator of a Management Consultancy across the UK and Ireland, Colin Phelan has spent a successful and uninterrupted 35 years in business.

We asked him about his career and the part that Assistive Technology, specifically Dolphin Supernova, has played.

How long have you used Dolphin Supernova?

It became apparent in the mid 90’s that as my eyesight was deteriorating, alongside the introduction of desktop computers in the workplace, I was going to have to find a long-term solution to enable me to continue to develop my career.

Julie Duffy is the Visual Impairment Officer for Portsmouth Library Service, part of Portsmouth City Council (and works closely with the Sensory Impairment and Deaf Services team). Julie runs the visually impaired phone advice line and provides help and guidance on any aspect of vision impairment. Julie has been at Portsmouth CC since 2001 and is completely blind. Many of the people Julie advises are elderly, new to sight loss and nervous of technology. Julie is thrilled to be able to confidently recommend a simple computer solution for email, internet and typing documents.

Do your learners struggle to access the curriculum? Would the students and pupils you support benefit from accessible textbooks? Do they struggle with reading print materials? Do you need talking eBook editions of textbooks?

RNIB Bookshare and the EasyReader app can help.

Sign up today for the next in our series of short 'Lunch & Learn webinars' that are designed for educators with a busy schedule!

This 20 minute webinar will introduce you to the free EasyReader app, that not only enables you to easily deliver accessible materials to your students, but also empowers you to deploy the perfect reading accommodation to their devices!