[the-facts-machine] Re: Overview of Accessibility in IS 8 from MacStories
- From: "Marcia Moses" <mgmoses@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <the-facts-machine@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 19:37:15 -0400
BlankOops, forgot to send that number, so here it is:
727-498-0121. I read about the Haven sale last month in Blind Bargains,
not sure if they have anymore in stock.
Marcia
From: Richard McKinley
Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2014 7:24 PM
To: the-facts-machine@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [the-facts-machine] Re: Overview of Accessibility in IS 8 from
MacStories
Thanks. We got the RIVO keyboard today and she's been playing with my iPhone.
I'll let ya know if she gets another haven or an iPhone. LOL.
On Sep 16, 2014, at 5:26 PM, "Vickie" <happytraveler1972@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I have a Haven which I’m not using any more. but it sounds like Marcia is
taking care of your issue or rather Linda's issue with the battery cover. Let
me know if I can help.
Vickie
From: Richard McKinley
Sent: Monday, September 15, 2014 7:08 AM
To: the-facts-machine@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [the-facts-machine] Re: Overview of Accessibility in IOS 8 from
MacStories
Linda has the haven. She lost the battery cover so has a rubberband holding
the battery in. LOL. I told her they don't make the haven anymore so she'll
probably have to go to a smart phone at some point. She played with my iPhone
for about 5 minutes one day and gave up. All the flicking, swipeing and
tapping just frostrated her. So I'm thinking this keyboard will at least show
her there is an easier way. Some people just don't care for touch screens.
But it's the way things are going. So, have to find ways to work around
it.Linda has the haven. She lost the battery cover so has a rubberband holding
the battery in. LOL. I told her they don't make the haven anymore so she'll
probably have to go to a smart phone at some point. She played with my iPhone
for about 5 minutes one day and gave up. All the flicking, swipeing and
tapping just frostrated her. So I'm thinking this keyboard will at least show
her there is an easier way. Some people just don't care for touch screens.
But it's the way things are going. So, have to find ways to work around
it.Linda has the haven. She lost the battery cover so has a rubber band
holding the battery in. LOL. I told her they don't make the haven anymore so
she'll probably have to go to a smart phone at some point. She played with my
iPhone for about 5 minutes one day and gave up. All the flicking, swipeing and
tapping just frustrated her. So I'm thinking this keyboard will at least show
her there is an easier way. Some people just don't care for touch screens.
But it's the way things are going. So, have to find ways to work around it.
On Sep 15, 2014, at 12:49 AM, "Vickie" <happytraveler1972@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Seems like with the bigger screen, there is more distance between letters
and other touch screen attributes. So, maybe Linda and others could use the 6
better than the other models. Duane likes his bigger screen for the Galaxy S4,
which is 4.5 inches. Tony has said he has trouble properly fingering letters
on his screen. I hit the wrong one sometimes, but as long as you don’t lift
your finger, there’s no problem. Tony hasn’t even changed his from double
tapping to touch screen typing yet because of this problem.
Vickie
From: Richard McKinley
Sent: Sunday, September 14, 2014 7:04 AM
To: the-facts-machine@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [the-facts-machine] Re: Overview of Accessibility in IOS 8 from
MacStories
Marcia, I ordered the RIVO keyboard. Not that I need it but there are
times I'd use it. I got it to show Linda there is a way she could use the
iPhone. Touch screens and her arent friends. LOL. The cost for the keyboard
is $129.00 and $15.00 for shipping. I have a podcast if you'd like it.
On Sep 13, 2014, at 10:17 PM, "Marcia Moses" <mgmoses@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Maybe I’ll get an I-phone six, who knows.
Marcia
From: Toni
Sent: Saturday, September 13, 2014 1:15 PM
To: the-facts-machine@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [the-facts-machine] Re: Overview of Accessibility in IOS 8 from
MacStories
Thanks Steve. I am a little overwhelmed but I'm sure I'll get there.
Sent from my iPhone
On Sep 13, 2014, at 12:24 PM, Steve <pipeguy920@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
An Overview of iOS 8′s New Accessibility Features
By Steven Aquino
Since this year’s WWDC keynote ended, the focus of any analysis on iOS 8
has been its features — things like Continuity, Extensions, and iCloud Drive.
This is, of course, expected: iOS is the operating system that drives Apple’s
most important (and most profitable) products, so it’s natural that the
limelight be shone on the new features for the mass market.
As I’ve written, however, the Accessibility features that Apple includes
in iOS are nonetheless just as important and innovative as the A-list features
that Craig Federighi demoed on stage at Moscone. Indeed, Apple is to be lauded
for their year-over-year commitment to improving iOS’s Accessibility feature
set, and they continue that trend with iOS 8.
Here, I run down what’s new in Accessibility in iOS 8, and explain
briefly how each feature works.
Alex. Apple is bringing Alex, its natural-sounding voice on the Mac, to
iOS. Alex will work with all of iOS’s spoken audio technologies (Siri
excepted), including VoiceOver, Speak Selection, and another new Accessibility
feature to iOS 8, Speak Screen (see below). In essence, Alex is a replacement
for the robotic-sounding voice that controls VoiceOver, et al, in iOS today.
Speak Screen. With Speak Screen, a simple gesture will prompt the
aforementioned Alex to read anything on screen, including queries asked of
Siri. This feature will be a godsend to visually impaired users who may have
issues reading what is on their iPhone and/or iPad. It should be noted that
Speak Screen is fundamentally different from Speak Selection, which only reads
aloud selected text. By contrast, Speak Screen will read aloud everything on
the screen — text, button labels, etc.
Zoom. Apple has made some welcome tweaks to its Zoom functionality in iOS
8. The hallmark feature is users now have the ability to specify which part of
the screen is zoomed in, as well as adjust the level of the zoom. In
particular, it’s now possible to have the virtual keyboard on screen at normal
size underneath a zoomed-in window. What this does is makes it easy to both
type and see what you’re typing without having to battle the entirety of the
user interface being zoomed in.
Grayscale. iOS in and of itself doesn’t have “themes” like so many
third-party apps support — and even like OS X Yosemite’s new “dark mode”. iOS
does, however, support a pseudo-theme by way of Invert Colors (white-on-black).
In iOS 8, Apple is adding a second pseudo-theme to the system with Grayscale.
With this option turned on, the entirety of iOS’s UI is turned, as the name
would imply, gray. The addition of a Grayscale is notable because it gives
those users who have issues with colorized display — or who simply view darker
displays better — another way to alter the contrast of their device(s).
Guided Access. The big addition to Guided Access is that Apple is
leveraging its own new-to-iOS-8 Touch ID developer API to enable users to be
able to exit Guided Access using their scanned fingerprint. This is a
noteworthy feature because it effectively guarantees that students (or
test-takers or museum visitors) can’t leave Guided Access to access the Home
screen or other parts of iOS.
As well, Apple has added a time limit feature to Guided Access, thereby
allowing teachers, parents, and the like to specify the length of time Guided
Access is to be used. Especially in special education classrooms, features such
as Touch ID to exit and the timer can be extremely powerful in ensuring an
uninterrupted learning experience, keeping students on task yet still set the
expectation that a transition (i.e., “You can play games now”, for instance)
will take place in X minutes. In terms of behavior modification, Guided
Access’s new features are potentially game-changing, indispensable tools for
educators.
Enhanced Braille Keyboard. iOS 8 adds support for 6-dot Braille input
system-wide. This feature involves a dedicated Braille keyboard that will
translate 6-dot chords into text.
“Made for iPhone” Hearing Aids. Apple in iOS 8 has improved its Made for
iPhone Hearing Aids software so that now users who use hearing aids and have
multiple devices now can easily switch between them. Moreover, if a hearing aid
is paired with more than one device, users will now be able to pick which
device they’d like to use.
Third Party Keyboard API. This topic (as well as QuickType) is worthy of
its own standalone article, but the accessibility ramifications of iOS 8’s
third party keyboard API are potentially huge for those with special needs.
A third-party keyboard on iOS 8. (Source: Apple.com)
Anecdotally speaking, I hear from several low vision iOS-using friends
who lament the default system keyboard, which is essentially the same keyboard
that shipped with the original iPhone in 2007. The problem, my friends say, is
that the key caps are too small and the glyphs too hard to read. With the new
API, though, third party developers such as the team at Fleksy can create
entirely customized keyboards that users can use instead of the stock one. This
means developers can control key spacing and size, color, and so forth in an
effort to create keyboards that accommodate for a wide array of visual — and
motor — needs.
In fact, at WWDC I had a chance to speak with Fleksy co-founder and COO,
Ioannis Verdelis, about the keyboard API and his company’s product. While I
won’t divulge anything that was said at our meeting, suffice it to say that
Ioannis and his team were stoked at the news of the new API, and are really
excited for what they have in the works for iOS 8. They really believe the new
Fleksy will benefit a lot of people with special needs.
Miscellany. iOS 8 brings with it a few housekeeping changes to
Settings.app, where the Accessibility options are located. For example, the
Subtitles & Captioning option — which previously was found under Hearing — has
been moved to a new Media section, right next to a new Video Descriptions
toggle. Furthermore, the Physical & Motor pane — home to such features as
Switch Control and AssistiveTouch — has been rechristened Interaction.
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As stated above, Apple’s steadfast commitment to improving Accessibility
year after year deserves the utmost praise, and 2014 is no different. As
someone who relies on some of iOS’s Accessibility technologies in order to use
my devices, the breadth and depth of these features never cease to amaze me.
Without any tinge of hyperbole, I often marvel at how truly Accessibility
reflects Apple’s ethos of designing products for everyone, regardless of
cognitive or physical impairment. (A sentiment I have expressed numerous times
elsewhere.) Again, these are signs of real innovation, although they
(unfortunately) go largely unheralded. It’s my strong opinion that Apple is
leading the industry in this regard, and iOS 8 takes another step forward in
extending their lead.
Tags: iOS 8
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Steven Aquino
Steven is a freelance tech writer and iOS Accessibility expert, based in
the San Francisco Bay Area. His work has appeared in The Magazine, Macworld,
TidBITS, and more.
Steve
Lansing, MI
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