[the-facts-machine] Re: Overview of Accessibility in IS 8 from MacStories
- From: Karen Karsh <karenkarsh4@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "the-facts-machine@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <the-facts-machine@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 05:10:37 -0600
Hi Rich,
I use braille display with my iPhone and I also have a bluetooth keyboard, but
would be interested in hearing about this other keyboard.
I didn't see a link to the podcast, could you send it to me please?
I would really appreciate it.
Thanks, Karen
Sent from my iPhone
> On Sep 16, 2014, at 5:24 PM, Richard McKinley <mcfurbie@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> 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.
>>>>
>>>> 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
>>>>
>>>> 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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