From the Florida Outreach Center for the Blind: Learn About the BT Speak® Pocket Computer from Blazie Technologies With David Goldfield: Thursday, March 21, 2:00 PM Eastern Time

Join us for the next workshop from the Florida Outreach Center for the Blind to learn about the BT Speak® from Blazie Technologies, a new pocket computer made especially for the blind. The BT Speak® is a compact device that uses an eight-dot Braille keyboard along with speech output measuring 6.1 by 2.9 by 0.8 inches, about the size of a cell phone. It features applications including an editor for writing and editing documents, a music streaming player, scientific calculator, clock and calendar and more. The device includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth along with an HDMI port, a USB C port and a micro SD card slot for expanding storage. We’ll provide a demonstration of the product and also answer your questions.

Many people remember Deane Blazie, who started Blazie Engineering in 1987. Blazie Engineering produced the Braille ‘n Speak, a compact computer with a Braille keyboard which became one of the most popular products in the blindness technology landscape. Today, Deane’s new company, Blazie Technologies, has released a new product for the twenty-first century with similar features and commands that made the Braille ‘n Speak such an intuitive and easy to use product.

About Our Presenter

David Goldfield has over 30 years of experience working in the blindness assistive technology space. He started out providing technical support at Blazie Engineering. He has worked as an assistive technology trainer empowering blind children and adults in using computers with screen readers. He has also worked for Comcast as an accessibility specialist and is now the marketing manager for Blazie Technologies.

TO ACCESS THE ZOOM WORKSHOP

ZOOM Meeting ID: 835 8160 5488

Passcode: 182630

ZOOM BY PHONE:

1-312-626-6799

ZOOM BY COMPUTER

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83581605488?pwd=UWYvTVZ2Q2RRejhJamVJREF4Rlltdz09[us02web.zoom.us]

FOR INFO on the workshop, and FOCB’s FREE CLASSES, TRAINING & MORE, CONTACT FOCB:

561-642-0005

Address:

2315 South Congress Avenue,

Palm Springs, FL 33406.

Web Site:

http://blindfocb.org

Like us on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/FOCBInc

Follow us on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/FlaOutreachCtr

Watch us on YouTube!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPBDXBkfxEQ

David Goldfield,

Blindness Assistive Technology Specialist

Marketing Manager,

Blazie Technologies

(772) 214-1616

If you need help using your assistive technology learn about my training services by visiting

WWW.ScreenReaderTraining.com

Am Yisrael Chai

The Nation of Israel Lives!

NVDA Certified Expert

Subscribe to the Tech-VI announcement list to receive news, events and information regarding the blindness assistive technology field.

Email: tech-vi+subscribe

www.DavidGoldfield.com

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February 24, 1989: the Anniversary of Receiving my First Braille ‘n Speak

I own a variety of technology and have used many different types of tech items since the 1970s. I was blessed to have had the privilege of owning many of them throughout my life, even before working in the assistive technology field. As important and momentous as those items were I can’t recall the exact day that I acquired most of them.

There are two exceptions to this. One of them was my first iPhone, which was the iPhone 5C. My wife and I were going through the mail on March 31 of 2014 when she found an advertisement from Verizon, which was our mobile phone carrier at that time. I don’t remember what phone she had but I was using a Samsung Haven due to the fact that it was 99% accessible. I loved that phone but I really wanted an iPhone. I had briefly seen one and my brother already had one and I heard so much about it from him. My wife also did not have a smart phone at that time and we assumed that the phone plans for them would be more expensive than the plans we were currently paying for. However, the ad that arrived that day promised that we could get an iPhone 5C at no cost. It also advertised a free Motorola phone whose name now escapes me. This deal would only be available until … you guessed it … March 31. Well, I said to my wife, we need to get to the Verizon store to take advantage of this. She agreed. So off we went to the Verizon store and went home with our new smart phones. I think we got them that day; I don’t remember having them delivered to us via mail. For the most part, though, I can tell you roughly when I acquired a certain tech item but not on the exact day … with another very notable exception.

In 1988 a buddy of mine and I were chatting over the phone and he told me about this cool device he had seen called a Braille ‘n Speak. As he described it to me, with its small size and its functionality, it almost sounded magical to me. Eventually, I traveled to Sense-sations which was an adaptive equipment store located in Philadelphia to see it as they were selling the Braille ‘n Speak. The proprietor of the store was more taken with the Smalltalk computer from GW Micro and wanted me to take a look at that machine but I was undeterred. I would see the Braille ‘n Speak and wasn’t interested in anything else. He showed me the Braille ‘n Speak. It may have had fewer keys than other computers but I felt even more that there was something very special about this machine. In late 1988 I decided to sell my VersaBraille P2C, a machine I really enjoyed using. I would use the funds acquired from the sale to purchase my very own Braille ‘n Speak along with some accessories. I knew I’d be giving up Braille output for a device that only had speech but I didn’t care. I was determined to own this machine. I was easily able to sell my VersaBraille in the Matilda Ziegler magazine and on February 17, 1989 I sent a check for $1249 to Blazie Engineering’s office located at that time in Street, Maryland. I ordered a Braille ‘n Speak with the addition of the stopwatch and calculator which cost an additional $99.00 at that time. I also ordered a service contract and an interface kit which contained a collection of serial adapters for connecting the Braille ‘n Speak to different types of connectors. I also ordered the cassette tape interface device which allowed me to copy my BNS files onto a cassette tape and you could also transfer files from tape to the BNS. There was no disk drive accessory at that time; that device wouldn’t get released until the summer of 1990. I didn’t even own a computer; I wouldn’t acquire my first DOS machine until the spring of 1991. That check went out to them on February 17 and I received my Braille ‘n Speak with the additional items the following Friday, which was February 24. I remember staying up half the night studying Fred Gissoni’s original manual along with an addendum for the 1988 revision recorded by Irwin Hott.

I learned every command that machine had to offer and used it for my phone directory, taking down information for two different jobs and going online calling bulletin board systems. I did all of this on a small device that weighed less than a pound that I could easily carry anywhere.

I’ve used many different tech items throughout my life. I’ve enjoyed all of them. Many of them did some wonderful things. Few of them felt truly magical to me. The two exceptions for me are the iphone along with the Braille ‘n Speak. The Braille ‘n Speak, along with the iPhone, never felt boring even after years of using it. The novelty never went away. They got better but they never got old. Is it any wonder, then, that the day I got my first Braille ‘n Speak was a very special day that I can’t seem to ever forget.

David Goldfield,

Blindness Assistive Technology Specialist

If you need help using your assistive technology learn about my training services by visiting

WWW.ScreenReaderTraining.com

Am Yisrael Chai

The Nation of Israel Lives!

NVDA Certified Expert

Subscribe to the Tech-VI announcement list to receive news, events and information regarding the blindness assistive technology field.

Email: tech-vi+subscribe

www.DavidGoldfield.com

a Collection of Microsoft Office Accessibility Learning Resources for Screen Reader Users

What follows is a collection of resources for learning how to use Microsoft Office products with a screen reader.

Source providers are listed using level 2 headings. Each individual resource is listed at a level 3 heading. This was done to make it easier for screen reader navigation.

More resources will be added to this list as I discover them. As more resources are added to the list of ACB Community Calls they will be eventually added to this page. Please reach out to me if you have suggestions for resources which should be added.

Access Technology Institute

List of Textbooks

https://www.blind.training/textbooks-for-the-blind-and-visually-impaired/microsoft-office-textbooks-for-the-blind-and-visually-impaired/

An Immersion into Excel 365 with JAWS for Windows

$110.99

https://www.blind.training/downloads/an-immersion-into-excel-365/

An Immersion into Outlook 365 with JAWS for Windows

$110.99

https://www.blind.training/downloads/an-immersion-into-outlook-365-with-jaws-for-windows/

An Immersion into PowerPoint 365 with JAWS for Windows

$110.99

https://www.blind.training/downloads/an-immersion-into-powerpoint-365-with-jaws-for-windows/

An Immersion into Word 365 with JAWS for Windows

$110.99

https://www.blind.training/downloads/an-immersion-into-word-365-with-jaws-for-windows/

Hartgen Consultancy

Brian Hartgen provides a variety of courses including several covering the use of Office products.

Landing Page

www.hartgen.org

OneNote Wonder Training Course!

https://www.hartgen.org/onenotewonder

Winning Teams; Microsoft Teams with JAWS for Windows, includes JAWS scripts, £150($211). 6.5 hours duration.

https://www.hartgen.org/teams

You’ve Got the Power! PowerPoint with JAWS for Windows, £50 ($62). 5 hours duration approx.

https://www.hartgen.org/power

A Word in Your Ear, Microsoft Word and JAWS for Windows.

£50 ($62). 6 Hours Duration.

https://www.hartgen.org/word

Note: The Word course was released during the Word 2016 release cycle.

Looking Out for Outlook, Microsoft Outlook and JAWS for Windows for Beginners. £50 ($62. 6 Hours Duration.

http://www.hartgen.org/outlook

Improve Your Outlook, Microsoft Outlook and JAWS for Windows for Advanced Users. £50 ($62. 4 Hours Duration.

http://www.hartgen.org/improveyouroutlook

Brian also sells separate scripts to enhance Microsoft Teams with either JAWS or Fusion. I have used these scripts and they are worth purchasing.

https://www.hartgen.org/teamsscripts

Doug Lee

Doug Lee’s Free JAWS Scripts for Microsoft Teams

I have not used these scripts.

https://www.dlee.org/teams/

Books From National Braille Press

Microsoft Outlook 2023 Keystroke Compendium

https://shop.nbp.org/products/microsoft-outlook-2023-keystroke-compendium

The Power Of PowerPoint

https://shop.nbp.org/products/the-power-of-powerpoint

Microsoft Excel 2019 Keystroke Compendium

https://shop.nbp.org/products/microsoft-excel-2019-keystroke-compendium?_pos=3&_sid=055a594ef&_ss=r

Microsoft Word 2019 Keystroke Compendium

https://shop.nbp.org/products/microsoft-word-2019-keystroke-compendium?_pos=4&_sid=055a594ef&_ss=r

Microsoft PowerPoint 2019 Keystroke Compendium

https://shop.nbp.org/products/microsoft-powerpoint-2019-keystroke-compendium?_pos=5&_sid=055a594ef&_ss=r

Designing Documents For Appearance

https://shop.nbp.org/products/designing-documents-for-appearance?_pos=9&_sid=055a594ef&_ss=r

Freedom Scientific Webinars

An In-Depth Look at the Microsoft Office Ribbon and JAWS

https://www.freedomscientific.com/webinars/an-in-depth-look-at-the-microsoft-office-ribbon-and-jaws/

Ten Power Tips for Improving Productivity in Excel with JAWS

https://www.freedomscientific.com/webinars/ten-power-tips-for-improving-productivity-in-excel-with-jaws/

Tips for Organizing Your Outlook Inbox with JAWS

https://www.freedomscientific.com/webinars/tips-for-organizing-your-outlook-inbox-with-jaws/

Ten Power Tips for Tackling Teams with JAWS

https://www.freedomscientific.com/webinars/ten-power-tips-for-tackling-teams-with-jaws/

Prep and Proof: Use Styles in Microsoft Word with JAWS

https://www.freedomscientific.com/webinars/prep-and-proof-use-styles-in-microsoft-word-with-jaws/

Prep and Proof Word Documents Using Track Changes and Comments with JAWS

https://www.freedomscientific.com/webinars/prep-and-proof-word-documents-using-track-changes-and-comments-with-jaws/

Prep and Proof Word Documents with the Microsoft Editor and JAWS

https://www.freedomscientific.com/webinars/prep-and-proof-word-documents-with-the-microsoft-editor-and-jaws/

PowerPoint, Tips and Tricks for JAWS Users

https://www.freedomscientific.com/webinars/powerpoint-tips-and-tricks-for-jaws-users/

Excel, Tips and Tricks for JAWS Users

https://www.freedomscientific.com/webinars/excel-tips-and-trick-for-jaws-users/

Word, Tips and Tricks from Power Users

https://www.freedomscientific.com/webinars/word-tips-and-tricks-from-power-users/

Outlook, Tips and Tricks from Power Users

https://www.freedomscientific.com/webinars/outlook-tips-and-tricks-from-power-users/

Vispero ACB Community Call Presentations

Ten Tips for using the Quick Access Toolbar in MS Office products.

https://www.acbmedia.org/2023/12/28/20231228-vispero-presentation-ten-tips-for-using-the-quick-access-toolbar-in-ms-office-products/

The Power of MS Office Search

https://www.acbmedia.org/2023/12/21/20231221-vispero-presentation-the-power-of-ms-office-search/

Ten Keystrokes for Improving Productivity in Outlook

https://www.acbmedia.org/2023/12/07/20231207-vispero-presentation-ten-keystrokes-for-improving-productivity-in-outlook/

Creating Styles in Word with JAWS

https://www.acbmedia.org/2023/11/16/20231116-vispero-presentation-creating-styles-in-word-with-jaws/

Five Power Tips for Improving Document Collaboration in Word with JAWS

https://www.acbmedia.org/2023/10/26/20231026-vispero-presentation-five-power-tips-for-improving-document-collaboration-in-word-with-jaws/

The Power of the F6 Key in MS Office Products

https://www.acbmedia.org/2023/10/12/20231012-vispero-presentation-the-power-of-the-f6-key-in-ms-office-products/

Use the Microsoft Editor to Check Spelling and Grammar in Word With JAWS

https://www.acbmedia.org/2023/09/28/20230928-vispero-presentation-use-the-microsoft-editor-to-check-spelling-and-grammar-in-word-with-jaws/

Manage Multiple Accounts in Outlook

https://www.acbmedia.org/2023/09/21/20230921-vispero-presentation-manage-multiple-accounts-in-outlook/

Five Power Tips for Formatting Documents in Microsoft Word with JAWS

https://www.acbmedia.org/2023/08/31/20230831-vispero-presentation-five-power-tips-for-formatting-documents-in-microsoft-word-with-jaws/

Create and Access PowerPoint Presentations with Jaws

https://www.acbmedia.org/2023/06/15/20230615-vispero-presentation-create-and-access-powerpoint-presentations-with-jaws/

Power Tips for Improving Proficiency when Navigating Word with JAWS

https://www.acbmedia.org/2023/06/01/20230601-vispero-presentation-power-tips-for-improving-proficiency-when-navigating-word-with-jaws/

Manage Contacts in Outlook with JAWS

https://www.acbmedia.org/2023/04/27/20230427-vispero-presentation-manage-contacts-in-outlook-with-jaws/

Five Tips for Formatting Word Documents with JAWS

https://www.acbmedia.org/2023/04/20/20230420-vispero-presentation-five-tips-for-formatting-word-documents-with-jaws/

Manage Email Attachments in Outlook with JAWS

https://www.acbmedia.org/2023/04/06/20230406-vispero-presentation-manage-email-attachments-in-outlook-with-jaws/

Creating, Editing, and Reading Tables in Word with JAWS

https://www.acbmedia.org/2023/03/30/20230330-vispero-presentation-creating-editing-and-reading-tables-in-word-with-jaws/

Using JAWS Quick Settings for Formatting a Word Document

https://www.acbmedia.org/2023/03/23/20230323-vispero-presentation-using-jaws-quick-settings-for-formatting-a-word-document/

Using JAWS Speech and sound Schemes in Word

https://www.acbmedia.org/2023/03/16/20230316-vispero-presentation-using-jaws-speech-and-sound-schemes-in-word/

Five Need-To-Know JAWS Quick Settings for Excel

https://www.acbmedia.org/2023/03/09/20230309-vispero-presentation-five-need-to-know-jaws-quick-settings-for-excel/

Managing Your Outlook Inbox with JAWS

https://www.acbmedia.org/2023/02/23/20230223-vispero-presentation-managing-your-outlook-inbox-with-jaws/

Excel Formula Basics with JAWS

https://www.acbmedia.org/2023/02/09/20230209-vispero-presentation-excel-formula-basics-with-jaws/

Creating a Table of Contents in a Word Document with JAWS

https://www.acbmedia.org/2023/02/02/20230202-vispero-presentation-creating-a-table-of-contents-in-a-word-document-with-jaws/

Navigate the Ribbon in Microsoft Office Using JAWS

https://www.acbmedia.org/2022/10/27/20221027-vispero-presentation/

NVDA Resources

Microsoft Excel Training for NVDA(eBook)

AUD $35.20

Microsoft Word Training for NVDA(eBook)

AUD $35.20

Microsoft Outlook Training for NVDA(eBook)

AUD $35.20

Microsoft PowerPoint with NVDA(eBook)

AUD $35.20

Titles From Bookshare

Note: a Bookshare membership is required to access the following titles.

Microsoft 365 For Dummies

by Jennifer Reed

Microsoft 365 Portable Genius (Portable Genius)

by Lisa A. Bucki

Learn Microsoft Office 2021: Your one-stop guide to upskilling with new features of Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and Teams, 2nd Edition

by Linda Foulkes

Mystic Access

Quick and Easy Methods for Using Microsoft Word:

$15.00

Office-specific Discussion Groups

Teams Access

Low traffic, dedicated to discussing Microsoft Teams. I currently own this list.

Subscribe: Teams-access+subscribe@groups.io

https://groups.io/g/teams-access

Microsoft 365 and Office Accessibility

Subscribe: M365-Accessibility+subscribe@groups.io

https://groups.io/g/M365-Accessibility

Office Access for the Blind

Subscribe: office-access+subscribe@groups.io

https://groups.io/g/office-access

outlook-users

Subscribe: outlook-users+subscribe@groups.io

https://groups.io/g/outlook-users

David Goldfield,

Blindness Assistive Technology Specialist

If you need help using your assistive technology learn about my training services by visiting

WWW.ScreenReaderTraining.com

Am Yisrael Chai

The Nation of Israel Lives!

NVDA Certified Expert

Subscribe to the Tech-VI announcement list to receive news, events and information regarding the blindness assistive technology field.

Email: tech-vi+subscribe@groups.io

www.DavidGoldfield.com

Now You Can Talk to an AI Santa Claus With Fixie’s HiSanta.ai

I couldn’t resist writing about this very cool Santa AI. HiSanta.ai is a conversational AI from Fixie, which provides conversational AI chat agents. HiSanta consists of two different Santa Claus personas, the nice, friendly Santa and the grumpy bad Santa. Deselecting the check box on the main page gives you access to the grumpy Santa, which I found to be extremely entertaining. It honestly had me laughing harder than I’ve laughed in quite some time. This service took me back to that nostalgic excitement that I remember as a kid when I heard about new phone numbers offering some new form of phone-based entertainment. To use this service you’ll need to ensure that your browser has permission to use your device’s microphone, at least on this particular site.

Enjoy!

Quick Tip For Users of iOS 17: What Can You Do to Temporarily Disable Siri’s Follow-up Mode

While Siri is speaking to you it often listens for you to ask another question. Unfortunately, sometimes even just clearing your throat can cause Siri to interrupt itself and then start listening again as it misinterprets this sound and assumes that you have something else to say to the assistant. While there’s currently no option to disable this feature you can force Siri to stop listening for a follow-up response. Just say something dismissive, such as “thank you” or “goodbye” and Siri will go away. Follow-up mode will still be enabled the next time you use Siri but at least you can force Siri to stop listening temporarily.

Do you need help in using your assistive technology? Learn more about training options by visiting

www.ScreenReaderTraining.com

JAWS Power Tips: Using JAWS Commands to Extract a Microsoft Teams Chat Transcript and a Similar Bonus Tip With Excel

I submitted the following tips to the FS Cast podcast from Freedom Scientific. Whether or not it gets mentioned on their podcast I decided to share them with my readers.

Introduction

My employer regularly hosts internal talks on Microsoft Teams relating to accessibility. As often happens during these meetings there is a chat which can optionally take place among the meeting participants where questions and comments can be written for others to view and respond. These meetings are hosted by my manager who one day asked me if I could provide him with a transcript of a chat session from these events. I researched this and couldn’t find any native commands from within Teams for extracting and saving a chat transcript. However, using commands which are specific to JAWS I figured out a fairly easy way to accomplish this task.

The Steps

First, I enter the Teams chat window for the meeting and move to the first line of the meeting. I then move down to the second line and immediately clear the speech history by pressing insert+space followed by shift+H. Next, I press up arrow and after hearing JAWS speak the first line I then press the down arrow key, forcing JAWS to speak one line at a time. As JAWS reads each line the output from the chat is also being copied into the speech history. I don’t have to hear each line spoken in its entirety; I can press the down arrow key as soon as JAWS speaks a few words from the line of text. Once I get to the bottom line of text in the chat window I press insert+space followed by ctrl+H to copy the contents of the speech history to the clipboard. I then open Microsoft Word and press ctrl+V to paste the contents of the clipboard ( the speech history) into my open document. I save the document with a meaningful title and I now have a complete chat transcript.

Bonus Tip: a Similar Trick Using Microsoft Excel

I do something similar with Microsoft Excel. Internally, we have an online form for employees who need to request specific services. I am tasked with extracting the contents of the form and relaying that information to the service provider. As the form uses Microsoft Forms I first initiate the option from within Forms to download the completed form as an Excel spreadsheet. Next, I open the form in Excel and instruct JAWS via the insert+V JAWS Options dialog to only speak the cell’s contents without speaking the cell coordinates. You’ll find this under the option “Cell Verbosity Content + Coordinates” and I press the space bar to change this setting to “Content Only.” You’ll understand why shortly.

Next, I move to column A1 and press the JAWS key along with ctrl+alt+C. What this does is to force JAWS to speak the column titles in this particular spreadsheet as I move from one column to the next.

Once this has been done I move to the row containing the information that I want to extract, with each column containing a bit of information from the form with column titles such as First Name, Last Name, Email Address, etc.

I move to the column before the first column containing the needed information and, as I did documenting my previous task with the Teams chat transcript, clear the speech history. Next, I repeatedly press the right arrow key. JAWS speaks the column title followed by the information from the requestor, such as First Name, David. Last Name, Goldfield, etc. without speaking cell coordinates such as d5, d6, etc. After JAWS speaks the contents of the last cell I copy the contents of the speech history to the clipboard.

Next, I compose an email to the service provider and paste the speech history which contains the needed information.

For Users of Voice Dream Reader on iOS: Possible Explanation and WorkArounds For the Bug Where Continuous Reading Stops Unexpectedly

If anyone who uses the iOS version of Voice Dream Reader is encountering the frustrating bug where reading with one of the purchased voices stops for no reason I have a theory about what’s causing it as well as a potential fix. This bug does not manifest when I’m just doing a continuous read with VoiceOver but it does occur when I’m using the Neospeech James voice. I would often notice this when first opening the app after an update. I also noticed it if I swiped up from the Play button to move backwards while still reading. The continuous reading would unexpectedly stop after a few seconds. Resuming the continuous reading would exhibit the same behavior and I’d have to press the Play button several times before reading would resume without stopping, making the reading experience very frustrating.

After reading a reference to Voice Dream Reader’s ability to cync to the cloud I had a bit of an aha moment. I believe this bug is connected to the iCloud sync feature. Somehow while it’s backing up your place in ICloud it’s interrupting the continuous reading or, at least, that’s what I think is happening. To work around this either wait a few seconds before activating the Play button or disable the iCloud Sync option under Settings.

For me this has completely eliminated the problem. I plan to provide this feedback to the Applause Group and I would ask others who can confirm this to please do the same.

David Goldfield,

Blindness Assistive Technology Specialist

NVDA Certified Expert

Subscribe to the Tech-VI announcement list to receive news, events and information regarding the blindness assistive technology field.

Email: tech-vi+subscribe

www.DavidGoldfield.com