Bureau of Engraving and Printing to Distribute Free Currency Readers

Logo: Bureau of Engraving
and Printing

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) will distribute free currency reader devices to people who are blind or visually impaired as part of an effort to improve access to printed money. BEP will begin a four-month pilot program on September 2 in partnership with the Library of Congress National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) that will enable NLS patrons to pre-order the devices. NLS administers a free library program that circulates braille and audio materials to approximately 400,000 people through a national network of cooperating libraries. BEP will use this pilot phase to test ordering and distribution processes and to gauge demand.

A nationwide roll-out of the program will be initiated early next year. Starting on January 2, 2015, currency readers will be widely available to all U.S. citizens or persons legally residing in the U.S. who are blind or visually impaired. To request a currency reader, those who are not NLS patrons must submit an application signed by a competent authority who can certify eligibility. For further information on the program or applying for a currency reader, visit BEP's website.

The U.S. Department of Education and BEP previously released apps for mobile devices that scan and identify currency images. There is an app for Apple iOS platforms (EyeNote®) and another for Android phones (IDEAL Currency Reader ®).

ODOT - Long Range Plan

A lack of accessible, affordable and convenient transportation remains one of the most-often mentioned barriers to employment for people with disabilities.  You can play a part in development of the state’s future transportation priorities by providing your comments at the ODOT website on long-range transportation planning:

www.OKLongRangePlan.org

Scroll to the “We Want Your Comments” form to give ODOT planners your views on current transportation needs and the direction the state should go in funding transportation improvements in the coming years.

New Mobile App for Visually Impaired Airline Passengers

SFO Unveils Mobile App for Visually-Impaired Passengers

Airport demonstrates prototype phone application which can guide passengers through terminal
SAN FRANCISCO -- 

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) today unveiled a prototype version of a smartphone application which can help visually-impaired passengers to navigate through an airport terminal.  The app was developed through San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program, which paired SFO with the Indoo.rs, a leader in indoor navigation technology, and was developed in a relatively short span of 16 weeks.

“This groundbreaking new innovation offers visually-impaired passengers something remarkable…the ability to navigate through SFO independently without assistance,” said Airport Director John L. Martin. “I appreciate the collaboration with Indoo.rs and the Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, made possible by Mayor Ed Lee’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program. This program demonstrates Mayor Lee’s commitment to innovation.”

The prototype app works in conjunction with approximately 500 beacons located throughout the terminal to audibly call out various points of interest, including gate boarding areas, restaurants, and even power outlets. The prototype version will undergo additional testing and refinement before being released for use by the traveling public.

e-Learning Resources

AFB offers many eLearning courses and webinars, some are free while others require a tuition. Courses cover topics from technology to aging, education to employment, and mobility to rehabilitation. You can find a list of these courses and other pertinent information on their website: eLearning. I was specifically intrigued with the Job Seeker's Toolkit (Free). This course is accessible, self-paced, and free online and helps users develop skills and tools for the job market. It covers self-awareness, career exploration, the employment process, the interview, and maintaining employment.

Marion McFadden in Vintage Newsmagazine

I posted a Facebook message at today about the father of Julie Bailey, a Visual Services rehabilitation teacher from Tulsa. Marion W. McFadden’s inspiring story is published on page 19 of the May issue of Life’s Vintage News Magazine. He was born with congenital glaucoma and vision in one eye. His employment and personal accomplishments, especially before technology that is available today, are impressive. 

Jody Harlan

---

Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services
Communications Manager

Apple Accessibility Info - VoiceOver for iOS | Fedora Outlier

Did you enjoy Fedora Outlier’s Top Ten Apps Of 2013 campaign? Well, if you did then you’ll be excited to know that a brand new weekly series is about to begin. “There’s An App For That” will include five apps from a particular category along with a short review and a few personal comments about the app. By providing the blindness community with this series, it is our hope that you, the consumer, will learn about apps that you might not know are available, recognize that some of the apps you use are quite popular with others and to provide a resource for all to use. So how about we get started with, “There’s An App For That!”
 
http://www.fedoraoutlier.com/blog/

Woody Guthrie Center Tour

Saturday, March 1st. We will meet at the center at 1:30p.m. There will be a presentation of music and story telling and interaction with the audience. The tour will consist of a short movie and listening stations telling about different parts of Woody Guthrie’s life. We will end our tour with a folk rock concert. We will be done by 5p.m. 

Afterwards we will be going to go eat at Caz’s Chow house. The chowhouse is only a block away from the center. We will be done eating by 6:30p.m. 

Please let me know if you plan to come and if you plan to go to the chow house. 

Admission will be $8 and if we have 10 people it will be $6. The prices at the chow house are reasonable and they have a little bit of everything.

Woody Guthrie Center  102 E. Brady St. http://woodyguthriecenter.org/

Caz’s Chow house 18 E. Brady St. http://cazschowhouse.com/

TCB President: Jesse Martinez okie3268@yahoo.com 918 232 7164

ACB Radio on your phone!

You can now listen to ACB radio on your phone.  How easy is this just dial in any time to 1-231-460-1047.  It is not toll free but most of us have plans that allow us those evening rates.  Give it a try they have had great results with about 3,000 calls last month. 

Eyes on Success Audio Show

This half-hour weekly radio program and podcast discusses products, services and daily living tips for people with vision loss. It is available through radio reading services across the US and Canada, via 3 internet streaming services, and to everybody else as a podcast. To date, the show has been downloaded in all 50 states in the US, 8 Canadian provinces and over 90 other countries on all the inhabited continents. Eyes On Success is hosted and produced by Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey and distributed by WXXI Reachout Radio in Rochester, NY. 

Topics range from detailed descriptions of adaptive equipment and programs such as screen readers and portable Braille displays to discussions of various accessible reading materials to personal stories of engaging in extreme sports and other hobbies. There's something for everyone on Eyes On Success. 

Eyes On Success has been airing weekly since January 2011. Prior to January 2013 the name of the show was ViewPoints. Other than the name, nothing has changed. 

Eyes On Success, then known as ViewPoints, was awarded the 2012 Program of the Year Award in the Consumer Information category from the International Association of Audio Information Services (IAAIS) for show #1242 about Downloading and Reading Books on a Smart Phone. 

You can subscribe to the podcast or download individual shows at the "Podcasts with Show Notes and Archive" link. (Scroll down for list of shows and brief description.) You will also find a brief description of each show plus links to show notes with contact information for the products and services discussed in each one. 

Television Accessibility

Samsung and The Carroll Center for the Blind Team Up to Test Television Accessibility Samsung contracted with The Carroll Center to perform important usability testing for a new product still in development.

Samsung television featuring the Samsung logo Samsung television featuring the Samsung logoTechnology opens doors to knowledge, communication, and simple human interaction to young and old alike; it can connect people to people, and its power and prevalence can make it the great equalizer for the blind, but only if technology is accessible.

Newton, MA (PRWEB) January 22, 2014

The Carroll Center for the Blind, a rehabilitation training facility that in 1984 offered the country's first computer classes for individuals who are blind, is now helping businesses, government agencies and educational institutions improve the accessibility of their websites and products for persons with disabilities.

"Today, access technology can provide breakthroughs comparable to the introduction of Braille in the 19th century, or the long white cane in the 20th century," according to the Carroll Center Accessibility Services Coordinator Bruce Howell, a former banking executive and Carroll Center graduate.

"Technology opens doors to knowledge, communication, and simple human interaction to young and old alike; it can connect people to people, and its power and prevalence can make it the great equalizer for the blind, but only if technology is accessible."

The Carroll Center's Accessibility Services team provides businesses, colleges, and government agencies with a comprehensive website evaluation to identify accessibility issues such as a lack of text descriptions for images and graphics. The team then makes recommendations for correcting and improving page construction, and identifies key elements to make navigation easier for disabled, blind and vision impaired customers.

In addition to website evaluation, the Accessibility Services team also provides product testing. Their latest product-testing project gave them an opportunity to work with Samsung Smart TV.

Samsung contracted with The Carroll Center to perform important usability testing for a new product still in development. The Carroll Center thoroughly tested the products and provided feedback about the accessibility features Samsung plans to incorporate into some television and remote models for 2014 and 2015. The two organizations worked together to test audible menu access, screen contrast and magnification options, and voice recognition functions that Samsung engineers have developed for inclusion in Samsung televisions, as well as tactile improvements recommended for their television remotes.

Samsung has already made vast contributions to accessible technology and improved communication. Samsung's voice guide feature verbally communicates the channel name, broadcast name and EPG, volume control, TV menu options, and Internet and Smart Hub content. The models also have screen magnification and high contrast UI for those with low vision.

Brian Charlson, Director of Technology for The Carroll Center complimented Samsung for the work they are doing. "The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA) will require equal access to televisions for blind and low vision users by 2015, so we are very pleased to see what actions Samsung is taking towards this goal. The Carroll Center's Accessibility Services team was delighted to be chosen as the testing partner for Samsung."

The Carroll Center President Joseph F. Abely noted that for the past 76 years the mission of the Carroll Center has been to enable those with vision loss to be independent and productive members of their community.

"Although we teach our clients the skills they need to navigate the Internet, their ability to fully interact with online content and effectively use electronic devices at home, school, and work is often hampered by the inaccessibility of websites and devices that don't provide the same sort of equal access as physical stores and buildings are required to provide under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)," Abely said. "Inaccessibility is a deterrent for potential consumers. It just makes good business sense to have websites and devices that every consumer can use."

For more information about the Carroll Center's Accessibility Services team, visithttp://carroll.org/accessibility-services/

or contact Bruce Howell by phone at 617-969-6200, x210 or email at bruce.howell(at)carroll(dot)org.