Airlines increasing training to help vision impaired travelers
airlines are finally starting to up their game when it comes to visually impaired travelers. Recently, Travel + Leisure reported that Virgin Atlantic are revamping their training for cabin crews to better support visually impaired travelers with Guide Dogs. Virgin Atlantic is partnering with the Guide Dogs charity (https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/) to offer a “more inclusive air travel experience for those with sight loss,”. According to Travel + Leisure: “The training will focus on how best to approach passengers with sight loss, how to help them navigate narrow spaces and stairs, and how to assist them to take a seat. The training will also address the best place for guide dogs to rest on long trips.” Whether in a restaurant, or on a plane, the lack of training when it comes to interacting with visually impaired travelers is painfully apparent, just seeing These organizations move toward improving their service is great news for travelers with sight loss.
My Experiences
I’m visually impaired, and own and serve as the chief content creator for Blind Travels, www.blindtravels.com a website dedicated to providing tips, tricks and reviews for blind and low vision travelers. In my journeys, I find myself on most of the major (and minor) airlines, and most of the flight attendants have little, if any experience helping passengers with vision loss. This is especially true when it comes to guide dogs. It is sad to say that most cabin crew members have far more experience with fraudulent service animals than those who are actually trained. Thankfully, the recent changes in the definition of a service animal, and where they can travel by the Department of Transportation has alleviated some of the shenanigans passengers try to get away with in order to not leave their little biting dogs at home.
United Airlines
Recently on a trip from Denver to Las Vegas, I encountered the most understanding and best trained crewmember I have ever had the pleasure to fly with. I boarded early, and for this flight was traveling without my guide dog. As I was getting settled into my seat, one of the crewmembers came to sit next to me. She explained that she was working in the rear of the plane but noticed me come onboard and wanted to have a quick chat. She asked if Las Vegas was my destination, and if I had any special plans while I was there. She then used this short conversation to ask if I understood the amenities of the aircraft and told me where the restrooms were located in the cabin, and how to get to each of the emergency exits. She told me that while we were waiting for the other passengers to board, she was happy to go over all the safety features and explain the seatbelt if I wanted her to.
This crewmember used conversation to ease into asking if the passenger needs assistance and took the time to offer important information about the emergency exits and the restrooms. She took the time to inform me about the plan for the flight and let the crew that would be helping me know that I was vision impaired. This was all done without prompting and given the fact that this crewmember was scheduled to work in the back of the plane and took the time to come to the front of the plane to talk with me was pretty amazing. It sort of feels like United should have this person running the training for interfacing with disabled passengers.
Conclusion
It is so nice to be able to call out an airline for great training instead of always having to complain about something bad that happened on a flight. I love that organizations like Virgin Atlantic are taking the steps to better train their staff to help blind and low vision passengers. Let’s hope that the other airlines take a tip from United and Virgin Atlantic and add more training for their staff as well.
Have you had a particularly good or bad flight experience? Tell me about it, I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to drop me a message here or on any of my social media links below. If you would like to read the original article from Travel + Leisure, find the link below.
“Ted’s journey into the landscape of the human body is a marvelous celebration of all that is physical, sensual and diverse
” – FSTOPPERS
About the author
Ted Tahquechi is a blind photographer, travel influencer, disability advocate and photo educator based in Denver, Colorado. You can see more of Ted’s work at www.tahquechi.com
Ted operates Blind Travels, a travel blog designed specifically to empower blind and visually impaired travelers. https://www.blindtravels.com/
Ted’s body-positive Landscapes of the Body project has been shown all over the world, learn more about this intriguing collection of photographic work at: https://www.bodyscapes.photography/
Questions or comments? Feel free to email Ted at: nedskee@tahquechi.com
Instagram: @nedskee
Twitter: @nedskee
Be My Eyes adding GPT-4 Ai object detection
With everyone wound up tight about how Ai technology is affecting creative industries like logo design, photography and image editing, nobody is talking about the benefits Ai is having for the blind and low vision communities. Be My Eyes is partnering with open Ai to implement some really great object recognition features into their app.
A slow rollout
Open Ai’s GPT-4 is being integrated into Be My Eyes as a free feature (as of this writing). Users will be able to upload a picture to the service and the GPT-4 driven engine will allow the user conversational interaction, and the program will answer questions about the image, including offering contextual information like recipes if a label is scanned. The service is dubbed Virtual Volunteer, and Open Ai feels that their technology can provide similar interaction that a user would get with a human volunteer through the service. Be My Eyes is optimistic about the addition of this potentially life changing technology to their platform, but are understandably approaching the rollout of the new feature with caution.
Cheat Engine
With all the negative reporting that Ai technology is seeing about Ai written essays and the like, it is refreshing to read about Ai being implemented to provide a feature that could potentially allow blind and visually impaired users of the Be My Eyes app more flexibility when using the service. As an aside, if the users of the new virtual assistant don’t like the results they get from the Ai, there is always an option to connect with a human volunteer as before.
If you would like to read more about this new feature, follow the link below.
“Ted’s journey into the landscape of the human body is a marvelous celebration of all that is physical, sensual and diverse
” – FSTOPPERS
About the author
Ted Tahquechi is a blind photographer, travel influencer, disability advocate and photo educator based in Denver, Colorado. You can see more of Ted’s work at www.tahquechi.com
Ted operates Blind Travels, a travel blog designed specifically to empower blind and visually impaired travelers. https://www.blindtravels.com/
Ted’s body-positive Landscapes of the Body project has been shown all over the world, learn more about this intriguing collection of photographic work at: https://www.bodyscapes.photography/
Questions or comments? Feel free to email Ted at: nedskee@tahquechi.com
Instagram: @nedskee
Twitter: @nedskee
Sony RETISSA NEOVIEWER – An EVF for Visually Impaired Users
At this year’s CP+ Camera & Photo Imaging Show in Japan an interesting new adaptive device was introduced which will allow users with visual impairment to use a camera. (from the manufacturer) The DSC-HX99 is a small compact camera with a ZEISS® Vario-Sonnar T* lens with 24-720mm zoom, an 18.2 Megapixels sensor, and the capability of recording 4K videos in 3840×2160. The RETISSA NEOVIEWER housing wraps around the back side of the camera and is connected with an HDMI cable at the bottom. The unit currently works with Sony cameras and will be available in late March at selected Sony stores in Japan.
Though not manufactured by Sony, the Sony brand continues to be a source for accessibility features for visually impaired users of their brand. It is great to see manufacturers embracing their users wo have low vision, allowing those with less than perfect sight to create art. If you would like more information about this cool new adapter, check out the link below, and if you would like to see my article about the Sony camera with screen reader technology built in, check out that link below.
As a professional photographer who is blind, I’d love to get my hands on this technology (or the camera listed below).
Sony RETISSA NEOVIEWER Introduced – An EVF for Visually Impaired Users
My article on Sony camera with Screen reade:
“Ted’s journey into the landscape of the human body is a marvelous celebration of all that is physical, sensual and diverse
” – FSTOPPERS
About the author
Ted Tahquechi is a blind photographer, travel influencer, disability advocate and photo educator based in Denver, Colorado. You can see more of Ted’s work at www.tahquechi.com
Ted operates Blind Travels, a travel blog designed specifically to empower blind and visually impaired travelers. https://www.blindtravels.com/
Ted’s body-positive Landscapes of the Body project has been shown all over the world, learn more about this intriguing collection of photographic work at: https://www.bodyscapes.photography/
Questions or comments? Feel free to email Ted at: nedskee@tahquechi.com
Instagram: @nedskee
Twitter: @nedskee
Wisconsin non-profit helps the visually impaired experience skiing
The Wisconsin Based non-profit BOLD (Blind Outdoor Leisure Development) offers assisted skiing opportunities for those who are legally blind. This non-profit is among the growing number of groups offering the visually impaired a chance to enjoy the joy of skiing in a safer guided environment. Being blind no longer means giving up things you used to do, or activities you want to try.
If you would like more information about the BOLD program, including how you can donate to support, check out the article below.
Wisconsin Non-Profit Provides Visually Impaired People Opportunity To Ski
“Ted’s journey into the landscape of the human body is a marvelous celebration of all that is physical, sensual and diverse
” – FSTOPPERS
About the author
Ted Tahquechi is a blind photographer, travel influencer, disability advocate and photo educator based in Denver, Colorado. You can see more of Ted’s work at www.tahquechi.com
Ted operates Blind Travels, a travel blog designed specifically to empower blind and visually impaired travelers. https://www.blindtravels.com/
Ted’s body-positive Landscapes of the Body project has been shown all over the world, learn more about this intriguing collection of photographic work at: https://www.bodyscapes.photography/
Questions or comments? Feel free to email Ted at: nedskee@tahquechi.com
Instagram: @nedskee
Twitter: @nedskee
Thank you Voyage Denver
A big shout out and thank you to Voyage Denver for interviewing me about my life and work. You guys are amazing!
http://voyagedenver.com/interview/life-work-with-ted-tahquechi-of-broomfield-co/
“Ted’s journey into the landscape of the human body is a marvelous celebration of all that is physical, sensual and diverse
” – FSTOPPERS
About the author
Ted Tahquechi is a blind photographer, travel influencer, disability advocate and photo educator based in Denver, Colorado. You can see more of Ted’s work at www.tahquechi.com
Ted operates Blind Travels, a travel blog designed specifically to empower blind and visually impaired travelers. https://www.blindtravels.com/
Ted’s body-positive Landscapes of the Body project has been shown all over the world, learn more about this intriguing collection of photographic work at: https://www.bodyscapes.photography/
Questions or comments? Feel free to email Ted at: nedskee@tahquechi.com
Instagram: @nedskee
Twitter: @nedskee
Lab Grown retinal eye cells open door for clinical trials
For those who suffer from retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration and glaucoma, team members at the University of Wisconsin–Madison are looking toward beginning human trials for stem cell grown retinal cells which may cure the blindness caused by these diseases. The team showed the lab grown cells making successful connections and sensing changes in light wave intensity.
This is certainly great news, and it is great to see the team making progress after more than a decade working on this project.
Samsung announces TV feature for the visually impaired
CES is always a fun time for those that follow tech. This year Samsung announces the inclusion of Relumino mode in their Neo QLED 8K and 4K TVs later this year. The technology makes the television picture clearer by increasing sharpness, contrast and outlines. From Mashable:
The feature, called Relumino Mode, has layers of camera technology that highlights outlines, sharpens contrast, and enhances colors. The result is a picture thats clearer and easier to see.
I have a NEO QLED TV, so I will keep you posted on how the technology works once it has been released. If you would like to read more:
Mashable Article:
https://mashable.com/article/samsung-event-relumino-mode-smart-tvs-ces-2023
Samsung Relumino Mode
https://www.samsungrelumino.com/home
“Ted’s journey into the landscape of the human body is a marvelous celebration of all that is physical, sensual and diverse
” – FSTOPPERS
About the author
Ted Tahquechi is a blind photographer, travel influencer, disability advocate and photo educator based in Denver, Colorado. You can see more of Ted’s work at www.tahquechi.com
Ted operates Blind Travels, a travel blog designed specifically to empower blind and visually impaired travelers. https://www.blindtravels.com/
Ted’s body-positive Landscapes of the Body project has been shown all over the world, learn more about this intriguing collection of photographic work at: https://www.bodyscapes.photography/
Questions or comments? Feel free to email Ted at: nedskee@tahquechi.com
Instagram: @nedskee
Twitter: @nedskee
Theater of the Mind Denver DCPA Accessibility Review
Recently, I was invited to attend an audio described presentation of Theater of the Mind, a multisensorial journey through the eclectic mind of Academy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning artist David Byrne. Co-created with writer Mala Gaonkar, Theater of the Mind is a unique experience which invites participation and embraces interaction from its attendees. Inspired by historical and current neuroscience research, Theater of the Mind presents an immersive journey into the processes surrounding the building of our sense of self and challenges our perceptions of that world view. While many of the aspects of the show are visual-centric, the team did an admirable job of making the content accessible for those who are blind and visually impaired.
Location
Theater of the Mind’s show dates at Denver’s York Street Yards have recently been extended through January 22nd, 2023, and the next showing which includes Audio Descriptions will be on Saturday, January 14 at 3:15 pm.
Theater of the Mind
At showtime, guests assembled in the lobby and were asked to put away or leave behind (in provided lockers) all cell phones and wearable tech. I loved this and appreciated that there would not be constant notification sounds going off, allowing the guests to focus on enjoying the show.
Audience members are limited to 16 for each showtime, and guests follow their guide through each room of the 15,000 square-foot installation space. Each location visited during the 75-minute presentation treated attendees to immersive audio, visual, tactile and taste sensations.
Accessibility
From the outset, the Theater of the Mind experience felt very personalized, with the cast member who would be delivering the audio descriptions introducing herself to each guest. Audience members were given parts to play during the performance, and the materials each person was given were offered in braille.
The Theater of the Mind experience is an inherently visual one, but care was taken to provide full descriptions of each room we visited during the performance, including rich descriptions of the furniture, wall coverings and lighting. Where the progression of the story focused on a visual aspect, the descriptions provided just enough information to give the sight impaired guests the information they needed to enjoy the show, but still maintain the joy of wonder and exploration as the story progressed.
Guides were adept at pointing out changes in elevation and small ramps during the times guests were moving from room to room in the installation. Guides and other cast members were also very good at informing the guests of the direction they needed to go to get to the next room.
For guests who are mobility impaired, wheelchair accessibility appeared to be good. We didn’t have anyone with a wheelchair, but ramps and elevation changes in the floor were small and should be easy to navigate. Passages were wide enough to comfortably traverse with a mobility aid, and the rooms provided ample space to move.
Experiences
While I was unfortunately not able to fully appreciate the visual aspect of the show, my wife explained each visual component she saw, and expressed her enjoyment. Each room had a distinct visual component, and light often played a large part in this.
There were several opportunities throughout the show to touch explore areas of the rooms, and the guides did an admirable job of letting those who were totally blind know exactly what they were going to be touching – well done.
Each room had a unique sound scene in the installation. Most of the ambient sounds were subtle and not overly loud and obtrusive. Smells also played a key part in the experience, and as with the ambient sounds, the smells were not overpowering and added to the feeling of the scene rather than detracting from it.
Conclusion
I commend The Denver Center for the Performing arts and the cast members of the Theater of the Mind for making accessibility for their visual-centric performances a priority. The Theater of the Mind performance was equally entertaining and thought provoking. As someone who appreciates the work of David Byrne, I loved the candid glimpse into his life and memories.
“Ted’s journey into the landscape of the human body is a marvelous celebration of all that is physical, sensual and diverse
” – FSTOPPERS
About the author
Ted Tahquechi is a blind photographer, travel influencer, disability advocate and photo educator based in Denver, Colorado. You can see more of Ted’s work at www.tahquechi.com
Ted operates Blind Travels, a travel blog designed specifically to empower blind and visually impaired travelers. https://www.blindtravels.com/
Ted’s body-positive Landscapes of the Body project has been shown all over the world, learn more about this intriguing collection of photographic work at: https://www.bodyscapes.photography/
Questions or comments? Feel free to email Ted at: nedskee@tahquechi.com
Instagram: @nedskee
Twitter: @nedskee
Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Wireless Desktop Keyboard and Mouse
A little over a year ago, I purchased a Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Wireless Desktop Keyboard and Mouse to replace my aging ergonomic keyboard, which was also from Microsoft. At the time, choices were limited and even though I didn’t need a keyboard, I ended up with the keyboard and mouse combo setup because that was the only option my local office store had in stock. I had long seen the sculpt mouse and wondered how it felt to use. I was perhaps even more curious about how accessible the tech would be for a blind user.
The Hardware
The Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Wireless Desktop Keyboard and Mouse come in a total of four pieces, the keyboard, sculpt mouse, number pad and the USB receiver. For those of us who don’t like to read directions or look up on the web how to set things up initial setup was a bit frustrating.
The setup
I have used a lot of wireless devices in my time and usually, you install the batteries, plug in the USB receiver and install the software to get your keyboard and or mouse working. Microsoft veers away from tradition when it comes to hardware with this product, rather than having a normal slide and lock panel to access the batteries on the bottom of the devices, Microsoft opted for a battery compartment on the keyboard and mouse which is held to the device with magnets. The normal slide and push is replaced with finding a small notch to lift the panel. The battery compartment for the number pad is accessed with a small screwdriver to unlock the door. There is no consistency for opening the devices, and there is no consistency with the batteries. The keyboard takes two AAA batteries, both of which face toward the top of the keyboard unlike the usual one up and one down configuration. The mouse is similar, with both batteries facing toward the front of the mouse, and the mouse uses double AA batteries. The number pad uses one of those large flat batteries that are like a watch battery bit bigger. Three different kinds of batteries, three different ways to open the battery compartment, I began at this point to wonder if Microsoft did any accessibility testing on this product at all.
With my batteries installed in the components, I began the search for the USB dongle. I tore the box apart and dug through the packaging thinking I had dropped it. A quick Google search revealed that the USB receiver was located in a receptacle in the battery compartment of the mouse. It was at this point that I was sure they had done zero accessibility testing. I installed the USB receiver and everything worked.
Use
As mentioned, it has been a bit over a year now since I got this mouse and keyboard setup. I find the keyboard comfortable to use and comfortable to type on for long periods of time. Battery life for the keyboard has been about a year with daily use. The mouse batteries lasted about six months with similar use. I have not had to replace the battery in the number pad as of yet.
The ability to move the keyboard anywhere on the desk and not have to worry about wires is great, and as mentioned the keyboard is comfortable to type on even for long periods of time. Where the keyboard excels, the mouse falls short for me. I tried for a very long time to acclimate myself to the height of the mouse, which is very high compared to other lower profile mice like the standard offerings from Logitech or Razer. I would put the sculpt mouse in the poor category, and would not recommend. I’m also not a big fan of the number pad being separate from the keyboard. I find myself losing it on my desk and productivity suffers compared to using a traditional keyboard with the number pad attached. The keyboard also has a few annoying quirks.
Troubles
The Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Wireless Desktop Keyboard does a good job of being awake and ready to type on at any time. Some wireless keyboards need a moment to wake up when you first start using them. I’m a pretty fast typist and find that the Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Wireless Desktop Keyboard will often miss the first letter of a word after a pause in typing. I have moved the receiver to different ports including a port located on the monitor which is located right above the keyboard to resolve this issue. I am using the latest version of the companion software.
Another issue which has plagued many users, myself included is the tendency for the keyboard to stop working all together. At first I pulled the batteries and let the keyboard acquire the signal to the receiver again, but it would stop working again after five minutes or so. The software had no errors and seemed to work fine, the solution ended up being a stuck key. Running my fingers along every key I finally found the stuck key and tapped it a few times, resolving the issue. I mention this specifically because I found this very frustrating, and is a common issue with this keyboard among users online.
Conclusion
The Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Wireless Desktop Keyboard and Mouse has quite a few odd hardware decisions and some functionality issues. Accessibility should be considered as poor for this product, and I cannot recommend it to anyone regardless of their visual acuity.
Why is technology and software for people with visual impairment so expensive?
Anyone who has browsed the costs for software or hardware commonly used by those who are blind or visually impaired has certainly suffered sticker shock at the prices associated with this useful tech. Why does it cost so much to buy products that can make people’s lives easier, and the world more accessible? Let’s talk about it.
The market
When a company like Apple develops a new product, there are numerous costs associated with delivering the device to market that you may not be aware of. There are teams of people to design the unit, develop innovative technology that will go into the gadget, manufacture the product, and let’s not forget about packaging, delivering, marketing, and finally sales. The entire operation also needs management, and all these players do not count the support staff. Depending on the size of the company, these roles can be a massive team of people, or multiple jobs can fall to one person. In the case of a new iPhone, these costs are offset by the millions of units that Apple will sell once the new product has been released to the market, but companies who develop hardware or software for the blind or visually impaired market, are supporting a significantly smaller user base than a larger company would.
According to a 2016 study from the National Federation for the Blind, adults with mild to severe vision loss make up only 2.4% of the U.S. population. A report by the American Federation for the Blind shows that only 40% of the students who need assistive technology are given the chance to do so, this number should translate to adults who have experience with and actively use assistive hardware and software technology. Taking the overall numbers of U.S. citizens with significant vision loss, into consideration illustrates the significantly smaller potential install base for assistive technology when comparing to a mainstream product like a new iPhone. When you compound the numbers with the estimated 40% of those people having access to the assistive technology they need, the number of people who will use the technology developed by companies like Freedom Scientific, the developers of the JAWS screen reader, it begins to become clearer that these companies need to charge more for their products to break even on their development costs because they are aiming at a significantly smaller target customer base.
Subsidies
Companies who develop assistive technology can often receive subsidies from government agencies because their products are utilized in many rehabilitation programs. This can help these companies but where does it leave those who are visually impaired and not working with a rehabilitation agency but still need assistive technology like a screen reader?
Costs
Until recently, the cost of a license for JAWS was in the 1200 USD range, and closed-circuit television (CCTVs) which are used to magnify printed material range in the many thousands of dollars depending on the features of the unit. Recent changes in screen reader pricing and a move to an annual subscription-based model have eased things a bit, but for most people who are visually impaired and on a fixed budget, these costs are oppressively high, which is why many turn to free or low-cost alternatives.
Alternatives
A free and open-source screen reader called NVDA is available and does have many of the features that enterprise-level options like JAWS has. Similarly, there are a multitude of magnifier apps for iPhone and the Android operating system which offer “good enough” functionality when it comes to reading text. The problem with low cost and free alternatives is that the customer benefits from a short-term solution, but each time someone uses the free NVDA screen reader, it takes a potential paid customer away from the developers creating paid versions of the software. Likewise, free or low-cost software solutions often lack the support and training that a program like JAWS can offer.
Reducing the support for the companies making this software and hardware means less income. Less income means less innovation for those who are paying for the program and less innovation for the industry. I’m not saying that everyone should go out and pay for these programs, I’m just pointing out that there is a reason why the accessibility industry is evolving and innovating slower than other industries.
Conclusion
Hopefully this has given you a bit of an insight into some of the reasons why accessible technology is so expensive compared to other products in the same market. What do you think? Do you use paid or free options for your accessibility needs? Which screen reader do you prefer? Feel free to drop me a message on any of my social media links below and let’s chat.
Article resources
If you would like more information about the statistics cited in this article feel free to visit the links below.
National Federation for the Blind statistics report
https://nfb.org/resources/blindness-statistics
American Federation for the Blind statistics report
“Ted’s journey into the landscape of the human body is a marvelous celebration of all that is physical, sensual and diverse
” – FSTOPPERS
About the author
Ted Tahquechi is a blind photographer, travel influencer, disability advocate and photo educator based in Denver, Colorado. You can see more of Ted’s work at www.tahquechi.com
Ted operates Blind Travels, a travel blog designed specifically to empower blind and visually impaired travelers. https://www.blindtravels.com/
Ted’s body-positive Landscapes of the Body project has been shown all over the world, learn more about this intriguing collection of photographic work at: https://www.bodyscapes.photography/
Questions or comments? Feel free to email Ted at: nedskee@tahquechi.com
Instagram: @nedskee
Twitter: @nedskee