#Blind users, users that rely heavily on #keyboardNavigation or anyone else with a preference on that matter (please indicate what applies in the comments):

Do you have a preference for or comments on the format of URLs? During user research, we have learned that URLs that are easy to handle are a good thing.

We are currently considering to introduce URLs that do not need more reserved usernames in #Forgejo, such as https://codeberg.org/-/something/ or https://codeberg.org/_something/.

Webinar: Learn how to Create #PowerPoint Presentations as a #ScreenReader user
March 25, 2025, from 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. eastern via #Zoom. Register at: https://nfb.org/programs-services/center-excellence-nonvisual-access/events/accessibility-boutique-reg
#blind #A11Y #NFB

Brain dump ahead:

So I've kinda loked into making open source Android apps accessible, kinda. So, what I've maybe not figured out so far:

* You can use Android content description in a view or item attribute list.
* But some stuff is linked to other stuff. So in bigger projects I kinda just have to follow the path to where things are actually created rather than called.
* I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing.
* Maybe if you use null on the description, TalkBack will at least be able to focus on the element if it's a view TalkBack normally can't. Or you can do android focusable=true or something.

Again, I just want to make apps more accessible for now, and all this info is probably wrong.

“From shoes to leg bands... What’s going on here?
I’m starting to think they’re just afraid of me.”

- Zeus.

Seriously though, we’re building something big—so follow us and stay tuned!

Have made my first ever experience with the package pickup stations of the Austrian post last weekend. They have been made accessible to the blind. The procedure is as follows: 1. You receive a physical notification about a package being dropped off at a station in your mailbox. 2. The notification has one of its corners cut off to make a tactile difference. This way you can tell where the code you need to scan is located. 3. You go to the pickup station. The tactile flooring inside will guide you to the stations. 4. You touch anywhere on the touch screen of the station. 5. You touch again, this time the area above a circle shape that can be touched on a strip below the screen itself. 6. The voice guide is activated and issues further instructions. 7. You place the code on your notification in front of the reader. 8. Assuming it has been scanned correctly, you proceed to signing the delivery confirmation on the touch screen. How you can do it without seeing the screen is still a mystery to me but I guess anything you draw is accepted by the system. 9. The locker opens and makes a ticking sound until you find it, remove your package and shut the door. I still find the way of opening it with a mobile app that some providers in other countries offer far easier but it's great those are ready for use even if you don't want or can't use a smartphone. #Accessibility #Blind

Hey, folks who use screenreaders. I often use asterisks and parentheses in my writing, because the structure forms as I write. I've just realized that may make my stuff less accessible for you.

Is there a different way for me to add short snippets of clarifying text that's more accessible?

Thanks!

Thanks to a meetup at our local hackerspace @metalab , I have learnt about a web-based, open source, highly accessible video downloader frontend you can fire up at https://cobalt.tools. Really easy how it works: 1. You open the site; 2. you paste the link into the edit box; 3. You press enter; 4. The standard "Save File" dialog comes up. All the extra stuff like formats and qualities can be set in the settings and a choice between a video, audio-only or video-only version is offered under a button below the link input. #Accessibility #Blind

Kraftwerk has been a favorite band of mine for many years now, but I can't for the life of me find a place to buy their first 3 albums because they're out of print or deleted or whatever.
I've heard them on youtube of course, but it'd be really nice to actually have them in some format or another.
#audio #blind #kraftwerk #music

Hey #Blind friends on Mastodon I have a question. when in the Facebook Messenger app for #iOS, using #VoiceOver how does one successfully send an audio message? I know how to do it in WhatsApp but can't seem to manage it in the Messenger app. I tried holding the record button, I tried double tapping and letting go I tried double tapping and sliding like one can in WhatsApp and nothing is working. I'm sure it's me.

Most of the time, I don't care about being #blind. I don't dwell on it, and I just go on about my business, dealing with the unique aspects of life that come up when you have a #disability. But I can't help the frustration that comes when I've just spent the last four hours doing something a sighted person could do in five minutes.

Wanna see a truly positive documentary? Pick Of The Litter - videoneat.com/documentaries/26…

This is how this society should be: focusing on useful things. Dogs are really great creatures.

#blind #mac #voiceOver users, I'm working on a #stream idea to essentially set up a mac from scratch for efficiency/productivity for a blind power user and am gathering tricks, tools and techniques to include in said stream. I know about the obvious like VOCR, Hammerspoon, launchers like raycast/alfred, specialized apps like Drafts/Logic/Vmware Fusion/BBEdit/VS Code, even more specialized stuff like RCMD, Vollama and Shortcat, maybe some Rogue Amoeba stuff. I will also mention VoiceOver features like hotspots, item chooser, fastSearch and activities. Is there anything major I am missing? @FreakyFwoof @pitermach

I had a conversation with someone at my swimming pool last week that’s left me puzzled. I felt bad as I thought I’d been quite short with her but couldn’t put my finger on why. We were having a nice enough chat; she was just curious, asking me about my sighted assistant who helps me around as I use a wheelchair but also walk in some parts of the centre. She said she felt sorry for my assistant as she doesn’t get to swim with me. I explained the adjustments that are made that allow me to go swimming and that she keeps me safe on the slippery surfaces as I can’t walk far and have bad balance etc. All fine, common enough stuff people ask me about. She then went on to say that she’s seen me around for a while and often has a chat to my assistant while I’m in the pool and I realise that I was off with her after that mainly because it’s kind of creepy! Before that chat I literally didn’t know she existed as I can’t see her while she’d been watching me, forming opinions about me, and talking with my assistant for weeks. People don’t appreciate how weird it is to know they’ve been watched and how vulnerable that can make you feel, however much we understand there’s no malicious intent in their actions #disability #blind

Sanna menetti kuulonsa lapsena ja sokeutui kaksikymppisenä – kertoo nyt, miksi ei halunnut näköä palauttavaa leikkausta

Sanna Paasonen, 45, menetti lapsena kuulonsa, nuorena aikuisena myös näkönsä. Harvinaisesta sairaudesta huolimatta hän toteutti unelmansa ja opiskeli opettajaksi.

https://www.eeva.fi/jutut/sanna-sairastaa-kid-syndroomaa

I'm thrilled to announce that I've been accepted as a student at #ColoradoChristianUniversityOnline! I'll be pursuing a B.S. in #ComputerScience. The school's class format seems much more manageable for me than other schools I've attended, and I'm feeling optimistic about this new chapter.

Now begins the challenging process of hunting for #scholarships. Unfortunately, I'm discovering just how inaccessible most scholarship websites are for screen reader users. If anyone knows of #accessible scholarship resources or platforms, I'd greatly appreciate your recommendations!