FB Exchange Cork Meeting minutes 17/02/2024
Welcome to the FB Exchange Cork gathering on the 17th of February 2024,
a relaxed weekend session. We ventured into a variety of topics today,
with a focus on technical matters which are at the forefront of this
minutes. We were joined by 10 members, and apologies were noted. Today,
your note-taker is Adrian.
Upcoming events:
We discussed the forthcoming Uncontracted Braille Course offered by VI,
commencing on Friday the 23rd via Teams. For further information, please
visit: https://vi.ie/event/uncontracted-braille-course/ or contact
training@xxxxx.
Don't miss out on Tuesday at 11 am on Midland Radio 103 - Tune in to
Anne Marie Kelly's documentary on Sightless Cinema. Listeners can access
the broadcast by asking Alexa to play the station or at
https://www.midlands103.com/ (if that's the station's website. Ger can
confirm.)
Friday 1 March 3 pm at Hugh Lane Gallery: In the Dark - a live audio
play - brings to life dramatic turning points in the lives of five
people who are blind or visually impaired.
https://hughlane.ie/whats_on/in-the-dark-live-performance-1mar2024/
Technical matters:
During our discussion on OCR functionality, Cearbhall mentioned that
this feature is available in NVDA and likely in JAWS as well. Stuart
added that Voiceover OCR is a capability. This feature allows users to
capture screenshots containing a picture with text in it, which is then
automatically recognized and copied to the clipboard for pasting into a
text editor. For NVDA, an addon is required, which can be found here:
https://addons.nvda-project.org/addons/ocr.en.html#:~:text=To%20perform%20OCR%2C%20move%20to,in%20the%20%22Miscellaneous%22%20category
Martin shared his difficulties using the new VI Hub skill for lady A
devices, and others confirmed experiencing similar issues.
Bookshare was discussed. This is the free book library available for
people with reading disability including those visually impaired. It is
available at https://bookshare.ie/.
It integrates both with the Voice Dream app for iOS and Easy Reader for
Android, but also it allows you to download the book in different
formats and use any compatible software. This led to the discussion of
various voice models available and the Audible app which Cearbhall said
he struggled with while reading a certain book. Borrowbox is also a good
option for books.
An extensive discussion about how important is one get the skill of
using TalkBack or Voiceove. Alxa was also covered and how it helps.
While discssing about PC or laptop preference, people agreed the
challenges of using laptop keyboards. It was recommended to utilize an
external Bluetooth or wired keyboard with well-raised and clearly
defined keys. Adrian particularly recommends a Dell keyboard for its
excellent design and usability.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-multimedia-profile-Keyboard-580-ADGV-Black/dp/B07W2XJPDS/ref=asc_df_B07W2XJPDS/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=394280480146&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=779454070978923214&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9181192&hvtargid=pla-845542589758&psc=1&mcid=ac2d08ec7e0d321dba07f5fd5a0ef283&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=88750752904&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=394280480146&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=779454070978923214&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9181192&hvtargid=pla-845542589758
Various other topics:
Cearbhall engaged the audience in a discussion about their preferences
in board games. He mentioned a friend who is developing board games and
expressed interest in knowing what types of games the VIP community
enjoys and how these games can be made accessible. Chess and Monopoly
were among the games mentioned. The conversation then delved into the
accessibility of chess, with further exploration on methods to make it
accessible. For more insights into how blind individuals play chess, you
can visit: https://ibca-info.org/how-visually-impaired-play-chess/
If the notes are accurate, the individual is also interested in creating
the board game called Fidchell, known as the Irish game of kings.
https://emeraldisle.ie/the-rules-of-fidchell#:~:text=The%20ancient%20game%20of%20Fidchell,predates%20chess%20by%20many%20centuries.
Conversations also veered into topics ranging from holidays and weather
to even touching on a bit of politics.
The meeting has ended. Now, brace yourselves for a flood of appreciative
emails to the list -- members are all eager to shower it with praise for
the note-taker! While I appreciate your kind words, let's spare our
inboxes from exploding, shall we? Feel free to drop me a line in private
if you must. Thanks, folks!
Regards,
Adrian