Adrian fantastic job. Sounds like a busy meeting.
All The Best,
Ken
On 17 Feb 2024, at 17:13, Adrian <hello@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
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
