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What better way to bring us all together than through music?
Join us for a Facebook Live "Together at Home" concert, featuring award-winning singer/songwriter, Michael Tiernan. Michael is an accomplished musician and has a natural, captivating spirit that we'd love to share with you.
Share this with friends and family, and anyone you can think of that you'd like to bring together! Visit our Facebook page for up-to-date event information and learn how to submit song requests and more!
Greetings eReaders! I hope this note finds all of you doing well, and staying positive during these trying times. As many of you know, in 2008, we at Flying Blind, LLC formed a partnership with Dean Martineau, and have been publishing the Top Tech Tidbits Newsletter on a weekly basis. We've collectively delivered countless news items to the inboxes of thousands of subscribers, a most rewarding experience for all who have been involved. We have appreciated your ongoing readership over the past 12+ years very much.
In the interest of transparency, besides wanting to provide to the industry an objective source for all of its Assistive Technology and Digital Accessibility news, Flying Blind, LLC has utilized this publication to create a number of business opportunities which, in turn, have funded this publication. It costs money and time to properly distribute a weekly newsletter to close to 7,000 active subscribers.
As many of you know, two years ago I stepped away from all Flying Blind-related business ventures and joined a leading accessibility firm full-time. It's been a rewarding two years for me professionally with plenty of opportunities for growing new skill sets. When I stepped away from Flying Blind, LLC I agreed to continue self-funding this publication for a minimum of two years. I've used my own personal money to keep this publication going; because of my full-time employment focus, coupled with risking possible conflicts of interest, I haven't been able to effectively create a means by which Tidbits can sustain itself financially without my ongoing financial assistance while I am still associated with the Publication.
Well, we're approaching two years this month, and I have decided to step away from this publication. Issue 757 of Top Tech Tidbits slated for distribution on May 28th 2020 will be the last issue where I am involved with this publication on all fronts. I want to personally thank each and every reader for allowing me to play a role in sharing news with you each and every week. I deeply appreciate the opportunity, and am thankful for all of you.
We have a transition plan in place for this Publication. Effective June 1st 2020, I'll be transferring ownership of the rights to distribute the Top Tech Tidbits Publication, along with all applicable assets, over to my associates at Mind Vault Solutions, Ltd: https://mvsltd.com/.
For over 13 years, this online marketing firm has been the wind beneath Flying Blind, LLC's marketing and technology wings, and the publication will be in more than capable hands moving forward. Dean Martineau will continue to be the Editor-in-Chief for all Tidbits content, but Mind Vault Solutions, Ltd. will assume all publication rights and distribution responsibilities for this publication effective with Issue 758 slated for distribution on June 4th 2020.
Mind Vault Solutions, Ltd. has a thoughtful plan to rebrand Top Tech Tidbits with a website specific to Tidbits news at http://www.toptechtidbits.com/, and I'm pleased to announce an initiative whereby Top Tech Tidbits will now be offering sponsorship opportunities for organizations, agencies, and companies interested in benefiting from this publication's extensive reach: http://www.toptechtidbits.com/sponsorship-information.html.
I'll be assisting them in getting this sponsorship up and running over the next three weeks. Again, while I'll be moving on as of June 1st 2020, Top Tech Tidbits is here to stay for the foreseeable future.
Once again, thank you all for a fantastic chapter of my career. Here's to turning the page and beginning a new chapter for this invaluable publication.
This webinar will introduce common accessibility barriers vision-impaired employees face in vocational settings as well as identify challenges faced by employers when providing accommodations to overcome these barriers.Attendees will learn how to offer reasonable accommodations to vision-impaired employees through strategic planning, execution of a targeted assessment, and JAWS for Windows scripting services. The webinar will place special emphasis on independent and efficient task completion that will result in maximum productivity and efficiency when operating in a competitive work environment. Strategies for incorporating digital accessibility know-how across a worksite to raise awareness among the vision-impaired employees' sighted co-workers will also be addressed.
As we collectively grapple with the challenges presented by a Global Pandemic, Digital Accessibility expectations are greatly increasing, as our vision-impaired students and employees are tasked with alternative means of accessing educational content and completing vocational tasks from a distance. Our accessibility health check provides valuable insight into your Organization's current Accessibility State and provides actions for improvement. It's an opportunity for growth; a chance for your team to take a step back and prioritize the actions that will get you to a more inclusive state while managing your potential legal risks.
TPG's Accessibility Health Check is an optimal and affordable combination of testing, education, and strategic consulting to set your organization on a fast-path to accessibility or ensure that it stays on course.
Health Check provides your team with a packaged solution intended to help your organization make quick and effective improvements, offering a robust method to help your organization achieve its accessibility goals without decimating your budget.
TPG's Accessibility Health Check Components:
Accessibility Kickstarter Plan:
A session with one of our strategy experts to assess your current accessibility state and outline a plan for the short-term.
High-Risk Primary User Journey Assessment:
Includes 6 URLs visited during primary user journey and identifies critical/high priority issues requiring remediation.
ARC Monitoring:
1 year access to ARC Monitoring, which includes 12 monthly scans of digital content, providing insights, trends, and analytics, as well as your WCAG density rating, for one website and up to 1,000 URLs.
ARC Toolkit and Toolkit Training:
An in-depth guide that explains in detail how to use ARC Toolkit alongside ARC Monitoring for accessibility testing.
Do you work for, or represent an Organization who wishes to proactively manage its accessibility risks through automated and manual testing, but have no idea how to jump-start the process?
Do you lack the tools necessary to test your web content against WCAG and Section 508 Guidelines and validate results through comprehensive manual testing?
Introducing You to ARC/JI, A Bundled Accessibility Package That Provides You With:
➜ ARC Toolkit: A free Chrome plug-in that offers real-time automated analysis of your code as you are developing it, providing feedback and advice for remediating in accordance with WCAG 2.1.
➜ ARC Monitoring: Services for 12-months, allowing you to prioritize the remediation of web defects; implementing accessibility best practices across your Organization; and proactively managing your current and future accessibility efforts.
➜ JAWS Inspect: 5-Seats, 12-Month Subscription. The Industry's only fully loaded testing variant for the JAWS For Windows screenreader. This tool lessens the training time for QA testers to learn how to use a screenreader while demonstrating an immediate impact on accessibility and usability.
We're offering this comprehensive package to our readership for $9,000 - pennies on the dollar when it comes to reducing the time and dollars associated with the struggles one can face when undertaking such testing efforts without these software services.
We're also including one complimentary hour of post-sales orientation to get you up and running using these tools!
A heartfelt Happy Holidays to our Readership! We very much appreciate each and every one of you who subscribe to this weekly Adaptec Touch-base, and would like to take this opportunity to wish you a Blessed Holiday Season. May your time spent with loved-ones create lasting memories for you to cherish. We'll be taking a break for a couple of weeks to recharge the batteries, and will be back on January 9, 2020 with another jam-packed issue of Top Tech Tidbits. Until then, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!
For those of you who may have missed it, we're sharing the recording to the webinar that Larry Lewis conducted last week: "Overcoming Obstacles to Manual Accessibility Testing".
This webinar is approximately 45 minutes in length, but covers a lot of ground.
Please feel free to reach out by email with any questions, or to obtain a copy of the slide deck that was used at: accessibility@flying-blind.com ✉!
Webinar Recording: Overcoming Obstacles of Manual Accessibility Testing http://bit.ly/2PdGaSY
Let's face it: screen reader testing is cumbersome. Without comprehensive training (as well as expert level knowledge) of a desktop screen reader, the process of performing manual screen reader compatibility tests can be daunting and often riddled with headaches and missteps.
Join Larry Lewis, Director of Government Sales and Strategic Partnerships, on December 4 at 12pm ET as he shows you how to make manual screen reader accessibility testing fun, informative, and efficient!
This webinar will identify a number of barriers and difficulties that manual accessibility testing pose to QA testers and developers. Larry will share potential testing pitfalls and tips on how to avoid them, and he will demonstrate a time and cost saving alternative for identifying, capturing, sharing, and remediating usability defects within websites and web applications.
Don't miss your chance to learn how to make screen reader testing significantly easier. Register here: http://bit.ly/35yJtcC
If you are planning on attending the Accessing Higher Ground Conference next week, why not swing by the Exhibit Hall on November 20th and 21st and visit the Vispero Team located in booths #9 and #10 in the Exhibit Hall.
Come check out our entire continuum of assistive technology solutions along with our accessibility product and service offerings.
We believe that first-rate assistive technology should be undergirded by forward thinking accessibility best practices with solutions to efficiently realize them.
Come check out all that we have to offer your students who are disabled as well as meet with us to determine how we might ensure that the digital content that they are accessing conforms to today's accessibility guidelines.
Larry Lewis will be on-hand to show you how products like ARC, JAWS Inspect, and JAWS For Kiosk enable you and your Educational Institution to Manage its comprehensive Accessibility Effort.
We're looking forward to visiting with you in higher altitudes outside of the Mile-high City next week!!!
Has your Organization invested in applications that are not accessible to screenreader users, and you've reached an accessibility impasse with the application developer?
Never fear! We, at The Paciello Group have you covered! Because we are the Digital Accessibility Arm for Vispero, home to Freedom Scientific Software, we are able to offer you state-of-the-art JAWS Scripting services.
We're able to provide robust, yet intuitive alternatives to the most complex desktop applications through either onsite or remote scripting services.
We increase your vision-impaired staff's productivity, providing unparalleled on the job satisfaction for the entire agency!
So before throwing in the "Adaptec Towel", contact us, and allow us the opportunity to give you exemplary JAWS scripting services in a timely and responsive manner!
Our powerful accessibility scanning tool, ARC Monitoring, will crawl your site and report on the errors found in the first 25, 50, and 100 pages out from your home page.
This analysis will help you identify your existing problems and work on a plan to become more accessible, as well as give you a taste of how ARC Monitoring can help your organization.
Do you work for an Organization seeking a relevant database chock full of accessibility know-how undergirded with cutting-edge techniques? Are you a QA Tester, Developer, or a Project Manager who in desperate need of context-specific answers to the trickiest accessibility obstacles? If so, then you may be a candidate for TPGKB! What is TPG Knowledge Base? It's a comprehensive catalog of strategies and techniques to ensure that your content is conformant to today's accessibility guidelines. This catalog contains three modules: responsive web, iOS, and Android. Knowledgebase is structured around a comprehensive catalogue of digital elements like forms, images, tables, etc. Each element section has three parts:
The group of people with disabilities impacted by the element's accessibility issues
Techniques for making the element accessible
A reference to the WCAG guidelines that define the suggested technique
TPG KB customers enjoy the benefits of:
Reliable and accurate accessibility techniques from an expert source
Robust and broad ranging information in one easy-to-access location
Purchase one module for a tremendous savings, or purchase all three modules for a ridiculous discount off its suggested list price! For more information, email accessibility@flying-blind.com or call +1 (216) 381-8107 ☎.
These discounts will be in place through June 28, 2019 so act now for this tremendous savings on invaluable Accessibility know-how!
Whether you're new to web accessibility or have been struggling to meet ADA requirements for a while, an accessibility health check provides valuable insight into your current state and provides actions for improvement. It's an opportunity for growth; a chance for your team to take a step back and prioritize the actions that will get you to a more inclusive state.
TPG's Accessibility Health Check is an optimal and affordable combination of testing, education, and strategic consulting to set your organization on a fast-path to accessibility or ensure that it stays on course.
Health Check provides your team with a packaged solution intended to help your organization make quick and effective improvements, offering a robust method to help your organization achieve its accessibility goals without decimating your budget.
TPG's Accessibility Health Check Components:
High-Risk Primary User Journey Assessment:
Includes 6 URLs visited during primary user journey and identifies critical/high priority issues.
ARC Monitoring:
12-month access to ARC Monitoring, which includes monthly insights, trends, and analytics, as well as your WCAG density rating, for one website and up to 500 URLs. It also includes an Initial Domain Analysis on 100 URLs.
ARC Toolkit and Toolkit Training:
An in-depth guide that explains in detail how to use ARC Toolkit alongside ARC Monitoring for accessibility testing.
TPG Tutor: Introduction to Accessibility:
12-month access to the Intro to Accessibility module from our e-learning portfolio, TPG Tutor. This module delivers a foundational overview of what accessibility is and why it's important.
Accessibility Kickstarter Plan:
A session with one of our strategy experts to assess your current accessibility state and outline a plan for the future.
Price: $14,500
For more information, email accessibility@flying-blind.com or call +1 (216) 381-8107 ☎! What are you waiting for? Get started managing your accessibility risks at a most affordable price today!!!
If you missed last week's webinar conducted by Larry Lewis: "Taking The Bite Out Of JAWS Testing", never fear! We've got you covered.
A recording of the webinar along with accompanying slide deck for the presentation can be found at the link below!
We had close to 200 participants in attendance last week.
If you were one of those who attended this webinar, we'd like to express our thanks to you for taking time out of your busy schedule to attend.
Recording plus Slide Deck for 'Taking The Bite Out of JAWS Testing' by Larry Lewis from webinar aired Thursday, January 31st 2019 at 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US & Canada): http://bit.ly/2t7m4hb
Struggling to manage the adverse risk posed to your organization by the deployment of inaccessible content?
Seeking guidance on building accessibility best practices into your development cycle?
We offer a comprehensive range of services to address your accessibility needs - from accessibility testing of your websites, web applications and mobile apps to identify accessibility issues and assist in their repair, to conducting research and usability testing to share insights into how people with disabilities experience your products, to providing strategic guidance or accessibility training to help you build accessibility capacity within your organization.
When it comes to accessibility, we have the expertise to help you succeed on countless fronts!
Service Offerings We Provide:
Comprehensive Audit: The best way to gain a thorough understanding of the accessibility level of your website, web application or native app.
UX Services: Offers an opportunity to discover how people with disabilities and people who use assistive technologies engage with your brand.
Training: Our onsite or virtual Training options are an effective way to embed accessibility knowledge within your team.
Help Desk: Our Help Desk Services provides ongoing accessibility support for your team via a ticket-based system that makes it easy for stakeholders to ask questions and get responses back with quick turnaround.
Strategy & Program Development: Our Strategy & Program Development services offer the expertise to perform strategic consulting on accessibility processes or to help you develop your Accessibility Program so that accessibility is being addressed across systems, processes, and people within your organization.
If you are employed by, or lead an Organization committed to providing manual, accessibility test services for web content using the JAWS screenreader, but your testing and developer teams have individuals who are not JAWS users, then the newly released JAWS Inspect Solution is your missing ingredient for optimizing your test processes while maximizing your accessibility efforts.
This one of a kind testing tool vastly simplifies accessibility and JAWS compatibility testing, while removing complex feature sets of the end-user.
With its newly released "say all" feature and "speech viewer", this tool now offers visual functionality beyond the scope of web testing!
Imagine being able to view what JAWS is speaking to the end user across countless applications?
JAWS Inspect uses transcripts of JAWS output to quickly diagnose issues and share them easily across quality control and compliance systems, providing a visual representation of the user experience to the sighted developer.
Benefits include, but are not limited to:
Simplified JAWS use for testers
Text transcript of JAWS output for use in bug tracking and compliance programs
Real-time identification of issues
Rapid rollout with limited training required
Demonstrates impact of the deployment of inaccessible content
And assists in eliminating risks that the deployment of inaccessible content presents to your organization and its stakeholders
For more information, or to schedule a demonstration for you and your organization, please email accessibility@flying-blind.com ✉ or call +1 (216) 381-8107 ☎ today. We're standing by to assist you in simplifying your web accessibility test process.
Whether you are a novice to accessibility or a seasoned pro, sometimes your best start to accessibility is to let technology do some of the heavy lifting. Designers, developers and testers dealing with an accessibility project or program are looking for ways to inform their team quickly about what's inaccessible within their digital content and get rapid insight as to how to fix it. There's a more optimal way to achieve accessibility compliance in a timely, responsive, and cost-effective manner using Accessibility Resource Center (ARC).
Includes next generation automated testing know-how, ARC looks for machine-detectable accessibility defects within digital content. Designed for rapid scanning of a web domain, ARC will crawl through your website identifying accessibility violations against common standards, including WCAG 2.0 A/AA or Section 508.
ARC is powerful, customizable, and affordable. It transforms scanned data into meaningful, actionable insight, and is an excellent means of managing the profound risks that inaccessible content poses to an organization.
Have you been directed to make a website or mobile app 'accessible', but have no idea where to begin? Or perhaps you know a bit about accessibility and really want to immerse yourself in the field, but you can't afford to have you or your team out for multiple days in an onsite class. With rich content available in an easy to use, on-demand format, TPG Tutor is here to help your organization tackle the field of accessibility in a scalable and responsive manner.
Embrace Simple, Cost-Effective Accessibility Training with TPG Tutor
Whether you're new to accessibility or a seasoned veteran, it's valuable to have reliable, structured training materials that you can access at your own pace. TPG Tutor is an affordable and effective means to train yourself or your staff in accessibility.
Choose from a wide array of courses that provide an introduction to accessibility all the way through to deep-dive development techniques. Purchase one course, two courses, or the entire library of courses for as many or as few users as you require. TPG Tutor is self-paced, easy to use, and available on the Arc platform, or optionally priced for use in your own LMS.
For more information, email accessibility@flying-blind.com or call +1 (216) 381-8107 ☎ today. We're standing by to assist. Feel free to check out the YouTube video below for additional details!
Greetings to all! I trust this message finds you well, and that our friends in the Northern Hemisphere are gearing up for Summertime, my favorite season of the four!
Over the past 12+ years, we at Flying Blind, LLC have been fortunate to have worked with a number of fantastic organizations and end users. We've participated in countless projects with the end goal of empowering as many persons as possible by assisting them in selecting appropriate technologies at prices that they can afford as well as shaping how they utilize these technologies within desktop and mobile environments - independence and efficiency has been at the heart of what we do.
More recently, we've begun to expand the scope of Flying Blind, LLC beyond the realm of assistive technologies, and have shifted our focus to more of an "accessibility" mindset - working with organizations committing to ensuring that electronic information is developed in an accessible and responsive manner. After all, without content that adheres to accessibility guidelines, the advancement of assistive technologies are somewhat irrelevant.
A few weeks ago, I was presented with a tremendous opportunity by The Paciello Group, an organization which, in my humble opinion, is the "Gold Standard" for deploying accessibility tools and services across Federal, State, and private sectors. I've been invited to join this dynamic group of professionals as a full-time employee, and as of June 1st 2018 I've begun my role as Director of Channel Sales and Strategic Partnerships. When one seizes new opportunities, more often than not, he must let current ones go. To that end, I'll be stepping back from Flying Blind, LLC to devote my focus to contributing to Paciello Group's collective accessibility effort. It's a bitter-sweet decision, but a decision that I am at peace with. Effective immediately, Flying Blind, LLC is no longer distributing its varying lines of refreshable Braille displays. We do have a few remaining used items in the "Sale" section of our online Store, along with an assortment of daily living aids. We hope to clear these sale items by June 30th 2018. I am also redirecting a number of accessibility-based trainings and presentations to my new employer. You'll still get the same "Larry"-style service, along with the same Larry-smile! But with a different W-9 attached to the preliminary paperwork.
We're currently sorting out proceeding with the weekly newsletter, which is being pre-empted this week. We are both humbled and honored that so many people continue to contribute to, receive, and read it, and we are exploring ways to keep it rolling with less personal involvement by me. We intend to carry on with the weekly publication in the short-term, as we sort out the particulars for the coming months.
I want to personally thank each and every one of you for bringing out the best of Larry, the person, over the past 12 years. You have all helped me to grow professionally and personally in countless ways. I'm very much looking forward to serving many of you in my new capacity with The Paciello Group. If you're curious as to the types of tools and services we offer, please feel free to reach out by email at accessibility@flying-blind.com.
In closing, thanks so much for taking the time to read this news. It was difficult to write, but necessary, and I'm blessed to be stepping away from Flying Blind, LLC on my terms. Wishing all of you a blessed month of June, and a safe and enjoyable Summer!
With much respect,
Larry L. Lewis, Jr.
President and Founder
Flying Blind, LLC
We at Flying Blind, LLC are most pleased to provide a fantastic bargain on One Hardly Used Vario Ultra 40 Cell Notetaker.
This solution is lighter and sleeker than any other 40 Cell notetaker on the market, offers word processing, viewing of PDF documents and spreadsheets, a scientific calculator, and a timer as well as connectivity to computers, tablets, and mobile phones.
This unit has only been used a few times; is in pristine condition; and is in need of a good home.
With shipping included within the 48 Continental United States you will shave over $1,100.00 USD off of the retail price of this gem!
So give your fingers a Spring-time treat with a sleek, powerful, versatile solution that will provide uses for every occasion!
This is a single unit that will be sold on a first come, first serve basis.
To be the first to secure this unit, please use the Buy Now link or Add to Cart button included below.
Now that we're off and running in 2018, we would like to take a moment while you are in the throes of planning your State, Regional, and National Conferences, to remind you that Flying Blind, LLC stands ready, willing, and able to meet your Keynote Speaking, General Session, Break-Out Session, and Assistive Technology and accessibility Workshop needs.
With over 40 years of personal, and 25 years of professional experience in the Industry, Flying Blind, LLC's Founder, Larry Lewis, enjoys presenting on a number of topics specific to integrating a variety of desktop and mobile assistive technologies into educational, vocational, and community settings, providing guidance on how to best leverage the power and versatility that many accessibility solutions have to offer.
He is more than pleased to customize any presentation to ensure that it is specific to the implementation of solutions deemed appropriate in promoting both independence and efficiency.
In addition to providing a wealth of information to diverse audiences, Larry likes to keep the tone of each presentation upbeat, informative, and above all, entertaining!
For more information, to request references, or to explore scheduling options, please email speaking@flying-blind.com or call +1 (216) 381-8107 today. We're standing by to assist!
Presenting "The Why, When, and How for Reading eBooks", the 2nd Webinar in the series based on the recently published book "iOS in the Classroom: A Guide for Teaching Students with Visual Impairments" by Larry L. Lewis, Jr. Price = $49.00 USD!
Learn about the 4 different types of tools available for readers who are blind or visually impaired to access books using Braille and/or speech, and how to develop a game plan for students to effectively read eBooks using the appropriate combination of these four tools. Get the "Why", "When", and "How" by visiting the link below! Select the checkbox and receive a 15% discount off the purchase of the book, "iOS In The Classroom"!
Buy Now - Webinar: iOS in the Classroom: The Why, When, and How for Reading eBooks (eLearning) http://bit.ly/2dYEGsR
Thanks to its strategic partner, The American Foundation for the Blind, Flying Blind, LLC is most pleased to announce a tremendous, bundled savings for customers purchasing a copy of "iOS In The Classroom", authored by Larry Lewis.
With just 2.5 weeks remaining for this special pricing, purchase a paperback, EPub, or HTML annual subscription of this book on or before October 31, 2016 and receive a 50% savings on the complimentary webinar: "iPad Learning Success for Students with Vision Loss", also conducted by Larry Lewis. This webinar, valued at $49 USD, is being offered by AFB for $24.50 USD when the book is purchased. This 85 minute course provides an audio walk-through of learning strategies and methodologies covered in the book, using Power Point slides and practical product demonstrations. It's a must-have for the service provider's Professional Development Toolkit!
To take advantage of this winning combination at an unbeatable price, simply visit the link below. Select the "Add" button for the format of book you wish to purchase; then select the "Add" button for the discounted webinar! You may continue to browse and shop the AFB Online Store for more fantastic publications, or proceed to "Check Out", and enjoy and benefit from these amazing iOS Learning Resources! We're supremely confident that you'll find it to be money well spent!
Buy Now - We're Offering Tremendous Savings on Bundled iOS Professional Development Resources for the Next 2.5 Weeks! - Flying Blind, LLC Online Store http://www.bit.ly/FBLLC-AFB-BUNDLE
Are you ... Serving students and consumers who must use cloud-based Apps to complete classroom and/or employment specific tasks?
Are You ... Struggling to comprehend precisely what cloud computing is?
Are You ... Trying to figure out what opportunities cloud computing offers?
Are You ... Trying to figure out what potential challenges cloud computing presents?
Are You ... Uncertain as to which assistive technologies are best for interacting with The Cloud?
Are You ... Uncertain as to when you should introduce them?
If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions, then The OWAC Professional Development Workshop was designed for you.
The OWAC Professional Development Workshop is scalable, and as such can be delivered onsite, in-person, or remotely, via the internet. The OWAC Professional Development Workshop:
Defines "The Cloud" in easy to understand terminology, using easy to understand analogies.
Describes the relationship Apps have with The Cloud, for Apps designed to operate within a cloud.
Defines mobile and desktop platforms for interacting with these Apps.
Defines key assistive technologies for accessing these Apps
Provides strategies for "searching", "storing", and "syncing" information.
And provides strategies for "sharing", and "socializing" with sighted peers!
The OWAC Professional Development Workshop marries decades of assistive technology know-how with the fast-paced expectations of a predominantly sighted world.
The presenter of The OWAC Professional Development Workshop, Mr. Larry L. Lewis:
Has 40 years of assistive technology experience.
Has served the assistive technology industry for nearly a quarter century.
Offers practical guidance for overcoming expectations set by sighted managers and fellow business associates.
Embraces evolving technological trends while they are unfolding.
For onsite presentations The OWAC Professional Development Workshop is a one day workshop designed for groups of 20-30 educators and/or rehabilitation professionals.
For remote presentations, The OWAC Professional Development Workshop is scalable to one half day virtual sessions for larger groups, as this format requires less hands-on training of assistive technologies. Virtual sessions require an internet connection and a means of connecting and projecting via a Skype video call. The same content is covered within both the onsite and remote deliveries of The OWAC Professional Development Workshop.
Introductory pricing for The OWAC Professional Development Workshop, which includes orders received by or before December 31, 2016, is as follows:
This book represents a 'must have' for any direct service provider working with vision impaired consumers who are using iOS technology within their educational or pre-vocational settings.
This organized, illustrated, and easy-to-read guide explores the extensive accessibility options available in iOS, where to find them, and how to configure them.
'iOS in the Classroom' was created with the goal of allowing students with visual impairments to use an iPad to complete the same classroom activities as their sighted peers.
The book discusses a variety of tasks and features that promote both efficiency and independence.
Available now. Order your copy in your preferred book format, paperback, online, e-book (ePUB format), or e-book (Kindle Format) by visiting the order link below.
Order Now - 'iOS in the Classroom: A Guide for Teaching Students with Visual Impairments, iOS 9 Edition' Authored By Larry L. Lewis, Jr., President, Flying Blind LLC Now Available For Purchase - AFB Online Store http://bit.ly/iOS9-ITC-AFB-FBLLC
Flying Blind, LLC Announces the Highly Anticipated Release of 'iOS in the Classroom: A Guide for Teaching Students with Visual Impairments, iOS 9 Edition' Authored By Larry L. Lewis, Jr., President, Flying Blind LLC and Published by AFB Press
'iOS in the Classroom: A Guide for Teaching Students with Visual Impairments' is a fully illustrated, step-by-step guide to teaching the use of the iPad running iOS 9. The book explores the extensive accessibility options available, where to find them, and how to configure them. iOS in the Classroom is geared toward allowing students with visual impairments to use the iPad to complete the same classroom tasks as their sighted peers. It covers a variety of tasks and features including:
Getting acquainted with VoiceOver and Zoom
Using external keyboards and refreshable braille displays
Understanding touch screen gestures and braille chord commands
Finding and managing content in iTunes, the App Store, iCloud, and other file sharing apps
Using the iPad for online activities including internet browsing, e-mail, and instant messaging
Utilizing specific apps
This resource provides teachers with helpful, easy-to-understand iOS technology instructions, allowing them to support their students in learning, and ensuring success in the classroom.
'I am both honored and humbled to have such a globally acclaimed partner in AFB Press, the Publisher of this book. This organization's commitment to leveraging technological know-how to provide equality within the classroom and workplace for vision impaired students mirrors my own personal passion for unleashing the very opportunities that such technologies provide to those of us who truly benefit from these solutions!" - Larry L. Lewis, Jr., President, Flying Blind, LLC.
Available NOW in print, e-book, and online subscription. Order your copy TODAY using the link below! Or call (800) 232-3044!
Order Now - 'iOS in the Classroom: A Guide for Teaching Students with Visual Impairments, iOS 9 Edition' Authored By Larry L. Lewis, Jr., President, Flying Blind LLC and Published by AFB Press - AFB Store www.afb.org/store
Flying Blind, LLC is most pleased to have teamed up with its respected partner, American Foundation for the Blind E-Learning, to present the webinar: "iOS in the Classroom: iPad Learning Success for Students with Vision Loss". In this 85 minute presentation, Flying Blind, LLC's Founder, Larry Lewis walks educators and direct service providers of persons who are vision impaired through how to get the most out of their students' iOS devices for optimal learning in the classroom. It is both a privilege and an honor to collaborate with an industry leader like AFB on this effort and we're confident that you will find this presentation to be $49 well spent as a resource for you to kick off the school year. Professional Development Credit is available when participating in this webinar. Visit the link below for additional details and don't forget to purchase this invaluable presentation before enjoying the last official Holiday Weekend of the summer!!!
Price: $49.00 USD
Buy Now - iOS in the Classroom: iPad Learning Success for Students with Vision Loss for $49.00 USD - AFB Press Store - American Foundation for the Blind http://bit.ly/1NbHZJq
Attention! We Have A Winner! BraillePenmanship Giveaway Essay Contest!
After weeks of receiving an overwhelming number of submissions, and after reading through so many great essays and then agonizing over them repeatedly over the last few days, Flying Blind, LLC is ecstatic to announce that we have a winner in the BraillePenmanship Giveaway Essay Contest.
Ms. Caitlyn Laster of Belleville, Arkansas is the undisputed winner of the BraillePenmanship Giveaway Essay Contest sponsored by Flying Blind, LLC and has won herself a brand new BraillePen Touch valued at $995.00 USD! Caitlyn will be entering the 10th Grade this Fall at Western Yell County School, and will have the remainder of the summer to benefit from using her BraillePen Touch in a variety of settings!
Caitlyn had some extremely tough competition, and the decision came down to Caitlyn and two other very worthy recipients. But it was Caitlyn that managed to make a most compelling case as to why Braille is important to her, and how she plans to utilize her newly acquired AdapTech companion, which sealed the deal with Flying Blind LLC!
Please feel free to read and share Caitlyn's contest-winning-essay in its entirety at: http://bit.ly/1Lq76WR. And stand by for an update and accompanying photo that will be posted to Flying Blind, LLC's Facebook Page sometime this summer letting us all know how Caitlyn is enjoying and using her new BraillePen Touch!
Flying Blind, LLC would like to thank each and every student who took the time to participate in this writing contest. We think you are all winners! For those of you who participated, be sure to look for a note in your inbox with a word of thanks and appreciation from us!
If you are a manufacturer, authorized reseller, service agency, or responsible user wishing to find a new home for your currently under-utilized technology, in the hopes of netting some extra cash for the holidays, reducing your year-end inventory, or applying some of those monies toward a new technology solution, please call or email us, and let's explore your options. If you are a user wishing to save a little money and invest in some gently used technologies that have been fully inspected by Flying Blind LLC, we encourage you to contact us as well. Flying Blind, LLC has an 8 year (and counting) proven track record for matching appropriate adaptive technologies with countless happy customers. We are able to accomplish this by taking into account today's economic climate and the ever-changing trends within the Adaptive Technology industry. To this end we are always updating our inventory, both online and off, and may have something waiting in the wings that just might meet your needs. Flying Blind, LLC is committed to ensuring that you receive the technology solution that is best suited for you at a price you can afford. For more information, or to begin the buying or selling process, email featured@flying-blind.com or call +1 (216) 381-8107 today!
TypeAbility is a program that teaches the entire computer keyboard in 99 user-friendly lessons to aspiring computer keyboard users of all ages!
By the end of the lessons, the student will have mastered all of the letters, numbers, and punctuation, as well as navigation and editing within dialog boxes and text documents. TypeAbility is great fun for all ages and is a fantastic asset for any school, rehabilitation training center, or for itinerant teachers who provide adaptive computer training. It's also a great teaching tool for individuals wishing to improve their typing skills!
TypeAbility 4.1 for JAWS, is compatible with JAWS 8 and higher. Conveniently, you can use either a full version of JAWS, or the free JAWS demo. TypeAbility is also compatible with the screen magnification program MAGic. With MAGic, the partially sighted can not only listen to, but also see their typing lessons. TypeAbility for MAGic can be installed into MAGic 10.5 or MAGic 11. In that case, JAWS is not needed, because MAGic will provide both speech and magnification.
Learning how to launch, run, choose lessons and tasks, and how to close TypeAbility is very simple. After a few lessons with an assistant, a blind non-typing child will be able to use the program independently. TypeAbility is fun and appropriate for students of all ages. There are User Preferences that allow TypeAbility to conform to each student's needs. However, there are not such a bewildering number of complex options that learning how to use TypeAbility would be a mystery or chore. It's a cinch!
Though TypeAbility is very simple to use, it is both the most advanced typing program for the blind on the market, and also the most fun to use. TypeAbility offers support for one-handed typists and can be run on computers connected to a network.
Demonstration:
For an in-depth demonstration of this teaching tool in action visit the following link to watch and/or listen to Larry Lewis provide a comprehensive tour of TypeAbility: http://youtu.be/0I2fT5D_5AI.
TypeAbility Downloads:
So why not take TypeAbility for a test drive? Download either TypeAbility for JAWS or TypeAbility for Magic using the links below, use the software up to 15 times and decide for yourself how useful it will be for you, your peers, and your consumers!
To watch or listen to Larry Lewis of Flying Blind, LLC demonstrate TypeAbility on YouTube, click this link: http://youtu.be/0I2fT5D_5AI
Pricing:
TypeAbility: Full Version
Single Installation: $150.00 USD
5 Site License: $400.00 USD
10 Site License: $600.00 USD
20 Site License: $775.00 USD
30 Site License: $925.00 USD
40 Site License: $1,025.00 USD
TypeAbility: Upgrade from Version 2 or 3.3 to Current Version
Single Installation: $50.00 USD
5 Site License: $200.00 USD
10 Site License: $300.00 USD
20 Site License: $385.00 USD
30 Site License: $460.00 USD
40 Site License: $510.00 USD
Purchase:
To Purchase TypeAbility, simply make your selections from either the Full Version (1) or Upgrade (2) tiers included below:
(1) TypeAbility: Full Version
(2) TypeAbility: Upgrade from Version 2 or 3.3 to Current Version
If you are an educator of vision impaired students or a professional who makes decisions regarding the technological journey of a vision impaired student, then the Apple Accessibility Initiative (AAI) is for you.
Are you excited about receiving iPads for your students but not sure what access features are available to ensure your students are independent, efficient, and on an equal playing field with their sighted peers? Would you like to know which iOS apps can make your students more proficient in a post-secondary education or competitive job market?
The Flying Blind, LLC AAI Professional Development Seminar can provide you with all of this, and much more. This Professional Development Seminar was designed for educators who have either received or are receiving portable iOS devices such as iPads, iPods, or iPhones which are to be used by their students.
The Apple Accessibility Initiative (AAI) Professional Development Seminar will:
Introduce you to all of the built-in low vision options available within these devices.
Unveil the robust screenreading access for speech users integrated into these devices.
Showcase QWERTY on-screen and wireless keyboard options for navigation and data entry.
Illustrate how refreshable Braille I/O transforms these devices into a "Portable Information Management System".
Once a framework for access to these devices has been established, attention will be redirected to the various applications, strategies, and methodologies that will allow you and your students to:
Search for and browse pertinent information.
Download and Read Books.
Manage and share information with others.
And explore a variety of games to play.
Format
The AAI Professional Development Seminar is available in two different formats based on your specific needs and budget. The AAI Professional Development Seminar may be administered live and in person, or remotely via the internet.
CEU Eligibility
Flying Blind, LLC will work with you, your staff, or any other governing authority to make certain the completion of the AAI Professional Development Seminar provides CEU eligibility for all participants.
Group Size
The standard AAI Professional Development Seminar is designed to accommodate 20 educators per seminar, though it can be scaled to meet the needs of any number of participants. Please contact us for additional information on larger groups.
Pricing
The cost for the live and in person version of the AAI Professional Development Seminar is $1,000.00 USD plus all pertinent travel expenses for Mr. Larry Lewis, Flying Blind, LLC's Founder, and the instructor who will be personally conducting each live and in-person seminar.
The online version, which is also conducted by Mr. Lewis, is divided into three modules, with each module lasting approximately 1.5 to 2 hours. The cost of each module is $400.00 USD per module, if purchased separately, or $1,000.00 USD if all three modules are purchased at once. These modules may then be scheduled to be conducted on three separate agreed upon days, or throughout the span of a single day, based on the preferences of your educators.
Why AAI is the Right Choice
Flying Blind, LLC is keenly aware of today's economic climate, and we believe that by offering the AAI Professional Development Seminar in its current, comprehensive, and field-tested form, we will save you far more time, energy, and money than if you were to attempt to integrate these solutions without the proven resources and field tested information that we have built into this seminar.
How to Reach Us
For more information please contact us today at aai@flying-blind.com or give us a call at +1 (216) 381-8107.
