# E-Access Bulletin – Issue 196, January 2018



<em class="tagline">Access to technology for all, regardless of
ability..</em>

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## Issue 196 Contents.

Section One: News.

01: Innovative tech solutions sought to help ageing consumers.

– New year-long initiative will bring together experts to tackle
challenges.

02: Websites, not assistive tech, are key to accessibility, say
screen-reader users.

– Research uncovers clear priorities.

03: Facebook uses AI to open up photos for blind users.

– Facial recognition technology aids detailed descriptions.

News in Brief: 04: Cultural Call-out – Museums asked for access info; 05:
Aira for Airports – sight-aided navigation app; 06: Captions, please! –
Twitter request goes viral.

Section Two: Interview.

– Jackie Brown, Chair of the British Computer Association of the Blind.

07: Finding your game-changer.

Using an early speech synthesiser was the beginning of a revolution in
Jackie Brown’s life. It led to her becoming a passionate advocate of
assistive technology and eventually being appointed Chair of the British
Computer Association of the Blind (BCAB). Here, Jackie talks about the kinds
of technology she uses and her priorities as BCAB Chair.
[Contents ends].




## Section One: News.


### 01: Innovative tech solutions sought to help ageing consumers.

A newly launched initiative is seeking innovative technological products and
services to address some of the challenges presented by ageing.

The Innovation for Ageing project will bring together different groups to
support older people as they become more vulnerable with age, through
conditions such as sight loss, hearing loss and dementia.

The year-long programme is being led by the International Longevity Centre
(ILC-UK) and is supported by financial services group Just. The aim is to
uncover “technological and policy innovations and solutions,” as well as
reworking existing products and services, according to a press release.

Innovation for Ageing was officially launched earlier this month in London.
Speaking at the event, David Sinclair, Director of ILC-UK, revealed more
about how the project will work. One focus will be on identifying different
sets of problems associated with ageing, to ensure that a range of detailed
solutions are found by teams of experts.

He emphasised the need for a range of ideas through the project, rather than
relying solely on advanced technology: “There are smart meters with the
potential to identify when someone falls over, there are initiatives that
use Uber to deliver flu vaccinations – but I want to emphasis that
Innovation for Ageing isn’t just about hi-tech. Some of the solutions
might tackle questions like: how do we get a bath rail into someone’s home
before they have a fall? And how do we ensure someone has access to
information and advice, so that they can choose the right sort of care
options?”

Speaking to e-Access Bulletin about how technology could be utilised in the
initiative, Sinclair again stressed the need for diverse thinking. He said:
“New technology offers significant potential for helping vulnerable older
people manage in an increasingly complex world. Through Innovation for
Ageing we will seek out innovative technologies and services that might help
tackle the challenges faced by vulnerable older consumers. But the solutions
are unlikely to lie just in designing new bits of kit. We must ensure that
existing technologies that older people rely on are as usable and accessible
as possible.”

Find out more about Innovation for Ageing, including how to contribute
ideas, at the ILC-UK website:
<span class="s2">[www.ilcuk.org.uk](http://www.ilcuk.org.uk/)</span>

and
<span class="s2">[eab.li/9h](http://eab.li/9h)</span>

Comment on this story now at e-Access Bulletin Live:
<span class="s2">[eab.li/9m](http://eab.li/9m)</span> .



### 02: Websites, not assistive tech, are key to accessibility, say
screen-reader users.

New research into screen-reader usage has revealed the majority of users
feel that improving existing websites would have a bigger impact on
accessibility compared to better assistive technology.

The newly published findings are taken from the seventh Screen Reader User
Survey by non-profit organisation WebAIM, conducted in October 2017. A total
of 1,792 people responded to the survey, 89.2% of which reported using a
screen-reader due to a disability.

Asked whether they felt ‘better (more accessible) websites’ or ‘better
assistive technology’ would have the greatest impact on improvements to
web accessibility, 85.3% of respondents opted for ‘better websites’,
with only 14.7% choosing ‘better assistive technology’.

Jared Smith, WebAIM’s Associate Director, told e-Access Bulletin that the
finding “puts the responsibility squarely on website authors to implement
accessibility”. He said: “Over several years, the responses to this
question have increasingly shifted from assistive technology improvements to
website improvements, perhaps indicating that screen-readers have gotten
better in recent years. It is of interest that while respondents
increasingly need accessibility improvements to websites, they are generally
optimistic about accessibility progress on the web.”

The results of the survey also shed light on a range of issues experienced
by screen-reader users, as well as revealing preferred technology and
browsing habits. CAPTCHAs were found to be the most significant problem for
users, remaining the top problem reported by respondents since the last
WebAIM survey in 2015.

Other issues noted in the report include ‘unexpected screen changes’,
ambiguous links or buttons, Flash content, lack of keyboard accessibility,
complex forms, and missing alt text.

Asked how they felt about the accessibility of web content overall during
the past year, 40.8% of respondents said that content had become more
accessible, 40.4% felt it hadn’t changed, and 18.8% said it had become
less accessible.

Another key finding was the continued popularity of mobile apps as a means
of accessing the web and, similarly, increased usage of mobile
screen-readers: 88% of respondents used a mobile screen-reader – the
highest figure yet recorded in a WebAIM survey.

Read more at the WebAIM site:
<span class="s2">[eab.li/9d](http://eab.li/9d)</span>

and
<span
class="s2">[webaim.org/blog/survey7results](https://webaim.org/blog/survey7results/)</span>

Comment on this story now at e-Access Bulletin Live.
<span class="s2">[eab.li/9l](http://eab.li/9l)</span> .



### 03: Facebook uses AI to open up photos for blind users.

Blind and visually impaired users of Facebook will be able to find out which
of their friends are in photos thanks to facial recognition technology.

Facial recognition is already used by the social networking site – for
example, to suggest friends that users may want to tag in photos – but the
company recently extended the use of this feature for screen-reader users.
The new feature means that those users will be able to hear which of their
friends are in photographs that appear on the user’s news feed, even if
those friends are not tagged in the picture.

A post on the Facebook Newsroom site describes how the facial recognition
feature works by using AI (artificial intelligence) technology. “Our
technology analyzes the pixels in photos you’re already tagged in and
generates a string of numbers we call a template. When photos and videos are
uploaded to our systems, we compare those images to the template.”

In 2016 Facebook launched an ‘automatic alt text’ tool that attempted to
identify objects and people in photographs. The tool used object recognition
technology to describe these elements for screen-reader users, though the
scope of what it could identify was limited. Expressions, such as smiling,
were described, but the tool was limited to mentioning the number of people
in a picture, rather than their identities

The new feature means that screen-reader users will now be able to hear who
is in a photo, with plans to continue developing the technology and what it
can recognise.

However, as a privacy measure, all Facebook users will soon be able to
switch this facial recognition feature on or off.

Find out more at Facebook’s Newsroom:
<span class="s2">[eab.li/9e](http://eab.li/9e)</span> .

And
<span
class="s2">[newsroom.fb.com/news/2017/12/managing-your-identity-on-facebook-with-face-recognition-technology](https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2017/12/managing-your-identity-on-facebook-with-face-recognition-technology/)</span> .

Comment on this story now at e-Access Bulletin Live:
<span class="s2">[eab.li/9k](http://eab.li/9k)</span> .



## News in Brief:

+04: Cultural Call-out: 458 museums around the UK are being asked to add
access information to their websites by accessible arts charity VocalEyes.
An audit by VocalEyes in 2016, named State of Museum Access, found that
these museums lacked visitor accessibility information on their websites,
such as wheelchair access information and contact details for access
queries. Ahead of the 2018 State of Museum Access report, the charity has
contacted the 458 museums to request that they provide this information.

Read more about the State of Museum Access report at the VocalEyes website:
<span
class="s2">[vocaleyes.co.uk/help-improve-the-state-of-museum-access-2018](http://vocaleyes.co.uk/help-improve-the-state-of-museum-access-2018/)</span>

And
<span class="s2">[eab.li/9b](http://eab.li/9b)</span>

+05: Aira for Airports: Minneapolis-St. Paul International has become the
second airport in the United States to offer blind and visually impaired
travellers free access to Aira, an app system to help them navigate the
building. Users wear smart glasses, the visual field of which is streamed to
a sighted guide, who then gives the visually impaired user directions,
enabling them to find their way around the airport. Aira usually costs $89 a
month but is available at Minneapolis-St. Paul International and Memphis
International Airport for free.

Find out more at the Aira website:
<span class="s2">[aira.io](https://aira.io/)</span>

And
<span class="s2">[eab.li/9c](http://eab.li/9c)</span>

+06: Captions, please!: A tweet from a blind veteran asking Twitter users to
add text descriptions to their photos has gone viral, having been retweeted
over 146,000 times. Rob Long, who lost his sight in an explosion in
Afghanistan, demonstrated how to turn the ‘image description’ feature on
in the tweet, and then posted an audio clip explaining how captioning works
and why it’s important for blind and visually impaired users. He was later
interviewed on BBC Breakfast News about Twitter accessibility.

Read the tweet at Rob Long’s Twitter page:
<span
class="s2">[twitter.com/_Red_Long](https://twitter.com/_Red_Long)</span> .

and
<span class="s2">[eab.li/9i](http://eab.li/9i)</span>

[Section One ends].

## Notice: Thomas Pocklington Trust.

E-Access Bulletin is brought to you with the kind support of Thomas
Pocklington Trust, a national charity delivering positive change for people
with sight loss. Find out more about the charity’s work by visiting their
website:
<span
class="s2">[www.pocklington-trust.org.uk](http://www.pocklington-trust.org.uk/)</span> .

[Notice ends].

## Notice: RNIB Connect Radio and e-Access Bulletin.

e-Access Bulletin will be appearing on RNIB Connect Radio each month on The
Early Edition programme. Hear more about the bulletin and upcoming content
appearing in each issue, as we discuss the latest accessible technology news
and readers’ questions with Allan Russell.

Episodes will be available after broadcast as podcasts from the RNIB Connect
Radio site. Listen to RNIB Connect Radio online, or via television,
smartphone or radio. Listening details at the following link:
<span class="s2">[eab.li/3e](http://eab.li/3e)</span> .

Find out more at the RNIB Connect Radio website:
<span class="s2">[eab.li/1h](http://eab.li/1h)</span> .

[Notice ends].

## Section Two: Interview.


### – Jackie Brown, Chair of the British Computer Association of the
Blind.


#### 07: Finding your game-changer.

When Jackie Brown was introduced to the speech synthesiser on the Acorn BBC
Micro computer in 1984, it was to be the beginning of a valuable and
productive interest in assistive technology. Jackie, who is blind, continued
to use and explore different technologies as they evolved, finding them
beneficial to her career as a writer.

In 2007 Jackie subscribed to the email list of the British Computer
Association of the Blind (BCAB). She went on to edit the BCAB newsletter and
stood for the Board of Trustees in 2015 before becoming Secretary. In
November 2017, Jackie was appointed as BCAB Chair. e-Access Bulletin spoke
to Jackie about her work within BCAB and aims for the organisation, and
about the kinds of assistive technology she uses on a daily basis.

– E-Access Bulletin: Tell us about the work of the British Computer
Association of the Blind.

– Jackie Brown: “BCAB was founded in 1969, primarily as a group of blind
computer programmers. But with the changes in, and pace of, technology, the
Association now helps people use a wide range of equipment, from computers
with screen-readers through to smartphones, tablets, digital assistants and
everything in between.

“We have an email list, a quarterly newsletter, monthly online
presentations, our annual TechABreak weekend, a podcast, and even an Amazon
Echo Alexa ‘skill’ that allows users to access BCAB content. My motto is
that if we can help at least one person to get to where they want to be with
their technology, then of course BCAB is worthwhile. It isn’t an elitist
charity, it’s for everyone.”

– How did it feel to be appointed as Chair of BCAB?

“I was absolutely thrilled and honoured to be elected. I care very deeply
for the BCAB community and want to devote as much of my own time as possible
to taking the Association forward to make it more appealing and accessible
to a wider audience.”

– What do you hope to bring to the role?

“As a woman who is passionate about technology and its many uses, of
course I would like to see more women standing for the Board of Trustees in
the future and generally getting involved. There are a lot of people out
there who regard this field as a man’s world – not so!

“But I also want to be able to offer our members more for their money and
reach a wider audience, not just around the UK, but internationally as well.
We have lots of exciting plans and I feel incredibly privileged to lead and
be a part of that.”

– You are currently the only female Board Trustee at BCAB. Do you feel
that the technology and assistive technology sectors are male-dominated?

“Yes, very much so. Sometimes it comes across to me as though only men
should know what makes various components of a computer tick or have an
association with the tech industry and its gadgetry. This is very sad, since
there are plenty of tech-savvy women out there who have a rightful place in
the field.”

– How could more women be encouraged to work within the assistive
technology sector, rather than just using the technology?

“I think men need to stop thinking that technology is only for them and
start treating women equally. Perhaps it is a cultural thing that has
evolved around the world, but this is the 21st century and women need to
start being counted in this sphere.

“It takes time to get noticed, but my advice is not to be intimidated by a
man who thinks he knows better just because the subject matter is
technology. I used to work on a technical support desk for a screen-reader
company, and one man actually asked to speak to my male colleagues when he
had a problem, because he didn’t think a woman would know what to do!”

– When did you first start using assistive technology and what kinds of
systems or devices were you using then?

“I started my working life on an old manual typewriter. From there, I
began using an electric typewriter and then, in 1984, was introduced to the
Acorn BBC Micro and primitive speech synthesiser. For me, this was a real
game-changer. It meant I could read back my own work, and while it was
fairly basic, it provided an independence that was unparalleled at that
time. From there I went on to DOS, then all platforms of Windows. As the
years went by, the technology and what a blind person could do with it just
kept getting better.”

– What types of assistive technology do you use on a day-to-day basis?

“I use Windows 10 with the JAWS screen-reader software and Braille display
attached to my computer. This enables me to send and receive email, compose
and proofread Word documents, work with spreadsheets, browse the internet
and shop online, access my music collection, participate in online meetings
and lots of other things.

“I have a smartphone with text-to-speech that lets me send and receive
text messages, access email, use apps and keep in touch with people in the
same way sighted people do with their bits of kit. I love using digital
assistants like Amazon Echo and Google Home, and wireless speaker systems in
the form of Sonos. I also convert print to Braille for embossing, and scan
print to text using Optical Character Recognition (OCR). My whole life is
geared around technology.”

– You run The Browns’ Place, a website with reviews of assistive
technology products. How do you decide which products to review? And how do
you approach reviewing the assistive features of a product?

“Generally speaking, if I purchase a piece of kit or a company loans me
something, then I try to review it. I get some practical hands-on experience
of the gadget first: learning where its buttons are situated and what it
does. Once I’ve done that I write my review, describing it to readers in
the way I would want something described to me.

“I try to be as honest and balanced as possible. If something isn’t
particularly accessible for a blind person, I will say so. There is no point
misleading your reader just to please whoever loaned you the gadget in the
first place. I like to think I have a good reputation with readers and
companies, but it takes time to build up a rapport and trust.”

Find out more about the British Computer Association of the Blind at the
BCAB website:
<span class="s2">[www.bcab.org.uk](https://www.bcab.org.uk/)</span>

and
<span class="s2">[eab.li/9g](http://eab.li/9g)</span>

Read Jackie’s product reviews at The Browns’ Place:
<span
class="s2">[www.thebrownsplace.info](http://www.thebrownsplace.info/)</span>

and
<span class="s2">[eab.li/9f](http://eab.li/9f)</span>

Comment on this story now at e-Access Bulletin Live:
<span class="s2">[eab.li/9j](http://eab.li/9j)</span> .

[Section Two ends]

## End Notes.

[Contents](http://127.0.0.1:9001/eab/issues/2018/jan2018.email.html#toc).



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### Personnel:

<ul>
	<li>Editor: Tristan Parker</li>
	<li>Technical Director: Jake Jellinek</li>
	<li>Accessibility Advisor: Dr. Nick Freear</li>
</ul>

<em class="issn">ISSN: 1476-6337.</em>
[Issue 196 ends].