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Leveraging Mainstream Consumer Technology for Consumers with Visual Impairments
Presenter: Alexander Pooler, MPA
Director of Assistive Technology and Consumer Database Information
Massachusetts Commission for the Blind

• While dedicated assistive technology has been the primary go-to for deployment to visually impaired consumers, there has been a shift to leveraging mainstream consumer technology that can be rendered accessible for those in need.  From built-in accessible options in iOS devices and add-ons to smart phone technology, to working with identifying tasks that smart speakers can help our consumers with, Assistive Technology professionals are able to use more mainstream consumer technology every year to maintain, and in many cases, improve community independence with easy-to-learn and easy-to-use technology that many of us already have at home.
• CEUs: .5 ACVREP; Certificate of Attendance by request
• Length: ​55 minutes
• Resources: 
  • ​iOS Voiceover Gestures and Navigation (PDF)
    
  • Personal Power (electronic book to learn Voiceover and functions of iPhone). This is a book in the public domain written by a user of this technology who is blind, offers great context for what consumers may be dealing with when learning this technology. 
  • Hadley IOS training videos - a series of videos from Hadley that cover a variety of devices and how to access the accessibility features of those. 
    
• REGISTER to view this free session. Please Note: The date you will see when registering for the "Focus" Talk is the date that the presentation was recorded. All "Focus" Talks are available for viewing immediately after registration. 

 

Intro to Assistive Technology Assessments

• Presenters: Kate Kutalak, M.Ed., TVI and HuyenTran Vo, M.Ed., TVI, COMS, CVRT, CATIS, Perkins School for the Blind (recorded at "Focus" Conference 2019)
• This session is an introduction to how Assistive Technology Assessments for people who are Blind/Visually Impaired are conducted. There will be an overview of current technology available including high tech, low tech, and cost effective tools. There will also be discussion of the decision making process of finding the right tool(s) to meet the needs of students/clients.
• CEUS: .5 ACVREP; Certificate of Attendance by request
• Length: 47 minutes
• Resources: 
  • Assistive Technology Assessment: Tips, Tools and Resources from Perkins eLearning
  • Assistive Technology from Georgia AT Project
  • Assistive Technology Assessment from Teaching Visually Impaired
  • Assistive Technology Consideration to Assessment free publications from Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative
  • Access World - from American Foundation for the Blind 
  • AppleVis
  • Apple Accessibility 
• Register to view this free session. Please Note: The date you will see when registering for the "Focus" Talk is the date that the presentation was recorded. All "Focus" Talks are available for viewing immediately after registration.