Theater of the Mind Denver DCPA Accessibility Review
Recently, I was invited to attend an audio described presentation of Theater of the Mind, a multisensorial journey through the eclectic mind of Academy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning artist David Byrne. Co-created with writer Mala Gaonkar, Theater of the Mind is a unique experience which invites participation and embraces interaction from its attendees. Inspired by historical and current neuroscience research, Theater of the Mind presents an immersive journey into the processes surrounding the building of our sense of self and challenges our perceptions of that world view. While many of the aspects of the show are visual-centric, the team did an admirable job of making the content accessible for those who are blind and visually impaired.
Location
Theater of the Mind’s show dates at Denver’s York Street Yards have recently been extended through January 22nd, 2023, and the next showing which includes Audio Descriptions will be on Saturday, January 14 at 3:15 pm.
Theater of the Mind
At showtime, guests assembled in the lobby and were asked to put away or leave behind (in provided lockers) all cell phones and wearable tech. I loved this and appreciated that there would not be constant notification sounds going off, allowing the guests to focus on enjoying the show.
Audience members are limited to 16 for each showtime, and guests follow their guide through each room of the 15,000 square-foot installation space. Each location visited during the 75-minute presentation treated attendees to immersive audio, visual, tactile and taste sensations.
Accessibility
From the outset, the Theater of the Mind experience felt very personalized, with the cast member who would be delivering the audio descriptions introducing herself to each guest. Audience members were given parts to play during the performance, and the materials each person was given were offered in braille.
The Theater of the Mind experience is an inherently visual one, but care was taken to provide full descriptions of each room we visited during the performance, including rich descriptions of the furniture, wall coverings and lighting. Where the progression of the story focused on a visual aspect, the descriptions provided just enough information to give the sight impaired guests the information they needed to enjoy the show, but still maintain the joy of wonder and exploration as the story progressed.
Guides were adept at pointing out changes in elevation and small ramps during the times guests were moving from room to room in the installation. Guides and other cast members were also very good at informing the guests of the direction they needed to go to get to the next room.
For guests who are mobility impaired, wheelchair accessibility appeared to be good. We didn’t have anyone with a wheelchair, but ramps and elevation changes in the floor were small and should be easy to navigate. Passages were wide enough to comfortably traverse with a mobility aid, and the rooms provided ample space to move.
Experiences
While I was unfortunately not able to fully appreciate the visual aspect of the show, my wife explained each visual component she saw, and expressed her enjoyment. Each room had a distinct visual component, and light often played a large part in this.
There were several opportunities throughout the show to touch explore areas of the rooms, and the guides did an admirable job of letting those who were totally blind know exactly what they were going to be touching – well done.
Each room had a unique sound scene in the installation. Most of the ambient sounds were subtle and not overly loud and obtrusive. Smells also played a key part in the experience, and as with the ambient sounds, the smells were not overpowering and added to the feeling of the scene rather than detracting from it.
Conclusion
I commend The Denver Center for the Performing arts and the cast members of the Theater of the Mind for making accessibility for their visual-centric performances a priority. The Theater of the Mind performance was equally entertaining and thought provoking. As someone who appreciates the work of David Byrne, I loved the candid glimpse into his life and memories.
“Ted’s journey into the landscape of the human body is a marvelous celebration of all that is physical, sensual and diverse
” – FSTOPPERS
About the author
Ted Tahquechi is a blind photographer, travel influencer, disability advocate and photo educator based in Denver, Colorado. You can see more of Ted’s work at www.tahquechi.com
Ted operates Blind Travels, a travel blog designed specifically to empower blind and visually impaired travelers. https://www.blindtravels.com/
Ted’s body-positive Landscapes of the Body project has been shown all over the world, learn more about this intriguing collection of photographic work at: https://www.bodyscapes.photography/
Questions or comments? Feel free to email Ted at: nedskee@tahquechi.com
Instagram: @nedskee
Twitter: @nedskee
Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Wireless Desktop Keyboard and Mouse
A little over a year ago, I purchased a Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Wireless Desktop Keyboard and Mouse to replace my aging ergonomic keyboard, which was also from Microsoft. At the time, choices were limited and even though I didn’t need a keyboard, I ended up with the keyboard and mouse combo setup because that was the only option my local office store had in stock. I had long seen the sculpt mouse and wondered how it felt to use. I was perhaps even more curious about how accessible the tech would be for a blind user.
The Hardware
The Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Wireless Desktop Keyboard and Mouse come in a total of four pieces, the keyboard, sculpt mouse, number pad and the USB receiver. For those of us who don’t like to read directions or look up on the web how to set things up initial setup was a bit frustrating.
The setup
I have used a lot of wireless devices in my time and usually, you install the batteries, plug in the USB receiver and install the software to get your keyboard and or mouse working. Microsoft veers away from tradition when it comes to hardware with this product, rather than having a normal slide and lock panel to access the batteries on the bottom of the devices, Microsoft opted for a battery compartment on the keyboard and mouse which is held to the device with magnets. The normal slide and push is replaced with finding a small notch to lift the panel. The battery compartment for the number pad is accessed with a small screwdriver to unlock the door. There is no consistency for opening the devices, and there is no consistency with the batteries. The keyboard takes two AAA batteries, both of which face toward the top of the keyboard unlike the usual one up and one down configuration. The mouse is similar, with both batteries facing toward the front of the mouse, and the mouse uses double AA batteries. The number pad uses one of those large flat batteries that are like a watch battery bit bigger. Three different kinds of batteries, three different ways to open the battery compartment, I began at this point to wonder if Microsoft did any accessibility testing on this product at all.
With my batteries installed in the components, I began the search for the USB dongle. I tore the box apart and dug through the packaging thinking I had dropped it. A quick Google search revealed that the USB receiver was located in a receptacle in the battery compartment of the mouse. It was at this point that I was sure they had done zero accessibility testing. I installed the USB receiver and everything worked.
Use
As mentioned, it has been a bit over a year now since I got this mouse and keyboard setup. I find the keyboard comfortable to use and comfortable to type on for long periods of time. Battery life for the keyboard has been about a year with daily use. The mouse batteries lasted about six months with similar use. I have not had to replace the battery in the number pad as of yet.
The ability to move the keyboard anywhere on the desk and not have to worry about wires is great, and as mentioned the keyboard is comfortable to type on even for long periods of time. Where the keyboard excels, the mouse falls short for me. I tried for a very long time to acclimate myself to the height of the mouse, which is very high compared to other lower profile mice like the standard offerings from Logitech or Razer. I would put the sculpt mouse in the poor category, and would not recommend. I’m also not a big fan of the number pad being separate from the keyboard. I find myself losing it on my desk and productivity suffers compared to using a traditional keyboard with the number pad attached. The keyboard also has a few annoying quirks.
Troubles
The Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Wireless Desktop Keyboard does a good job of being awake and ready to type on at any time. Some wireless keyboards need a moment to wake up when you first start using them. I’m a pretty fast typist and find that the Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Wireless Desktop Keyboard will often miss the first letter of a word after a pause in typing. I have moved the receiver to different ports including a port located on the monitor which is located right above the keyboard to resolve this issue. I am using the latest version of the companion software.
Another issue which has plagued many users, myself included is the tendency for the keyboard to stop working all together. At first I pulled the batteries and let the keyboard acquire the signal to the receiver again, but it would stop working again after five minutes or so. The software had no errors and seemed to work fine, the solution ended up being a stuck key. Running my fingers along every key I finally found the stuck key and tapped it a few times, resolving the issue. I mention this specifically because I found this very frustrating, and is a common issue with this keyboard among users online.
Conclusion
The Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Wireless Desktop Keyboard and Mouse has quite a few odd hardware decisions and some functionality issues. Accessibility should be considered as poor for this product, and I cannot recommend it to anyone regardless of their visual acuity.
Why is technology and software for people with visual impairment so expensive?
Anyone who has browsed the costs for software or hardware commonly used by those who are blind or visually impaired has certainly suffered sticker shock at the prices associated with this useful tech. Why does it cost so much to buy products that can make people’s lives easier, and the world more accessible? Let’s talk about it.
The market
When a company like Apple develops a new product, there are numerous costs associated with delivering the device to market that you may not be aware of. There are teams of people to design the unit, develop innovative technology that will go into the gadget, manufacture the product, and let’s not forget about packaging, delivering, marketing, and finally sales. The entire operation also needs management, and all these players do not count the support staff. Depending on the size of the company, these roles can be a massive team of people, or multiple jobs can fall to one person. In the case of a new iPhone, these costs are offset by the millions of units that Apple will sell once the new product has been released to the market, but companies who develop hardware or software for the blind or visually impaired market, are supporting a significantly smaller user base than a larger company would.
According to a 2016 study from the National Federation for the Blind, adults with mild to severe vision loss make up only 2.4% of the U.S. population. A report by the American Federation for the Blind shows that only 40% of the students who need assistive technology are given the chance to do so, this number should translate to adults who have experience with and actively use assistive hardware and software technology. Taking the overall numbers of U.S. citizens with significant vision loss, into consideration illustrates the significantly smaller potential install base for assistive technology when comparing to a mainstream product like a new iPhone. When you compound the numbers with the estimated 40% of those people having access to the assistive technology they need, the number of people who will use the technology developed by companies like Freedom Scientific, the developers of the JAWS screen reader, it begins to become clearer that these companies need to charge more for their products to break even on their development costs because they are aiming at a significantly smaller target customer base.
Subsidies
Companies who develop assistive technology can often receive subsidies from government agencies because their products are utilized in many rehabilitation programs. This can help these companies but where does it leave those who are visually impaired and not working with a rehabilitation agency but still need assistive technology like a screen reader?
Costs
Until recently, the cost of a license for JAWS was in the 1200 USD range, and closed-circuit television (CCTVs) which are used to magnify printed material range in the many thousands of dollars depending on the features of the unit. Recent changes in screen reader pricing and a move to an annual subscription-based model have eased things a bit, but for most people who are visually impaired and on a fixed budget, these costs are oppressively high, which is why many turn to free or low-cost alternatives.
Alternatives
A free and open-source screen reader called NVDA is available and does have many of the features that enterprise-level options like JAWS has. Similarly, there are a multitude of magnifier apps for iPhone and the Android operating system which offer “good enough” functionality when it comes to reading text. The problem with low cost and free alternatives is that the customer benefits from a short-term solution, but each time someone uses the free NVDA screen reader, it takes a potential paid customer away from the developers creating paid versions of the software. Likewise, free or low-cost software solutions often lack the support and training that a program like JAWS can offer.
Reducing the support for the companies making this software and hardware means less income. Less income means less innovation for those who are paying for the program and less innovation for the industry. I’m not saying that everyone should go out and pay for these programs, I’m just pointing out that there is a reason why the accessibility industry is evolving and innovating slower than other industries.
Conclusion
Hopefully this has given you a bit of an insight into some of the reasons why accessible technology is so expensive compared to other products in the same market. What do you think? Do you use paid or free options for your accessibility needs? Which screen reader do you prefer? Feel free to drop me a message on any of my social media links below and let’s chat.
Article resources
If you would like more information about the statistics cited in this article feel free to visit the links below.
National Federation for the Blind statistics report
https://nfb.org/resources/blindness-statistics
American Federation for the Blind statistics report
“Ted’s journey into the landscape of the human body is a marvelous celebration of all that is physical, sensual and diverse
” – FSTOPPERS
About the author
Ted Tahquechi is a blind photographer, travel influencer, disability advocate and photo educator based in Denver, Colorado. You can see more of Ted’s work at www.tahquechi.com
Ted operates Blind Travels, a travel blog designed specifically to empower blind and visually impaired travelers. https://www.blindtravels.com/
Ted’s body-positive Landscapes of the Body project has been shown all over the world, learn more about this intriguing collection of photographic work at: https://www.bodyscapes.photography/
Questions or comments? Feel free to email Ted at: nedskee@tahquechi.com
Instagram: @nedskee
Twitter: @nedskee
Microsoft Seeing Ai to partner with Haleon to make health products more accessible
The seeing Ai app is getting an update which will deliver curated information about certain health products, making them more accessible. Microsoft, the producer of the Seeing Ai app will be partnering with Haleon, a manufacturer of common health products like Sensodyne, Centrum, Aquafresh, ChapStick and Emergen-C. This will be a welcome enhancement to the functionality of Seeing Ai, and hopefully other reader apps will follow suit.
Brand Marketing
The rules of marketing and product packaging don’t always work for those with visual impairments. When designing packaging for a product, psychology is implemented, knowing that the customer will have their eye drawn toward the darkest, largest and most prominent thing on the package (the dominant object). This doesn’t work when a screen reader is reviewing a product for someone who can’t see. As an example, let’s look at this Altoids can. The Altoids logo is the first thing the customer sees, then the curiously strong mints and Cinnamon lines have nearly the same weight. This means that someone picking up the tin will see the brand name first, then be informed that the tin contains mints that are strong and the flavor. When put under a screen reader, the output says “The original celebrated Altoids curiously strong mints, artificially flavored cinnamon then the weight”. The screen reader doesn’t understand line weight or customer reading psychology, it just delivers the text on the package in top to bottom left to right format.
With screen readers working with brands, they can deliver the information to the user in the proper way when a recognized product is scanned. This is a good partnership because brands can have a say in the way their products are represented for (presumably) a monetary contribution which goes to fund further development of the application. This kind of partnership is something that all text reader apps should pursue with manufacturers. When the reader recognizes the label of a known product, the information that is delivered to the user can be tailored in such a way as to deliver the appropriate information in an appropriate way., making the app more useful and ensuring the product information is delivered properly. This is a win win situation for all involved.
Seeing Ai upgrade
To mark World Sight Day on 13th October, Haleon and Microsoft are launching a joint project to make health products more accessible for blind and visually impaired consumers, using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology that narrates the labels of products.
New enhancements in the free Microsoft Seeing AI app will help advance inclusivity and improve accessibility, they say.
Across the UK and USA, consumers will be able to hear important label information for over 1500 everyday consumer health products such as Sensodyne, Centrum, Aquafresh, ChapStick and Emergen-C. Haleon, a global leader in consumer health, will be participating in a Brand Challenge at the upcoming AIPIA World Congress on 14/15 November, in Amsterdam.
Let’s hope this type of collaboration continues and this is the first step toward making all products accessible for blind and visually impaired users.
If you would like more information about the enhancements coming to the Seeing Ai app you can click the link below.
Before you go…
What screen reader do you use? do you find one that works better over another? Let’s talk about it, feel free to drop me a message on my social media links below or right here on Blind Travels.
“Ted’s journey into the landscape of the human body is a marvelous celebration of all that is physical, sensual and diverse
” – FSTOPPERS
About the author
Ted Tahquechi is a blind photographer, travel influencer, disability advocate and photo educator based in Denver, Colorado. You can see more of Ted’s work at www.tahquechi.com
Ted operates Blind Travels, a travel blog designed specifically to empower blind and visually impaired travelers. https://www.blindtravels.com/
Ted’s body-positive Landscapes of the Body project has been shown all over the world, learn more about this intriguing collection of photographic work at: https://www.bodyscapes.photography/
Questions or comments? Feel free to email Ted at: nedskee@tahquechi.com
Instagram: @nedskee
Twitter: @nedskee
Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa New Mexico
Have you checked out our reviews section lately? Today’s new offering is a review of the accessibility at the Tamaya Resort.
“Ted’s journey into the landscape of the human body is a marvelous celebration of all that is physical, sensual and diverse
” – FSTOPPERS
About the author
Ted Tahquechi is a blind photographer, travel influencer, disability advocate and photo educator based in Denver, Colorado. You can see more of Ted’s work at www.tahquechi.com
Ted operates Blind Travels, a travel blog designed specifically to empower blind and visually impaired travelers. https://www.blindtravels.com/
Ted’s body-positive Landscapes of the Body project has been shown all over the world, learn more about this intriguing collection of photographic work at: https://www.bodyscapes.photography/
Questions or comments? Feel free to email Ted at: nedskee@tahquechi.com
Instagram: @nedskee
Twitter: @nedskee
Lancaster Museums enable Visually Impaired People to appreciate arts collection through 3D Printed Versions of Paintings
Making art accessible
3d printing has come a long way in a very short time. I love that museums and other art institutes are utilizing this technology to make art of all kinds accessible to the visually impaired. From the article:
Lancaster district’s art collection will soon be brought to life for people with sight loss thanks to Lancaster City Museums, Lancaster University and Galloway’s Society for the Blind in Morecambe.
I’m also glad that they are looking into making the art even more accessible by including audio descriptions. I’m a big proponent for audio descriptions in art installations, especially if it is the artist themselves who are creating the audio files. The viewers of the art can appreciate the passion the artist has for their work through their words. These are exciting times for those with visual impairments, we are finally able to take part in appreciating the visual arts.
I hope to see more art institutes using 3d printers for this sort of work. When I launched my Landscapes of the Body project, it was before 3d printers were really “a thing” and having prints made of my work was oppressively expensive. I took a different route working with a local printmaker to create a tactile version of the visual prints. I feel offering tactile versions of the art is important so everyone can enjoy the art on their terms.
If you would like to read more about the Lancaster City Museums project you can head to this link.
What do you think? are art institutes doing enough to make their art accessible for the visually impaired community? Let’s talk about it on my social media links below.
“Ted’s journey into the landscape of the human body is a marvelous celebration of all that is physical, sensual and diverse
” – FSTOPPERS
About the author
Ted Tahquechi is a blind photographer, travel influencer, disability advocate and photo educator based in Denver, Colorado. You can see more of Ted’s work at www.tahquechi.com
Ted operates Blind Travels, a travel blog designed specifically to empower blind and visually impaired travelers. https://www.blindtravels.com/
Ted’s body-positive Landscapes of the Body project has been shown all over the world, learn more about this intriguing collection of photographic work at: https://www.bodyscapes.photography/
Questions or comments? Feel free to email Ted at: nedskee@tahquechi.com
Instagram: @nedskee
Twitter: @nedskee
Blog Body
Voting and accessibility (it’s that time again)
It’s time again for United States citizens to begin pondering their stance on the upcoming midterm elections. While we won’t be deciding on the president, we will be electing many local and state governing representatives. Since I launched Blind Travels, I have always made it a point to report on the importance of voting in every election. It may be easy to dismiss the midterm elections as something which is not as important as the big presidential election every four years, however these electoral cycles can directly affect you more than you think.
Your voice matters
I always spend a lot of my time staying out of the lane of politics. There have never been any political pieces here on the blog, I feel it important to maintain a neutral heading when it comes to the crazy world of politics. However, regardless of the reasons for your interest in this article, one point stands head and shoulders above the rest regardless of your political affiliation, and that is your voice and your vote matter. One may never know when an elected official will propose or enact a change that adversely affects you, this is especially true for blind and low vision individuals.
Do your research
Regardless of the side of the aisle you choose to vote on, it is always worth you time as a visually impaired person to research new accessibility and accommodations for blind voters. Now is the perfect time for this, just type in accessibility for blind or visually impaired voters and your state into Google. Here in Colorado, I learned that SB21-188, Ballot Access For Voters With Disabilities allows a voter with a disability to use an electronic voting device that produces a paper record to vote in a mail ballot election. This is great and all, but if I can’t read the screen to make my choice, a piece of paper I can’t read isn’t going to do much more for me. Considering the needs of disabled voters is a step in the right direction, in terms of accessibility, but still does not resolve the biggest issue that most of us with vision loss have with voting and that is being able to read the ballot options.
Late homework
Every two years during midterms, there are a ton of articles posted about making the voting system more accessible for vision impaired users, and every four years with the higher profile presidential elections, these cries seem to intensify. For many of us, we enter the polling station, and someone there is required to read the choices to us and enter our desired option. There is a lot of trust imparted on this way of doing things, the person voting relies on the one reading and marking to honor their choice. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that people working at the polling stations are unreliable or unethical, I am only saying that the voting system needs to be overhauled so that people with vision impairments can read and choose for themselves. Given the current political climate I strongly believe that it is safer for all to be able to make the choices in private and not have to endure comments because of my choice of candidate.
It is too late (again) for municipalities and states to make changes to their voting system, so can’t we all get started on fixing this system, and making it accessible for all voters before the 2024 election?
Conclusion
How is voting handled in your state? Do you ever find yourself in a situation where you feel uncomfortable when voting? Let’s talk about it! Get in touch with me on my social media links below!
“Ted’s journey into the landscape of the human body is a marvelous celebration of all that is physical, sensual and diverse
” – FSTOPPERS
About the author
Ted Tahquechi is a blind photographer, travel influencer, disability advocate and photo educator based in Denver, Colorado. You can see more of Ted’s work at www.tahquechi.com
Ted operates Blind Travels, a travel blog designed specifically to empower blind and visually impaired travelers. https://www.blindtravels.com/
Ted’s body-positive Landscapes of the Body project has been shown all over the world, learn more about this intriguing collection of photographic work at: https://www.bodyscapes.photography/
Questions or comments? Feel free to email Ted at: nedskee@tahquechi.com
Instagram: @nedskee
Twitter: @nedskee
Blog credits
A camera with a screen reader Sony A7RIV
There are a lot of visually impaired people who use still cameras as an important tool to capture a scene (like birthday party, or other special event) and see it later on a larger computer monitor. The inherent problem with this solution is that until recently, there were no DSLR cameras available with accessible menus. In late 2021, Sony launched their Sony Alpha 7 IV (A7R IV) camera which includes a first of it’s kind screen reader.
Jumping ship
Now, this is not one of those attention-grabbing articles that inevitably every photography blogger writes. Camera body features evolve over time, and there are always YouTube photography influencers who make a big deal about jumping ship from one manufacturer to another. Reasons vary but mainly focus on a new feature set, or megapixel increase. These influencers end up selling their entire kit and wave the flag of the new manufacturer only to return at a later date because they always loved the previous manufacturer.
I have been shooting professionally since 2000 and been a Canon user since that time. I’m almost completely blind and I have stuck with them because I am comfortable with the menu layout and can navigate it quickly. My belief is that a photographer should invest in good lenses and body features will evolve over time. With good glass in hand, lenses can be adapted to new technology as in the transition to mirrorless and new lens mount for Canon.
I have never been one of those photographers who considered jumping ship from one camera manufacturer to another because of a single feature, until now. Having a screen reader available in the camera menu system could be a game changer for anyone who is visually impaired and is a photographer.
Market Need
After a couple weeks of debating this point with many photographer colleagues, the consensus from the perspective of working photographers seems to be that a screen reader is not a needed function on a pro level camera because there are few visually impaired users who would consider purchasing a $3000+ camera setup. I disagree with this mentality, my experience is that when manufacturers are required or volunteer to implement accessibility features into any product, that product tends to increase in useability in unsuspecting ways for a larger audience than just those who need accessibility features. In terms of this camera, this not only helps the users who are low vision or visually impaired, but it forces those who are creating the menus and functionality of the product to take a long hard look at what and how they are implementing features (and I know this because I come from a long product manufacturing background). Just like beeping signals tell the visually impaired when it is safe to cross the street, the addition of screen reader technology could give Sony the opportunity to reflect on their menu layout and could in effect increase the quality of the user experience for all their users. I applaud Sony for implementing this feature even in its limited state (more on that later) and hope that other camera manufacturers follow suit in Sony’s groundbreaking addition of this feature.
The A7R IV
The A7R IV is a popular choice for professional level/enthusiast level photographers, sporting a 61-megapixel sensor, 4K 60p video recording and 10 frames per second burst. This camera is a great choice for still and video enthusiasts alike.
Early days
Screen reader technology has been available for years and is commonly used in everything from computers to smartphones and ATM machines. Sony (as of this writing) is the first camera manufacturer to include screen reader technology in a pro level camera. I have not been able to get hold of one of these cameras to test it myself, but it appears as though the initial implementation of the feature is a bit limited in the menus it will read. Users can adjust the speed of the voice up to 4X which is great for screen reader power users. Users also have the ability to adjust the volume of the screen reader voice.
Final Thoughts
As a professional landscape and travel photographer, I have never been tempted to trade in all of my gear and purchase a new camera system, but if Sony are not only leading the way to accessible photographic technology but committed to adding new capabilities for this screen reader technology, this could be my reason to switch. Thanks to the readers who alerted me to this technology, I will reach out to Sony and see if I can get a review unit so I can create a feature article about using this camera in the field.
If you would like to read more about Sony’s screen reader technology, here is an article I found from digitalcameraworld.com
Before you go…
I love to hear from my readers, if you have questions about this article or any other content on Blind Travels, feel free to drop me a note on my social media links below or right here on blind travels. Follow me and I will happily follow you back.
“Ted’s journey into the landscape of the human body is a marvelous celebration of all that is physical, sensual and diverse
” – FSTOPPERS
About the author
Ted Tahquechi is a blind photographer, travel influencer, disability advocate and photo educator based in Denver, Colorado. You can see more of Ted’s work at www.tahquechi.com
Ted operates Blind Travels, a travel blog designed specifically to empower blind and visually impaired travelers. https://www.blindtravels.com/
Ted’s body-positive Landscapes of the Body project has been shown all over the world, learn more about this intriguing collection of photographic work at: https://www.bodyscapes.photography/
Questions or comments? Feel free to email Ted at: nedskee@tahquechi.com
Instagram: @nedskee
Twitter: @nedskee
Blog credits
Blind and visually impaired guests at Disneyland Paris will now have the ability to access audio descriptions content via the AudioSpot mobile app to enhance their park-going experience.
Blind and visually impaired guests at Disneyland Paris will now have the ability to access audio descriptions content via the AudioSpot mobile app to enhance their park-going experience.
This is really great news, I hope we continue to see more of this sort of thing. Embracing the needs of the visually impaired traveler at your destination only increases the likelihood of return visits.
AudioSpot app at Disneyland Paris increases accessibility for the visually impaired
Ellume COVID-19 Home Test Accessibility Review
Recently I reported on the availability of COVID-19 tests that advertised themselves to be accessible for blind and visually impaired users. The tests are available at no cost from the US Post Office and come in six packs of two each (I’ll include a link to the ordering information later). According to the press release about the tests, full audio instructions were included in the app. After returning home from a trip, I received an exposure notification which advised quarantining if I was not vaccinated and to test if I began exhibiting symptoms of COVID. Since I got back, I have been feeling blah, and noticed elevated temperatures at night, which was one of the first symptoms I showed when I contracted COVID last year. I thought this was an opportune time to give these accessible home tests a whirl and report to all of you. Were they easy to use, and perhaps more importantly were they accessible for someone who is blind or partially sighted? Let’s talk about it.
The Test
The Ellume COVID-19 home tests come with a few packages, a bottle of testing fluid, and some product information leaflets. None of the packaging is labeled in braille or described in the audio overview instructions.
The Analyzer
The long package contains the Bluetooth connected analyzer which has a power/connect combo button and a receptacle for the testing fluid to be placed in (more on that later).
The dropper
The dropper is the second package and contains an elongated round tube which the testing fluid is squeezed into during the test process.
The nasal swab
The nasal swab comes in the blister pack. The swab is long, and the base of the swab has a flip top lid, and a plastic spacer for children which needs to be removed if the test is going to be used on an adult.
The testing liquid
The testing liquid comes in a very small tube with a plastic lid that is removed by twisting.
The Process
The quick start guide goes through each piece of the included materials and then suggests searching your app market for the Ellume app. The analyzer connects via Bluetooth and only works with later generation smartphones. A compatibility list is available, but if your phone is not more than a few years old you should be fine.
The first thing you are asked to do is squeeze the contents of the testing fluid tube into the dropper. The tip of the tube twisted off and I emptied the contents into the dropper easily. Next you are instructed to connect the analyzer to your phone by turning it on and ensuring the green light is on. This is difficult for a person with no vision, as there is no auditory clue of the analyzer being powered on from the analyzer or the companion app. The next step is to hold the power button on the analyzer until the green light starts flashing rapidly – again with no audio cue from the analyzer or the companion app to let the user know that the unit had been successfully connected.
Removal of the plastic spacer on the nasal swab is next then the user is instructed to place the swab into the nose and rotate three times. This procedure is repeated for the other nostril. After swabbing, the unit with the swab is screwed tightly onto the dropper and the lid is flipped open and turned upside down. The user needs to then place five drops of the liquid into the receptacle of the analyzer unit. There was no way I was going to be able to do this part without a sighted person to either do it for me or guide me in the process.
Once the liquid is in the analyzer, a button click on the app starts the 15-minute timer to await the results. There is no audio cue from the app when the timer starts, or when the timer is complete. The user is advised not to close the app, so I went the extra step of setting my phone not to auto lock, to ensure it would stay on during the test reading phase. When testing is complete there is no audio cue for the user to know and no audio announcement of the result. There is a learn more button at the bottom, and below that is a share results button which could easily be mistakenly pressed. I didn’t want to share my results, so I clicked learn more – users should be aware that the share button would be easy to press inadvertently.
Results
My test result was negative, but it was an eye opener that this test is not as accessible as advertised. Downloading the app was easy and putting the testing liquid into the dropper was easy, but not being able to see the light on the analyzer and no audio cue from the app to guide the process made things difficult. The requirement of dropping five drops of liquid into a small hole on the analyzer is also a non-starter in terms of a totally blind person being able to do this test alone.
Reporting
My result was negative, but I was informed when setting up the app that my personal information like date of birth, location and test result may be shared with the CDC, making this test not anonymous. If that is a concern for you, now you know. I don’t mind sharing my results, especially considering I am sharing it publicly with all of you today.
Thoughts
I’m not sure if the test in its present form really qualifies in my mind as accessible. It is cool that the thing connects via Bluetooth, and gives the results, but the process to get the results needs to be reconsidered before it is really accessible without someone who is sighted to assist.
Things could be improved, in the app, a button which would give the user audio cues for completing the current step would be of great benefit and minimize the impact to fully sighted users. An audio cue for powering on the analyzer would be great but I doubt that could be completed without a redesign of the unit. Adding an audio cue for connecting the app to the phone should be easy and would be a good indication of the analyzer being ready to accept the testing fluid.
Asking a blind or nearly blind person to squeeze five drops of liquid into a tiny hole is not a good plan. To minimize the possibility of user error, the user should be able to turn the dropper over and squeeze all of the fluid into the reservoir of the analyzer unit. The team had the right idea for the swab and dropper, the user swabs then screw the swab onto the dropper. The dropper should screw onto the analyzer in some way which would minimize the likelihood of the user missing the receptacle when squeezing in the fluid.
Lastly, the app or the accompanying materials should explain which piece is which, as I did above, especially for users with no sight. This test is being advertised as accessible it should be accessible to those who are partially sighted and blind.
Conclusion
This test is certainly a step in the right direction for allowing those who are blind to home test accurately, however it appears as though the team who created the system do not employ partially sighted people or did little testing with focus groups who are blind or partially sighted. I’m always willing to put my time where my mouth is and if the Ellume team or any other team want my feedback on accessibility of materials such as this, I am more than willing to help – all you have to do is ask.
Ordering Information
Link for the announcement about the COVID tests
https://acb.org/accessible-COVID-tests-announcement
Link to order directly
https://special.usps.com/testkits/accessible
Before you go…
Thank you for checking out our Ellume COVID-19 home test review, I love to hear from my readers, have you tried the Ellume test? What was your experience? If you have questions about my experience with this test, feel free to drop me a note on my social media links below or right here on blind travels. Follow me and I will happily follow you back.
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