Jeffrey's Soapbox
Because everyone deserves their own soap box from time to time...

A number of my friends have mentioned that they are holding off buying a PC or Laptop with Windows 8 on it because of all the negative things they are heard about Windows 8.  I even know a person who tried installing Windows 7 on the Windows 8 laptop they purchased only to find out […]

Continue reading “Simple Way To Get the Windows 7 Experience In Windows 8 and 8.1” »

At the time of writing this article, the Blackberry v10 Operating System and suite of devices has just got interesting to the community of blind mobile users because in the last few months Blackberry has released the Blackberry Screen Reader for v10 in beta.  The screen reader comes pre-installed for free on the latest version […]

Continue reading “Getting Touchy Feely with the Beta Version of the Blackberry Screen Reader on the Q10 / v10 of the blackberry OS (bbOS)” »

As many of you know, I travel semi-regularly and have found myself in all kinds of unfamiliar places over the years.  I've used the trekker, breeze, mobile geo, wayfinder access and all the free and low cost GPS solutions I could get my hands on both iOS and Android.  For those not familiar with gps […]

Continue reading “Best GPS app for blind travellers.” »

I often get asked, Android or iOS?  I believe it's a choice that requires one to list out the tasks and features you want, look at the devices on the market and make your decision objectively from those elements.   I have access to both platforms iOS and android.   I spent a year using iOS as […]

Continue reading “Android or iOS for blind or low vision users?” »

As outlined in the article The quest for a high contrasting black mobile phone experience for low vision users Part 1, I outline how I need Bright Text on a Dark Black Background to be able to read anything comfortably and how I've spent hours and hours trying to find the best combination to get […]

Continue reading “The quest for a high contrasting black mobile phone experience for low vision users – Part 2” »

A quick google search finds that many people are looking for a dark browsing experience, the reasons vary as many different types of people look for a browsing experience with a black background.  For some it's to avoid waking their significant other asleep in the bed with a bright white screen that lights up the […]

Continue reading “Getting a dark (or inverted) browsing experience on Android” »

I need your help. Help Support Blind Children's Literacy Fund Raising For The "All Hands On Braille Camp" for Kids Ages 8-12 Braille literacy for blind kids is at an all time low and kids in rural Ontario are particularly hit by this epidemic. Kids in rural areas of Ontario have less access to supports […]

Continue reading “Fund Raising For The All Hands On Braille Camp For Kids” »

The built in on-screen keyboard does a good job, but if you are like me, there are a few things that you wish you could change. I find that having to go to the “symbols” screen just to type in a number takes too many steps. I wish the stock keyboard made a louder sound […]

Continue reading “The accessible android keyboard you can’t live without” »

When Empire Theatre took over the 24 Cinema AMC facilities in Kanata, the whole theatre got a huge upgrade. The equipment is brand new and man does it shine. The level of accessibility for people with disabilities of the theatre offerings is truly impressive. I had the opportunity to give this system a run through […]

Continue reading “Empire Theatre Kanata 1st Theatre in Ottawa to offer Described Video (DV) Capability For Blind Patrons In All Rooms In The Movie Theatre!” »

I am a perfect example of someone who needs a high contrasting color scheme to be able to effectively use an interface. On the PC I use a combination of speech output, magnification and high contrasting colors. If I use a white background with black text I require 12x-14x magnification; however, if I use white […]

Continue reading “The quest for a high contrasting black mobile phone experience for low vision users” »