Love this spotlight on accessibility, I think about it a lot (my background is in Special Education).
Reading this immediately brought back memories of testing days and how many of the students would use a "read aloud" option for their online tests (most of the kids had issues with processing/reading). But it was SO bad, like choppy and robotic that you couldn't follow what was being expressed clearly, which meant I had a lot of kids to read out loud to 🫠
"brought to you by fountain pens, writing hands, and paper notebooks."💙
Ohhh yes, accessibility is something that surround us all the time but most of us barely notice it, and most of times, it takes those who devote themselves to the advocacy and welfare of others to promote accessibility and develop the relevant technology. Thank you for the great works you've done in Special Education! <3
And yes, pens & papers are the best things! I've accumulated god-knows-how-many notebooks and thrown away probably 10x of the draft papers LOL. I definitely feel the difference between typing on keyboard vs writing on paper, and I must say that on paper, there is a lot more creativity flowing :D
And I'm already looking forward to our hand-written notes on Sunday <3
Great post Helen. Like you I’ve been struggling with the eyes of late – to the point where it’s been a challenge to write let alone read all the good things piling up in the inbox. I wanted to catch-up on the Quid series so I followed your lead, closed the eyes and played them back via the Substack app reader. It was delivered fluidly and a fine example of the technology described…
Adrian! Thank you so much for stopping by :) Sorry to hear about your eyes, I hope you get better soon (and of course, see a medical professional if needed!) and come back in full commission. In fact, I was about to reach out and inquire about the Fluori-dated newsletter --- because I miss all the education, observation, and humor in it. I always learn a ton from your writing, and looking forward to reading the next one. Of course, your health is always the priority! So take all the time you need, and when you are back, I'll still be there :) And yes indeed, screen reader is well-integrated and sounds a lot more natural these days now, and I hope more accessible technology can further catch up with it.
Awwww thank you Rachael! Tech accessibility is definitely a theme that surfaces regularly in our lives, and this simulated blindness experiment surely makes me to think more and become more aware of it
Great read, Helen. Some of my recent experiments with accessibility technology are primarily centered around dictation using Google's Live Transcribe app though I imagine it's powered by the same transcription technology as voice typing. It is somewhat more seamless once opened.
Something else your piece brought up is an experiment I did in my early twenties attempting to develop some measure of "perfect pitch" or color hearing at the piano. While the success of the experiment is somewhat inconclusive, I did develop a newfound relationship between my ears and hands at the instrument, hand-ear coordination as it were.
I have a very fond memory of playing in the dark I plan to write about so this piece of yours serves as additional inspiration.
Thank you Tai for sharing your experience with accessibility technology! Voice-typing / transcription is definitely an eye-rescuer. And I'm so curious to hear about your experiment of developing absolute pitch in early adulthood -- what motivated you to do it? What are the things you've tried, for how long? Why did you say it's "inconclusive"? e.g. how has your experiment helped you develop more skills and open more avenues as a musician? You hinted at the "newly founded relationship" between your ears and hands, and now I'm HOOKED and humbly request to know more! Please do write about this, and playing in the dark! <3
Thank you Karena! Accessibility technology is always around us, but we don't pay enough attention to it until we need it. So I thought I'd share my updated learning in this weird experiment haha :D Glad that I could share this little spark thought with you in this essay!
Beautiful, Helen. The idea of seeing without using your eyes is so powerful. And now I have the image of you with layers of sleep masks on your eyes that I can’t get out of my mind. :)
Thank you Silvio! Hahaha hopefully those images in your mind are of the kind that can make you laugh or smile! Is the image a vampire with shaggy hair, baggy Gothic clothes, and punk-style eye patches? ;)
Love this spotlight on accessibility, I think about it a lot (my background is in Special Education).
Reading this immediately brought back memories of testing days and how many of the students would use a "read aloud" option for their online tests (most of the kids had issues with processing/reading). But it was SO bad, like choppy and robotic that you couldn't follow what was being expressed clearly, which meant I had a lot of kids to read out loud to 🫠
"brought to you by fountain pens, writing hands, and paper notebooks."💙
Ohhh yes, accessibility is something that surround us all the time but most of us barely notice it, and most of times, it takes those who devote themselves to the advocacy and welfare of others to promote accessibility and develop the relevant technology. Thank you for the great works you've done in Special Education! <3
And yes, pens & papers are the best things! I've accumulated god-knows-how-many notebooks and thrown away probably 10x of the draft papers LOL. I definitely feel the difference between typing on keyboard vs writing on paper, and I must say that on paper, there is a lot more creativity flowing :D
And I'm already looking forward to our hand-written notes on Sunday <3
Great post Helen. Like you I’ve been struggling with the eyes of late – to the point where it’s been a challenge to write let alone read all the good things piling up in the inbox. I wanted to catch-up on the Quid series so I followed your lead, closed the eyes and played them back via the Substack app reader. It was delivered fluidly and a fine example of the technology described…
Adrian! Thank you so much for stopping by :) Sorry to hear about your eyes, I hope you get better soon (and of course, see a medical professional if needed!) and come back in full commission. In fact, I was about to reach out and inquire about the Fluori-dated newsletter --- because I miss all the education, observation, and humor in it. I always learn a ton from your writing, and looking forward to reading the next one. Of course, your health is always the priority! So take all the time you need, and when you are back, I'll still be there :) And yes indeed, screen reader is well-integrated and sounds a lot more natural these days now, and I hope more accessible technology can further catch up with it.
Thank you, fellow human, for your piece on technology accessibility ❤️
Awwww thank you Rachael! Tech accessibility is definitely a theme that surfaces regularly in our lives, and this simulated blindness experiment surely makes me to think more and become more aware of it
Great read, Helen. Some of my recent experiments with accessibility technology are primarily centered around dictation using Google's Live Transcribe app though I imagine it's powered by the same transcription technology as voice typing. It is somewhat more seamless once opened.
Something else your piece brought up is an experiment I did in my early twenties attempting to develop some measure of "perfect pitch" or color hearing at the piano. While the success of the experiment is somewhat inconclusive, I did develop a newfound relationship between my ears and hands at the instrument, hand-ear coordination as it were.
I have a very fond memory of playing in the dark I plan to write about so this piece of yours serves as additional inspiration.
Thank you Tai for sharing your experience with accessibility technology! Voice-typing / transcription is definitely an eye-rescuer. And I'm so curious to hear about your experiment of developing absolute pitch in early adulthood -- what motivated you to do it? What are the things you've tried, for how long? Why did you say it's "inconclusive"? e.g. how has your experiment helped you develop more skills and open more avenues as a musician? You hinted at the "newly founded relationship" between your ears and hands, and now I'm HOOKED and humbly request to know more! Please do write about this, and playing in the dark! <3
Written. Actually. Your process engages me. Another eye-opening essay into our new arrangement (and possibility) with technology.
Thank you Karena! Accessibility technology is always around us, but we don't pay enough attention to it until we need it. So I thought I'd share my updated learning in this weird experiment haha :D Glad that I could share this little spark thought with you in this essay!
Beautiful, Helen. The idea of seeing without using your eyes is so powerful. And now I have the image of you with layers of sleep masks on your eyes that I can’t get out of my mind. :)
Thank you Silvio! Hahaha hopefully those images in your mind are of the kind that can make you laugh or smile! Is the image a vampire with shaggy hair, baggy Gothic clothes, and punk-style eye patches? ;)
LOL :)