Yet another rant that actually turned out to be very helpful and or useful! It came about one day because it took me 10 minutes to get into my main apartment complex simply because my hands were wet. #Accessibility #Architecture @agturcz https://circumstances.run/@agturcz/117099617123890083
accessibility
I made some readability updates to my site today after hearing that one of my posts was hard to read.
The changes are meant to make the site more low-vision friendly:
larger article/list text
darker body text
less reliance on italic text for longer notes
cleaner post previews on category pages
I’m totally blind, so I can test structure, keyboard access, screen reader behavior, headings, and content flow, but I can’t personally judge visual readability.
If you use magnification, low-vision settings, high contrast, dark mode, reader mode, or have visual fatigue/migraine/contrast sensitivity, I’d appreciate feedback.
Does anything still feel too small, too light, too crowded, or visually tiring?
Site: https://lanie.work/
#Accessibility #LowVision #WebAccessibility #GoHugo #Disability #A11y
〈Smart glasses controversy sidelines the benefits for disabled people〉
A few days ago, I enabled tagged PDF generation in #Firefox Nightly! So, whenever you create a PDF from a web page using the Save to PDF option in the Firefox Print dialog, it will now be (mostly) accessible with assistive technology, assuming the original page was accessible of course. I say "mostly" accessible because this isn't perfect yet, but it's a massive step forward from producing completely inaccessible PDF documents. It also generates a document outline (table of contents) from the headings in the document.
This is very new code, so it's only enabled in Nightly for now and we'll probably let it bake in Nightly for a few weeks at least before we consider shipping it to release.
#accessibility
For those that missed it, The "Disability Dongle": Why Silicon Valley Hates Me and you., Sightless Scribbles https://sightlessscribbles.com/disability-dongle/ #Accessibility #Ableism #Disability
Terminal Access for NVDA 2.0.3 released. This one is a major update with lots of new features and changes. Please look at the changelog for details. This will also show up in the store as a major release and not in beta. As usual all feedback is welcome.
When creating a new #GitHub organization, they populate it with default labels. Very recently they added #Accessibility as one of them. So, anybody who creates an organization, has accessibility as default label for their issues in all repositories. Nice job, GitHub, I appreciate!
YOU’RE LOOKING
AT THE WRONG PARTS 💎
I sometimes wonder what people imagine is going on inside the life of someone with a visible disability.
I walk very strangely. My left arm doesn’t work at all. My hand is contracted into a claw. I do everything one-handed, and that clearly wasn’t covered in this model’s original operating instructions.
From the outside, I suspect it can look like a life dominated by disability.
“Poor bugger.” “What a tragedy.” “Everything must be so difficult?”
Meanwhile, inside my actual life, I’m usually wondering whether the coffee is ready, what ridiculous thing I can write on Mastodon, whether the dogs have been fed, or why everyone on the internet has suddenly gone mad again.
The disability is there, obviously. I cannot drive, and there are many things I cannot do unaided. Other things just take longer, because much of the world appears to have been designed by someone who assumed every human comes with two fully operational hands.
And most people are remarkably unhelpful.
That sounds like a complaint, but it has an unexpected benefit. If you’re disabled, you become bloody good at finding another way. You have to.
Eventually, you stop wondering how something is supposed to be done and work out how you can do it.
That doesn’t make accessibility unnecessary. Quite the opposite. But disabled people often become extremely skilled at adapting because the world gives us plenty of practice.
Disability is not the central event of my consciousness.
I don’t wake up thinking, “Good morning. I am disabled.”
I wake up thinking, “Coffee.”
Most of the time, I’m not experiencing myself as a tragic medical story. I’m just living.
I’ve had decades to become extremely competent at being this particular slightly damaged model of human being. Sometimes other people seem considerably more concerned about my disability than I am.
It’s sweet.
But unnecessary.
The odd thing about a visible disability is that people often see what doesn’t work before they notice the enormous amount that does.
And from inside here?
It’s mostly just Friday.
_____________________
@DigitalCoup
#Fediverse #OpenWeb #BigTech
@economics_that_works
#Economics #Housing #CostOfLiving
@meditation
#Meditation #Breathwork
#Disability #DisabledLife #Accessibility #Hemiplegia #Stroke #Life #coffee #human #medical #instructions #tragedy #Mastodon
Reading by ear: how audiobooks can help people with phonological dyslexia to enjoy books
by Nadina Gómez Merino
Listening to stories can remove the ‘decoding’ process that dyslexia sufferers struggle with.
Free public domain audiobooks at LibriVox:
https://librivox.org/
The framing of accessibility as a leadership conversation is overdue. Forbes is covering it now, with practitioners and investors weighing in. This is the shift from "legal compliance box to check" to competitive advantage and brand value. Worth reading if you're making the case to stakeholders who don't get it yet.
#accessibility #leadership #a11y
#Accessibility & #Disability accounts to follow:
WRITING
@WeirdWriter (main) & @weirdwriter@makertube.net (audio & video) - Writer, blogger, advocate for accessibility
HISTORY
@BlindHistoryLady - Historian based in US writing on blind individuals from various periods
FILMS & TV
@index - Film news, reviews written by disabled journalist
@socialaudiodescription.com - Collective producing high quality audio description for TV, films, videos etc
Thread page 1 of 4
Multiple links below.
I'm tired, and I don’t want to do free accessibility consulting for this website owner, so I'll outline only one way this won’t work for screen reader users out of many.
Aside from the fact an LLM made the website, and the font as well, the reason it doesn’t work for screen reader users because, even on that demo page, a timer has to be activated. A button must be pushed. A timer activates, and a screen reader user must find the fixed bit of text again. The website makes it sound as if it should be just automatically accessible/visible to the screen reader, and that fails.
Aside from the screen reader issues, that's not the only one, but I don’t want to do free accessibility consulting for this website, some of the other issues include but are not limited to…
It doesn’t prevent scraping.
It doesn’t prevent taking a snapshot and then doing OCR on that screenshot.
It breaks custom fonts anybody has disabled or enabled.
It breaks copy and paste.
It breaks for people without JavaScript enabled.
It breaks for anybody using a good ad blocker.
It prevents search from working on the website.
And many, many, more things that are in my replies.
If you want to learn about me and my screen reader, my FAQ page is below the website I'm talking about.
If you use this font to protect your text from AI, it also blocks *me, a human* because I use a screen reader. I did try the demo. If you want me to remove your RSS feed, this is the best font to prevent blind people from reading your blog/words. That timer is an inaccessible solution and that isn't it's only screen reader failure. https://shieldfont.org/#hero
My FAQ page https://sightlessscribbles.com/faq/
Edited 37d ago
And again, the world shows that our accessibility needs don't matter, but when loser nerds need them, The Web Is Being Made Accessible for AI, Not People https://www.techpolicy.press/the-web-is-being-made-accessible-for-ai-not-people/ #Accessibility #A11y #AI #LLM
Edited 24d ago
Okay people, new instance, new #Introduction!
I'm Andre, a (mostly) backend software engineer and accessibility specialist from Ukraine living in Strasbourg, France.
I'm married and happy, we have two cats.
My main interests are #Technology, #Books, #Music, #Languages, #Accessibility.
I'm blind from birth, if it matters (it may, because I will ask for image descriptions if you send me images without alt text).
My operating system of choice is #Windows, my AI coding assistant is #ClaudeCode, my smart speaker assistant is #AmazonAlexa.
I use my phone far more seldom than 99% of you, preferring my laptop.
I love various kinds of music, especially renaissance and traditional folk music of most peoples of the world.
I'm Pagan, but I revere Jesus christ and his Mother Mary (it might sound complicated, so ask if interested, I'm open to such discussions), so Christians won't see any blasphemy in my posts.
I like talking politics also, but in our times it becomes tougher and tougher, as many people tend to take bold actions if you disagree with them politically. Long story short: I'm pro-Occidental, pro-American, pro-European, leaning right.
I'm in the beginning of develloping our small business (together with my wife, of course). We have some smaller pieces of software and libraries, also my wife has finished a hexalogy (six-book series) of fantasy novels, for now in Russian, but I hope we'll find ways to translate at least into English and French.
That was long already, so ask for more. Oh yeah, I'm a language nerd!
YAY! Fedra got an upgrade! https://github.com/trypsynth/fedra/releases/latest #Mastodon #Fediverse #Blind #Accessibility #A11y
Big news! 🎉
Earshot Podcasts was officially approved by Apple and launched on Wednesday!
I've been a little quiet because #ACB2026 has kept me busy, but I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who tested early versions of the app. Your feedback, bug reports, and ideas helped make this launch possible.
If you haven't checked it out yet, I'd love for you to give it a try and let me know what you think.
Download Earshot Podcasts:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earshot-podcasts/id6770760602
Thank you again to everyone who helped get us here. This is just the beginning.
In regards to this, I must confess how often I forget how complicated screen readers are to maintain and set up and learn. I know how to get speech synthesizers that suit my needs, but you need to be in the community in order to know this information. I can hear other blind people saying, well, just use a screen reader, but in truth, screen readers are not easy to use nor easy to configure. AI ruined some of my most precious accessibility tools. – Strayblog https://straybun.bearblog.dev/blog/2026/ai-ruined-accessibility/ #Accessibility #Disability #AI #LLM
Update from the nursing home. My gastroparesis is flaring again and the facility can't provide liquid nutrition. I've been asking since Saturday. The dietician thought I meant broth. The doctor didn't let me explain. They keep bringing me solid food I can't eat.
My mom brought medical food shakes from home that work, but I'm out and she can't keep supplying them. My SSI check this month is $30 because the nursing home takes the rest. That doesn't cover my phone bill, let alone the AI tools I use to function, or medical food if we have to keep buying it ourselves.
If the nursing home can't feed me, my mom may have to pull me out, which could derail the group home placement we've been working toward.
If you can help, here's the link: https://gofund.me/56352d472
If you can't donate, sharing helps. Thank you.
#Disability #Gastroparesis #ChronicIllness #Accessibility #DisabledWriter #NursingHome #MedicalNutrition
I WILL NOT BE BULLIED 💎
I received a vicious reply today because I use AI. It wasn't a disagreement. Nor a criticism. It was a full-frontal personal attack! And I’ll admit it affected me more than I expected.
I USE AI MAINLY BECAUSE I'M PARALYSED.
Typing is physically difficult for me. I have the use of only one hand. So, tapping out a post or email with one finger is exhausting. Voice and AI help me turn my own thoughts into usable writing in a normal amount of time.
THAT SHOULD NOT REQUIRE A DEFENCE.
You can dislike AI. You can distrust it. You can argue about copyright concerns, energy and water use, labour, culture, or anything else that concerns you. I will listen to you and answer you.
But attacking people simply for using AI is not principled.
IT'S BULLYING.
And disabled people should not have to produce a medical justification every time they use a technology that makes their life easier.
AI is a tool. How it is used matters. Who gets harmed matters. Context matters. What does not help is turning “AI user” into a moral accusation and deciding that cruelty is suddenly acceptable.
I’m quite happy to discuss the technology with anyone.
HOWEVER, I WILL NOT BE BULLIED FOR USING IT.
I didn't need to do anything about the attack. Before I could even decide how to respond, both the post and the person disappeared from my notifications.
@3goodthings @DigitalCoup @meditation @economics_that_works @startrek
#AI #Accessibility #Disability #AssistiveTechnology #Fediverse #Bullying #PWD #Tool
YachtSinkers!, our accessible game about orcas sinking billionaire yachts, is done!
https://peterdrake.itch.io/yachtsinkers
#GameDev #orca #accessibility #a11y #blind #deaf #BlindGamer
😭 tried #Koofr and even though I like a lot of the features, the accessibility of the web interface is utterly terrible. Modals never gain focus, I must hunt for the Modal that just opened and They’re just a ton of unlabeled buttons every where and this is a lot more pronounced on mobile devices. I do 99.9% of my cloud things via #RClone but I just tried to register for a plan on a mobile device and I could not achieve this because the modal was completely invisible to the screen reader. Ugh, back to Dropbox and OneDrive I guess unless you have some fantastic #NextCloud hosts I can look into? It baffles me every time why data hoarding corporations actually try to get this right even cynically, and others just don’t. #Accessibility #A11y
I’m not sure if anybody orders from Jimmy John’s, but there website was a breeze to order from, screen reader wise. I’m the kind of person that places a delivery order for almost a week in advance or days in advance and I would say that is an exemplary website on how to make it successfully accessible with the screen reader. Even on mobile devices, it was not painful. #WebDev #Accessibility #A11y
Thinking about launching an accessibility overlay with the most honest feature set of any on the market.
When the widget comes into focus, it just turns into the baby emoji and makes a soft whimpering noise while sobbing “Please don’t sue me.”
Edited 10d ago
I needed a timer installed to control my resistive electric hot water system. Standard switchboard timers aren't accessible to me, and even though it's very unlikely that I'll ever reconfigure the timer or need to boost the hot water system outside the time window, I figured I may as well spend a few dollars more and have them install a Shelly Pro2. I got it all set up, only to discover that the one control in the web interface that wasn't accessible was... the on/off button for the power output! Whatever, I can hack around that with Greasemonkey or use the open, documented API. But oh look, the firmware is outdated; I should probably update it. And lo and behold, the button is now properly accessible! It's a tiny thing, but sometimes, it feels nice to be able to celebrate #accessibility successes instead of failures. So thanks Shelly.
PROGRESS FOR WHOM? 💎
There is something almost completely missing from the public argument about AI.
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
We talk endlessly about jobs, electricity, lazy students, creativity and billionaires. Meanwhile, something much quieter is happening.
AI IS GIVING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES LOST PARTS OF THEIR LIVES BACK.
I am disabled following a stroke, so this is not abstract for me. I’m always happy to discuss my own experience, but this post is about what AI is making possible for people around the world.
For someone with impaired vision, AI with video glasses can describe surroundings in real time, read labels and signs, identify objects and people, and explain documents.
Someone who struggles to speak can get help communicating. Someone who cannot hear can have speech transcribed. Someone with dyslexia can have dense writing explained. Someone with cognitive difficulties can ask for instructions one step at a time, as often as needed, without embarrassment. Someone with limited mobility can rely more on speech than keyboards, mice and touchscreens. Someone who cannot easily leave home can still learn, create, participate and communicate.
And yes, there is another one we seem almost frightened to mention.
LONELINESS.
AI can talk to someone who is alone. No, that does not mean replacing human beings. A telephone did not replace friendship either. It means that at three in the morning, or during a long day when nobody visits, there can be a voice answering back. For an isolated elderly or disabled person, that is not trivial.
THEN THERE IS PRIVACY.
Every time technology lets someone do something without asking another person for help, a little independence and dignity returns. And we have barely started.
Give AI reliable eyes and ears. Let it operate computers without keyboards and mice. Connect it safely to homes, vehicles and eventually robots capable of fetching, cleaning, cooking, navigating, dressing and helping with personal care.
ISN'T THAT WHAT WE WANT TECHNOLOGY FOR?
We are not only talking about clever chatbots.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT INDEPENDENCE.
I understand the concerns about AI. Some are serious and deserve serious answers. But when deciding what this technology is worth, do not measure it only in jobs lost, electricity consumed or dollars made.
ASK WHAT IT GIVES BACK TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD THINGS TAKEN AWAY BY DISABILITY.
For some people, the AI revolution is not waiting in the future.
IT HAS ALREADY BEGUN.
@3goodthings @DigitalCoup @meditation @economics_that_works @disability @pwd @joinin
#Disability #Accessibility #AssistiveTechnology #AI #DigitalAccessibility #Independence #Inclusion #PWD
