Technology – Karten Network

Update from Mobile Technology Advisor – Summer 2021

Posted on June 8, 2021 at 12:06 am.

Written by martin

Google and Apple, the two major mobile technology competitors held their annual development conferences in May and June respectively. While aimed at developers, Google I/O and WWDC are often the platform for major announcements and this year was no exception.

Google I/O

With Google cancelling Google I/O last year it was good to see the event back. Some of the noteworthy announcements were:

Project Starline

Project Starline provides a glimpse into the future of video calling. The system builds on three research areas – depth sensors and cameras; compression and streaming algorithms; and Light field display. These are combined to produce an extremely detailed 3D image that is rendered in real-time, without the need for 3D glasses to be worn.

Google is quoted as saying that it’s applying its research in machine learning, computer vision, spatial audio, and real-time compression to build the futuristic system. The result creates the effect of a person sitting across from you.

Currently, the system is only being used internally at Google and there are no plans to release the system commercially. However, access to the technology has been given to some of Google’s enterprise partners.

LaMDA

LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications) is the next generation of artificial intelligence (AI) conversational bots. LaMDA is based on Google’s transformer architecture which analyses how words relate to each other in order to predict what to say. However, unlike previous systems LaMDA can manage the open-ended nature of human conversations.

Natural conversations are derived by connecting topics, often in unexpected ways. LaMDA makes a major step towards being able to cope with this. This would mean that conversational bots could engage in natural conversations with people.

In simple terms, LaMDA makes it possible for computers to better understand natural language. This means in time the technology will make its way into search and voice assistants creating a better and more “human” interaction.

Google Wear.

Google have failed to really capture the smart watch market – with Apple Watch proving more popular. Google will attempt to change this by their acquisition of Fitbit and the merger of Samsung’s Tizen operating system with Google’s Wear OS. This new operating system will now simply be called Wear. This promises to deliver a wider range of smart watches with better capabilities. It is reported that the next Samsung Galaxy Watch will run this new software.

Android 12

Perhaps the main announcement at Google I/O was Android 12. Reported to be the biggest change to Android since the implementation of Google’s “Material Design” in 2014. The new “Material You” transforms the device interface. Creating a personalised and clearer interface with new widgets, simpler settings menu, larger and bolder quick settings tiles. A 22% reduction in processing time the new interface is more responsive with smoother animations.

Notifications have been revamped to present a clearer at-a-glance view. There is also a new snooze feature which allows you to snooze specific notifications for a set amount of time.

There is a new lock screen featuring a large digital clock that adapts, reducing in size to show any notifications.

A new fresh look to the PIN code keypad has been included with large round buttons.

The new one-handed mode, as the name suggests, when enabled makes it easier to use the phone, particularly those with larger screens using just one hand.

While picture-in-picture is not new, new controls will make it possible to enlarge the window without going full-screen.

Specifically for Google Pixel phones, Android 12 will enable you to double-tap the back of the phone to perform a programmed action like, take a screenshot, launch Google Assistant, open the recent apps, pause or resume media playback.

Privacy is a hot topic amongst mobile devices at the moment with the somewhat controversial release of iOS 14.5. Google has joined the party with their new “Privacy Dashboard” in Android 12. The dashboard will allow you to see what apps have accessed certain permissions. It also includes the option to quickly disable all app access to your camera and microphone.

When an app is first launched and requests access to your location you can now decide to have it only get access to an approximate rather than precise location.

Behind the scenes the Private Compute Core ensures that all audio and language processing are done on the device and can’t be shared over the network.

A new built-in app will also soon be available that will enable android phones to be used as a remote to control any television running Android TV.

Android 12 - a phone and TV to depect the new Android TV remote app

More improvements and features that have not been mentioned above will be included in Android 12. Currently the Android 12 public beta is available for download with an official release expected in September this year.

WWDC

iOS 14.5

While most major announcements typically happen at WWDC, Apple released iOS 14.5 in April. This caused some controversy notably with Facebook because of Apple’s App Tracking Transparency privacy feature. App Tracking Transparency allows you control which apps are able to track your activity across other companies’ apps and websites. This data is typically used to display personalised advertisements or shared with data brokers.

Other mentionable changes in iOS14 include support for Apple’s new AirTag. This £2 sized tracker can be attached to objects like your keys, wallet, bag, etc. You can then use the Find My app to locate the object using visual, audible, and haptic feedback to guide you directly to the AirTag.

iOS 15

At WWDC 2021 Apple announced the coming release of iOS 15. As with every new version of the operating system this includes a host of improvements and new features. Some of these are:

FaceTime

A significant update to FaceTime. For the first time, FaceTime is now supported across platforms making it possible to use FaceTime on Windows and Android through a browser. Similar to Zoom, it is now possible to schedule individual FaceTime calls and send a link to join the call. FaceTime now also supports portrait mode to blur backgrounds, and a grid view to speak to multiple people at the same time. The new spatial audio feature creates a 3D audio experience allowing you to get a sense of where the person is on the screen during group calls.

ShareTime, enables users to now share music or their screen during a FaceTime call.

iMessage

iMessage has been redesigned and now includes features that photos received in iMessage are grouped into galleries. Links that are sent to you get automatically saved in “shared with you” so they are in one place and can be access later. This works with Apple Music, Safari, Apple Podcasts, Apple TV and Apple News.

While notifications continue to be displayed on the lock screen, a new feature now collects the notifications and displays them in a custom summary, ordered by priority.

If “do not disturb” or a new “focus” mode are enabled this status will now be shared with other users, like an away message.

Focus mode

The new Focus mode filters and hides notifications and apps based on specific user preferences. Focus, also uses on-device intelligence to suggest which people and apps are allowed to notify them. These suggestions factor in the person’s context, for example work hours or when winding down for bed. Once Focus is set on one Apple device, it gets automatically applied to any other Apple devices the person may have.

Live Text

A new feature in the Camera app, called Live Text can automatically identify and scan text in photographs. This text can then be copied and extracted to use in other apps.

Wallet

The Wallet has been updated to now support the inclusion of corporate ID badges, keys to get into hotels and houses with smart homes.

Safari

Apple’s Safari browser on the iPhone has received a major update with a redesigned tab interface and support for the same extensions used in the desktop version.

iPadOS 15

Similar to iOS 15 for iPhone, the iPad operating system will also be updated to iPadOS 15. Included in the new version are new ways to rearrange iPad apps, put widgets on the home screen and the App Library feature – something that until now was only available on iPhone.

A new multitasking interface that makes it easier to place two apps side by side on the iPad screen.

The Apple notes app is now able to better interface with other apps. Swiping up from the bottom corner of the iPad will now launch the “Quick Notes” feature. This enables you to quickly make notes using the Apple Pencil.

A new version of the Translate app has been added to iPadOS 15. This app enables people to have a conversation and have it translated on-screen in real time.

Apple’s Swift Playgrounds app which is designed to help people learn how to code (program) has been updated and it is now possible to create full apps, that can be submitted to the App Store.

Both iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 are expected to be released in September this year.

Many more announcements covering other products were made during WWDC. It remains exciting to see the ongoing advances in technology and its potential to improve people’s lives.

As always, I am interested to hear about how you are using mobile and other smart technology. If you would like to have a particular topic covered in the next newsletter, please let me know. I am also available at any time to support and help where I can.

Update from Mobile Technology Advisor – Spring 2021

Posted on March 26, 2021 at 8:16 am.

Written by martin

“You’re on mute”…a phrase that has become familiar to many of us over the past year. A sign of how the digital age has transformed how we live, work and interact with each other. Mobile devices have put a computer in our hands, one that is able to capture images and video, contributing to the zettabytes of data that is created and generated each year. In this data era, how valuable is your data to you, to your organisation?

The 31st of March is world Backup Day! (http://www.worldbackupday.com/en/) A day to emphasise and remind you of how important it is to backup your data.

Despite the increased reliability of modern devices, hardware can, and does fail, devices get damaged, stolen, or infected by viruses and ransomware. Hardware can be relatively easily repaired or replaced (at a cost) however, data loss, can be priceless – irreplaceable. The simple rm -rf * command executed on the wrong directory at Pixar deleted 90% of Toy story 2! Fortunately, that data or a copy thereof, was able to be recovered. That incident also transformed Pixar’s backup policy.

Simply put, a backup is copy of all your important files which is stored on another device in a safe place.

Typically, backups are done either to an external device (e.g. external hard drive, NAS, etc) or an internet based service, or both. Each option has its advantages, external devices in most cases don’t have any on-going-costs and data transfer rates are higher, meaning backups (and crucially restores) take less time to complete. Internet base services offer off-site backups and greater data integrity as services providers have their own backup procedures to keep your data safe. They also may be included in a service that you are already paying for e.g. Microsoft 365.

The exact backup solution will depend on your requirements. However some key aspects to consider when determining a backup procedure/policy:

What data should be included in the backup?
How often should backups be done?
How many copies will be made?
Where is the backup data stored? If this is internet base, where are the servers located.
Who has access to the backup data?
How long is backup data retained?

While having a backup procedure is good practice, if it includes personal data, backups are a General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirement. The GDPR states that: “…must have the ability to restore the availability and access to personal data in the event of a physical or technical incident in a ‘timely manner’.”

For personal data included in backups, the GDPR could also influence where backups are stored, who has access to them, and how long they are retained for. Trickier aspects include the anonymisation of data, and the individual’s “right to be forgotten”. The GDPR does not make any exceptions for personal data contained in backups i.e. personal data should be deleted from backups too. The guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is that the steps need to remove an individual’s personal data be dependent “…on your particular circumstances, your retention schedule (particularly in the context of its backups), and the technical mechanisms that are available”. The ICO stresses that “You must be absolutely clear with individuals as to what will happen to their data when their erasure request is fulfilled, including in respect of backup systems.”.

While it is context specific, the guidance acknowledges that due to technical reasons it would be difficult to erase an individual’s data from a backup. If this is the case the backup data be marked as ‘beyond use’. The ICO states “You must ensure that you do not use the data within the backup for any other purpose, ie that the backup is simply held on your systems until it is replaced in line with an established schedule.” For more information on the ICO website.

Most, mobile devices by default will automatically backup to cloud based storage – Google Drive for android devices (Samsung devices can also be backed-up to a Samsung account); iCloud for Apple devices. This is dependent on the available storage space and usually only happens when the device is connected to Wi-Fi and is charging. These backups may not include all the data on the device. Some app e.g. WhatsApp offer their own backup service specific to that app’s data.

Depending on the context in which these devices are being used, these backup options may need to be reviewed and disabled.

Whatever your backup procedure is, backups should be checked for integrity – most backup software allows for this. After all, a backup that can’t be used to restore your data is not much use.

Whether you choose to take the backup pledge or not, on the 31^st of March please give some thought to backing-up your data. To quote the World backup day website “Don’t be an April Fool. Backup your data.”

Finally, as always, I am interested to hear about how you are using mobile and other smart technology. I am also available to support and help where I can.

Launch of pioneering Covid-19 support app for people with SEND

Posted on January 21, 2021 at 5:32 pm.

Written by martin

An example of the Staying Safe app on an iPad and iPhone

Our Summer 2020 newsletter featured Derwen College Industry Champion, Neil Bevan, and the work his company had been doing with Derwen College in the development of their award-winning ‘Support Work’ mobile apps.

The lessons learned, the success of the project and the collaboration with the college, which includes the ‘Working in a Printshop’ app used in Derwen’s Karten Printshop, prompted Neil to separate out the app development side of his design and marketing business to form a new company – Starfish Labs Ltd.

Starfish Labs has recently launched the first of a suite of apps to support people with special educational needs and disabilities to understand the changes in society and regulations due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

The app, ‘COVID-19: Staying Safe’, has been part funded by the Welsh Government rapid response Covid-19 RD&I scheme, and is unique in allowing carers, parents or teachers to customise the content using their own photographs, video and spoken word, and simple steps to make the wearing of masks, lockdown restrictions and hand washing etc. familiar and relevant to the user’s own environment and to the changing regional and local lockdown rules. Generic content is available in English and Welsh. You can find out more about how the apps can be customised and a link to download at: https://starfishlabs.co.uk/products/

A further two apps, ‘COVID-19: Social Space’ covering social distancing and the concept of support bubbles etc., and ‘COVID-19: Happy&Healthy’, covering general health and wellbeing are due for launch during February.

The first app is available now for iPhone and iPad from the App Store, and will shortly be available for Android on Google Play. The additional apps will be available on both platforms as soon as they are published. The cost of the app is £3.99 and proceeds will be re-invested in further projects to support vulnerable people.

Derwen client demonstrating the correct use of a face masks

The apps were created in collaboration with Derwen College, working with their tutors on content, and feature Derwen clients (many of whom are former students) demonstrating the correct use of face masks, how to wash your hands, the use of hand sanitiser and other aspects of Covid-safe support through videos and photographs, along with cartoon images and Makaton symbols.

screen shot off the app showing custom content

Teaming up with two additional directors, Neil and Kirsten Bevan established the new tech startup at Aberystwyth University Innovation & Enterprise Centre, to take advantage of the R&D collaboration opportunities with the University. The company is specifically focussed on developing apps for the SEND sector, to support people with training apps to improve their lives, and to developing relationships which will also be financially beneficial or will provide enhanced learning and enrichment opportunities to the people and organisations with whom they work.

The company has already created employment for two graduates and is about to employ a further developer, having recently won a significant export project in the SEND sector in the UAE.

Starfish Labs Director, Neil Bevan, says, “As the Covid-19 pandemic is still very much with us, the ongoing changes in lockdown rules and guidance in different parts of the UK are confusing for many people, and especially for those with learning difficulties.”

“So much of the existing guidance doesn’t really mean very much to someone who has Autism or who doesn’t recognise that generic images of hand washing, or face coverings have any meaning to their own life. We recognised that a suite of apps could help to simplify the guidance – breaking instructions down into understandable short sequences – and the ability for people to use their own photos or videos of their own masks, their own washbasin, and their own local environment would make the rules much more relevant.”

Screenshots of the staying safe app on an iPhone

Neil continues, “We are grateful to Welsh Government for supporting Starfish Labs in funding the development of the apps, and we’re proud to be developing them in Welsh, as well as English, to support vulnerable people in Wales who may have Welsh as their first language. We’re also really pleased to be working with Derwen College again on this project.”

Starfish Labs is also looking to develop versions of the apps in other languages, such as Urdu and Punjabi.

Read the original article about the ‘Support Work’ project in the Karten Summer 2020 newsletter

Further information from:
Neil BevanDirector – Starfish Labs Ltd – email: neil@starfishlabs.co.uk

Nuvoic project – January 2021 update

Posted on January 18, 2021 at 1:58 pm.

Written by martin

Karten Network and Voiceitt logos with two people using the voiceitt app in the background

The Karten Network has continued working on the Nuvoic Project our collaboration with specialist app developer Voiceitt, aiming to improve access to speech recognition technology for people who have speech difficulties. Voiceitt’s app supports people who want to communicate using their own voice but have difficulty being understood by unfamiliar people, or who want to use their voice for smart home control but can’t access mainstream technologies. The Karten Network is leading on user involvement and testing in the UK.

Updates

Since our last newsletter, we’ve been working with several of our partner organisations to recruit individuals to take part in the project, and we’re delighted that we now have participants from Beaumont College in Lancaster, Cedar Foundation in Northern Ireland, Enable Ireland, Hill House care home in Sandbach (Leonard Cheshire), Homefield College in Leicestershire, National Star in Cheltenham, The Grange Centre and Young Epilepsy in Surrey, as well as some individuals who’ve contacted us directly. We’d like to say a huge thank you to all of our participants and partner organisations for your contribution so far, especially in such challenging circumstances!

In December, Voiceitt announced their collaboration with Amazon to make Alexa accessible for users with impaired speech, and in January were awarded a ‘Best of Innovation’ award in the Accessibility category by the Consumer Technology Association. Congratulations Voiceitt!

We’ve also recently published our new Nuvoic project web pages, check these out for information and updates about the project.

Get involved!

We’re still recruiting participants to test the Voiceitt app, especially the new Smart Home mode which gives integrated control of an Amazon Echo smart speaker. We’re also looking to recruit people with impaired speech who are willing to donate voice recordings to help develop Voiceitt’s technology.

We’re keen to work with new partner organisations who support people with impaired speech, and we have funding available to reimburse organisations for time spent supporting the project. We can also work directly with individuals, family members and carers to support participation, and we offer vouchers, as well as free use of Voiceitt during participation and for six months afterwards, to thank participants for their contribution. Please see our project web pages for details of what’s involved.

Get in touch!

We would love to hear from you if you, your organisation or someone you know may be interested in taking part, or if you’d like more information. Please email our project co-ordinator: liz@karten-network.org.uk, or you can find more information and get in touch via our project web pages.

Accessible Tech Thursdays

Posted on October 9, 2020 at 1:30 am.

Written by martin

Every Thursday at 4.15pm the EdTech Demonstrator Programme will be delivering short webinars (between 20 to 40 mins) focusing on the best ways to integrate accessible technology into your classrooms – enabling you to improve the outcomes for all of your learners.

Accessible technology means technology that allows full access to digital content, whatever your needs. As a result, these webinars are for all educators, as we all know that mainstream classes include a range of students with needs, diagnosed or not. An accessible classroom makes learning easier for everyone.

What’s more, is the last Thursday of the month we will open up the end of the webinar as a “surgery” where you can get help with student issues around accessible tech. The first theme is access, where we cover the main tools learners can use to break through accessibility barriers.

Introduction

Meet the team of specialists, find out how best to access the programme and get some tips on getting September started right. Watch on YouTube.

Text-to-Speech

An introduction to one of the most useful tools to help learners access written text. We will cover options on different platforms and cover those extra features that can make all the difference. Watch on YouTube below.

Early Switch Skills

Taking a look at alternative access to computers/communication aids using switches. It will provide a step-by-step guide from the assessment process, to early switch skills such as awareness of cause and effect. It will explore a range of switch accessible software, websites, and activities. Watch on YouTube.

Dictation

Using your voice to write can be transformative for learners and is a useful life-skill for everyone! We will cover the main options and give options for the classroom, mobile devices, and exams. Watch on YouTube below.

Vision

Changing visual options can make resources accessible. We will go through the main software and features that can help your learners see the work in the best possible way. Watch on YouTube below.

Physical Equipment

How do we work out what equipment learners need? What is out there and where do we buy it from? We can help you with these questions and more. Stay on at the end for our “Drop-in surgery” Register for the drop-in surgery.

More webinars to follow.

Video Calls. Thursday 8 Oct 2020 at 4.15pm

Never before have we spent so long in video calls! But do we know how to make these accessible and do we know which platform to choose to suit our students’ needs? We will look at how to make your calls on Zoom, Teams and Hangouts more accessible with captions, transcripts, accessible resources, shared folders and more. Register for the Video Calls webinar on Zoom.

Remote Therapy. Thursday 15 Oct 2020 at 4.15pm

There are some excellent resources and tips on delivering remote therapy, we’ll review these and help you to feel comfortable delivering therapy in this manner. Designed with Speech and Language Therapists in mind, but with guidance that should help all therapists. Register for the Remote Therapy webinar on Zoom.

Blended / Flipped Learning. Thursday 22 Oct 2020 at 4.15pm

Blended learning is an approach to education that combines online educational materials and opportunities for interaction online with traditional place-based classroom methods. Flipped learning has been described as “school work at home and home work at school.” They are both effective when done correctly and can improve the differentiation, accessibility and engagement of learners. Register for the Blended / Flipped Learning webinar on Zoom.

Visual Learning. Thursday 5 Nov 2020 at 4.15pm

Mind-mapping, social stories, essay planning, symbols and timetables. We will discuss the merits of each, provide you with solutions (PC and mobile) and give you some new tools to deliver your sessions more inclusively. Register for the Visual Learning webinar on Zoom.

Update from Mobile Technology Advisor – Autumn 2020

Posted on October 9, 2020 at 1:30 am.

Written by martin

Intelligent virtual assistant accessibility

Intelligent virtual assistant Alexa and Google

It wasn’t that long ago when the idea of talking to and interacting with a computer by speaking was the stuff of science fiction. Now we “Hey Google…”, “Siri…”, and “Alexa…” without giving a second thought to it.

While Intelligent virtual assistants (IVA) are still maturing, they already offer an interface to many who would otherwise find traditional computer interfaces difficult to use. However, for some, accessing virtual assistants is still challenging. Thankfully, built in accessibility features may make this easier. As of iOS 11 you are able to type rather than speak to Siri.

Google Home accessibility features are largely dependent on the device. On mobile devices, the app relies on Android’s accessibility features. On Google Nest smart speakers and displays accessibility features are controlled through the Google Home app. To access these features, ensure you mobile device is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your smart speaker or display. Open the Google Home app. Tap your speaker or Smart Display. Tap on “Device settings, then “Accessibility”. Currently the options are limited. They mainly include additional audio feedback and cues. For smart displays in addition to auditory options, including closed captioning, it is possible to adjust the colours and the amount of contrast, as well as magnify the screen.

Amazon’s Alexa has a large number of accessibility features. Similar to Google Home, some of which are device specific. These accessibility features can be accessed either through the Alexa app or directly through the device. The features include audio instructions for configuration of Amazon Alexa devices; customisable sound cues; text size and contrast; screen reader support for the Alexa app; support for keyboard navigation in the app and on some Alexa devices; screen magnification; and the rate at which Alexa speaks can also be adjusted.

The “wake word” can be changed, although this is currently limited to four options – “Alexa,” “Amazon,” “Echo,” and “Computer.”

On supported devices (e.g. Amazon echo show) you can interact with Alexa without speaking. This includes using a keyboard during video calls made using the supported device. The Real Time Text (RTT) feature adds a live, real-time chat feed during calls and “Drop Ins”. When RTT is enabled, a keyboard pops up on the screen (external Bluetooth keyboards are also supported), enabling you to type text which appears in real time on both parties’ screens.

Ongoing efforts promise to expand access to virtual assistants for people with disabilities. Google recently announced a partnership with Tobii Dynavox to integrate Google’s virtual assistant into Tobii Dynavox augmentative and alternative communication devices.

The Karten Network is excited to be a partner in the European Union funded Nuvoic Project, led by specialist app developer Voiceitt to further develop the Voiceitt app. The app is designed to translate impaired or unclear (‘dysarthric’) speech into intelligible speech as well as control other voice-driven technologies such as virtual assistants. (see the Nuvoic project article for more information).

While privacy and data protection concerns exists, intelligent virtual assistants are hear to stay and possess the potential to make all our lives, particularly those with disabilities a little easier.

As always, I am interested to hear about how you are using mobile and other smart technology. I am also available to support and help where I can.

Martin Pistorius
Karten Network Mobile Technology Advisor

Derwen College ‘Support Work’ apps

Posted on July 8, 2020 at 12:21 pm.

Written by martin

by Derwen College ‘industry champion’ and project manager Neil Bevan, owner of design and app development business Hunter Bevan Ltd

Hunter Bevan Ltd is working in partnership with Derwen College on a three-year project to support young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to gain supported work placements as part of their learning journey. For some students this may ultimately lead to paid employment, the added independence and sense of achievement that brings. Our involvement in the project is in the development of a suite of iOS and Android-compatible apps to support training through an accessible, understandable platform.

As Project Manager, it is interesting to interface between the needs of the educational sector and the technical delivery of desired outcomes from the apps. The challenges include how we deliver those outcomes through the use of technology and mobile devices for training which are understandable, easy to use and accessible to students, using simple design and specific content such as Makaton symbols, which will be of benefit to staff and students as a teaching and learning aid.

In ‘mainstream’ commercial training apps we might take a totally different approach to that of working in a specialist college setting. Some of the things we are learning through working with the college are shaping the future development of apps in this sector – such as the example of fingerprint recognition patterns being different in students with Down syndrome to those of the wider community, meaning that using that method of recognising an individual may be difficult using current technology. These subtle differences are informing future accessibility to the apps we are developing in relation to security and safeguarding issues. We are also exploring the use of different learning methods – using video and spoken word, Makaton and written words, and a series of pictures and written words, to learn which approach different types of students prefer for their own personal learning. One thing that is definite is that the use of technology is being welcomed by the students and they enjoy using the apps in their learning. This is demonstrated by students requesting to continue to use the apps on their personal devices after leaving the college!

The training app being displayed on an iPad

We have worked with the college to systemise the approach to determining the desired learning outcomes, producing easy-to-understand flowcharts of how the apps will work so that the specification can be agreed at an early stage. User interface designs are then created and presented to college staff so that we can discuss accessibility and user-friendliness appropriate to the students’ needs, learning from their specialist knowledge, before coding begins. We then share beta test versions of the apps with the college during the build process for evaluation, and continue to improve the ‘user journey’ through staff and student feedback. This ensures ongoing quality control and agility in being able to modify functionality and usability as we proceed to build the apps. The software behind the apps is the Laravel Nova admin panel, Cordova and React Native. We are partnering with Amazon Web Servers (AWS) to deliver server-side functionality where required, and the college is in the process of accessing grant funding from Amazon to support development on AWS. These state-of-the art development tools will enable further development of the apps in the future.

Current apps include:

Premier Inn’s training manual in a pictorial, Makaton and simple sentence format on an iPad

Housekeeping training developed in conjunction with Premier Inn – working with Derwen College to convert Premier Inn’s training manual into a pictorial, Makaton and simple sentence version on paper – and then into a fully functioning app with the choice of using video and spoken word, Makaton and written words, and a series of pictures and written words.

‘Working in a Café’ – a step-by-step guide to common tasks when working in a café, using pictures, Makaton and words, which can be customised to an individual café’s own processes and ways of undertaking different tasks (e.g. multiple ways of making a cup of coffee using different equipment.

Digital CV builder, which enables a student to select descriptive words about themselves, upload pictures and personal data, and to incorporate videos and documents as evidence of their skills and work experience. As well as choosing from options, students can further personalise their CV using text, or voice recognition. The app also allows for schools and colleges attended, qualifications, work experience, references and a mock interview to be uploaded. An online or pdf CV is then generated which can be accessed by a potential employer who has been granted a secure access code.
Early-stage development of a ‘Getting ready for work’ calendar-based app to support being ‘work-ready’ and the use of public transport to travel to work.

As the apps are currently for internal use within the college and a limited user-base outside the college, they are distributed to users as .apk files for Android and via TestFlight for iOS. Hunter Bevan Ltd are approved Apple Developers for iOS.

We are delighted to be working on this project as it presents us with design and development challenges in building effective tools to benefit people with learning difficulties and disabilities which are really making a difference to the students’ lives and employment opportunities. The project has forged stronger links with Hunter Bevan and Derwen College and I have taken on a voluntary role as an Industry Champion for the Retail Pathway with the College – promoting their work, and supporting the staff and students with ‘real life’ business experience. The project has also proven to be an effective platform to introduce and present the work of the college to the wider business community.

Update from Mobile Technology Advisor – New features and updates from Apple and Google

Posted on June 27, 2020 at 3:18 pm.

Written by martin

Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) took place last month. Unlike the previous 30 conferences, it was held virtually and free for anyone to attend.

The WWDC keynote, streamed directly from Apple Park included, the introduction of iOS and iPadOS 14, watchOS 7, tvOS 14, and more. The full keynote is available on YouTube.

iOS and iPadOS 14

Version 14 of iOS and iPadOS, expected to be released in September, brings the first major change to the user interface since iOS was first released with the introduction of widgets. A concept that Apple have used successfully on their Apple watch. These widgets, available in different shapes and sizes can be placed on the home screen, creating a more data-rich home screen. A variety of widgets that can be added through the Widget Gallery.

Widget Stacks

To optimise the use of space you can create Widget Stacks, allowing you to stack up to 10 widgets on top of each other. Swapping between them with a swipe.

A Smart Stack can be added. This folder uses on device intelligence to automatically display the best widget option based on time, location, and activity. For example, if you stack up the weather widget, the calendar widget, and the maps widget, you might see the weather when you wake up, the calendar as events as they come up and maps when you are out.

Siri is also ever present, providing a Siri Suggested widget based on your device usage. If you read the news every morning on the bus or train, you may see the BBC or Apple News app. If you order coffee each day around lunch time the Costa or Starbucks app will appear around that time.

App Library

To compliment widgets, a new App Library feature has been added. Similar to Apple Watch’s app list view, App Library automatically organises every app you have installed into category folders.

Swipe right to get past the Home Screen pages and onto App Library view. This seems a great to quickly access apps that normally reside beyond the first or second page.

App Library includes an intelligent “Suggestions” folder where four recommended apps are shown based on factors like, usage, the time of day, location, and activity.

It is now possible to hide individual pages or apps, limiting apps to the App Library. This will allow for much tidier screens.

Other screen-space saving changes include a new compact incoming call and Siri interfaces. Siri is not only now more compact but has received a significant update, making Siri “smarter”.

Improved Accessibility

As with every new iteration of iOS, the accessibility has been improved and expanded. Voice Control, introduced last year gets a new British English voice and expanded capabilities, support for Braille has been enhanced and expanded, and more. Some of the new features worth mentioning are:

Sound recognition

While this is not a new concept, it is the first-time sound recognition has specifically been used for accessibility purposes. Amazon, Google, and others have used AI-based sound recognition for personal safety applications. For example, Google Pixel phones are able to listen for a car crash and Amazon’s Alexa can listen for the sound of broken glass. Once enabled in the accessibility section of iOS 14 the phone will listen for 14 different sounds, including a knock at the door, a doorbell, sirens, smoke detector alarm, dog barking, a crying baby, and more. If one of these sounds is heard you are alerted.

Headphone enhancements

This new feature allows people to adjust the frequency response and boost softer sounds to make it easier to hear. While this requires one of the compatible headphone sets (e.g. AirPods Pro, AirPods, Powerbeats, Powerbeats Pro and Beats Solo Pro, EarPods) it is a great enabler for anyone who has trouble hearing.

Back Tap

Back Tap this new simple feature lets you assign an action to a tap on the rear of your iPhone and it even works when the phone is in a case. Currently, Back Tap only supports two movements, a double and a triple tap. However, there are large number of actions that can be assigned to the taps.

FaceTime Sign Language

The update to FaceTime now includes artificial intelligence that will recognise if someone is using sign language during group FaceTime call. The system will then make the person on the call who is signing appear more prominent.

VoiceOver

VoiceOver has been upgraded. Most notably is VoiceOver utilises on-device machine learning and Apple’s Neural Engine to recognise and audibly describe what’s happening on screen. VoiceOver can now identify key display elements, especially on websites and apps that don’t have their own accessibility functionality. This can include text within images as well as interface controls that can all now be read out.

Apple Magnifier

Apple Magnifier has been upgraded too. It now magnifies more of the area you are pointing at, as well as capture multi-shot freeze frames. You can now filter or brighten images for better clarity as well as capture multiple images at once – making it simpler to review multipage documents or longer content.

Other new features and changes in iOS

With more than the reported 250 changes and enhancements from iOS 13 here are some of the changes and new features:

Picture-in-Picture (PiP). While not a new concept Apple has added it’s “Apple touch” to it. If you swipe away while watching a full-screened video, the window will now float on your home screen, allowing you to move and resize it. The video can also be minimise into a small button on the side of the screen. All this means that you can continue to play a video while doing something else.

App Clips – similar to Android’s Instant Apps, App Clips allow you to use an app without needing to download the full version. App Clips will also support Apple Pay. This feature could be useful for those times when you need quick access or only need an app temporarily.

A significant update to Apple Maps and includes new cycling-specific navigation, among other things. This can alert you to increases in elevation as well as a notification if there are stairs along your route. This could be very useful for wheelchair users too.

Unfortunately, for now, is US and China focused and will be first available for New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Shanghai, and Beijing. Although more cities will be added once iOS 14 is released.

Third-Party Default Apps – for the first time since iOS was released Apple allows you to set third-party browser and e-mail apps as the default. This means Google Chrome users and those who prefer other e-mail apps can use them more easily.

Privacy Protections – A significant amount of work has gone into improving and expanding the privacy protections. It is now even clearer what information apps collect, requiring more user permission. It is now possible to use location dependant features without providing your specific location data.

Changes have been made to the Apple app store to make is clearer what the privacy impact of each app is before you download it. Apple now require developers to self-report their privacy practices, including any data they collect and used to track people.

Developers must now also obtain express permission from the user to access or use any tracking data.

The Apple Clipboard now provides a notification, so you know what app is accessing text copied to it.

Apps that need to discover and access devices on your local network now need to gain your permission to do so first.
Fine-grain control to your photos has been added. Any app that requests access to the Photo Library, no longer needs to have access to all your photos. You can choose to block access, select specific photos that the app can view, or allow full access.

If an app uses either the camera or microphone for recording purposes an indicator light will now appear next to the mobile signal bar. This will happen whether an app is being used or running in the background. This will ensure that apps are not secretly recording without your knowledge.

To prevent operators tracking your device Wi-Fi now includes the option to “Use Private Address”; and Bluetooth devices can be renamed.
Translate App – Siri’s translation capabilities added in iOS 13 have been expanded into a dedicated translation app.The underling translation engine has also been integrated into the new version of Safari. This makes it possible for websites to be translated too.
Memoji will be expanded, including more age options, and accessories for Memoji, such as face masks – I sign of the extraordinary times we are living in.

iPadOS 14

Most of the changes and new features of iOS 14 will also be included in iPadOS 14. Apple also introduced a new “Scribble” feature for Apple Pencil. This can automatically convert handwriting into text. Built in intelligence makes Scribble context aware. This means it is able to for example recognise a phone number or address and offer you an appropriate app to use the data.

watchOS 7

Apple has finally added sleep tracking to Apple watch. While more in-depth data will be gathered if you use an Apple watch, the companion app for iPhone doesn’t require you to use an Apple Watch.

With the coronavirus pandemic hand hygiene has become even more important. watchOS 7 now includes a Handwashing app. This new app not only can detect the motion of you washing your hands but uses the watch’s microphones listen for the sound of splashing water to confirm that you’re actually washing your hands. The app then displays a countdown to ensure you wash your hands for an adequate amount of time.

Apple Watch, displaying the new Handwashing app

Google I/O

Google took the decision to cancel their annual developer conference entirely. Google did however announce some accessibility improvements.

An Accessible Places feature has been added to Google Maps. Available on both Android and iOS, Accessible Places is designed to display wheelchair accessibility information about a location or business. You can enable Accessible Places by open the latest version of the Google Maps app. Navigate to “Settings”, then choose Accessibility and turn on Accessible Places.

Google Accessible Places settings being displayed on a mobile device

Once turned on, it’ll show a wheelchair icon for places with an accessible entrance. More detailed information is also available, including Blue Badge parking, accessible seating, and toilets. Accessible Places will be released in the UK, US, Japan and Australia, with more countries being added later.

Action blocks, mentioned in the Autumn 2019 newsletter has now been released. The app enables you to create customisable home screen buttons. Creating a string of tasks or actions that can be trigged by a single tap

Live Transcribe, Google’s real-time, speech-to-text transcriptions for conversations has been updated. You can add custom words or names for the system to recognize and spell. You can use search to search through past conversations. To enable this feature though you need to enable “Saving Transcriptions”. This will then save transcriptions to the device for three days.

It is now also possible to set Live Transcribe to listen for your name. Your phone will then vibrate whenever someone nearby says your name.

Images used in this article courtesy of:

macrumors.com
9to5mac.com
cultofmac.com
theverge.com
zdnet.com
techcrunch.com
phonedog.com

Scams online: how to stay safe

Posted on April 2, 2020 at 6:48 pm.

Written by martin

A photo of an open padlock on top of a laptop computer keyboard.

The following article was produced in collaboration with our Karten Centre and is provided courtesy of Jewish Care Interact.
For more information please visit: https://www.jewishcareinteract.org

While you may be eager to embrace technology, it’s important to protect yourself in the digital world.

Top tips

Here are the top 10 best practices for you to follow:

Passwords. Use hard-to-guess, unique passwords. Secure your accounts with your phone number.
Logins. Store your login information by using a passphrase or password manager.
Social media. Be a savvy social media user by selecting higher privacy settings and thinking twice before sharing personal information.
Devices. Protect your devices by setting a PIN or password and making sure your devices aren’t left unattended.
Banking. Keep your online banking information private.
Emails. Delete emails requesting personal information or urgent money transfers.
Locations. Only login to your accounts on computers you trust. Use your own devices when you can.
Privacy. When using shared computers, browse privately and log out of your accounts.
Virus protection. Restart your browser or computer if you’re told it has a virus, and don’t click on any virus alert messages.
Ad blocking. Use ad blocking tools for safer Internet browsing.

Each strategy is explained below.

Passwords: make them strong

Having a strong password is probably the most important thing you can do to reduce your risk online. These basic dos and don’ts can go a long way.

Password dos:

Do log out of your accounts when you’re finished using them—ALWAYS.
Do consider using a password manager or app and two-factor authentication.
Do use long passwords with symbols, since they are more secure.
Do have a different password for each account.
If you do write your passwords down (although this is not advisable), keep them in a safe space that’s far away from your computer/device.

Password don’ts:

Don’t use obvious passwords, like password, 123456, qwerty, letmein, dragon, shadow, abc123, master, sinatra, etc.
Don’t use passwords that someone who knows you can easily guess: birthdays, home towns, pets, relatives, etc.
Don’t share your passwords with anyone, and don’t let anyone see you type them in.
Don’t carry your devices and passwords in the same bag.
Don’t log in to your accounts on computers you aren’t sure are secure.

When deciding on your password, keep in mind that it shouldn’t be so difficult to remember that you need to write it down or tell someone about it. Age UK says a strong password should not be too short and should include a combination of letters, numbers and punctuation marks. The ideal password would be some obscure nonsense word that only has meaning to you.

It is always good practice to find out how strong your password is. You can use the online password Strength Test from Rumkin.com if you’d like to check this for yourself.

Logins: use a passphrase or password manager

If memorising a password is too difficult, you may want to try using a passphrase. A different sequence of words (like “Fido is a good dog”) for each account can be written down and stored somewhere safe. Passphrases are especially helpful if you have the option for a longer password.

Another helpful option is a password manager. This tool stores encrypted and protected versions of all of your passwords in one place. Ideally, the password you use for your password manager will be the only one you need to remember!

Social media: be selective

A breach of privacy can sometimes cause more damage than a financial loss. You might feel like you have nothing to hide, but at the same time, you might not want all your affairs to be public knowledge.

To protect yourself from identity theft, here are some good habits for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Don’t share things on social media that you don’t want associated with you. Your posts might live forever on the Internet.
Be careful about photos you share, particularly those that relationship scammers might use to trick you into revealing private information or sending money.
Adjust your privacy settings to restrict who can view your posts.
Don’t share everything online. Information such as your birthday, address history, likes and dislikes can easily be used to impersonate you.

If you do store photos, videos and important documents online through social media, you may want to plan what will eventually happen to this information when you pass away. The Digital Legacy Association suggests that you download a copy of all of your photos and videos from social media accounts and share them with a person you trust. You may also want to assign administrative access of your social media accounts to someone trustworthy. You can download a template Social Media Will from the Digital Legacy Association.

Devices: protect them with PINs

Preventing others from hacking into your electronic devices is an important part of staying safe online. You can safeguard your devices (and your information) by taking the following steps:

Turn on the screen lock from your security settings.
Don’t use a pattern lock (PINs and passwords are safer).
Don’t leave your device unattended in public spaces.
Don’t write your access codes on the case of the device or keep them written down anywhere near the device.
Use anti-malware software if possible.

Banking: take care with financial information

The most common online banking scams typically happen when criminals trick you into proving information that opens the door to your account. Money transfers through job adverts, prepayment requests, false charitable donations, medication scams and other fraudulent actions can be avoided if you investigate before you send money or provide credit or debit card details for payment. And remember this: your bank will never email you or send you messages through the Internet.

Online banking and shopping can be used safely if you:

Discontinue any online transaction if your browser warns you that a website is not legitimate.
Be wary whenever someone requests money from you online; ask for advice from someone you trust if the request seems even the slightest bit questionable.
When checking out from an online store, be sure you are purchasing the things you really want (and not something that has ended up in your cart unintentionally).
Look up reviews, especially if you’re planning to buy from a business you are unfamiliar with (a good source is uk.trustpilot.com for British businesses).
Never give others access to your bank account, PIN or banking apps. Protecting your identity is an essential part of staying safe online. (For more advice on this subject, visit the Protect your identity page from NI Direct.)

Your bank’s fraud helpline is a good place to start if you have any questions about online banking.

Emails: be cautious about requests for money

Citizen’s Advice offers these helpful tips on spotting signs of an email scam. They warn you to be careful if:

Something comes out of the blue or from someone you don’t know.
Something sounds out of the ordinary, like you’ve won the lottery, or you’ve been invited to invest in an ‘amazing’ scheme but asked to keep it a secret.
You receive an email message urging you to phone an expensive number (these start with 070, 084, 087, 090, 091 or 098) or make a quick purchasing decision (a trustworthy company will be happy to wait).

Since scammers may mimic familiar email addresses by changing a letter or two, always check to make sure the source is accurate. The email could look very official—it might claim to be from HM Revenue and Customs or come in the form of an invoice from someone you do know—but if it’s unexpected, it’s probably a scam. If in doubt, give the sender a call, but be sure use the phone number you have in your records (not the phone number included with the questionable email).

If you do receive an email that’s suspicious or includes a request for your financial information, just delete it. Don’t bother to respond. Even if you just request to be deleted from the email list, this signals to the scammer that your email address is legitimate. This can ultimately lead to a continued flood of unwanted emails in your inbox.

For more tips on how to Check if something might be a scam, visit the Citizen’s Advice website.

Locations: stick to places you trust

While it may be tempting to log in to your online accounts from an unfamiliar device or location, it’s very important to avoid devices that are set up in places you don’t trust. A computer in a public location like a library or store could be saving and storing your personal data without your knowledge.

Privacy: keep your details top secret

If you do decide to log on to a public device, try to follow these three tips:

Use a private browsing mode (like Incognito) to keep your information safe.
Make sure you don’t save login information on a shared computer, and
Fully log off when you are finished.

Virus protection: use software to stay safe

Antivirus tools and firewalls that come with your machine can protect you from computer viruses and other unwanted cyber intruders (like spyware, malware, worms and more). But even if you have virus protection on your machine, make it a habit not to open attachments or click on links in emails that come from suspicious sources.

Keeping your operating system, firewalls and antivirus tools up to date is good practice and should be part of your regular online routine.

Ad blockers: avoid pop up ads the easy way

By installing ad blocker software on your machine, you can avoid clicking on messages designed to trick you into sharing information or making your machine vulnerable. Even if a message looks legitimate or seems urgent, it’s more than likely some sort of scam.

If you’re an advanced computer user, you may want to look into VPNs (or virtual private networks) for even more protection. These tools can block annoying ads, but they can also block scripts that track your online behaviour, prevent distracting banners and even speed up your web browsing.

Other ways to protect yourself online

Roughly half of all fraud crimes that happen each year take place online. Very often, these crimes go unreported.

Being aware of the most common scams will help you avoid them. Here are a few examples of scams that happen frequently:

Money transfer scams. These may be disguised as a transaction where you could be asked to provide information, such as your bank details, so that transfers can be made through a UK bank account and you will be paid generously for your trouble. This technique is used by fraudsters to launder money and could get you into serious trouble.
Medication scams. You can be encouraged to buy some sort of wonder medication online that turns out to be fake or sometimes isn’t delivered at all.
Relationship scams. This happens when someone finds your details online, pretends to be interested in you and then tries to manipulate you into sending them money.
Stranded traveller schemes. Scammers might pose as a friend or family member or pose as an authority figure and will then tell you that your friend or relative is in hospital or prison abroad. Using this information, the scammer will try to convince you to transfer money as soon as possible.

For more information on common scams, visit the following pages:

If you do suspect a scam, it’s a good idea to report it to an authority. That way you will help fight online crime and prevent others from being targeted by the same scammers. The following websites will give you more information on how to report a scam:

In summary, just exercise caution when you are online. Eventually it will feel as natural to you as any other daily activity. Visit this link for information on how to protect yourself from other forms of fraud.

Update from Mobile Technology Advisor – Social Distancing – Resources and Distractions

Posted on April 2, 2020 at 12:15 pm.

Written by martin

Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic many organisations are making their products available either for free or at a reduced rate. There is an ever-growing collection of resources being developed to support people who are staying at home. For an extensive list of these and other resources please see the Karten Network website: https://karten-network.org.uk/home-learning-support/

For a bit of fun, invite a horse into your house, a lion into your Livingroom and while you are at it, have a tiger round for tea!

You will require a mobile device that supports Augmented Reality (AR). This will need to be, either an Android device running Android 7.0 or later or an Apple device running iOS 11.0 or later.

Open your web browser and do a Google search for an animal e.g. “tiger”. If an AR animal is available, it’ll show up in a small box with some information and an invitation to “Meet a life-sized tiger up close.” In that box will be an option to “View in 3D”, tap that and the website (Wikipedia) will place an animated 3D model on your screen. Tap on “View in your space,”. You may be asked to allow access to your camera, if so tap “allow”.

Point your device at the floor and the view will switch to an AR mode. You will be asked to move your phone around – this step may take a couple of minutes. Typically, you also need a room with fairly good light and a flat-ish surface. Then almost by magic the animal will pop up in your space. You can now move your device around to view the animal.

The current list of available animals is:

Alligator
Angler fish
Brown bear
Cat
Cheetah
Dog
Duck
Eagle
Emperor penguin
Goat
Hedgehog
Horse
Lion
Macaw
Octopus
Pug
Giant panda
Rottweiler
Shark
Shetland pony
Snake
Tiger
Turtle
Wolf

As always, I am interested to hear about how you are using mobile and other smart technology. I am also available to support and help where I can, even more so during these exceptional times.

Martin Pistorius, Karten Network Mobile Technology Advisor

Update from Mobile Technology Advisor – Spring 2020

Posted on April 2, 2020 at 12:46 am.

Written by martin

The power of the Karten Network is its ability to share its wealth of knowledge and expertise. A few years ago, Matt Harrison, then at Portland College, now at Beacon Centre, shared his use of QR codes during the Karten Network Events. More recently TechAbility and National Star’s Neil Beck showed me a project he had done using both QR codes and RIFD tags. This inspired me to write this tutorial on how to use QR codes and RFID tags.

How to use QR codes and RFID tags

QR Codes

A QR (Quick Response) code is a two-dimensional barcode that enables you to quickly access the data associated with a QR code. Most of the time this is a URL (a website address).

As the name suggests, QR codes are ideal for quickly and easily accessing a network linked resource, like a video, photos or other information. An example could be to allow a learner to access a video on how to perform a task. The learner would then simply need to point their device at the QR code and link through to the resource. Or QR codes could be placed on the packaging of a product or printing job, making it easier to tell customers more about your Karten Centre or enable them to place another order. What and how you use QR codes for is really only limited by your imagination.

There are a number of online services, most of them free that allow you to generate QR codes. I would suggest simply doing a Google search for “qr code generator”. Fill in your information e.g. the URL and generate the code. You will typically get an image file containing the QR code to download. This can then be printed and placed wherever needed.

To read (scan) a QR code used to require an app however any iOS device running iOS 11 or later has a QR reader built into the native camera app. Android 9 and later also have the feature included with the camera app courtesy of Google Lens.

To scan a code, open your camera app, and point it at the code. Typically, a window will pop up asking you if you want to open the link. Tapping OK/Allow will take you to wherever the QR code is set to go.

If your device doesn’t support reading QR codes through the camera, then you will need to download and install an app such as QR R eader for iPhone and QR Droid for Android.

RFID tags

RFID (Radio-frequency identification) tags are tiny radio devices that can store data. A lot of us use them all the time as they are what make contactless payments and hotel card keys possible.

There are generally speaking two kinds of RIFD tags – passive and active. The main difference is passive tags get their power from the reader and active tags have their own power source.

You may have also either heard of or seen NFC on your device. NFC (Near-Field communication) is technically a sub-set of RFID and is based on the RFID protocols. The main difference between RFID is that an NFC device can also emulate a tag. It is also possible to use NFC in a peer-to-peer mode, to transfer information between two NFC devices.

While I have provided this basic overview of the technology, in reality you don’t really need to worry about the underlying details to use the RFID/NFC tags. For the sake of simplicity, I will use the term “NFC tags” for the rest of this tutorial.

NFC tags usually come either embedded in a plastic card or fob, or as a sticker. They are cheap. For the purposes of this tutorial, I purchased 10 blank cards for £3.57 and 10 blank stickers for £2.93 including postage on eBay.

Similar to QR codes blank NFC tags allow you to store data on them. In most cases more than you could using a QR code. However, the major advantage to NFC tags is you don’t need to open an app and simply need to be close enough for your device to read the tag.

Dedicated NFC tags writers and readers are available, however, for the purpose of this tutorial I have only used a mobile phone and an App.

You will need:

An Android or iOS device (Please see the “devices” section for details on supported iPhone models)
A NFC app – for this tutorial I used the NFC Tools app, available for both Android and iOS.
Another good option are the, NFC TagInfo and NFC TagWriter apps by NXP. These are available for both Android and iOS. (See the links section for more details)
Blank NFC tags. I recommend tags with the NTAG213 chip. These can be purchased online. I used eBay but they are available elsewhere. If you prefer a reputable UK supplier, try Seritag

Devices

While both Android and iOS can read and write Apple have, until recently been far more restrictive. In fact, creating (writing) NFC tags is easier to do on an Android phone.

Android

Most Android phones can read NFC tags without the need for an app. You may however need to enable the NFC on the device. To do so go to settings, or swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the NFC icon to toggle it to “on/enabled”.

You will however need an app to write to NFC tags.

iOS

Apple devices have NFC enabled natively within iOS, so you don’t need to turn it on. However, until the iPhone 7 Apple didn’t allow the use of NFC other than for payments.

To read a NFC tag you will need an iPhone 7, 8 or X running iOS 11 or later as well as an NFC reader app. The app doesn’t need to be open but must be installed on the phone.

The newer iPhone XR, XS, XS Max, 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro models can all read NFC tags natively without requiring an additional app.

iPhone will also not read blank tags. The tag must be encoded with NDEF data otherwise it is ignored.

To write/encode an NFC tag you will need an iPhone 7 or newer and be running iOS13 or later.

Writing/Encoding NFC Tags

There is no real difference between Android and iOS when it comes to encoding NFC tags using the NFC Tools app. Although the apps interface is slightly different between Android and iOS.

While either an Android or iOS device can be used, I would recommend using an Android device to create the NFC tags.

Begin by installing the NFC Tools app (See the links section)
Tap the NFC Tools app
Tap “write”
Tap “Add a record”
Select the type of record you want to add. In most cases this will be a URL
Enter the data e.g. the URL
Tap “OK”

You can add additional records by repeating the steps above.

Once you are happy with the record. Tap “write”. You will now be prompted to touch the NFC tag to the device.

Your NFC tag should now be ready to be used.

Please note that the records you have entered remain “loaded” in the app allowing you to encode multiple tags with the same data. To write new data first remove the existing records by:

Tap the NFC Tools app
Tap “write”
Tap “More options”
Tap “Clear record list”
Tap “Yes” when asked if you are sure

Reading NFC tags.

As mentioned above Android devices read NFC tags without the need for any additional apps, provided NFC is turned on. Simply either tap your device to the tag or bring the tag to the device.

Only iPhone 7 or newer running iOS11 or later will read NFC tags. If you have an iPhone 7, 8 or X you will need to install an NFC reader app such as TagInfo or NFC Launch apps by NXP (See the links section). The TagInfo app has more features whereas NFC Launch is a lightweight app designed for reading a URL from an NFC tag.

Using NFC tags

Now that you have the tags, where and how you use them is limited only by your imagination.

If you have an iPhone running iOS 13, using Apple’s short cuts app you can do all sorts of fun things, e.g. turn off smart lights, take a photo, play music etc. From my testing this also appears to. be an exception where iOS will read a blank NFC tag.

To do this:

Tap the Shortcuts app
At the bottom of the app, tap “Automation”
Tap the + in the top right corner
Tap “Create Personal Automation”
Scroll down to “NFC”
Tap NFC
Tap scan and scan the NFC tag
Scan the tag
You will be prompted to “Name This Tag” – Enter a name, and tap “OK”
Tap “Add Action”. From here you have a vast number of options such as playing music for example:
- Continuing on from the instructions above, tap “Apps”, then “Music” then “Play Music”
- This will now add on the text “Music” text, this will take you into the music library where you can select what exactly gets played.
Finally, you have the option to be prompted to confirm before running the action, or to simply run the action.

Steps 1 - Shortcuts, then automation, the create personal automation

Step 6 Set if automation should run automatically

Now whenever you tap on that tag, the automation will be performed.

While both QR codes and RFID/NFC tags are reasonably safe, please excise a degree of caution and common sense when scanning unknown codes and tags.

Links

As always, I am interested to hear about how you are using mobile and other smart technology. I am also available to support and help where I can, even more so during these exceptional times.

Martin Pistorius, Karten Network Mobile Technology Advisor

Digital Accessibility

Posted on December 11, 2019 at 8:13 pm.

Written by martin

Keyboard with three blue icons representing digital Accessibility

Technology for people with disabilities can be truly liberating and empowering. It enhances, enriches and potentially transforms lives. From my personal perspective as a person with a disability I am heavily reliant on technology to function in my everyday life. However, one key aspect to the use of technology by people with disabilities is that it is accessible.

By accessible, in this context, I mean digitally accessible. Digital accessibility is a practice to ensure that websites, mobile apps and other digital resources e.g. eBooks can be accessed and used by people with impairments, either directly or through the use of assistive technology.

Legislation within the USA, EU and UK require developers to ensure that website and apps are accessibly. However, in reality, compliance with this is mixed – this is why we find that some apps don’t support switch access.

In the UK the Equality Act (2010) (and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in Northern Ireland) requires organisations not to discriminate against people with disabilities and provide reasonable adjustments where needed. On the 23rd of September 2018 new regulations on the accessibility of websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies were introduced.

The “Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations (2018)” require public sector websites and mobile applications to comply with specific accessibility standards. These regulations are applicable to all publicly funded institutions. Three compliance deadlines have been stated:

23 September 2019 – Public sector websites published on or after 23 September 2018 must be compliant.
23 September 2020 – Websites published before 23 September 2018 must be compliant.
23 June 2021 – Apps must be compliant.

In simple terms, to comply with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations two main requirements must be met:

Publish an accessibility statement – this must be based on a template statement that is available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sample-accessibility-statement
Meet accessibility standards, either the international accessibility standard, WCAG 2.1 AA or the European equivalent, EN301 549

These guidelines are extensive, and while much effort has gone into improving the readability, the documentation still tends to be quite technical and can be tedious to read. I will therefore attempt to provide to some high-level guidelines. Current web accessibility (which is applicable to apps and other digital accessibility) is structured around four principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (POUR).

POUR

Note, I use “website” in this article, but it is applicable to apps too.

Perceivable:

Website users must be able to process information presented on/through the website. In broad terms, this means that a website and the content contained within it must be presented in a way that people of all abilities are able to process it. For example, text support for any audio content for people with a hearing impairment; audio for people with a visual impairment – this does not necessarily mean creating audio for all text but that screen readers and other assistive technologies can access the content of the website.

Simply put: Is there anything on the website that someone who has a visual impairment (including colour blind), or who is deaf would not be able to perceive?

Operable:

Website users must be able to operate the website with a variety of tools. Many people with a disability either have difficulty or cannot operate a mouse at all. It is therefore imperative that the website supports keyboard-based interaction.

To support users with cognitive impairments to operate a website, animations and media should be controllable. Any time limits for completing an action should be generous or configurable. All people, not just those with disabilities, make mistakes so users should be supported by providing appropriate instructions, cancellation options, and warnings.

Simply put: Can all functions of the website be performed with a keyboard? Can users control interactive elements of the website? Does the website make completing tasks easy?

Understandable:

If the website users can perceive and operate the website, can they understand it? Support users by using clear, concise language and offering functionality that is easy to comprehend. If a user takes an action, the connection between the action and the result should be obvious. Navigation should be consistent throughout the website. Forms should follow a logical flow, be clearly labelled and provide adequate guidance.

Simply put: Is all of the text on the website clearly written? Are all of the interactions easy to understand?

Robust:

Website users use their own preferred technologies. Within reasonable limits, a website should work well across platforms, browsers, and devices i.e. websites should not dictate the technology users can use. Ensuring that a website conforms to standards and conventions is one of the best ways to meet the principle of robustness. Clean well written code is generally more robust and accessible across platforms.

Simply put: Does the website only support specific browsers or operating systems, or devices? Is the website developed in accordance with standards and best practices?

Specific technical guidelines

Within these principles there are specific technical guidelines on how to create accessible websites. The General ones are:

Navigation and website structure

Make use of well-structured mark up. i.e. heading should be marked with the appropriate heading tags and in a logical order H1 > H2 > H3….etc. Ensure all parts of the website are able to be accessed without a mouse and that the reading and navigation order is logical and intuitive including multiple ways of finding information. Provide a means for users to skip repetitive elements on the page e.g. providing a “Skip to Main Content,” or “Skip Navigation” link at the top of the page which jumps to the main content of the page.

Colours

Ensure there is high contrast between the text presented and the background colour. Ensure that colour is not only used to convey information or as a prompt e.g. do not say “click the red button to continue”.

Images

Ensure all images have alternative (alt) text unless they are purely for decoration. Ideally decorative images should be called from the style sheet, not embedded in the page. For images that are purely decorative, such as a bullet point or border, the alt text should be empty or null. Alt texts should be appropriately descriptive – think of describing what the image is about.

Audio and video

Ensure you have subtitles, captions or at the very least written transcripts available with video and audio content. If there is audio that plays automatically on a website, ensure that these sounds can be paused or stopped by the users. Check your audio and video has open captions (captions that are available all the time) or written transcripts and that there is a pause or stop on automatic audio on your pages.

Text

Ensure the text can be made larger without affecting the content or function of the page or website. Don’t use images of text purely for decorative purposes.

Tables

The use of tables for layout should be avoided and only used for tabular data. Tables should be marked up with tags (table heading) to aid screen reader users to make sense of the content.

Links

Ensure that links describe where the link is going, what the link is or the purpose of the link. Links should make sense when read out of context.

Forms

Ensure there are labels immediately next to fields you want people to type in or click on. Check fields that prompt for an input (e.g. name, email, comments) have a label next to them which explains what data is to be entered.

Page time limits and flashing

Ensure pages with a time limit can have the time limit adjusted or turned off. Moving, blinking or scrolling can be used to highlight content so long as it lasts less than three seconds. However, do not put anything in your pages that flashes more than three times in any one second.

Resources and further reading:

The primary resource for web accessibility best practice guidelines is the W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) who set the standards. The standard that is most relevant to the new regulations is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. You may have seen that some websites state that they have an “A”, “AA”, or “AAA” rating this is based on their compliance to the WCAG.

W3C Accessibility Standards: https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. : https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21
How to Meet WCAG 2 (Quick Reference): https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/quickref/
W3C WAI Accessibility Principles: https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-principles/
W3C WAI Design and Develop tips and tutorials for writing, designing, and developing for accessibility: https://www.w3.org/WAI/design-develop
The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/952/regulation/4/made
Understanding new accessibility requirements for public sector bodies: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/accessibility-requirements-for-public-sector-websites-and-apps#meeting-accessibility-requirements
BBC HTML Accessibility Standards: http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/futuremedia/accessibility/html/
WebAIM’s WCAG 2 Checklist: https://webaim.org/standards/wcag/checklist
Jisc – Meeting accessibility regulations: https://www.jisc.ac.uk/accessibility
Jisc – How to navigate the new digital accessibility regulations: https://www.jisc.ac.uk/blog/how-to-navigate-the-new-digital-accessibility-regulations-02-oct-2019
Lexdis – Digital Accessibility: https://www.lexdis.org.uk/digital-accessibility/
Webaim Resources: https://webaim.org/resources/
UK Home Office accessibility dos and don’t Posters: https://github.com/UKHomeOffice/posters/tree/master/accessibility/dos-donts/posters_en-UK

A voice for the future

Posted on December 11, 2019 at 8:08 pm.

Written by martin

Lady and man using an iPad with a voice output communication app to have a conversation

Having a conversation with family, friends and colleagues is something most of us take for granted, but one that can be denied to people with motor neurone disease (MND) – a neurological disease which attacks the nerves that control movement, leaving people unable to move, talk and eventually breathe. As the disease progresses, over 80% of people with MND will have communication difficulties as their vocal muscles cease to work.

With thanks to the Ian Karten Charitable Trust, we were able to expand our communication aids service for people with MND. Part of this service is to support people with MND who wish to voice or message bank, and the Karten-funded equipment is helping us to do this.

Specialist communication aids make a huge difference to daily life for people living with MND by providing people with a voice through the conversion of text to speech using an in-built synthesised voice, however many people wish to create a personalised synthetic version of their own voice (more commonly referred to as voice banking).

Voice banking has existed for over ten years, but over the last six years technology and services have improved to such an extent that more and more people are able to realise the benefits.

“I’ve now got a digital model of my voice which sounds really like me, it is quite impressive. So if my voice goes completely then I will be able to use my model voice on a little gadget. Luckily things have moved on since Stephen Hawking first got his synthetic voice.”
Michael who is living with MND.

Although technology is improving, the process of voice banking remains ostensibly the same as it always has. The user records a set of phrases, using a laptop or computer and a headset microphone, that are then used to form the basis of the synthetic version of the voice. The number of phrases needed depends on the service used but can be anywhere between 215 and 3,500.

With the technology improving, the time taken to make the recordings has reduced from an average of 90 days in 2018, to 6 days in 2019 which has made a big difference to people with MND undertaking the process.

The quality of the voice produced is also rising. Until recently the services would use the recordings to capture enough phonemes to create the voice, whereas now the process captures the algorithms within the recordings, allowing for clearer and faster voice creation.

Message banking is another option. Message banking allows you to add emotion to your recordings, but as it is simply recording messages it means you are limited to what you record. However, it can be useful for recording particular catchphrases, place names, or a distinctive laugh.

One example of how message banking can benefit is a lady who had voice banked, but her dog did not recognise the synthetic voice due to the lack of emotion – however when using her message banked phrase, her dog instantly recognised the opportunity to go for a walk!

Through our communication aids service, we loan laptops and headset microphones to enable people with MND to voice and message bank. We also provide financial support towards the cost of creating a voice. To help promote message and voice banking to people with MND, we have created a short video, which you can view below.

What is voice and message banking?

“The equipment provision via the Karten Trust has been very important as it has ensured very quick access to the correct items needed, minimising delays, which really matter when someone’s voice is already changing.”
Louise Rickenbach, Regional Care Development Adviser, MND Association.

Connect & Learn – the classroom-ready study package for low vision learners!

Posted on December 11, 2019 at 8:05 pm.

Written by martin

A single portable and light weight device, Connect & Learn is the newest way for low vision learners to access the curriculum. Unlike many specialist VI devices, Connect & Learn centres around a popular mainstream Windows 10 tablet – Microsoft’s Surface Pro. SuperNova Magnifier comes included as standard, along with a large print wireless keyboard, a folding stand and a backpack.

Place the tablet on the stand and Connect & Learn acts as a digital magnifier. Place a document under the built in camera and students can: magnify the document, zoom in using their fingers on the touchscreen, add a colour scheme, rotate or lock the image. They can even save the image to add to their work or to explore again at home.

Choose the Connect & Learn package with SuperNova’s speech included and your student can tap the screen and hear the words on the document read aloud. And the scan and read feature is impressively accurate. Send the text to a Word document, move fingers to the keyboard and Connect & Learn becomes a Windows 10 laptop complete with SuperNova’s full set of magnification and colour enhancing tools.

Connect wirelessly to the interactive whiteboard and low vision learners, can ‘see’ and magnify the whiteboard. Again adjust colours, zoom in, take photos – Connect & Learn doesn’t need an extra & expensive camera that points at the board so your partially sighted student isn’t forced to sit at the front of the class. [We also know IT skills aren’t always readily available in school, so we’ve recently released a free whiteboard wizard download to help you connect to the whiteboard.]

As with all of Dolphin’s products, Connect & Learn gives direct access to browse and download from the RNIB Bookshare Education collection of more than 320,000 textbooks. [Contact the RNIB to get your school’s free login.]

There are also a couple of other Connect & Learn features that teachers tell us are worthy of note. The Surface Pro charger connects magnetically, so it’s super easy for partially sighted students to plug in the power. And the tablet weighs less than 2kg – so much lighter to move between classes than your typical VI solution. It’s also worth saying that because Connect & Learn is built on Windows 10 and uses MS Office products, students are developing their essential IT skills for life outside of school.

Connect & Learn is best summarised by a young VI gentleman I recently met in year 8 at secondary school in the Midlands. “With Connect & Learn I don’t feel different!”

Visit the Dolphin website to find our more or ask for more information about Connect & Learn or call on 01905 754577.

Connecting People

Posted on December 11, 2019 at 1:50 pm.

Written by martin

SeeAbility’s specialist teams working to reduce isolation and promote education opportunities to ensure that people with learning disabilities, autism and sight loss are able to access the latest technology to get connected and grow their independence.

Introducing voice activated home assistants, like Amazon’s Echo Dot, opens up whole worlds of possibilities for the people we support to live with greater independence. Using the Echo Dot is one of the easiest ways for someone with sight loss to verbally access the internet and gain immediate auditory response. It helps people do everything from turning on their favourite music to searching the internet for information and sharing ideas with others. It’s hugely empowering and gives individuals greater control in their lives.

Group activity and skills sessions at the Millennium Centre in Surrey have taken on a new energy and are far more interactive since the introduction of the Echo Dot. This new gadget has transformed everything from our music workshops to keep fit sessions.

Learning to make voice commands has taken time and a lot of support from Our Vision Rehabilitation and Speech and Language Therapy teams. At first the people we support had to learn how to ask short, factual questions that that could be deciphered by the Echo Dot. Some people may have struggled with getting their words out in time but everyone enjoys having their questions answered so they persevered.

David and Anne use an Echo Dot to choose music in their Book Club session

Sessions now offer a more inclusive experience since the Echo Dot has been embedded. In fact, our volunteers and specialist teams can engage more with the people they are supporting now that the voice activated technology is on hand to offer up answers to tricky questions.
Workshops have more spontaneous interaction and people are developing confidence to lead conversations.

Anne says: “With Alexa it means you can hear lots of different types of music in the same session. We all get to request what we want on it. It’s made our music slot so much more fun.”

David, who has a love of folk and blue grass music, uses Alexa to play obscure tracks as part of his music session. He says: “Alexa helps me find rare tracks and I enjoy hearing and singing along with my favourite songs and sharing them with my friends. It brings us closer.”

App Review – Hive

Posted on October 14, 2019 at 12:51 am.

Written by martin

As we are now well and truly in to the season of winter and approaching Christmas, I decided to discuss the Hive App and hub. The app is fully accessible for both Apple and Android devices and is relatively easy to navigate and use.

I purchased the Hive Hub back in August of this year and although it is pricy at £300 I have found the benefits to be enormous in terms of giving me more control and access to my heating, lighting, security and everyday appliances in particular.

As I have a busy daily schedule, I wanted to make the process of operating my heating that little bit easier to manage. Until I purchased Hive, I had no way of setting timers or controlling the thermostat when trying to warm my home up effectively. This is now a thing of the past thanks to the Hive app and hub. From controlling heating and hot water, switching lights on and off and even turning everyday appliances such as the kettle on using Smart Plugs, I have total control of my entire home using the Hive app on my iPhone at anytime, anywhere. This has helped make my life much easier and in theory, should help me keep my utility bills affordable.

So how does Hive work?

Firstly, you must have a smart meter and a reliable internet connection through your wifi router before even considering looking into purchasing the Hive Hub. Also important to note is that Hive is exclusive to British Gas customers. Therefore, if you are with an alternative energy supplier you will need to contact them directly to find out if they have a similar option.

You then need to have the hub installed by a qualified engineer. Once this has been achieved, you can manage and setup your smart thermostat, plugs and lights straight from the Hive app on your smart phone. The Hive thermostats allow you to monitor the temperature in your house, set heating timers and even set the thermostat to a target temperature so that if it falls below the set degree, the heating will turn on automatically.

The Hive Smart Plugs can make energy use more efficient by enabling electrical appliances in the home to be turned on and off or by setting schedules. So for example, if I am walking my guide dog and returning home, I can turn the kettle on using my iPhone and it will be ready to pour as soon as I am through the door. The use of smart plugs also gives the added benefit of allowing me to switch off appliances I might have accidentally left on even though I am not actually in the house. So they basically can help take the stress out of my working day because I can monitor everything on the go. The Hive smart light bulbs work in essentially the same way as the plugs meaning you can schedule timers so they will be switched on when you are out of the house which is really good from a security point of view. The additional advantage of being able to connect all of your Hive appliances and heating to a smart speaker such as a Google Home or Amazon Echo means that you have the opportunity to control everything just by using your voice.

In summary, finally going down the route of making my home “smart” gives me total control of almost every appliance, heating and security, all through the use of an app. It makes my life far easier and definitely gives me peace of mind for the future, both in terms of monitoring my utility bills and also for security reasons. In my personal opinion, for those of you who are smart phone users and are reasonably tech savvy, this kind of technology could be a game changer for you in the future.

App Review – Clew

Posted on October 14, 2019 at 12:43 am.

Written by martin

Over the last few years it is fair to say that there have been some extremely exciting, innovative and life changing apps which have been developed which increase the independence of people with all kinds of visual impairment. Once again, I am delighted to bring another of these to your attention. This time it’s an indoor navigation app called Clew.

Clew is a free iPhone app that records a user’s path and then guides you back to your starting point. Clew was created to help visually impaired people to remember a location such as returning to a seat in a room. Designed to work indoors, Clew uses the camera on your iPhone to record a video of landmarks along your route. It will then save certain points such as stairs, turns etc and guide you back to your initial starting point.

How to use Clew

Hold your phone upright in front of you with the camera pointing straight ahead. Press the “record path button”, then walk the route you want the app to remember. It is worth stating that at this stage, it is recommended that when recording a route, you ask for sighted guide if possible. Press Stop Recording at the end of the route. When ready to return, Press the “Start Navigation Button” and Wait for Clew to convert the information. Clew will then provide verbal, haptic and visual feedback as you reverse the route. Visually, the screen shows an image of the next part of the route with a red pin indicating where to go. If the user veers off the path, the red pin disappears off the edge of the screen. When walking along the desired path, a clicking sound is heard; the clicking sound stops to indicate when the traveler has veered. A whistle tone indicates a turn; the app also verbally announces which way to turn. The route is available until the app is closed from the app switcher. According to the website, Clew works best with short indoor routes and it is not advisable to use the app when outdoors because of varying lighting conditions and possible glare from sunlight which could interfere with the video recording.

First impressions

I have been hoping for an app like Clew for years to assist with travelling independently when an indoor environment. I have mainly tested the app in familiar areas such as our centre and so far, I am delighted to say that the experience has been fantastic. I recently used it to create a route from my upstairs office to the downstairs kitchen as sometimes I still get confused with this route as I don’t do it very often. The app then guided me almost flawlessly back to my office from the kitchen and only stopped giving me directions when I was back at my chair. It even told me when I was coming up to stairs and where to turn when I had reached the first landing and needed to go up another flight. Sometimes the app does get confused if you have to make a lot of left and right turns in quick succession, but for the most part it is extremely reliable and has really increased my confidence when using it. I think the technology used within the app is also extremely interesting as everything is achieved by video. There is no GPS or internet connection required to use the app which means you can use it in any indoor environment you choose. Please note that this app is still in it’s early stages so it will be a case of trial and error when using. The developers are planning to update the app regularly though and have lots of great ideas for improving it’s capabilities. Also, as always with these apps, please remember that they are not designed to be a replacement for a Cane or Guide Dog. It is designed to work alongside your mobility aid and you will need to depend on your mobility and orientation skills when using this app.

App Review – Soundscape

Posted on October 14, 2019 at 12:38 am.

Written by martin

At the beginning of March, Microsoft released a new and extremely innovative app designed to assist people with a visual impairment to navigate and understand their surrounding environment. The app is called Microsoft Soundscape and is free to download and use.

Note: At this stage, the app is only available for iPhone users.

Overview

Soundscape uses 3D audio sound to give you a full audio map of what’s around you when you are out and about. It is designed to help you navigate independently and encourage you to be more confident in exploring streets and getting to destinations. The app announces streets and points of interest such as shops, cafes etc. in 3D so that you actually hear the exact direction in which the place is located. To use Soundscape accurately, you need to use a pair of either bone conducting headphones or Apple AirPods. As soon as you put the headphones in your ears and start walking, the app will begin telling you what is in your surrounding area.

Example:

As you walk along a street, you may suddenly hear directly in your right ear, “McDonalds, twenty five metres.” This means that there is a McDonalds restaurant not too far away from you, immediately to your right. Then if you wish, you can actually tell the app to direct you to McDonalds by setting a beacon. This will then give you constant audio information and feedback to let you know if you are heading in the direction of McDonalds or if you are going off course.

Operating the app

Soundscape offers three modes – ‘My Location’ tells you the direction you are facing and the streets and intersections which are closest to you, ‘Around Me’ gives you places of interest which are near you in all four cardinal directions, and ‘Ahead of Me’ provides the names of five places of interest which are nearest to you and directly ahead of you. It is also worth mentioning that the app is fully accessible and that VoiceOver does not have to be enabled in order to use the app. So basically, anyone with a visual impairment can use this app.

First impressions

I was actually a tester for this app when it was under development and have been impressed with it from the very start. I find the app extremely easy to use and another great feature of the app I haven’t mentioned yet is that it is compatible with Apple Watch. This means that I don’t have to keep stopping in the street and taking my iPhone out of my pocket when I want to use the app. I can just tap the relevant button from my Apple Watch which is constantly on my left wrist.

I think my favourite feature of the app is definitely the beacon feature. I used the beacon feature once when it was snowing very heavily and I wanted to get to my local Co-op. I became disorientated, but once I had told the app to direct me to the Co-op, it kept me on track the whole way and always kept me heading in the right direction. In fact, the app only stopped giving me information when I was outside the door of the store. I felt very reassured after this experience I now actually use Soundscape almost every day when I am walking with my guide dog.

Important additional note!!
The app is designed to be used in tandem with your usual mobility aid, such as a cane or guide dog. Do not use this app on its own when you are travelling outside. Also, to use this app, a constant internet connection is required, so a 3 or 4G mobile data plan is essential.

Google I/O

Project Starline

LaMDA

Google Wear.

Android 12

WWDC

iOS 14.5

iOS 15

FaceTime

iMessage

Focus mode

Live Text

Wallet

Safari

iPadOS 15

About Communicare247

Case Study – Communicare247 helps Sanderson High travel independently

Updates

Get involved!

Get in touch!

Introduction

Text-to-Speech

Early Switch Skills

Dictation

Vision

Physical Equipment

More webinars to follow.

Video Calls. Thursday 8 Oct 2020 at 4.15pm

Remote Therapy. Thursday 15 Oct 2020 at 4.15pm

Blended / Flipped Learning. Thursday 22 Oct 2020 at 4.15pm

Visual Learning. Thursday 5 Nov 2020 at 4.15pm

Intelligent virtual assistant accessibility

iOS and iPadOS 14

Widget Stacks

App Library

Improved Accessibility

Sound recognition

Headphone enhancements

Back Tap

FaceTime Sign Language

VoiceOver

Apple Magnifier

Other new features and changes in iOS

iPadOS 14

watchOS 7

Google I/O

Top tips

Passwords: make them strong

Logins: use a passphrase or password manager

Social media: be selective

Devices: protect them with PINs

Banking: take care with financial information

Emails: be cautious about requests for money

Locations: stick to places you trust

Privacy: keep your details top secret

Virus protection: use software to stay safe

Ad blockers: avoid pop up ads the easy way

Other ways to protect yourself online

How to use QR codes and RFID tags

QR Codes

RFID tags

Devices

Android

iOS

Writing/Encoding NFC Tags

Reading NFC tags.

Using NFC tags

Links

POUR

Perceivable:

Operable:

Understandable:

Robust:

Specific technical guidelines

Navigation and website structure

Colours

Images

Audio and video

Text

Tables