Have your say for the next episode of the Mosen At Large Podcast. Is there a blind technology ghetto, Apple seems to be taking a harder line on accessibility support, and is anyone using an OrCam My Eye?

Kia ora Mosen at Largers.

 

I’m preparing the Mosen At Large podcast for publication this weekend. Here are some of the topics that are coming up. If you’d like to contribute to these or raise something else, there is still time to get in touch and let your voice be heard.

 

As we transition away from the Mushroom FM version of the show, podcast listeners get to hear a piece that aired on the final Mushroom Fm version. I personally absolutely love the increase in online meetings rather than in-person ones. But there is something that can be a real pain, and that’s when someone shares their screen and runs a presentation that’s inaccessible to you. Scribe for Meetings from Pneuma Solutions is a really cool way of dealing with this problem. We’ll talk with Mike Calvo and Matt Campbell about the product, and then in a crazy bit of audio production, I’ll use two computers to demo how this works. I tell you, the things I’m willing to do for the Mosen at Largers.

 

I’ll also talk with Mike and Matt about other plans they have, including a new web browser designed specifically for blind people. This got us onto quite a lively discussion, and I would really appreciate hearing what you think about this point. If you have heard or read some of Mike’s comments in the past, you will know he has sometimes used the term “blind ghetto product” to define blindness-specific products that he considers to be way over-expensive and underperforming. In the interview you’ll hear this weekend, and somewhat to my surprise, he describes the popular ElBraille Windows-based computer for blind people as a so-called ghetto product. Do you agree that there are such things as blind ghetto products, or do you find the term off base and even offensive? If you agree that blind ghetto products are a thing, how would you define them?

 

I don’t know if the OrCam My Eye falls into Mike’s Ghetto product category or not, but dude, it costs a lot. That’s why a listener wants to know if anyone has used one, particularly if you’re totally blind. Is it worth the money? Has it improved your quality of life? We’d love to hear your experiences.

 

Last week, Petra raised the issue of Apple seemingly becoming stricter about the things Apple’s accessibility team will help you with. There’s more listener comment about this and room for you to share your own experience. And following my praise of Microsoft’s Disability Answer Desk last week, we hear from a Mac user who uses Microsoft Office who came away not so impressed.

 

As usual, there’s a wide array of blindness and technology topics from listeners on which you may like to comment once you hear them.

 

If you want to raise something new, you’re very welcome. Please don’t be shy, I’d love to hear from you. What makes Mosen At Large special is the global community we’ve built and all the perspectives we share with each other.

 

To contribute, send an email with an audio attachment or just written down to Jonathan at MushroomFM.com, or call the listener line, +18646066736, that’s 1-864-60Mosen.

 

Catch Mosen At Large anywhere you get podcasts. Expect the next episode to drop on Sunday morning New Zealand time.

 

Thank you so much for listening and contributing to the show and see you soon for Mosen At Large.