In this Chat we will be discussing how to make a PDF accessible for people with visual impairments

Podcast 2 transcript
Tania: Hey everyone this is Tania
Reg: and this is Reg
Tania: Thanks for tuning in to CATSchat. So for today’s podcast, we will be discussing accessible PDFs, creating them, and the importance of them. So reg, if you were explaining to someone what makes a PDF accessible, what would you tell them more or less.
Reg: Well Tania, what I would say is, in order for a pdf to be accessible, you should be able to search through the text document, and the documents form fields easily. Also the document structure should be indicated by tags and the reading order needs to be clear and easy to follow.
Tania: So making a pdf accessible not only greatly benefits those with visual impairments, such as blindness or low vision, but also those with mobility impairments. People with visual impairments may rely on screen magnifiers or screen readers that convert text to speech. People with mobility impairments may require an alternative keyboard, an alternative pointing device, or a voice input software, such as Dragon naturally speaking, to navigate through the document. An accessible document for those with mobility impairments has support for keyboard navigation, as well as a pre-set tab order, that makes moving from field to field a lot easier.
Reg: We have thorough instructions on how to make a downloaded pdf, and a scanned document accessible using adobe acrobat x pro.
Some of you may come across a restricted PDF where you are unable to make that pdf accessible.  We found some tools for you to help you get rid of these restrictions. The first way to unlock a restricted pdf  is to go to pdfunlock.com. This is a webbased tool so you don’t have to download anything.  All you have to do is upload the restricted pdf, then click unlock. However, file size limits may apply. Another tool for you is to go to a-pdf.com. Here you can download a 15 day free trial, by going to products, under pdf decryption and encryption, and click on pdf restriction remover. To purchase this software, however, there is a 10 dollar fee.
Tania: To conclude this podcast, I’d just like to point out that accessible pdfs is a perfect example of universal design, because it not only benefits those who are disabled, but it benefits everyone.


Cats Chat PDF Accessibility

We discuss various devices and apps and their uses to hello disabled people communicate.

Podcast 3 transcript

Welcome to CATSchat, cuny assistive technology services podcast, where will be discussing various topics and tips to help you gain a better insight on the assistive technology field. Don’t forget to visit our website at catsweb.cuny.edu.


Tania: Hello everyone, welcome to another episode of CATSchat. My name is Tania,
Daniel: And my name is Daniel. Today we’re going to be talking about alternative and augmentative communication, also known as AAC.
Tania: So, AAC is pretty much an umbrella term that’s used to describe non-traditional forms of communication.
Daniel: In this discussion, we will be discussing the pros and cons of the two most common forms of AAC, namely apps and stand-alone devices.
Tania: The individual with the AAC device that has difficulty communicating because of a disability, such as autism or cerebral palsy, will be able to express thoughts, needs, wants, and ideas.
Daniel: The first option we will discuss is the dedicated device, namely DynaVox products. DynaVox offers a variety of tools that allow people with disabilities to communicate with other people. 
Tania: DynaVox products utilize a graphical user interface that allows a disabled person to point and click (tap) in order to express a thought such as “I am hungry” or “I am tired”. Some of the advantages of the DynaVox are that it is very durable, it’s a dedicated AAC device, so it’s main purpose is to assist the disabled, and it is easily mounted onto wheelchairs or other devices. The DynaVox also has the EyeMax system which is appropriate for those who have severe mobility issues because they can control the device with simple eye movements. One of the main disadvantages of the DynaVox is that it’s not easily obtainable. If you’re interested in buying the product, it is recommended to go speak to your healthcare provider or doctor.
So here’s Daniel with some app alternatives.
Daniel: Thank you Tania. In this day and age, many people have smartphones and tablets. Now we can use these smartphones and tablets to help communicate with people with disabilities. For Apple devices, we have apps such as Ur Talker Lite and Ur Talker Pro. Lite is $6.99 and Ur Talker Pro is $24.99. These are very useful and very powerful apps that allow you to not only use the device by pressing buttons, you can now make buttons. You can create images in categories as needed. The difference between the Ur Talker Lite and the Ur Talker Pro is that Ur Talker Lite is only preloaded with 140 icons, and you can only use one single icon at a time which you scroll through, while the Pro version has 250 icons and it comes with a grid format where you can see many icons at a time. They’re both very customizable, such as you can build in sequence words and icons for playback which allows construction of more complex thoughts, and you can also shake the device, which is a very easy gesture to know, to clear the entire thing. 
Android offers many free apps, such as You Talk AAC and AAC Speech Communicator. You Talk AAC comes highly recommended by parents and teachers. Two of the apps main features is the ability to take a picture and program that picture for a phrase and a very easy to use yes/no feature. AAC Speech Communicator is a very nice app that allows you to create sentences very easily and also has automatic form selection for verbs. It converts things such as “I like eat chocolate” to “I like eating chocolate”. It also has 5000 words installed on the app.
Tania: I’d also just like to mention that, there’s this website called atcoalition.org, and if you head on to the video page on that website, you may find that there are resources and videos made by teachers, parents, caretakers, and speech pathologists where they discuss various apps and devices that may be helpful to you.

Thank you for listening. For more information on what you’ve heard in todays podcast, or for more resources on the assistive technology field, and on upcoming podcasts, go to catsweb.cuny.edu.

CATS Chat Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)

Podcast #1 Transcript

Intro: Welcome to CATSchat, cuny assistive technology services podcast, where will be discussing various topics and tips to help you gain a better insight on the assistive technology field. Don’t forget to visit our website at catsweb.cuny.edu.


Reg: Welcome to our first podcast, my name is reg
Tania: and my name is Tania, and for this podcast we will be talking about magnifiers and screen enlargers using different software and assistive technologies, which is good for anyone with low vision. 
For assistive technologies, we have CCTVs, or closed-circuit televisions. There are lots of different models and brands, but there’s one brand we recommend here at CATS, and that’s Optelec Clearview + Speech. For more information on the manufacturer, check out ctech.lowvision.com. The Optelec Clearview + Speech combines video magnification and has an OCR, or optical character recognition feature, to utilize its text- -to- speech feature that makes it really easy to select whatever you want to read. The price can range anywhere from 2000-4000 dollars, depending on which model you choose.
Reg: A cheaper alternative to the Optelec Clearview is the Onyx Deskset Reading Table, which costs around 250 dollars. It’s a basic, large, moveable reading table that allows you to magnify small text or objects anywhere from newspapers to textbooks. For more information on the manufacturer, check out freadomscientific.com. It’s very useful, students who have low vision use it a lot.
Tania: And for a small, portable screen magnifier we have The Ruby which costs around 500 dollars. And the thing with the ruby is that it can freeze frame and take up to 15 images. It comes with rechargeable batteries but you can also use 4 AAA batteries. And it s really easy to use. To turn it on, all you have to do is press one button , and there’s one other button to zoom in and out. And a cost effective alternative to the ruby is a cellphone.  If you have an android phone, or even an android tablet, you can download a free app called the screen magnifier HD by welldonecom. Its very easy and simple to use, all you have to do is use the camera feature on either your phone or tablet and it will allow you to magnify and change the contrast of whatever you are reading.
Reg: Besides the CCTV and portable magnifiers, there is Zoom Texts a software that is a screen enlarger which can be used as a cctv with later versions as long you have a webcam HD output which is a minimum of 720p, but we recommend 1080p to get maximum output.  If you have zoom text already installed in your computer, it really is a cost efficient alternative to obtaining a CCTV. Zoom text recommends the logitech c615 webcam, which costs around 80 dollars, but if already have an HD webcam, it’s fine. You don’t have to worry too much about getting that specific Logitech camera
Outro: Thank you for listening. For more information on what you’ve heard in todays podcast, or for more resources on the assistive technology field, and on upcoming podcasts, go to catsweb.cuny.edu.

Cats Chat Screen Magnifiers and Enlargers

Welcome to the CUNY Assistive Technology Services Chat. CATS Chat discusses the use, benefit and implications of the assistive technology of today.

CATS Chat Podcast