Escorted Vision Impaired Tour to Vietnam

December 17, 2017

For over 10 years Travel Tree has designed and escorted a Vision Impaired tour to the most interesting places and through a perceived demand has decided to create a very inclusive experience to Vietnam.

Offering an overload to the senses with sounds of vibrant street life, smells of incense from local offerings, the touch of ethnic textiles or ‘touching the earth’ at a local market stop and tastes of the many culinary delights this 10 day itinerary will be sure to offer something to all.

All the tours have been escorted by George Booth who will once again travel with the group to ensure all needs are met and a good time had by all!

For more information please go to: Vietnam Tour 2018

Filed Under: Tour

first iphone x voiceover user review

November 4, 2017

The link below will take you to the AppleVis website to an interesting review of the iphone x from the viewpoint of a voiceover user.

VoiceOver is an assistive feature found on iPhones. It voices what is displayed on the phones screen, allowing access for people who are blind or have low vision.

iPhone X Review from a VoiceOver User

Filed Under: Assistive Technology

AAP distributes media release for “Outrunning the Night”

October 1, 2017

Australian Associated Press (AAP) distributed a media release for Scott Hollier’s book Outrunning the Night: A life journey of disability determination and joy’ on 20 September.

Digital accessibility specialist Scott Hollier is well educated, loves computers and gadgets, is a husband and father, goes to church regularly and has set foot on all seven continents. He is also legally blind.

It is an Inspiring memoir of struggle and triumph.

Find the release on Scott’s book here

If you’ve aren’t familiar with Scott’s book, all the details including a sample chapter can be found at www.outrunningthenight.com

Filed Under: Assistive Technology, Information

Vision Australia Radio set to bring Perth landmarks to life

August 22, 2017

Some of Perth’s most well-known tourist attractions are set to be brought alive for people who are blind or have low vision thanks to an upcoming radio program, The Tourist.

The Tourist will air on Vision Australia Radio (VAR) during August and September and will provide listeners with an entertaining and informative account of the Fremantle Prison, the WA Maritime Museum, and Scitech.

Developed by Murdoch University Sound & Radio student Ethan Kavanagh, each episode of The Tourist will feature staff interviews, behind the scenes tours and audio descriptions from each location.

VAR Program Coordinator Gemma Sidney said Ethan’s work is something that will have a positive impact for many people who are blind or have low vision. “The locations that Ethan has documented in The Tourist are all popular for a reason and it’s important that people who are blind or have low vision are given every chance to experience and enjoy what they have to offer like anybody else,” Ms Sidney said. “Each episode really is an immersive account of each location, whether it’s a description of what it’s like to enter a submarine, taking people on a trip to the gallows or audio describing a puppet show, we really think The Tourist is something that will support our listeners in experiencing each location.”

Each episode of The Tourist will also be available as a podcast to allow the wider blind and low vision community to experience each attraction and Ms Sidney said VAR hopes to expand the program’s offering in the future.

“We’re fortunate that during his placement with us Ethan put as much time and effort as he did to produce the first three episodes and he’s indicated that he’d like to do more to help people who are blind or have low vision to experience the other attractions Perth has to offer.” VAR is an important outlet for the blind and low vision community to access a wide range of information and it’s great that we can expand what we offer our listeners with more content that is produced with them in mind.”

The Tourist air dates on Vision Australia Radio:

  • Episode 1: Fremantle Prison – 10.30am Monday 28 August (repeated 10.30am Friday 1 September)
  • Episode 2: WA Maritime Museum – 10.30am Monday 4 September (repeated 10.30am Friday 8 September)
  • Episode 3: Scitech – 10.30am Monday 11 September (repeated 10.30am Friday 15 September)

Vision Australia Radio broadcasts in Perth on 990AM and on digital under VA Radio. The Tourist will also be available online as a podcast via http://radio.visionaustralia.org

Filed Under: Audio Description, Information

The Eclipse Soundscapes Project app

August 16, 2017

Below is a link to an interactive app made for VoiceOver users and others with vision loss.
It uses a combination of sound, vibrations and audio description.

The Eclipse Soundscapes Project app is specially designed so that people who are blind and visually impaired can share in the awe and wonder of astronomical events in real time with their sighted peers.

The app is a joint effort between The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), NASA’s Heliophysics Education Consortium (HEC), the National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM), and the National Park Service (NPS). Features include an interactive “Rumble map”; audio descriptions of key features of the eclipse; a play-by-play description of the total solar eclipse as it is happening in the user’s area; and a countdown clock to the next upcoming eclipse.

The “Rumble Map” gives the user the sensation of “feeling” the Sun during an eclipse. the technology translates images of key eclipse features into a series of unique frequency modulated tones that map out variations in light and dark as the user explores the image with their fingertips. These tones are specially designed to make the user’s mobile device shake, or rumble, in response to the changes.

After the eclipse, the Eclipse Soundscapes app will provide access to a database of soundscape recordings from U.S. National Parks and other urban and rural locations so that users can experience how eclipses change the behavior of different species, including humans. During the next five years, the app will expand to include other eclipses and astronomical objects of interest giving people who are blind and visually impaired – and everyone else – a new way to engage with the universe around them.

Eclipse Soundscapes by Henry Winter

Filed Under: Assistive Technology, Information