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#blindtech

10 posts6 participants0 posts today

The UK’s nukes are still running on Windows 95 and floppy disks. Not a joke. In 2025, one of the most powerful nations on Earth is still relying on tech most people tossed decades ago.
It’s a wild reminder of how deeply outdated some critical systems really are—and why that should worry everyone.
Double Tap: Where blind people talk tech! dltap.com/46rVTpe
#BlindTech #DoubleTap #TechNews #Windows95 #FloppyDisks #Accessibility #OutdatedTech #DisabilityCommunity #AssistiveTech

Tech trainers often default to Apple—not because it’s better, but because it’s familiar. That bias creates a legacy hangover, shaping accessibility training and excluding Android without cause.
We need to question outdated preferences that still shape modern accessibility choices.
Double Tap: Where blind people talk tech! dltap.com/46rVTpe
#BlindTech #DoubleTap #TechTraining #AppleVsAndroid #Accessibility #DisabilityTech

You wouldn’t lock your door to paying customers—so why make your business inaccessible? From malls to hospitals to airports, blind and low vision people want to shop, travel, and spend just like everyone else.
Accessibility isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s revenue.
Double Tap: Where blind people talk tech! dltap.com/46rVTpe
#BlindTech #DoubleTap #Accessibility #InclusionMatters #DisabilityRights #AccessibleDesign

I’m presenting at the ACB Virtual Convention tomorrow, June 28, 11:30 AM–12:45 PM Central.
Our session, “Using Your Phone and Smart Glasses to Describe the World Around You,” will explore apps like Seeing AI, Ally, Gemini, and PiccyBot.
Details: acbmedia.org/calendar/?mc_id=6
#ACB2025 #BlindTech #AccessibleTech

ACB Media Network · ACB Media CalendarClick “Launch Event” to identify the ACB Media stream for each event.

I woke up to a comment so smug, so perfectly soaked in gatekeeping and faux-righteous posturing, it earned its own blog post.
You want freedom? You want GNU/Linux to mean something?
Then maybe start by not telling disabled users to go fuck themselves with a smile.
This commenter thought they were defending "software freedom." What they were really doing was kicking people out of the room. Dismissing accessibility. Mocking effort. Pretending that cruelty is some kind of rite of passage. They quoted Stallman like it was scripture, ignored real-world experience like it was noise, and wrapped it all in condescension dressed as virtue.
I’ve spent over a decade in this ecosystem. Writing patches. Rebuilding broken stacks. Helping blind users boot systems upstream doesn’t even test. I didn’t "just install Arch and whine about the terminal." I lived in it. I survived it. I held it together when maintainers disappeared and no one else gave a damn.
But apparently, because I didn’t call it GNU/Linux™ and because I dared to talk about how this OS chews people up and spits them out, I’m lazy. I’m weak. I should "get a dog."
So I wrote a response. Line by line. No mercy. No euphemisms.
This isn’t just about one comment. This is about every time someone’s been told they don’t belong because they couldn’t learn fast enough, code well enough, or survive long enough. It’s about everyone who was pushed out while the gatekeepers patted themselves on the back for "preserving the spirit of free software."
You want a free system? Start by making it livable. Because freedom that demands you crawl bleeding through a broken bootloader isn’t freedom. It’s abandonment dressed in ideology.
And if this kind of gatekeeping is your idea of community?
You can keep it.
fireborn.mataroa.blog/blog/you
#Linux #GNU #FOSS #Accessibility #BlindTech #FreeSoftware #Gatekeeping #DisabilityInTech #OpenSource #Orca #ScreenReaders #ArchLinux #BurnItDown #blogpost

fireborn.mataroa.blogYou Don’t Own the Word “Freedom”: A Full-Burn Response to the GNU/Linux Comment That Tried to Gatekeep Me Off My Own Machine — fireborn

Taylor’s Teardowns are back. In 2020, I reviewed products for accessibility as a blind user—and people loved it. Now in 2025, I'm doing full accessibility reviews, public on YouTube with blog posts for each. Sponsored teardowns start at $20 for an intro and include honest, real-world feedback. Perfect for apps, websites, and AI tools made for the public. Want yours reviewed? Get in touch. #Accessibility #A11y #BlindTech

ChatGPT’s Mac app now records meetings, but it’s nearly unusable with VoiceOver.
Buttons are unlabeled, transcripts are hard to access, and navigation is broken for blind users.
Full write-up: taylorarndt.substack.com/p/cha
Demo: youtube.com/watch?v=nGhfTH1ZNW
OpenAI needs to include accessibility in every release. This one missed the mark.
#Accessibility #ChatGPT #VoiceOver #MacAccessibility #BlindTech #InclusiveTech

Taylor’s Substack · ChatGPT for Mac’s New Meeting Recording Feature Is Powerful — But Almost Unusable for Blind UsersBy Taylor Arndt

Accessible with AI” panel.
I'll demo ViddyScribe, a tool that lets creators embed audio descriptions directly into video files—essential for blind and low vision users.
As a blind creator, I found ViddyScribe intuitive, powerful, and screen reader-friendly.
Read more: taylorarndt.substack.com/p/mak
Watch the demo: youtube.com/watch?v=SnbkyXGK62
#Accessibility #BlindTech #ACB2025 #AudioDescription #InclusiveDesign #ViddyScribe

Taylor’s Substack · Making Video More Accessible with AI: My Demo of ViddyScribeBy Taylor Arndt

The latest edition of my newsletter is out.
This week, I cover:
– The launch of the new Techopolis Online Solutions website
– A free SwiftUI course I’m co-teaching with Michael Doise this fall
– Two upcoming presentations, including Microsoft Reactor and ACB
– An unofficial developer meetup at the ACB Convention in Dallas
Read it here:
taylorarndt.substack.com/p/new
#AI #Accessibility #SwiftUI #TechNews #BlindTech #AppDevelopment #Inclusion #ACB2025 #MicrosoftReactor #Techopolis

Taylor’s Substack · New Website, AI presentations, ACBBy Taylor Arndt

Many apps aren’t built for blind or low vision users—but we’re changing that. At Techopolis Online Solutions, we build accessible iOS and Android apps that work with screen readers, follow clear design standards, and include smart features powered by AI. If you’ve struggled with apps that don’t include you, we’d love to help. Learn more at: techopolisonline.com/services
#Accessibility #BlindTech #InclusiveApps

Techopolis Online SolutionsServices — Techopolis Online Solutions

I didn’t plan to write about Wayland yet. But Xorg is dying — not eventually, but now. GNOME’s dropping X11 support. RHEL already removed it. Ubuntu and Fedora are next. And if you rely on accessibility, you don’t get to wait this one out.
So here’s Post 4 of I Want to Love Linux. It Doesn’t Love Me Back.
I’m using Wayland now. Primarily. Not because I love it. Because the fallback is disappearing, and I want to be there helping fix what comes next. GNOME with Orca actually works. KDE and COSMIC are making progress. I’ve talked to the people involved. They care.
But a lot is broken.
MATE — the desktop most blind users preferred — isn’t on Wayland.
ocrdesktop doesn’t work. xdotool is gone.
wlroots compositors still don’t reliably support Orca’s keybindings, especially on laptops.
This isn’t GNOME’s fault. They’re the only reason accessibility on Wayland works at all.
But the old excuses are gone. “Just use Xorg” isn’t going to be an option much longer.
So yeah. I’m a Wayland shill now. Because I’m using it. Because I have to.
And I want to make sure we’re not excluded from what comes next.
fireborn.mataroa.blog/blog/i-w
#Linux #Wayland #Accessibility #Orca #GNOME #KDE #COSMIC #FOSS #a11y #BlindTech #xorg

fireborn.mataroa.blogI Want to Love Linux. It Doesn’t Love Me Back: Post 4 – Wayland Is Growing Up. And Now We Don’t Have a Choice — fireborn