WEBVTT - Talking Tech 7th May 2024 0:00:21.328 --> 0:00:25.018 Hello everyone. Welcome to Talking Tech. This edition available from 0:00:25.018 --> 0:00:29.098 May the 7th, 2024. I'm Stephen Jolly. Great to have 0:00:29.098 --> 0:00:32.638 you with us listening maybe through Vision Australia radio associated 0:00:32.638 --> 0:00:36.388 stations of RPA Australia or maybe the Community Radio Network. 0:00:36.388 --> 0:00:39.058 There is also the podcast. To catch that, all you 0:00:39.058 --> 0:00:42.208 need to do is search for the two words talking tech. 0:00:42.208 --> 0:00:44.998 And it can all come usually on a Tuesday afternoon 0:00:44.998 --> 0:00:48.208 just after it's been produced. Another option is to ask 0:00:48.208 --> 0:00:52.018 your Siri device or smart speaker to play Vision Australia 0:00:52.018 --> 0:00:57.628 radio talking tech podcast Vision Australia radio talking tech podcast. 0:00:58.478 --> 0:01:02.768 My usual partner in crime. David Woodbridge, the national adviser 0:01:02.768 --> 0:01:05.978 on access technology with Vision Australia, can't be with us 0:01:05.978 --> 0:01:09.188 again this week, but we're hopeful he'll be back with 0:01:09.188 --> 0:01:13.118 the program very soon. So this week we'll hear from 0:01:13.118 --> 0:01:16.808 a guest who's been on talking tech before. A member 0:01:16.808 --> 0:01:21.728 of the Vision Australia Access Technology team, Sam Taylor. More 0:01:21.728 --> 0:01:24.878 from Sam in a moment. But first, some pretty important 0:01:24.878 --> 0:01:29.558 news for anyone who uses Sonos with a screen reader. 0:01:29.558 --> 0:01:34.868 Sonos is a very popular audio system involving speakers and 0:01:34.868 --> 0:01:40.718 other devices connected with Wi-Fi, rather than through a wired arrangement. 0:01:40.988 --> 0:01:44.858 From May the 7th, or in the early hours of Wednesday, 0:01:44.858 --> 0:01:50.078 May the 8th, here in Australia, Sonos is releasing a 0:01:50.078 --> 0:01:54.848 new version of the Sonos app for iOS and Android, 0:01:54.998 --> 0:02:00.458 as well as a web based controller. The troubling news 0:02:00.458 --> 0:02:06.458 is that accessibility has gone from excellence to virtually absence 0:02:06.458 --> 0:02:10.748 with these new tools, and the advice is to delay 0:02:10.748 --> 0:02:17.078 adopting them until the accessibility issues are resolved. Remember that 0:02:17.078 --> 0:02:21.938 once you update, it's very challenging to successfully go back, 0:02:21.938 --> 0:02:26.018 and so it's not worth trying to do it. Two 0:02:26.018 --> 0:02:31.088 things I suggest you do. Firstly, turn off automatic updates 0:02:31.088 --> 0:02:35.318 in the settings so you can decline the invitation to 0:02:35.318 --> 0:02:39.128 update every time it is offered to you. And for 0:02:39.128 --> 0:02:44.768 iOS people, you can go to settings and then the 0:02:44.768 --> 0:02:47.768 App Store. And then within the App Store you can 0:02:47.768 --> 0:02:52.838 go to the automatic downloads area and turn them off. 0:02:54.068 --> 0:02:58.028 Hopefully that will also help Android users, though I haven't 0:02:58.028 --> 0:03:01.688 given you the specifics for that. Then you'll want to 0:03:01.688 --> 0:03:06.818 stop your Sonos devices updating automatically, so switch to the 0:03:06.818 --> 0:03:11.288 settings tab down the bottom of the screen and click 0:03:11.288 --> 0:03:15.578 on system. Now this is different from the systems tab 0:03:15.578 --> 0:03:18.608 at the bottom of Sonos screens, so make sure you 0:03:18.608 --> 0:03:22.178 go the right way. Go to settings and then system. 0:03:22.178 --> 0:03:27.578 From there you can turn off automatic updates. Good luck 0:03:27.578 --> 0:03:30.038 with all of that, and we'll let you know when 0:03:30.038 --> 0:03:34.088 we learn. The coast is clear for resuming screen reader 0:03:34.088 --> 0:03:41.138 accessibility on the Sonos tools thanks to internationally renowned blindness 0:03:41.138 --> 0:03:46.148 technologist Jonathan Mohsen, who, amongst others, has sounded the alarm 0:03:46.148 --> 0:03:51.388 on this one. And now we turn to our guest, 0:03:51.388 --> 0:03:55.918 Sam Taylor from Vision Australia. Sam, welcome to Talking Tech. 0:03:55.948 --> 0:03:57.808 Thank you Steve and it's great to be back talking 0:03:57.808 --> 0:03:58.438 to you. 0:03:58.588 --> 0:04:00.298 You're a Sonos user are you? 0:04:00.328 --> 0:04:03.688 I am I've been a Sonos user for oh probably 0:04:03.688 --> 0:04:07.408 6 or 7 years now. And it's great to have 0:04:07.408 --> 0:04:11.698 all of your streaming services all in one place and 0:04:11.698 --> 0:04:16.138 certainly accessible at this point in time. My partner, Kaitlin, 0:04:16.138 --> 0:04:19.348 and I have about 6 or 7 Sonos units throughout 0:04:19.348 --> 0:04:22.768 the house the bedroom, the lounge, the family room. And 0:04:22.768 --> 0:04:25.348 it's it's really nice that you can have them set 0:04:25.348 --> 0:04:28.648 as a stereo pair in some places, and then, you know, 0:04:28.648 --> 0:04:30.508 you can just have one in a study while you're 0:04:30.508 --> 0:04:34.168 completing your work as well. So, um, yeah, when when 0:04:34.168 --> 0:04:37.438 they're working nicely and accessibly, they can really be a 0:04:37.438 --> 0:04:40.108 nice little solution for music enthusiasts. 0:04:40.108 --> 0:04:42.508 Let's hope it's all back on track very soon. Let's 0:04:42.508 --> 0:04:46.168 hope so. Tell us a bit about yourself, Sam. A 0:04:46.168 --> 0:04:48.388 bit of background? Sure. 0:04:48.388 --> 0:04:53.998 So I've been working in the access technology space for 0:04:53.998 --> 0:04:56.398 almost 20 years now. I've. I feel like I've actually 0:04:56.398 --> 0:04:59.608 come full circle in some ways because I started my 0:04:59.608 --> 0:05:03.388 career at Vision Australia. Um, it was almost, almost my 0:05:03.388 --> 0:05:08.068 first job back in 2005, although I was working then 0:05:08.068 --> 0:05:13.108 in the multi-format producing area, um, for Braille, and that 0:05:13.108 --> 0:05:17.308 included Braille music. My background is is actually that of, um, 0:05:17.308 --> 0:05:23.578 music and psychology, studying music, um, at university. So I 0:05:23.578 --> 0:05:28.468 was working quite extensively on Braille music with volunteers, making 0:05:28.468 --> 0:05:33.718 sure that people had the braille scores and other braille 0:05:33.718 --> 0:05:39.448 literacy that they needed. But a full time opportunity became 0:05:39.448 --> 0:05:43.588 available at Humanware in their Sydney office, which was then 0:05:43.588 --> 0:05:47.998 at Baulkham Hills. And that was the start, I suppose, 0:05:47.998 --> 0:05:53.008 of my moving into, um, a technology role that I 0:05:53.008 --> 0:05:57.568 really loved working alongside, um, people like Ramona, Mandy, who 0:05:57.568 --> 0:06:01.108 would be familiar to a lot of listeners, and we 0:06:01.108 --> 0:06:04.798 both worked as blindness products consultants. I was looking after 0:06:04.798 --> 0:06:10.738 New South Wales and Queensland until 2016, when there was 0:06:10.738 --> 0:06:14.098 an opportunity to move to a national role at Pacific Vision. 0:06:14.098 --> 0:06:17.008 So I guess for a long time I've been in 0:06:17.038 --> 0:06:21.568 that technology space. Um, nowadays I work as an access 0:06:21.568 --> 0:06:25.978 technology specialist over at Vision Australia, based in Kopuru in Brisbane. 0:06:26.068 --> 0:06:28.798 So what does an Access Technology specialist do? 0:06:28.828 --> 0:06:31.078 Well, first of all, I've got the opportunity now to 0:06:31.078 --> 0:06:36.658 be brand agnostic. So, um, it's it's not necessarily being 0:06:36.688 --> 0:06:39.628 tied to to one brand, but it's an opportunity to 0:06:39.628 --> 0:06:45.778 explore and recommend, um, a solution that works for an individual. 0:06:45.778 --> 0:06:48.928 Part of being person centred is making sure that we 0:06:48.928 --> 0:06:51.418 adopt the right solution for the person, and that could 0:06:51.418 --> 0:06:55.558 be anything, really, from ensuring that people have the right 0:06:55.558 --> 0:06:59.008 screen reader for the job that they need to do 0:06:59.008 --> 0:07:03.238 to a Braille device, or even being able to use 0:07:03.238 --> 0:07:06.748 their iPhone effectively. There's a lot of boxes to tick. Um, 0:07:06.748 --> 0:07:10.108 and it's really exciting to be able to work alongside 0:07:10.108 --> 0:07:14.188 so many skilled professionals in this area and so much 0:07:14.188 --> 0:07:18.118 really interesting technology that's that's emerging as well. Stephen, I. 0:07:18.118 --> 0:07:20.158 Want to explore this one a little with you a 0:07:20.158 --> 0:07:23.698 bit more. I guess your work is not just about 0:07:23.698 --> 0:07:25.918 saying to someone, here's a phone, I'll show you which 0:07:25.918 --> 0:07:30.958 buttons to press, but about bringing them often to the 0:07:30.958 --> 0:07:33.058 world of access technology. 0:07:33.418 --> 0:07:37.498 Many people have not come from a technological background, and 0:07:37.498 --> 0:07:41.128 I've always felt that it's my duty to ensure that 0:07:41.128 --> 0:07:47.368 we display technology concepts in a non-threatening and easy to 0:07:47.368 --> 0:07:52.438 understand manner. And it's the same with Braille as well. I. 0:07:52.438 --> 0:07:56.908 I have great respect for manufacturers who can design a 0:07:56.908 --> 0:08:01.018 device in a way that's elegant, that can be used 0:08:01.018 --> 0:08:06.118 by novices and also people, um, that have been a 0:08:06.118 --> 0:08:09.928 user of technology for many, many years. And one example 0:08:09.928 --> 0:08:13.378 of that would would be a Braille sense and more 0:08:13.378 --> 0:08:15.838 recently a BT speak, I think. 0:08:15.838 --> 0:08:18.478 Tell me about the technology that you use in your 0:08:18.478 --> 0:08:22.378 personal life. The access to technology and the mainstream stuff. 0:08:22.558 --> 0:08:25.648 I use an iPhone when I think about it for 0:08:25.648 --> 0:08:32.098 almost any everything. So from setting alarms to driving my 0:08:32.098 --> 0:08:35.788 washing machine, there are a lot of instances where I 0:08:35.788 --> 0:08:41.518 would use an iPhone to control everyday appliances, such as 0:08:41.518 --> 0:08:44.848 an air conditioner or a washing machine, as I mentioned, 0:08:44.848 --> 0:08:47.818 but I do feel that there is still certainly. The 0:08:47.818 --> 0:08:51.418 A place for blindness technology as well. Um, I am 0:08:51.418 --> 0:08:54.598 a user of Braille, and so I do have a 0:08:54.598 --> 0:08:58.738 Braille sense, and I use a braille display in collaboration 0:08:58.738 --> 0:09:04.318 with my windows computer as well, which really assists in, um, 0:09:04.318 --> 0:09:07.078 reading aloud. I think it's a very important skill for 0:09:07.078 --> 0:09:10.528 a blind person to, to have. But the Braille display 0:09:10.528 --> 0:09:13.918 also assists in being able to capture the spelling of 0:09:13.918 --> 0:09:16.708 names so that when you're writing to someone, uh, there's 0:09:16.708 --> 0:09:19.018 no embarrassment there. You know exactly how to, to spell 0:09:19.018 --> 0:09:22.678 their name. So, um, Braille serves as a very high 0:09:22.678 --> 0:09:25.108 priority for me as well. 0:09:25.288 --> 0:09:29.278 Between you and your partner, Caitlin, there's a high reliance 0:09:29.278 --> 0:09:35.368 on access technology. Tell us about how that has changed 0:09:35.368 --> 0:09:37.948 for doing things you need to do at home over 0:09:37.948 --> 0:09:38.938 recent years. 0:09:39.208 --> 0:09:44.848 Most things that we do involve some type of technology, 0:09:44.848 --> 0:09:49.318 whether it's shopping for groceries, where by I would either 0:09:49.318 --> 0:09:52.498 use my iPhone to log into Coles online or Woolies, 0:09:52.498 --> 0:09:54.838 or I would do it on my PC, utilizing a 0:09:54.838 --> 0:09:58.738 screen reader to using an air fryer. I mean, even 0:09:58.738 --> 0:10:00.628 a couple of years ago, there would never have been 0:10:00.628 --> 0:10:03.748 an option to talk to a personal assistant to set 0:10:03.748 --> 0:10:07.228 an air fryer at a certain time and temperature. Um, 0:10:07.228 --> 0:10:09.958 and now we do that virtually without even thinking about it. 0:10:09.958 --> 0:10:11.728 And that's just made a huge difference. 0:10:12.148 --> 0:10:14.578 What do you do for personal mail these days? 0:10:14.818 --> 0:10:19.138 Nowadays, I tend to use the Seeing Eye app for 0:10:19.138 --> 0:10:23.608 two reasons. I can either put it in a mode 0:10:23.608 --> 0:10:27.508 where I can have the whole page scanned for me. 0:10:27.748 --> 0:10:29.788 The app will take a picture, and then I can 0:10:29.788 --> 0:10:33.238 scroll through the page at leisure and just, um, pick 0:10:33.238 --> 0:10:35.578 up any account numbers that I need and copy them 0:10:35.578 --> 0:10:38.128 and write them down. Or if I just want to 0:10:38.128 --> 0:10:41.488 identify the mail and ensure that it's something important other 0:10:41.488 --> 0:10:44.488 than junk mail. Um, I can just use the instant 0:10:44.488 --> 0:10:48.478 text feature. So I do find Seeing Eye very, very good. Um, 0:10:48.478 --> 0:10:49.978 just for identifying mail. 0:10:50.008 --> 0:10:52.438 Does Caitlin use these sort of tools as well? 0:10:52.468 --> 0:10:56.638 She does. She's quite heavily reliant on her iPhone as well. So, um, 0:10:56.638 --> 0:10:58.738 the iPhone would, would be the, the go to I 0:10:58.738 --> 0:10:59.998 think for both of us there. 0:11:00.178 --> 0:11:05.128 So there's very much the absence of that helper with 0:11:05.128 --> 0:11:08.548 eyes that we've all needed for decades isn't there? 0:11:08.878 --> 0:11:12.808 Absolutely. I think technology has allowed us to be so 0:11:12.808 --> 0:11:17.008 much more autonomous and independent. Um, with the exception of 0:11:17.008 --> 0:11:21.178 some websites that can just be a little bit inaccessible 0:11:21.178 --> 0:11:25.228 at times. And that's where we would use the Iris service, um, 0:11:25.228 --> 0:11:27.838 which I still think is worth the subscription because it's 0:11:27.838 --> 0:11:32.218 24 over seven on demand. So even, uh, just yesterday 0:11:32.218 --> 0:11:35.698 I needed to log into my Synology NAS system and 0:11:35.698 --> 0:11:38.458 write a lodger support ticket, and I wasn't able to 0:11:38.458 --> 0:11:42.088 do that without assistance. So, um, the beauty of IRA 0:11:42.088 --> 0:11:45.418 is that they can log in to the computer, with 0:11:45.418 --> 0:11:49.588 your permission, um, and just make life that little bit easier. 0:11:49.588 --> 0:11:52.798 They can also take photographs of things for you so 0:11:52.798 --> 0:11:57.058 that can be using your phone's camera. They can, um, 0:11:57.058 --> 0:12:00.688 take a photo of some scenery. Um, or they can 0:12:00.688 --> 0:12:03.358 take a photo of important documents, like receipts that you 0:12:03.358 --> 0:12:06.178 might want to store for later retrieval as well. So, um, 0:12:06.178 --> 0:12:09.238 IRA is still a pretty major part of my workflow 0:12:09.238 --> 0:12:09.898 as well. 0:12:09.898 --> 0:12:12.898 Even IRA wasn't around 7 or 8 years ago. 0:12:13.048 --> 0:12:16.108 Absolutely, absolutely. And only in the United States at first 0:12:16.108 --> 0:12:19.918 as well. So, um, again, you know, looking back over 0:12:19.918 --> 0:12:22.858 the developments and, and the implementation of those sorts of 0:12:22.858 --> 0:12:25.828 technology and being able to use that out and about 0:12:25.828 --> 0:12:29.788 in the field as well. Um, it really means that 0:12:29.788 --> 0:12:33.478 if you're waiting for a mobility instructor to become available, 0:12:33.478 --> 0:12:35.128 but you still need to catch a train to an 0:12:35.128 --> 0:12:38.608 unknown destination and cross over a platform, and you've got 0:12:38.608 --> 0:12:41.038 the orientation skills to do that. You just need that 0:12:41.038 --> 0:12:44.248 little bit of help. Um, you can call on IRA to, 0:12:44.278 --> 0:12:46.198 to help you along the way to do that. It's 0:12:46.198 --> 0:12:47.998 it's just incredible, really. 0:12:47.998 --> 0:12:50.008 What are you looking forward to in the next, say, 0:12:50.008 --> 0:12:51.538 3 to 5 years? 0:12:52.048 --> 0:12:54.808 Coming back to Braille just for a moment, I do 0:12:54.808 --> 0:12:59.338 think that multi-line braille displays are going to be the future. 0:12:59.338 --> 0:13:03.658 I'm very excited about technologies such as the monarch and 0:13:03.658 --> 0:13:09.688 getting those into the hands of students, and also technology 0:13:09.688 --> 0:13:14.128 from a mobility perspective, such as glide from the guidance company. 0:13:14.488 --> 0:13:16.978 A while back, we wouldn't have thought that we could 0:13:16.978 --> 0:13:21.448 take a device that could avoid obstacles. Um, other than 0:13:21.448 --> 0:13:24.328 a mini guide or a guide dog. Um, and now 0:13:24.328 --> 0:13:28.798 we're seeing artificial intelligence in these sorts of devices. Um, 0:13:28.798 --> 0:13:30.838 it's just going to open up a whole new world. 0:13:30.838 --> 0:13:34.588 I think there's been talk of driverless cars for, for 0:13:34.588 --> 0:13:39.208 so long and on so many different platforms and in movies, um, 0:13:39.208 --> 0:13:41.458 to the point where it's a little bit stereotypical, but 0:13:41.458 --> 0:13:44.398 but seeing these devices emerge out of some of the, 0:13:44.578 --> 0:13:48.328 the start up companies and being road tested and, and 0:13:48.328 --> 0:13:51.028 displayed at places like CSUN just makes it more of 0:13:51.028 --> 0:13:52.048 a reality for everybody. 0:13:52.048 --> 0:13:54.898 I think it's been great chatting with you today, Sam, 0:13:54.898 --> 0:13:59.458 and sharing your thoughts with everyone. Sam Taylor, an Access 0:13:59.458 --> 0:14:03.268 Technology specialist with Vision Australia. Look forward to talking to 0:14:03.268 --> 0:14:04.198 you again soon. 0:14:04.498 --> 0:14:05.908 Thanks, Stephen. That's been great. 0:14:05.908 --> 0:14:09.718 So just before we go, a reminder you can contact, uh, 0:14:09.718 --> 0:14:16.798 David Woodbridge and his blog site with David would be r.podbean.com. 0:14:16.798 --> 0:14:23.098 That's David would be our podbean podbean.com. You can write 0:14:23.098 --> 0:14:28.318 to David at Vision Australia David dot Woodbridge at Vision Australia. 0:14:28.618 --> 0:14:33.148 Org David Dot Woodbridge at Vision Australia. Org if you 0:14:33.148 --> 0:14:37.768 like you can write to me Jolly Stephen at gmail.com. 0:14:37.768 --> 0:14:41.638 That's jolly Stephen j o l e y s t 0:14:41.638 --> 0:14:47.098 e p h e n at gmail.com. This has been 0:14:47.098 --> 0:14:50.218 talking tech with me has been our guest, Sam Taylor, 0:14:50.218 --> 0:14:54.808 an access technology specialist from Vision Australia. I'm Stephen Jolly. 0:14:54.898 --> 0:14:57.538 Take care. We'll talk more tech next week. See you.