VI Tech Experience & Beyond

Last month, I upgraded my OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 5G to Oxygen OS 16. With this new UI version, there are accessibility problems with Google TalkBack. Let's check out workaround solutions for them. problem 1: Inaccessible volume sliders in settings. Previously in sound settings, the volume for Notifications, ringtones, media, and alarms were easily increasable/decreasable through sliders where you can swipe up to increase & swipe down to decrease through TalkBack. But now the slider is inaccessible. To reliably increase/decrease volume, press & hold the power button & speak to Gemini, telling it to increase/decrease a specific volume. problem 2: 2-finger swipe up gesture to unlock does not work if you have any unread notifications. To unlock, swipe down once with 2 fingers. TalkBack will not say anything — do not worry about it. Then swipe left until you find the "Open Settings" option, then double-tap it. The device will unlock and display the Settings screen...

KIBO is an app developed by Trestle Labs which can be used to scan and read images, read inaccessible PDFs, audiobooks, note-taking, and many more. To know more about it, join the Workshop on the upcoming Sunday. their Details are provided below:   🌟           BNS Vision Star –      Online Workshop Announcement 🌟 Greetings, BNS Vision Star is pleased to announce an upcoming online workshop on the Kibo Application, developed by Trestle Labs Pvt. Ltd. Kibo is an innovative application designed to read and analyze documents, including PDFs and various other formats, and generate meaningful insights and summaries. This workshop aims to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the application and its practical uses. We are honored to have Ms. Deepali from the Trestle Labs Pvt. Ltd. team, who will be conducting a live demonstration and offering detailed explanations during the session.   📅 Workshop Date Sunday, 12 Apr...

In my previous post, I spoke about why it is not easy for a blind person to purchase an Android device, mainly due to varied UI experiences and Google’s abrupt changes, which might lead to breaking accessibility. However, there are 2 circumstances where there is a need to have an Android device. Let’s look at them: 1. Work Requirements If the organization you are working for has their software that only runs on Android, or if the software you use works only on Android, then purchasing an Android device becomes necessary. 2. Better Support for Certain Languages Some languages are read properly by Google’s TTS. For example, Telugu and Hindi. which have poor pronunciation with the Cerence voices provided by Apple. So, please do proper research, such as watching videos and asking questions in forums, to find out whether your language works well with Apple’s TTS. Except for these two situations, there is no real need to buy an Android device as a blind person. My take is: if these situation...

Many people look for Android devices as they are more cost-effective than iOS. However, they are not easy for blind people due to the varied experience in Android. Unlike iOS, the Android user experience varies a lot. Even in the same brand, the device which I am using and the device you are using will not give the same level of accessibility experience. This is due to: Combination of UIs, Manufacturer Agreements, and Google's way of dealing with software changes. Different brands use different UIs, and sometimes even in the same brand, the UI changes. Also, Google is very slow to react to accessibility problems and very abrupt with software changes which might break accessibility. Due to this, the accessibility experience varies greatly. Along with this, manufacturer agreements and decisions also affect how accessibility features are provided and updated. The most recent thing I can remember is that my friend bought a Samsung phone and got the Samsung TalkBack, which is diff...

If you are a totally visually impaired person, a USB headset can be very helpful for achieving most tasks and getting you out of trouble on Windows, compared to other wired headsets or wireless/Bluetooth headsets. Here’s why: A USB headset generaly works with generic drivers. which is already available on most Windows PCs. This means that if, for any reason      , the audio driver on your computer stops working or is not installed, the USB headset can come to your rescue. They also work with Windows bootable media. As a result, you can perform a clean installation by yourself without needing external assistance. Hence, a USB headset is a must-have tool for a visually impaired person. However, please verify that the USB headset you are going to buy, as well as your computer, supports generic audio drivers before making a purchase.