Access On

Latest Episodes:

A review of iOS 27 Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

We devote this week's episode to a review of iOS 27, the operating system that powers iPhone. Here are the major sections of the review.

Introduction 0:00:00 Compatible devices and capabilities 0:01:26 Introducing Siri AI 0:03:53 Using Siri AI as a chatbot 0:05:18 Inserting Siri AI material in a document 0:11:28 Searching for information personal to you 0:12:55 Siri AI helping with inaccessible screens 0:21:08 Siri and the Camera app 0:22:38 Changes to dictation 0:28:59 Image recognition 0:36:08 Live recognition 0:53:53 Other VoiceOver changes 0:58:32 Various non-accessibility-related changes 1:02:44 Closing and contact info 1:14:13

Microsoft's Chief Accessibility Officer, the Director and Deputy-director of NLS, and the NFB's Accessibility Excellence initiatives Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

Join us for our iOS27 Access On webinar 0:00:00 Participate in the NVAccess Satisfaction survey 0:02:17 Microsoft's Chief Accessibility Officer, NeilBarnett 0:02:48 National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled 0:18:42 Jonathan Mosen reports on Accessibility Excellence initiatives 0:36:06 Significant Audacity accessibility regression 0:56:23 Good accessible music services offering download 0:57:57 Inaccessible Facebook Messenger tab bar 0:58:42 Closing and contact info 1:01:11

Seeking your feedback on smart glasses backlash, RIM for iOS, and more from our Vendor Showcase Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

In this week's episode:

Introduction 0:00:00 President Riccobono comments on some technology matters 0:01:36 Updates to Android 0:08:33 How have people found switching to Android 0:12:34 Remote Incident Manager goes mobile 0:15:22 Blazie technologies 0:34:26 Independent Science 0:37:12 WeWalk 0:39:38 eSight 0:41:15 American Printing House for the Blind 0:42:14 Vispero 0:43:43 Lumin 0:46:36 HapWare 0:51:03 Lighthouse Tech 0:54:01 GoodMaps 0:55:53 Patriot Vision 0:57:42 National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled 1:00:03 Closing and contact info 1:02:46

A recap of Apple's Surprise and Shine event Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

In his first public event as Apple CEO, John Ternus led the Surprise and Shine keynote. Access On host Jonathan Mosen is joined by Judy Dixon, Lina Howard and Heidi Taylor to discuss the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro max, AirPods 5, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra, and the much-anticipated iPhone Duo, which returns Touch ID to the iPhone range.

More on structured discovery in tech, processing printed receipts, and touch screens on airlines Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

This week on Access on:

Looking ahead to our Apple event recap 0:00:00 More on structured discovery in technology 0:03:20 I don't want AI writing forced on me 0:20:42 Blind people scanning and being sent receipts 0:22:59 Digitizing my DVD collection 0:33:57 Certification 0:38:40 Smart glasses backlash 0:39:46 Alexa Plus 0:41:29 An AI music creation service with a twist 0:42:37 Airlines that use touch screens 0:45:50 Free podcast host options 0:51:23 Looking for an accessible place to purchase music 0:54:52 Closing and contact info 0:56:43

Using principles of structured discovery when learning technology Aug 26, 2026

Show notes

We return to the National Federation of the Blind's national convention to bring you a seminar conducted by our Accessibility Excellence team on applying principles of structured discovery to learning technology. This helps you problem solve, and adapt when you encounter a change in a favorite application. Here's what you can here and when.

Introduction and seminar 0:00:00 Caution about relying too much on AI 0:56:13 Closing and contact info 1:02:52

Concluding our AI seminar, and we take you to the technology vendor showcase Aug 19, 2026

Show notes

We return to national convention for the conclusion of our AI seminar. Then, we take you for the first time this year to our Vendor Showcase. Here is what you can hear, and when. Attend our Access On webinar, Design with ScreenReader users in Mind 0:00:00 Using AI to assist with note taking 0:02:30 Visual interpretation 0:17:26 Introduction to Vendor Showcase 0:23:02 Envision America 0:25:30 HumanWare 0:28:48 Democracy Live 0:31:19 AT Guys 0:32:47 A Cubed Design 0:35:20 Aira 0:37:12 National Braille Press 0:38:40 Agiga 0:41:14 Benetech 0:46:28 Blindshell 0:49:08 Visual-eyes Access 0:54:15 Touchpad Pro Foundation 0:57:14 Dot 0:59:00 Closing and contact info 1:01:36

More from our AI seminar Aug 12, 2026

Show notes

We return to our national convention in Austin, Texas, for the next part of our AI seminar. Charles Hiser, Ron Miller, and Kennedy Zimnik discuss using AI to assist with personal and professional writing projects and working with images. Here is what you can hear, and when.

Introduction 0:00:00 AI to assist with writing 0:03:21 AI in the enterprise 0:21:45 AI and Tactile graphics 0:39:54 AI and Image recognition 0:47:01 Thoughts on BrailleNote Evolve 0:53:40 Closing and contact info 0:57:47

Making music with AI, and AI-assisted coding Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

This week's episode of Access On takes you for our first visit to the National Federation of the Blind's 2026 national convention in Austin, Texas. We bring you the first part of a seminar delivered by our Accessibility Excellence team, with a little help from knowledgeable federationists. here is what you can hear, and when.

Introduction 0:00:00 Making music with AI, and a 2026 convention song 0:01:37 AI-assisted coding 0:17:06 Not impressed with Alexa Plus 0:54:32 Dreamwidth, and Riverside 0:55:30 Closing and contact info 1:01:51

Listener feedback from around the world Jul 29, 2026

Show notes

On this week's Access On, we delve into our busy email box for a selection of contributions from listeners around the world. A reminder that we index our episodes by chapter, so if your podcast app supports it, it's easy to skip between segments. Here are the topics our listeners discuss, and when you can hear them.

Monarch discount available for NFB members 0:00:00 New Amazon Kindle app for Windows 0:02:48 Thoughts after the GPS navigation Access On webinar 0:04:24 BrailleNote Evolve 0:07:52 Tailscale 0:22:26 Review of the Sony BRAVIA Theater U Wearable TV Speaker for use with navigation apps 0:23:51 Making audio description personal 0:28:32 Certification and lived experience 0:31:32 My Waymo experience 0:39:48 Current accessibility status of Sonos 0:45:22 National convention feedback 0:47:41 Inaccessible age verification 0:50:27 Not happy with my Zoom H1Essential 0:54:29 Closing and contact info 0:57:21

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