Tek Talk

Latest Episodes:

Tek Talk welcomes Peter Tucic, Director of Strategic Partnerships, and Mathieu Paquette, Product Manager, of Humanware to discuss the new Victor Reader Stream 3. 02/13/2023 Feb 22, 2023

Show notes

The Victor Reader Stream 3 is finally out! After a long wait, Humanware is happy to present the new iteration of its popular product, the Stream. With new features and tons of improvements! Come listen to Peter and Mathieu discuss what’s new, what’s improved, and answer your questions about the present and the future of the Stream!.

Presenter Contact Info Peter Tucic, Humanware Director of Strategic Partnerships

Email: peter.tucic@humanware.com

Mathieu Paquette, Humanware Product Manager

Email: mathieu.paquette@humanware.com

Tek Talk welcomes John Panarese, Director of Mac for the Blind, to discuss Mac computers and their use by those with vision impairments. 02/06/2023 Feb 12, 2023

Show notes

This presentation will discuss using a Mac computer with the VoiceOver screen reader. It will cover the differences between Mac computers, such as laptop and desktop options, as well as an overview of how VoiceOver has developed and evolved over the years by Apple and the growth of its popularity that has led to an explosion of learning and training resources for blind and low vision individuals. In addition, the differences and pros/cons of VoiceOver compared to Windows and Windows screen readers will also be described from the perspective of someone who utilizes and trains users of both platforms. Lastly, an overview of the various built-in applications that come with a Mac and the parallels of using a PC will be touched upon, as well as the use of the Mac in both the work place and the school environment.

Presenter Contact Info John D. Panarese

Director, Mac for the Blind

Phone: (631) 724-4479

Email: john@macfortheblind.com

Website: http://www.macfortheblind.com

Apple Certified Support Professional (ACSP)

Apple Certified Trainer (ACT)

Apple Performance Partner

Mac and iOS Voiceover Training And Support

Tek Talk welcomes Oran McAllister, Client Engagement Officer at NaviLens, to discuss the NaviLens app and the NaviLens codes. 01/30/2023 Feb 06, 2023

Show notes

In the presentation, Oran will give a short introduction to NaviLens and the NaviLens codes including a little about how the codes were developed and tested. He will then speak about current use cases and the variety of ways NaviLens codes can be used. Additionally, he will speak a little about the free personal codes as well as the free kit for schools and associations. He will also answer any questions during the presentation.

Presenter Contact Info Oran McAllister is the Client Engagement Officer at NaviLens, he is tasked with working directly with the users of the app and codes as well as with organizations who may be interested in using NaviLens technology in achieving their accessibility goals.

Email: oran.mcallister@navilens.com

Website: https://www.navilens.com/en/

Tek Talk welcomes Jenine Stanley, Aira Director of Customer Communications, to discuss the Aira 2023 plans and pricing. 01/23/2031 Feb 02, 2023

Show notes

Tek Talk welcomes Jenine Stanley, Aira Director of Customer Communications, to discuss the Aira 2023 plans and pricing.

Presenter Contact Info Email: jenine.stanley@aira.io

Website: https://aira.io/

Tek Talk welcomes Marc Arneson, Hadley Director of Community, to discuss how Hadley can help you discover new ways to do things that have become more challenging with vision loss. 01/16/2023 Jan 26, 2023

Show notes

After 100 years, we here at Hadley, have reinvented ourselves to help those who are managing vision loss thrive at home, at work and in their communities. Learn about how Hadley can help you discover new ways to do things that have become more challenging with vision loss. We will also talk about ways you connect with others through Hadley and our podcast, Hadley Presents.

Presenter Contact Info Marc Arneson

Director of Community

Hadley

Address: 700 Elm Street, Winnetka, IL 60093

Phone: 847-784-2775

Website: www.Hadley.edu

Email: Marc@hadley.edu

Tek Talk welcomes Lara Rondberg, Benetech Associate Relationship Manager, to discuss Bookshare and its new features. 01/09/2023 Jan 17, 2023

Show notes

Bookshare, the worlds largest online library of accessible eBooks, is pleased to announce some exciting new features. Come learn about our new reading tools for computers, mobile devices and Alexa smart speaker plus our new human narrated audio collection. With over 1 million titles that are available any time and anywhere, Bookshare is a great resource for readers who need accessible formats.

Not a member, sign up is easy on the Bookshare website. If you have any questions or need support, please contact our Customer Service team at 650-352-0198 or via email support@bookshare.org.

Presenter Contact Info Email: larar@benetech.org

Tek Talk welcomes Mike Calvo and Matt Campbell of Pneuma Solutions to discuss Remote Incident Manager (RIM) accessible assistance software. 11/28/2022 Dec 06, 2022

Show notes

At Pneuma Solutions we provide a seamless bridge between assistive technology and mission critical applications. Our line of products was built with stability, affordability, and security in mind to attract the largest user pool inside and outside of the office space. The Remote Incident Manager (RIM) has provided secure, efficient, accessible, feature-rich remote desktop access, enabling field technical support providers to cut costs while improving quality of service since 2007.

Harness the flexibility of our remote tools to communicate across personal and enterprise networks.

Remote Incident Manager Cloud Edition

For field technical support, Remote Incident Manager Cloud Edition

allows a technician to take complete control of a distant computer, over a local network or the Internet, and puts the technician in the same Windows session as the user. With full duplex voice communication, stereo audio, and under 99MS latency connections you can use the remote computer as if you were right in front of it. Both users can work in the same applications and documents at the same time, exchange text, and exchange files through the Windows clipboard. Technical or training issues are resolved real-time or a Controller can be given unattended access so computer maintenance can be done when the computer is not in use such as over nights.

This technology has a wide range of uses; some of the most common uses are:

■ Technical support and troubleshooting

■ Training and distance learning

■ System administration

Presenter Contact Info Mike Calvo Email: mike.calvo@pneumasolutions.com

Matt Campbell Email: matt.campbell@pneumasolutions.com

Tek Talk features Stocking Stuffers Part 3 with Tricia Waechter of Blind Girl Designs and Brent Harbolt of The Harbolt Company. 11/21/2022 Nov 28, 2022

Show notes

Tek Talk features Stocking Stuffers Part 3 with Tricia Waechter of Blind Girl Designs and Brent Harbolt of The Harbolt Company. Tricia will present in the first half hour from 8 to 8:30pm Eastern and Brent will present in the second half hour from 8:30 to 9pm Eastern.

Blind Girl Designs Hi I’m Tricia Waechter from Blind Girl Designs and I cannot wait to meet you all at stocking stuffers! I have retinitis pigmentosa and I started my company almost 2 years ago after I could no longer work in a corporate environment because of my sight.

Let’s talk about my products! The most intriguing I think is my T-shirts and hoodie sweatshirts. I have designed 14 different prints with slightly tactile ink, all of the prince except” I love my guide” dog Have White cane’s integrated into the art. We have a Jolly snowman holding a white cane in his branch hand, We have a garden of beautiful colorful flowers, with stems of White cane’s, we have an American flag where the white stripe is replaced by white canes, these are only three of the 14 prints that we have, please tune in and hear about all of our fun and great prints! We have size small through five XL in adult unisex, and in the holiday/ Christmas prints we actually go from onesie to five XL for the family photo shot! See you on the 21st!.

The Harbolt Company The Harbolt Company was started in July of 2014 by Brent Harbolt. The company was created out of a love for finding rare and unique items. Whether it be high tech, low tech, or no tech, we have a little something for everyone. All items that we sell on our web site are guaranteed accessible to those who are visually impaired. If it is not accessible, we won’t sell it. We are very serious about accessibility and provide audio descriptions of every item that we sell. Our inventory is constantly changing so you never know what you will find on our site. We strive to locate hard-to-find, unique, and unusual items. By making special purchases, we are able to pass the savings on to our customers. We ship everywhere in the United States and ship to most countries outside of the United States. We accept most payment options including PayPal, all major credit and debit cards, and we even offer a convenient layaway plan. We encourage everyone to sign up for our newsletter list so you can receive our new product announcements, daily deals, contests and promotions, and special sales that we offer.

Presenter Contact InfoBlind Girl Designs Tricia Waechter

Website: Www.blindgirldesigns.com

Email: tricia@blindgirldesigns.com

Phone: 862-448-1011

The Harbolt Company Brent Harbolt

Phone: 405-471-1200

Website: www.harboltcompany.com mail: sales@harboltcompany.com

Tek Talk welcomes Jeff Bishop to discuss the Windows 11 2022 update. 09/26/2022 Nov 25, 2022

Show notes

You can read Microsoft’s promotional comments from Panos Panay, EVP, Chief Product Officer, Windows + Devices, at this website:

https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2022/09/20/available-today-the-windows-11-2022-update/

You can read How inclusion drives innovation in Windows 11 at this website:

https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2022/09/20/how-inclusion-drives-innovation-in-windows-11/

Presenter Contact Info Email: jeff@jeffbishop.com

The following information about Jeff Bishop can be found on the How inclusion drives innovation in Windows 11 website posted above:

Jeff Bishop is the product manager driving Narrator, the built-in screen reader in Windows. Jeff has been blind since birth and has dedicated his career to building experiences that empower people who are blind. And over the past few years, Jeff has led the way in making Narrator easier and more delightful to use. As he tells it:

As a screen reader user myself, I truly understood the need for some changes to Narrator’s voice. Listening to that voice all day while working, reading an article or book, or just surfing the web on the sofa – it needs to be a delightful experience. To develop the new natural sounding voices for Narrator – “Aria,” “Guy” and “Jenny” – we had to figure out what made a voice “great” for a screen reader user. I spent considerable time with our engineering team to improve responsiveness and other characteristics of the voices, and we tested and gathered tons of feedback to ensure they met my needs as a user and for the needs of all screen reader users around the world.

Drawing on his own lived experience and feedback from the community, Jeff helped bring new natural sounding voices to Narrator. These new voices use state-of-the-art text-to-speech that more closely mirror natural speech, making everything from browsing the web to reading and authoring documents more enjoyable for users who listen to their screens rather than looking at them.

Tek Talk features Stocking Stuffers Part 2 with Denise Russell of Speak To Me Catalog and Barry Carver of Mountain Crafted 11/14/2022 Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

Tek Talk features Stocking Stuffers Part 2 with Denise Russell of Speak To Me Catalog and Barry Carver of Mountain Crafted. Denise will present in the first half hour from 8 to 8:30pm Eastern and Barry will present in the second half hour from 8:30 to 9pm Eastern.

Speak To Me Catalog We are happy once again to welcome back Denise Russell the Founder of Speak To Me Catalog. This fine company was founded in July of 1994. Denise and her late husband and dear friend Seth worked tirelessly over the years to expand this fine company. This year once again, Denise will discuss her products for the holiday season.

Mountain Crafted Mountain Crafted | It Just Makes Good Scents

Mountain Crafted is based in the sleepy little town of Erwin called “Valley the Beautiful” which is situated within the foothills of the Appalachian and Smoky Mountains in Northeast Tennessee. The majestic natural beauty which surrounds us is our incentive for our work. The nature pictures posted on our site are located around and near our home. Nature and all natural are not just a saying to us, they are a way of life and centuries old traditions we strive to uphold. Our instinctive desire is to share what we have learned from our elders and experiences from living here.

Since 2012 we have been offering 100% plant based preservative bath, body & skin care products. We also carry a large 5 ounce bars of goat’s milk soap in over 250 fragrances. We also carry a line of aromatherapy products which contain essential oils.

We ship free for orders over $50.00 within the US and we gladly label products with Braille on request at no cost. Also, if you have problems with navigating web sites in purchasing, call us at: 423-743-6805 and we will take your order over the phone.

Presenter Contact InfoSpeak To Me Catalog Website: www.speaktomecatalog.com/

Email: customer.service@speaktomecatalog.com

Phone: 800-248-9965

Mountain Crafted Barry & Debra Carver

Phone: 423-743-6805

Website: www.mountaincrafted.com

Email: Info@mountaincrafted.com

Members of the Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild®