[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4cast #355: The BARD goes mobile

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OPLIN 4Cast

OPLIN 4cast #355: The BARD goes mobile
October 9th, 2013

BARDA couple of weeks ago, the National Library Service for the Blind 
and Physically Handicapped (NLS) released the BARD mobile app for iOS 
devices, with an Android version coming soon. BARD (Braille and Audio 
Reading Download) has been available on desktop computers for some time, 
but this mobile app, which has been in development for several years, 
was highly anticipated by the blind community. Why? Because mobile 
devices, particularly smartphones, have become an important part of life 
for the visually impaired, due to the many accessibility tools they can 
provide.

  * Visually impaired turn to smartphones to see their world
    <http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/29/disruptions-guided-by-touch-screens-blind-turn-to-smartphones-for-sight/>
    (New York Times/Nick Bilton) "Smartphones and tablets, with their
    flat glass touch screens and nary a texture anywhere, may not seem
    like the best technological innovation for people who cannot see.
    But advocates for the blind say the devices could be the biggest
    assistive aid to come along since Braille was invented in the 1820s."
  * What is VoiceOver <http://macfortheblind.com/What-is-VoiceOver>
    (MacForTheBlind) "Apples innovative gesture-based technology gives
    the user complete control over their iDevice, and access to a
    variety of applications (note that all third party apps are not
    necessarily compatible with VoiceOver). The user receives speech
    feedback via VoiceOver, and can even connect to several different
    types of refreshable Braille displays as well."
  * A collection of accessible apps for your Android device
    <http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw140303> (AFB
    AccessWorld/J.J. Meddaugh) "Google Goggles is one of the simplest
    apps for object recognition. I use it to recognize packages of food
    and currency among other things. It also includes some simple text
    recognition, handy for getting the name or number off of a business
    card. Plus, your previous searches are saved, so you can go back
    later and review previous results."
  * NLS Bard for iOS! A long awaited app
    <https://nfb.org/blog/atblog/nls-bard-ios-long-awaited-app>
    (National Federation of the Blind/Amy Mason) "The NLS app is pretty
    great. I finally can carry one device with almost all my books on
    it, and I love that. The app itself is responsive and works quite
    well, the Braille navigation has been handled cleverly, and with the
    ability to side load other Braille books, it's a pretty powerful tool."

*/Eligibility fact:/*

To use BARD, a person must be eligible to receive library services from 
the NLS, which most often means their visual acuity with correcting 
lenses must be 20/200 or less in their best eye.
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