Thank you to the #ADHD, #Dyslexic and #VisionImpaired people here on mastadon who asked for audiobooks of my writings. The more people tell me their access needs, the better position I am in to encourage/ convince my publishers to make my work #Accessible.

Delighted my latest publisher agreed to make an #Audiobook of Wired Our Own Way; An Anthology of #Autistic Irish voices, which will be released tomorrow. Not sure all the platforms it will be on yet.

Anyone know of a good #accessible e-book-reader for IOS and IPadOS, which can load books and documents other than apple-books?
I'd like to use my braille-display in combination with my IPad for reading books and documents in braille.
#accessibility #blind #braille

So I finally managed to get #bluesky set up and both my bluesky account and this #mastodon account are now completely bridged into each other.
Seriously, wow this bridging and automatic crossposting between 2 completely different social-media-networks is the coolest thing I've ever seen in the history of social-media!.
#accessible #accessibility #blind #bluesky #fediverse #mastodon

Hits from my Tuesday morning inbox:

1. An unsupervised, LLM-generated, and hence completely useless set of recommendations about how to implement #accessible hovercards.

2. An email suggesting that accessible websites are ugly websites, and therefore we need some sort of cookie in everyone's browser describing what access technology they use so they can be directed into the appropriate "ghetto". This was sent to the #ARIA Authoring Practices mailing list for some reason.

Considering going back to bed.

#DuarteCA #CommunityGarden to be developed at #TzeitelParasCaracciPark

March 12, 2025

"Duarte residents will soon have a new space to grow fresh produce, connect with neighbors, and enjoy the outdoors. Last month, the Duarte City Council approved the development of the Duarte Community Garden at Tzeitel Paras-Caracci Park (2701 Royal Oaks Drive).

"'This project exemplifies our dedication to creating #sustainable, #accessible spaces for our residents,' said Mayor Cesar A. Garcia. 'This garden will not only enhance the beauty of our park but also provide a space where our community can come together, learn, and share in the joy of nature. I am excited to see this project grow and look forward to it becoming a vibrant part of our community.'

"The goal of the Duarte Community Garden is to increase #FoodSovereignty by creating garden plots for community members to grow healthy food, cultivate agricultural literacy with educational programs, gather community by creating a welcoming and accessible garden space, and perform ecosystem services by removing grass, installing a sustainable #DripIrrigation system, building a #NativeHabitatGarden, and collecting #compost.

"The garden will feature 20 plots and two #ADAAccessible raised beds, available for rent at $5 per month. Community members can plant edible (excluding smokable) plants and flowers for personal, noncommercial use. It will include a storage shed with garden tools, an irrigation system promoting sustainable practices, and ADA-accessible decomposed granite pathways.

"The garden will be run in partnership with Food Exploration and Discovery (#FoodEd), a nonprofit organization that collaborates with San Gabriel Valley communities to create edible education sites and provide programs on #ecosystem #stewardship, healthy living, #environmental innovation, and entrepreneurship.

"Food Ed’s educational model will support gardeners of all skill levels, providing supplies and plants for beginners while experienced gardeners can use their own resources. The garden will also offer picnic benches for community #gatherings and host educational programs on topics like #VegetableGardening, #composting, #DroughtTolerant landscaping, and #SoilHealth.

"As the lead on this grant project, Food Ed will be responsible for building the #DuarteCommunityGarden. This includes overseeing site construction, collecting infrastructure bids, contractor management, program management, community engagement and workshops/events, processing plot holder applications, plant and soil replenishment, above ground irrigation repairs, developing the garden’s webpage and branding and overall garden management through October of 2026.

"For more information on the Duarte Community Garden, contact the Parks and Recreation Department at (626) 357-7931."

Source:
https://heysocal.com/2025/03/12/duarte-community-garden-to-be-developed-at-tzeitel-paras-caracci-park/
#ThirdSpaces #SolarPunkSunday #CommunityGardens #FoodSecurity #BuildingCommunity #California #SolarPunk #Composting

I'm thrilled to announce that I've been accepted as a student at #ColoradoChristianUniversityOnline! I'll be pursuing a B.S. in #ComputerScience. The school's class format seems much more manageable for me than other schools I've attended, and I'm feeling optimistic about this new chapter.

Now begins the challenging process of hunting for #scholarships. Unfortunately, I'm discovering just how inaccessible most scholarship websites are for screen reader users. If anyone knows of #accessible scholarship resources or platforms, I'd greatly appreciate your recommendations!

Hi dear #OpenStreetMap -community! I made a #tagging #proposal to tag grab rails (aka grab bars, handrails, support brackets) in #wheelchair #accessible toilets and I'm searching feedback.

I'd appreciate your feedback: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Proposal:Grab_rails

We need more #accessible apps for #bluesky because it's more user-friendly than #mastodon
#accessible #accessibility #blind #bluesky #fediverse #mastodon

Still waiting for an #accessible #bluesky app which will work on mac.
I'm just getting tired of #mastodon and the rest of the #fediverse being so overwelming and complicated.
#accessibility #accessible #blind #fediverse #mastodon #tech

#Blind people who use #Matrix, particularly on #Windows, is #Element the most #accessible client? I've been getting into it because a lot of communities for #SelfHosted services use it, but I don't find Element the easiest to navigate, so I'm wondering if there are other options.
#SelfHosting #OpenSource #Accessibility #ScreenReader #ScreenReaders
@mastoblind @main

Sharing some cursors. I modified the Hackneyed cursors to be high contrast and disable the animation, available as monochrome or multicolour. They use the Windows 10 and 11 default cursor colours. You can also pick any colours you want if you build from source (Codeberg).

You can download directly from my website or OpenDesktop.org.

https://futurehorizondesign.net.au/portfolio/hackneyedhighcontraststaticcursors.html

Words the US administration doesn’t want to see federal employees in departments and agencies use – as collected by the @nytimes.com. #accessible #allyship #antiracist #cleanEnergy #climateCrisis #DEI #disability #diversity #equity #feminism #hateSpeech #inclusion www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Making Gemini AI a Windows App.
If you are a Google Gemini user and wish they had a Windows app, then here are the steps in accomplishing this. Please note: This can be done whether you use Microsoft Edge or the Google Chrome browser. These are the steps using the Google Chrome browser with Jaws.
1. Open Google Chrome and go to gemini.google.com.
2. If not already signed in, sign in to your Google Account.
3. Press the alt key and you should here, Chrome button menu.
4. Arrow up until you hear, Cast, Save, Share submenu.
5. Press the right arrow to open the submenu.
6. Arrow down until you hear, Install page as app..., and press enter.
7. A dialog will pop up and you will land on a Cancel button.
8. If you tab one time you will be in an edit box to name the app. There will be a default name already there, but you can change it to whatever you want if you like.
9. Tab to the Install button and press enter and this will create the app on your computer.
10. There should now be an icon on your desktop. So you can now access it from your start menu or your desktop.
11. You can even add it to your Task Bar like other apps if you want.
Enjoy!
#Gemini #Windows #App #Chrome #Browser #ScreenReader #accessible #blind

In about two hours, I'll be covering the submission to the fourth edition of Itch.IO's Blind Gamers Jam, a friendly competition to make an #accessible #game for #blind #gamers. With 35 games on the docket, we'll hopefully see some creative ways to promote game #accessibility in the various game genres. Come see and join up, over at https://twitch.tv/zersiax . #selfPromo #smallStreamer

Today I broke an #accessibility feature on my site, and turned off #audio for UK users.

Everyone else can listen as usual. UK users cannot.

You can still read the text. But you can't hear the #accessible version.

This is the Online Safety Act: https://www.girlonthenet.com/osa/

Pls share

So this evening, #Windows update installed the wrong #AMD video driver update for my Framework 16. Using #narrator, I was able to boot into recovery mode, enter my bitlocker key to decrypt the effected drive, find my system restore point, and restore it to just before the bad update. The entire process was fully #accessible: all of my sound devices worked, my external keyboard worked, the screen reader read every screen, etc. The only thing that wouldn't work was my Braille display.

As I’m down with mum, I thought I’d take her out for a little wander in the wheelchair.
We went to Bewl Water in Kent. It was lovely weather, but unfortunately, the paths weren’t particularly #accessible. Still, we had a nice time.

This was the place where, for my late father’s 70th birthday, we both went up in a hot air balloon from here. Nice memories.

And now there’s a beef stew in the oven. A good day!